| Gambit | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | December 1998 – February 2001 |
| No. of issues | 28 |
| Main character(s) | Remy LeBeau / Gambit Jacob "Jake" Gavin Jr. / Courier |
| Creative team | |
| Written by |
|
| Penciller(s) | Steve Skroce Georges Jeanty (epilogue) |
| Editor(s) | Mark Powers Jason Liebig |
| Collected editions | |
| Volume One | ISBN 978-0785196853 |
| Volume Two | ISBN 978-1302913755 |
Gambit is a 26-issue comic book series published byMarvel Comics from December1998 to February2001. Created by writerFabian Nicieza and artistSteve Skroce, it is the thirdseries starring theX-Men characterRemy LeBeau / Gambit, following him as he goes on missions for his handler Jacob "Jake" Gavin Jr. / Courier. As the two work for and investigate Gambit's evil alternate self "The New Son", their relationship is complicated by Courier being turned into a girl ("Jacqueline/Jackie") byMister Sinister. The series received generally positive reviews from comic critics.
Gambit (collected asX-Men: Gambit) lasted 25 issues, one special, and two annuals (for a total of 28),cover-dated from February1999 to February2001.[1] Initially simply written byFabian Nicieza and drawn bySteve Skroce, followingGambit and Courier, Skroce would receive a co-plotter credit midway through the series,[2] while the final (epilogue) issue would be plotted byScott Lobdell, scripted byJoe Pruett, and drawn byGeorges Jeanty.[3] The 2001 miniseriesGambit & Bishop: Sons of the Atom was advertised as a direct continuation ofGambit at the conclusion of its final issue,[4] while Courier would return in the 2024Fall of X seriesCable (again written byFabian Nicieza and drawn byScot Eaton), still stuck with the body of a girl, only able to transform into the forms of other women.[5]
The series received generally positive reviews from comic critics.AIPT Comics rated the series 7.0/10, calling it "a slow read to be sure [but the] verbose writing style aside, there are some fascinating tidbits about Gambit".[8]Slings & Arrows lauded Nicieza's "verbose form of writing" and Skroce's art as "better than what's perceived as Marvel's 1990s look",[2] complimentingGeorges Jeanty for "pull[ing] out all the stops for the art" following Stroke's departure, concluding to call the plot "over-extended, but tie[d] together well".[3]
| Issue | Title | Publication date | Estimated sales (first month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | "The Man of Steal" | December 23, 1998 | 117,437, ranked 5th inNorth America[9] |
| #2 | "Stormbringers" | January 27, 1999 | 86,130, ranked 10th inNorth America[10] |
| #3 | "Monsters Like Us" | February 24, 1999 | 66,559, ranked 17th in North America[11] |
| #4 | "Old Wounds, Fresh Blood" | March 24, 1999 | 63,525, ranked 18th in North America[12] |
| #5 | "Of Mice and Men" | April 28, 1999 | 59,689, ranked 22nd in North America[13] |
| #6 | "Muddy Waters" | May 26, 1999 | 54,004, ranked 31st in North America[14] |
| #7 | "Dirty Troughs" | June 23, 1999 | 51,939, ranked 29th in North America[15] |
| #8 | "Destined to Repeat It" | July 28, 1999 | 49,286, ranked 44th in North America[16] |
| #9 | "To Thine Own Self Be True" | August 25, 1999 | 46,399, ranked 36th in North America[17] |
| #10 | "Waiting for the Princess" | September 22, 1999 | 43,235, ranked 47th in North America[18] |
| #11 | "The Hamster Run" | October 27, 1999 | 44,251, ranked 42nd in North America[19] |
| #12 | "The Sunset Dawn (Book 1): The Time Trap" | December 1, 1999 | 41,480, ranked 43rd in North America[20] |
| #13 | "The Sunset Dawn (Book 2): The Black Womb" | January 5, 2000 | 43,326, ranked 35th in North America[21] |
| #14 | "The Sunset Dawn (Book 3): Tomorrow Starts Today" | January 26, 2000 | 38,978, ranked 44th in North America[22] |
| #15 | "Folding City" | February 23, 2000 | 36,734, ranked 44th in North America[23] |
| #16 | "The More Things Change" | March 22, 2000 | 43,376, ranked 29th in North America[24] |
| #17 | "Assassination Game", Part 1 of 3: "The Pin Cushion" | April 26, 2000 | 36,946, ranked 53rd in North America[25] |
| #18 | "Assassination Game", Part 2 of 3: "Working the Treadmill" | May 31, 2000 | 37,126, ranked 59th in North America[26] |
| #19 | "Assassination Game", Part 3 of 3: "Beasts of Burden" | June 28, 2000 | 38,160, ranked 49th in North America[27] |
| #20 | "In Dreams" | July 26, 2000 | 37,543, ranked 49th in North America[28] |
| #21 | "A Sheep in Wolves' Clothes" | August 23, 2000 | 35,155, ranked 49th in North America[29] |
| #22 | "Follow the Leader" | September 27, 2000 | 35,364, ranked 54th in North America[30] |
| #23 | "Shell Game" | October 25, 2000 | 36,605, ranked 49th in North America[31] |
| #24 | "Sunrise, Sunset" | November 22, 2000 | 35,351, ranked 60th in North America[32] |
| #25 | "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" | December 28, 2000 | 35,361, ranked 53rd in North America[33] |
| Issue | Title | Cover date | Release date | Estimated sales (first month) | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gambit 1999 #1 | "With or Without You" | September 1999 | July 21, 1999 | 38,434, ranked 72nd in NA[16] | 12+ |
| Gambit 2000 #1 | "Endgame?" | October 2000 | August 16, 2000 | 29,119, ranked 75th in NA[29] | 12+ |
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Men: Gambit – The Complete Collection, Volume 1 | Gambit (vol. 3) #1–11, #1/2.Annual '99,Marvel Authentix: Gambit #1, material fromX-Men Unlimited (vol. 1) #18 | March 8, 2016 | 978-0785196853 |
| X-Men Origins: Gambit | X-Men Origins: Gambit #1,Uncanny X-Men #266–267,X-Men (vol.2) #33,Gambit (vol. 3) #25 and material fromNation X #2 | September 27, 2016 | 978-1302902476 |
| X-Men: Gambit – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 | Gambit (vol. 3) #12–25,Annual 2000 | December 24, 2018 | 978-1302913755 |
