| Marauders | |
|---|---|
 Cover toMarauders #1 byRussell Dauterman (artist) andMatthew Wilson (colorist). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| No. of issues | 27 (as of January 12, 2022) |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Gerry Duggan (writer) Matteo Lolli (artist) |
| Written by | Gerry Duggan Vita Ayala Benjamin Percy |
| Artist(s) | Matteo Lolli Michele Bandini Lucas Werneck Mario del Pennino Stefano Caselli Covers Russell Dauterman Matthew Wilson |
| Inker | Elisabetta D'Amico |
| Colorist(s) | Frederico Blee Erick Arciniega Edgar Delgado |
| Editor(s) | Editor Jordan D. White Assistant Editor Chris Robinson Head of X Jonathan Hickman |
Marauders was the title of twoongoingcomic book series starring theX-Men published byMarvel Comics beginning in 2019 during theKrakoan Age.
Marauders was announced in July2019 as one of the six launch titles for Marvel'sDawn of X initiative, a franchise-wide reset of the status quo of the X-Men series created byJonathan Hickman.[1] In October 2019, issue one was launched as a sister book to the flagshipX-Men title, featuring a team of X-Men traveling the world by ship to protect mutantkind.[2]
As part of theDestiny of X revamp, writerSteve Orlando took the helm of the book with a second volume and a new main cast: Kate Pryde, Bishop, Tempo, Daken, Aurora, Psylocke (Kwannon), and new character Somnus. Their first stint together had them cross paths withX-Men 2099's villain Brimstone Love.[3][4]
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WhenKitty Pryde, now going by Kate, attempts to enter a gateway toKrakoa for the first time, she is unable to pass through and breaks her nose. Kate instead steals a boat and sails to the island where she is greeted byWolverine,Iceman andStorm. She is contacted byEmma Frost who explains to her that some of the human nations of the world refuse to recognize Krakoa's sovereignty, have rejected the offer of life-saving Krakoan drugs and refuse to let their mutant citizens enter the new mutant homeland. Iceman then heads through a gateway leading him to Russia where he is attacked by the military, who are using power-dampening technology to block access to Krakoa. Kate, Storm, Iceman and a newly-resurrectedPyro sail to Russia and take out the blockade, allowing the mutants passage. Emma offers Kate the chance to captain her own ship so that she can protect Krakoa's interests and she agrees. In London, Emma chastisesSebastian Shaw for his carelessness in running the Hellfire Trading Company's black market accounts and the two clash over their designs for the vacant seat on Krakoa's Council. The Marauders defeat a crew of thieves led byBatroc the Leaper that had stolen some of Krakoa's medicine before rendezvousing withBishop in Taipei, who is investigating the disappearance of the husband of Mrs. Zhao, an anti-mutant socialite.[5]
Shaw hasThe Five resurrect his sonShinobi, with plans on crowning him the Red King but he is thwarted by Emma, who undermines him and appoints Kate as the Red Queen, meaning she now sits on the council, with Kate subsequently appointing Bishop as her Red Bishop. Enraged, Shaw reluctantly makes Shinobi his Black Bishop but promises him the Red Council seat soon, revealing that Kate and Emma were responsible for his death.[6]
While Iceman, Storm and Pyro rescue some mutants in Brazil, Kate and Bishop discover that Mrs. Zhao had locked her own husband away and blamed it on the mutants to increase tensions. They release the husband, who now worships mutants as gods following the establishment of Krakoa, embarrassing Zhao who partners with the Homines Verendi, a human supremacy group based inMadripoor, in the hopes of getting revenge. Iceman meets with Emma's White Bishop, her brotherChristian, with whom he has begun a casual relationship. Christian offers Iceman a place on his crew but he refuses and Christian theorises that Iceman and Storm are staying so close to Kate because, as she has been unable to access Krakoa, they fear that The Five will be unable to resurrect her should she die. Christian arrives at a Hellfire Company meeting where Shaw attempts to divert the Marauders to Madripoor. Although Christian abstains from the vote, Emma and Kate vote for Shinobi to continue his route to Madripoor but they soon receive news that his boat has come into conflict and needs help. When the Marauders arrive, they are attacked by soldiers led by Zhao andDonald Pierce wearing power-dampening armor who were sent by Homines Verendi. During the fight,Yellowjacket, an agent of Verendi, sneaks into Pyro's bloodstream so that he can spy on the team. The Marauders split up, with Kate tasked with transporting the armor to Krakoa so it can be researched. Once alone, Shaw ambushes her and leaves her to drown so that he can claim her Council seat for Shinobi.[7]
Emma meets withCallisto and invites her to be her White Knight, which she agrees to as long as Emma funds an enclave in Arizona for theMorlocks to live. Homines Verendi meet with the Russian ambassador and offer to sell her intel on Krakoa that they have obtained from Yellowjacket in exchange for their power-dampening technology. Bishop attacks a Verendi group and sneaks aboard their ship where he finds Kate's dead body. He telepathically calls to Emma, who arrives with Iceman and Christian to rescue them. Enraged, Iceman almost kills the Verendi soldiers using his Omega-level powers as revenge for killing Kate but Bishop talks him down. Storm confronts Emma, blaming her for Kate's death but Emma tells Storm she is hopeful that there may be a way to bring her back. Shinobi appointsFenris as the Black Knight. Emma detects Yellowjacket inside Pyro and teams up with theStepford Cuckoos to trap him in an illusion to find out what he knows. After she and Pyro psychically project to Verendi and warn them not to interfere with mutant affairs, the Marauders andForge destroy the Russian ship transporting the power-dampening tech. At Kate's funeral Lockheed appears before a grieving Emma and she discovers that Shaw murdered Kate. After initial difficulties, The Five are able resurrect Kate, who plans her revenge.[8]
Kate and Emma storm the Black Keep and Kate attacks Shaw, who is unable to defend himself with his powers after Emma shoots him with a power-dampening bullet. Shaw attempts to convince Kate that he gave her a gift by killing her, as her death and subsequent resurrection have removed all doubt that she is a mutant but Kate continues to attack him. Emma explains to Shaw that Kate will now be in charge of the Hellfire Trading Company's black market deals and Shinobi, whom she mind-read to determine that he did not know of his father's plan to kill Kate, will deal with the more mundane elements of the business or else she will reveal to the Council that he murdered Kate and he be exiled. Storm then arrives with Lockheed, who bites out Shaw's eye as punishment before he is poisoned by Kate using Verendi chemicals, with Storm stating that, should he die, she will ensure he is not resurrected for a long time. Callisto convinces Storm to kill her so that she can be resurrected with all of her mutant powers. Emma begins making plans for theHellfire Gala, a state dinner to be held on Krakoa inviting the human heads of state from around the world, with Kate extending an invitation to Zhao and the rest of Verendi. The Marauders begin buying properties in Madripoor's poorest areas and converting them into hospitals and schools as a sign of defiance towards the Verendi government, though it backfires when Verendi release their newly createdReavers onto the island. Callisto sends the Morlocks to take care of the situation to avoid an international incident.[9]
In the last issues:[10]
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In 2019, the X-Men's splinter team debuted inMarauders #1.[11]
| Character | Real name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Kate Pryde / Red Queen | Katherine "Kate" Anne Pryde | Marauders #1 | None |
| Lockheed | |||
| Emma Frost / White Queen | Emma Grace Frost | Leaves the team inMarauders #27 | |
| Iceman | Robert Louis "Bobby" Drake | ||
| Storm | Ororo Munroe | Leaves the team inMarauders #20 | |
| Pyro | St. John Allerdyce | Leaves the team inMarauders #27 | |
| Black King | Sebastian Shaw | ||
| Bishop | Lucas Bishop | Marauders #2 | None |
| Callisto | Unknown | Marauders #7 | |
| Tempo | Heather Tucker | Marauders Annual #1 | |
| Psylocke | Kwannon | Migrated fromHellions | |
| Aurora | Jeanne-Marie Beaubier | Migrated fromX-Factor (2020). | |
| Fang Daken (formerly) | Akihiro | ||
| Somnus | Carl Valentino | None | |
| Cassandra Nova | Marauders (vol. 2) #1 | ||
| Issues | Characters |
|---|---|
| Volume 1 | |
| #1 | |
| #2–4 |
|
| #5–6 |
|
| #7 |
|
| #8–9 |
|
| #10 |
|
| #11 |
|
| #12 |
|
| #13–15 | X of Swords crossover |
| #16 |
|
| #17 |
|
| #18 |
|
| #19 |
|
| #20 |
|
| #21 | Hellfire Gala event |
| #22 |
|
| #23 |
|
| #24 |
|
| #25 |
|
| #26 |
|
| #27 |
|
| Volume 2 | |
| Annual #1 | |
| #1-12 |
|
In February 2020, Oliver Sava ofThe A.V. Club stated that the first volume "combines political intrigue with breathtaking action and a sharp sense of humor, digging deep into X-Men history while enthusiastically sailing into a future full of promise and danger. The first arc ofMarauders expertly balances light and dark elements as it details the exploits of the new Hellfire Corporation, splitting power three ways between White Queen Emma Frost, Black King Sebastian Shaw, and Red Queen Kate Pryde".[12] Sava thought the Dawn of X series hit "on all of the major plot points of theHickman era while enriching its steadily expanding cast of the characters" and became even stronger in its second story arc, with illustrator Stefano Caselli and colorist Edgar Delgado elevating "the book's visuals with sleek action and rich expressions that sell both the drama and humor of Duggan’s script".[12] Sava also highlighted that Duggan "does remarkable work incorporating thedata pages that Hickman and designer Tom Muller introduced inHOX/POX, using them to build an ongoing side narrative".[12] In an April 2022 overview ofDestiny Of X, Sava highlighted the second volume's new creative team – "writerSteve Orlando, artist Eleonora Carlini, and colorist Matt Milla" – and opined that "the first volume ofMarauders was one of the early highlights of the Krakoa era, but started to lose its way, so some fresh creative blood is welcome. This new direction shifts the book from pirate ships to spaceships, sending a newly formed team into Shi'ar territory".[13]
In May 2022, Micheal Foulk ofThe Beat commented that "Kate is at her most cantankerous in this series. She's often drunk, foul-mouthed, messy, stubborn, and intrepid in all the ways Kate should be. Kate is also a brutal, savage fighter in a way we haven't witnessed in a very long time if ever".[14] Foulk highlighted the "charming" scenes between Kate and Emma Frost which "set the tone for their working relationship throughout the series. [...] Having an entire series that is built around mutant women making power plays and working together is refreshing for this reader, and apparently frustrating to toxic men like Sebastian Shaw".[14] While Foulk enjoyed "what Marauders does with Iceman, Pyro, and to a larger degree Bishop", he thought centering the series on women was "a good thing".[14]
| Issue | Publication Date | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colorist | Comic Book Roundup Rating[15][16] | Estimated Sales to North American Retailers (First Month) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 (2019 series) | |||||||
| #1 | October 23, 2019 | Gerry Duggan | Matteo Lolli | Federico Blee | 8.3 by 25 professional critics | 86,830[17] | None |
| #2 | November 20, 2019 | 7.8 by 18 professional critics | 51,241[18] | ||||
| #3 | December 4, 2019 | Michele Bandini | 8.0 by 11 professional critics | 49,309[19] | |||
| #4 | December 18, 2019 | Lucas Werneck | 8.4 by 8 professional critics | 45,641[19] | |||
| #5 | January 1, 2020 | Matteo Lolli & Lucas Werneck | 8.4 by 8 professional critics | 44,802[20] | |||
| #6 | January 22, 2020 | Matteo Lolli & Mario del Pennino | Erick Arciniega | 8.2 by 12 professional critics | 44,212[20] | ||
| #7 | February 5, 2020 | Stefano Caselli | Edgar Delgado | 8.0 by 9 professional critics | 38,799[21] | ||
| #8 | February 19, 2020 | 9.0 by 10 professional critics | 37,413[21] | ||||
| #9 | March 4, 2020 | Matteo Lolli | 8.3 by 12 professional critics | 39,059[22] | |||
| #10 | May 27, 2020 | Stefano Caselli | 8.4 by 11 professional critics | Data not available | |||
| #11 | August 12, 2020 | 8.5 by 10 professional critics | |||||
| #12 | September 9, 2020 | Matteo Lolli | 7.6 by 5 professional critics | 27,000–32,000[23] | |||
| #13 | October 7, 2020 | Vita Ayala | 8.0 by 10 professional critics | 46,000–51,000[24] | X of Swords tie-in | ||
| #14 | November 4, 2020 | Gerry Duggan Benjamin Percy | Stefano Caselli | 7.5 by 8 professional critics | Data not available | ||
| #15 | November 11, 2020 | 7.6 by 8 professional critics | |||||
| #16 | December 9, 2020 | Gerry Duggan | 8.3 by 6 professional critics | None | |||
| #17 | January 13, 2021 | Matteo Lolli | 8.3 by 7 professional critics | ||||
| #18 | February 17, 2021 | Stefano Caselli | 8.0 by 6 professional critics | ||||
| #19 | April 7, 2021 | 7.1 by 6 professional critics | |||||
| #20 | May 5, 2021 | 8.3 by 7 professional critics | |||||
| #21 | June 2, 2021 | Matteo Lolli | 8.5 by 12 professional critics | 64,517[25] | Hellfire Gala tie-in | ||
| #22 | July 21, 2021 | Klaus Janson & Matteo Lolli | Rain Beredo | 7.5 by 6 professional critics | 36,103[26] | None | |
| #23 | August 18, 2021 | Ivan Fiorelli | 7.1 by 6 professional critics | 29,960[27] | |||
| #24 | September 15, 2021 | Phil Noto | 7.5 by 7 professional critics | 29,786[28] | |||
| #25 | October 27, 2021 | 8.4 by 5 professional critics | 13,387[29] | ||||
| #26 | December 01, 2021 | Matteo Lolli | Rain Beredo | 7.7 by 4 professional critics | 10,504[30] | ||
| #27 | January 12, 2022 | Matteo Lolli & Phil Noto | Rain Beredo & Phil Noto | 7.4 by 5 professional critics | 26,338[31] | ||
| King in Black: Marauders (2021) | |||||||
| #1 | February 03, 2021 | Gerry Duggan | Luke Ross | Carlos Lopez | 7.9 by 5 professional critics[32] | Data not available | None |
| Marauders Annual (2022) | |||||||
| #1 | January 26, 2022 | Steve Orlando | Creees Lee | Rain Beredo | 8.3 by 10 professional critics | 26,727[31] | None |
| Volume 2 (2022) | |||||||
| #1 | April 06, 2022 | Steve Orlando | Eleonora Carlini | Matt Milla | 7.8 by 13 professional critics | 66,013[33] | None |
| #2 | May 04, 2022 | 7.6 by 6 professional critics | Data not available | ||||
| #3 | June 08, 2022 | 7.1 by 4 professional critics | |||||
| #4 | July 13, 2022 | 6.2 by 2 professional critics | |||||
| #5 | August 24, 2022 | Andrea Broccardo | 7.1 by 3 professional critics | ||||
| #6 | September 07, 2022 | 8.9 by 2 professional critics | A.X.E.: Judgment Day tie-in | ||||
| #7 | October 05, 2022 | Eleonora Carlini | Matt Milla & Rachelle Rosenberg | 7.5 by 2 professional critics | None | ||
| #8 | November 09, 2022 | Matt Milla | 7.5 by 2 professional critics | ||||
| #9 | December 07, 2022 | 6.0 by 2 professional critics | |||||
| #10 | January 04, 2023 | 6.3 by 3 professional critics | |||||
| #11 | February 15, 2023 | 7.7 by 3 professional critics | |||||
| #12 | March 22, 2023 | 7.8 by 3 professional critics | |||||
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marauders by Gerry Duggan Volume 1 | Marauders (vol. 1) #1–6 | April 28, 2020[34] | ISBN 978-1302919948 |
| Marauders by Gerry Duggan Volume 2 | Marauders (vol. 1) #7–12 | November 10, 2020[35] | ISBN 978-1302921477 |
| X Of Swords | Marauders (vol. 1) #13-15 andX of Swords: Creation #1,X of Swords: Stasis #1,X of Swords: Destruction #1,X-Men #12-15,Excalibur #13-15,X-Force #13-14,New Mutants #13,Wolverine #6-7,Cable #5-6,Hellions #5-6,X-Factor #4 | April 22, 2021 | 978-1302927172 |
| Marauders by Gerry Duggan Volume 3 | Marauders (vol. 1) #16–20,Marauders: King In Black #1 | August 17, 2021[36] | ISBN 978-1302921477 |
| X-Men: Hellfire Gala | Marauders (vol. 1) #21,X-Men #21,Planet-Size X-Men #1,S.W.O.R.D. #6, material fromClassic X-Men #7 | February 10, 2022 | 978-1302931155 |
| Marauders by Gerry Duggan Volume 4 | Marauders (vol. 1) #22-27 | March 10, 2022 | 978-1302927196 |
| Marauders by Gerry Duggan Volume 1 (HC) | Marauders (vol. 1) #1–12 | September 14, 2021[37] | ISBN 978-1302929756 |
| Marauders by Gerry Duggan Volume 2 (HC) | Marauders (vol. 1) #16-20, 22–27,Marauders: King In Black #1 | September 20, 2022 | 978-1302945213 |
| Marauders by Steve Orlando Volume 1 | Marauders (vol. 2) #1-5, Annual #1 | November 22, 2022 | 978-1302927202 |
| Marauders by Steve Orlando Volume 2 | Marauders (vol. 2) #6-12,X-Men: Before The Fall - Mutant First Strike | August 29, 2023 |
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