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X-Men (2004) (Single Issues) #188-204, Annual 1
X-Men: Marauders
Mike Carey reinvigorates the X-Men! A shaken Sabretooth arrives at the X-Men's doorstep - asking for asylum! But what could possibly strike terror into the heart of Victor Creed? The Children of the Vault have risen...and they spell doom for the X-Men! Rogue must assemble a dangerous new squad -including Mystique, Cable, Lady Mastermind and Sabretooth - but when a terrifying alien threat emerges, can Rogue hold on to her sanity? Meanwhile, the deadliest foes in the X-Men's history, the Marauders, return - and Gambit is front and center among their ranks! Why are the Marauders eliminating specific mutants? And what prize do they plan to rip from the X-Men's hands? It's an exciting new direction for the X-Men, that sets up the status quo for the "Messiah Complex" event! COLLECTING: X-MEN (1991) 188-199, 200-204 (A STORIES); X-MEN ANNUAL (2007) 1
480 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2007
4 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Mike Carey
1,261 books2,967 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 26, 2019
This collects Mike Carey's first year and a half of X-Men stories up to Messiah Complex. After Messiah Complex the book is retitled X-Men:Legacy and for the most part follows Professor X around. Previously this was collected in X-Men: Supernovas and S-Men: Blinded by the Light.
Mike Carey comes in like a wrecking ball and makes the X-Men good again after Chuck Austen and Peter Milligan's awful turn on the book. I love this volatile mix of X-Men Carey has put together with a badass version of Rogue in charge. Plus Cannonball! One of my all-time favorite X-Men who hasn't gotten much time to shine in the last 20 years after New Mutants / X-Force ended. The Children of the Vault is a very cool concept that Jonathan Hickman would explore in more detail during his Ultimates run with the "Maker" a few years later. (The 2 stories aren't connected. they just are based on the same concept.) Chris Bachalo's art is wild and bombastic, fitting perfectly with an X-Men team having Mystique, Lady Mastermind, and Sabertooth as members. Humberto Ramos's chaotic art fits in well with the blitzkrieg battles within. (Bachalo and Ramos trade off on art chores between each arc.) This was the beginning of the last peak X-Men time that lasted up to Schism where the books were consistently good.
Mike Carey comes in like a wrecking ball and makes the X-Men good again after Chuck Austen and Peter Milligan's awful turn on the book. I love this volatile mix of X-Men Carey has put together with a badass version of Rogue in charge. Plus Cannonball! One of my all-time favorite X-Men who hasn't gotten much time to shine in the last 20 years after New Mutants / X-Force ended. The Children of the Vault is a very cool concept that Jonathan Hickman would explore in more detail during his Ultimates run with the "Maker" a few years later. (The 2 stories aren't connected. they just are based on the same concept.) Chris Bachalo's art is wild and bombastic, fitting perfectly with an X-Men team having Mystique, Lady Mastermind, and Sabertooth as members. Humberto Ramos's chaotic art fits in well with the blitzkrieg battles within. (Bachalo and Ramos trade off on art chores between each arc.) This was the beginning of the last peak X-Men time that lasted up to Schism where the books were consistently good.
January 14, 2019
In the lead-up to Messiah CompleX, the X-Men are under attack from within and without, as the Children Of The Vault, the Hecatomb, and the Marauders bring their full power to bear against Rogue's newest team of mutants!
Messiah CompleX was my first exposure to the X-Men, so with this collection of issues from just before coming out, it was a no brainer to grab it.
This volume collects the year of X-Men issues from just prior to Messiah CompleX, split up into a few separate stories all feeding into the ongoing mystery of just what's going to happen in the near future. We open with Supernovas, which brings Sabretooth and the Children Of The Vault into conflict with the X-Men - this story chugs along nicely, and just when you think it's losing steam it picks right back up again before a literally explosive conclusion.
An annual splits up the year of stories, with a focus on Exodus that bridges the gap between issues as well as giving Rogue's team a new headquarters for themselves. The final seven issues feature Red Data, which brings back the concept of mummadrai and Cable's Providence island, whilst the last four are the true Messiah CompleX prelude, Blinded By The Light which is where the volume gets its Marauders title from.
These stories are all surprisingly solid. It was only when I double checked who wrote them that I realised my mistake - this was all Mike Carey, who goes on to do a superb job with Rogue in X-Men Legacy, so I should not have been surprised in the slightest, and nor should you.
The artwork in this volume is a pretty even split between Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos who make a surprisingly good tag-team since they both do the slick-but-not-quite-in-proportion style so well. Clayton Henry pops in for a fill-in and his art looks almost indistinguishable from his current day fare, while Mark Brooks does some rare interiors for the Annual issue featuring Exodus, and Mike Choi rounds things out for the Blinded By The Light epilogue issue. It's a tour-de-force of great art, which I'll admit I wasn't expecting to see.
Marauders is a lot of bang for its buck, and works both as a good prelude for things to come and an enjoyable collection all on its own. I'm glad Marvel are beginning to trade this era of X-Men again, because I'd definitely like to see what's going on in the other X-books at the same time.
Messiah CompleX was my first exposure to the X-Men, so with this collection of issues from just before coming out, it was a no brainer to grab it.
This volume collects the year of X-Men issues from just prior to Messiah CompleX, split up into a few separate stories all feeding into the ongoing mystery of just what's going to happen in the near future. We open with Supernovas, which brings Sabretooth and the Children Of The Vault into conflict with the X-Men - this story chugs along nicely, and just when you think it's losing steam it picks right back up again before a literally explosive conclusion.
An annual splits up the year of stories, with a focus on Exodus that bridges the gap between issues as well as giving Rogue's team a new headquarters for themselves. The final seven issues feature Red Data, which brings back the concept of mummadrai and Cable's Providence island, whilst the last four are the true Messiah CompleX prelude, Blinded By The Light which is where the volume gets its Marauders title from.
These stories are all surprisingly solid. It was only when I double checked who wrote them that I realised my mistake - this was all Mike Carey, who goes on to do a superb job with Rogue in X-Men Legacy, so I should not have been surprised in the slightest, and nor should you.
The artwork in this volume is a pretty even split between Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos who make a surprisingly good tag-team since they both do the slick-but-not-quite-in-proportion style so well. Clayton Henry pops in for a fill-in and his art looks almost indistinguishable from his current day fare, while Mark Brooks does some rare interiors for the Annual issue featuring Exodus, and Mike Choi rounds things out for the Blinded By The Light epilogue issue. It's a tour-de-force of great art, which I'll admit I wasn't expecting to see.
Marauders is a lot of bang for its buck, and works both as a good prelude for things to come and an enjoyable collection all on its own. I'm glad Marvel are beginning to trade this era of X-Men again, because I'd definitely like to see what's going on in the other X-books at the same time.
January 6, 2025
(2025) i just think they're SO--
(2024) climbing the walls of my enclosure and being so so normal about this mystique-rogue content
(2024) climbing the walls of my enclosure and being so so normal about this mystique-rogue content
August 7, 2021
Decent story. Decent art
July 2, 2019
Really strong X writing from Mike Carey. The art was really good too. This is a highly enjoyable read.
The team is one of the coolest X teams ever. Cannonball, Bobby, Mystique, Sabertooth, Cable, Miss Mastermind and Sentinal Omega make this one of the grittiest and toughest X Men lineups to date. The action and sci fi elements are pretty awesome. It’s a little jumbled right out of the gate. At some point, I may need to back track and read the issues that occurred right before this.
The Marauders portion (in the last 4 issues) is interesting, if not a bit perplexing. I recently read Mystique’s solo outing... so I like her. So... it’s a bit upsetting to see her like this. She wasn’t witty and clever like Vaughan wrote her. She’s just stock troubled semi good evil chick, and her less redeeming qualities are quite disappointing. I would have liked to see her go full ally after the solo title. Whatever. Who cares what I want, right?
Seeing Remy again is not as satisfying as it should be, but this book has a splash page featuring him and Rogue that truly took my breath away, so there’s that. This story is mot resolved in this volume, so how much I like it remains to be determined in many ways. So far so good!
The team is one of the coolest X teams ever. Cannonball, Bobby, Mystique, Sabertooth, Cable, Miss Mastermind and Sentinal Omega make this one of the grittiest and toughest X Men lineups to date. The action and sci fi elements are pretty awesome. It’s a little jumbled right out of the gate. At some point, I may need to back track and read the issues that occurred right before this.
The Marauders portion (in the last 4 issues) is interesting, if not a bit perplexing. I recently read Mystique’s solo outing... so I like her. So... it’s a bit upsetting to see her like this. She wasn’t witty and clever like Vaughan wrote her. She’s just stock troubled semi good evil chick, and her less redeeming qualities are quite disappointing. I would have liked to see her go full ally after the solo title. Whatever. Who cares what I want, right?
Seeing Remy again is not as satisfying as it should be, but this book has a splash page featuring him and Rogue that truly took my breath away, so there’s that. This story is mot resolved in this volume, so how much I like it remains to be determined in many ways. So far so good!
April 24, 2020
Mike Carey is not only one of the smartest and most exciting authors to write X-Men - I'd argue he is up there with Louise Simonson for most underrated. While Claremont and Morrison rightfully get their due as top X-writers, Carey's run on X-Men adjectiveless (later renamed X-Men Legacy) was great work to rival those great X-scribes.
Not only does he understand and write solid characterizations of the X-Men characters, but he may have written my favorite Rogue until recent memory (Kelly Thompson's take). In this volume, which collects X-Men 188 to 204, Rogue takes command of a team that includes her pal Ice Man, Cannonball, and a bunch of wild cards.
The book isn't just clever and imaginative - it's a lot of fun. I collected this in single issue form when it came out, and after rereading it almost 15 years later, it's even better than I remember. There are plenty of twists, dramatic confrontations, and character moments, illustrated by two all-time great X-artists Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos. This story is one of the highlights of the X-Men in the 00's.
Not only does he understand and write solid characterizations of the X-Men characters, but he may have written my favorite Rogue until recent memory (Kelly Thompson's take). In this volume, which collects X-Men 188 to 204, Rogue takes command of a team that includes her pal Ice Man, Cannonball, and a bunch of wild cards.
The book isn't just clever and imaginative - it's a lot of fun. I collected this in single issue form when it came out, and after rereading it almost 15 years later, it's even better than I remember. There are plenty of twists, dramatic confrontations, and character moments, illustrated by two all-time great X-artists Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos. This story is one of the highlights of the X-Men in the 00's.
December 21, 2018
This contains Mike Carey's run on X-Men prior to Messiah Complex, which was underappreciated because it was a rather dire time for the lineup in general. Carey is at his best here with a team of misfits, villains, and general dodgy ideas led by Rogue, fighting similarly inexplicable foes like Mr. Sinister and the Children of the Vault. You can believe they don't know what's going on, because all these bad guys are keeping secrets as a primary business, with fighting superheroes mostly a side gig. It's Rogue, Mystique and Gambit who are the center here, and the fallout from their bad decisions is really satisfying.
As a standalone story, this is not a five star work of genius, but it's worth the space in your collection because it sets up for Messiah Complex so well. After reading this, one of the best X-Men stories in 20 years gets even better.
As a standalone story, this is not a five star work of genius, but it's worth the space in your collection because it sets up for Messiah Complex so well. After reading this, one of the best X-Men stories in 20 years gets even better.
April 1, 2023
3.5/5
I’d give this a 4.5 if they didn’t make the females so booby. I’ve read comics my whole life and never thought much of it but this last year I’ve really noticed the G-cup boobs and backwards thongs that cover 15% of their vaginas and it’s so annoying. Give me a flat chested cutie in knee length shorts for once. Make her REAL. Give her acne, messy hair, cellulite. Do something better than this porn. I want to relate to characters and I don’t relate to pornstars with butt injections, enormous boob implants, three syringes of filler in their lips and constantly perfectly curled hair even in battle.
I’d give this a 4.5 if they didn’t make the females so booby. I’ve read comics my whole life and never thought much of it but this last year I’ve really noticed the G-cup boobs and backwards thongs that cover 15% of their vaginas and it’s so annoying. Give me a flat chested cutie in knee length shorts for once. Make her REAL. Give her acne, messy hair, cellulite. Do something better than this porn. I want to relate to characters and I don’t relate to pornstars with butt injections, enormous boob implants, three syringes of filler in their lips and constantly perfectly curled hair even in battle.
November 4, 2020
I found the art to be overly busy and occasionally hard to track, with some character depictionss being ludicrously large, and some with wildly over-the-top expressions that detracted from the impact of the story. The saving grace of it all was Mike Carey's writing. Carey, an experienced comics writer and novelist, punches up the dialogue, progresses the character journeys, and develops interesting conflict between the bad guys and the good guys, and even within the X-Men camp. His work is top notch. If the art was half as good as the writing, it would have been an even better book.
July 13, 2021
Good story, good team, terrible terrible terrible art
December 1, 2021
I had no idea what was going on here, and it was impossible to keep up. Not a book to come into without some sense of the larger continuity and characters, apparently.
August 29, 2022
Good new storyline featuring the Marauders and Mr. Sinister
September 1, 2023
Rogue starts her own team of X-Men that is mostly made up of former villains. This goes about as well as anyone might expect. Really enjoyable, juicy chaos.
November 21, 2023
Love the Northstar Supernovas story and keeps on kicking with more Marauders. Bachalo/Brooks art!
September 6, 2025
the second half of the first half of the book was kinda boring. more interesting stuff does occur. the art is not the best sometimes. the oversized hardcover versions of these issues may be better viewing experience. I'm currently kinda thinking about picking up the next book in the Xmen timeline (milestones messiah complex). other than Apocalypses' blood, i don't know what are necessary reads before reading this book. if you don't know anything about House of M, start there if do don't want to be spoiled by the result of that book. kinda necessary Rogue issues (which i don't know all of rogues early appearances) to read are Avengers Annual #10 and/or Uncanny X-Men #244. understanding Rogue's emotions/struggles with her power is important to what occurs is this book.
update: i finished the book and overall for me I don't like this book too much. This book is a inbetweener. hopeful reading this makes Messiah Complex better. Rogue didn't do much leading and i was hoping Sabretooth would've done more. because of the story the art is even worst. I just want to emphasize that this book is not for ME. maybe other people would like it.
update: i practially re-read this and I do re-read this book from time to time. i find this book necessary to read before reading X-Men Messiah Complex. I haven't given a rating to this book yet. for now I'm going to give it 4 stars, but i might in the future give it 3 stars or 5 (im not sure). this book isn't the best i think it could be, but it's also decent.
update: i finished the book and overall for me I don't like this book too much. This book is a inbetweener. hopeful reading this makes Messiah Complex better. Rogue didn't do much leading and i was hoping Sabretooth would've done more. because of the story the art is even worst. I just want to emphasize that this book is not for ME. maybe other people would like it.
update: i practially re-read this and I do re-read this book from time to time. i find this book necessary to read before reading X-Men Messiah Complex. I haven't given a rating to this book yet. for now I'm going to give it 4 stars, but i might in the future give it 3 stars or 5 (im not sure). this book isn't the best i think it could be, but it's also decent.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews