Marvel’s announcement of the upcoming Rogue Wild Lands may feel like a callback to what some consider a “controversial” moment. Written by the creator of Hack/Slash Tim Seeley, Reunited with HEXWARE Artist, Disneyland Paris 2024 Marvel Art Studio Winner Zulema Lawina, The two survive without their powers in a wild place and tell the story of what happened to Rogue. This is of course based on Chris Claremontof Uncanny X-Men #269 and #274-275, And, of course, the incredibly evocative images Jim Lee Savage land thieves.
This is the premise:
An X-Men named Rogue has always been a survivor, but without her mutant powers, she’ll need to prove it like never before! When the wild lands turn to war, Rogue will need all her skills to survive against the threats of dinosaurs, mutants, and the Master of Magnetism himself!
Why this is so controversial in today’s pop culture thought is because their relationship was brought back into focus in X-Men ’97. As a creator, we should emphasize Tim Seeley It was confirmed on social media that the five-issue miniseries has nothing to do with the “X-Men 97” storyline and is simply an original work by Seeley and LaVina.
Now, on the one hand, this comic provides some fan service to older fans who remember this era with fondness despite never getting the full story because there were so many gaps in the story. This is really just an opportunity for exposition, as those new to Marvel Comics can see how Rogue and Magneto’s brief romance began; the gist of the story is that Rogue and Magneto find themselves working together to fight against the evil sorceress Zara Dan.
a lot of Like a typical survival story about two people stranded in the middle of nowhere, in the original Claremont Incredible story the two work together against a common enemy, and the two spend some time together to get closer, resulting in A slight romance (plus, the thief can finally touch someone). It was actually a fairly minor moment in the story, though its art and impact on the lore impacted a generation of fans.
Perhaps the biggest critical issue I’ve seen is the questionable age gap between Rogue and Magneto – many pointed out that as a Holocaust survivor, he could easily be in his 60s. But maybe the real question should be how long has Rogue been around in Claremont comics in the ’80s, and why are the comics talking about it? Because I don’t think that’s the reason we think it is.
As Screenrant itself points out, Rogue was likely in her 20s during the ’97 TV show, so there’s nothing illegal about reaching the final age of consent. While I don’t have a complete answer to Rogue’s age during Claremont’s run, nor a direct clarification on Magneto’s age, I must stress that these stories have been going on for many years, and the Western comics character does have some maturation issues. Like most characters in comics, like vampires, they simply stop aging.
From Kamala Khan to Dick Grayson, almost everyone in superhero comics is between the ages of 18 and 36, just stuck at that age and point in time. While the characters’ personalities change to benefit the era in which they were written, for the convenience of comic storytelling, their ages are swapped as the story requires.
Yet it’s this age flexibility that’s why we have so many different Spider-Men and a very large Bat-family – and I have no complaints about either – as a fan of both. I do think one of the questions here is are comics themselves doomed to a state of perpetual immaturity? How does this affect descriptions of sex—not necessarily in terms of representation, but in terms of descriptions of relationships over time?
Although this is only the first level. The question really should be…why does entertainment itself rely on characters stuck in stagnant development during this strange holding period? I have no idea. But I do think the way things are done is changing – although that’s another topic…
As for ROGUE: THE SAVAGE LAND and why I’m really glad I bought it: Tim SeeleyLOCAL MAN is an extraordinary Eisner-nominated story about a washed-up ’90s superhero who returns to his hometown after cancel culture, making him the perfect choice to make a ’90s story one. Visually, he knows how to pull it off, and as someone who has read a lot of Seeley comics, I do see a lot of promise in what I know Tim can do and this particular story.
The man understands the uniqueness of the ’90s very well (I say this as someone who grew up in the ’90s), and this Savage Land story seems like a fun take on the X-Men era. Which means, yes, it’s filled with sexy thieves, fun dinosaur adventures, Khazar (aka Tarzan), and of course a “complicated” bad boy Magneto, and despite having read Tim’s work, I also wish there was something more sparkly. Something special. I do think it’s worth giving it a try – especially since both creators seem so passionate about the project.
“After winning Marvel Art Studio, I still realized what an incredible opportunity this was,” Lavina wrote to Polygon. “I was then asked to draw this Rogue limited series and I instantly loved it. Got it. It’s a pleasure to work with Tim Seeley again, and I hope readers enjoy this wonderful story filled with empathy and determination, set in the iconic Savage Land. It’s a great story, full of wild and unexpected things – I can’t wait for you to read it!
“In these five issues, I capitalized on my love of the ’80s X-Men, Jim Lee, Chris Claremont, Zabu, scantily clad heroines (and heroes!), and perhaps most importantly: dinosaurs ,” Seeley continued. “Together with my collaborator Zulema Lavina, we’re launching something fresh while paying homage to the incredibly sexy and epic classic story of young Rogue, and two of the strangest allies a girl from Mississippi could ask for. : Magneto and Ka-Zar.
See cover and release date below. Stay tuned for more long shots from me—because The Beat will be announcing my new column on the site soon.
“Rogue: Savage Land” #1 (total 5)
Written by Tim Seeley
Artwork by Zulema Lavina
Cover author: KAARE ANDREWS
VARIANT COVER OF RUSSELL DAUTERMAN
VARIANT COVER BY NICK BRADSHAW
On sale 1/15
