Purp your animated covers brought me joy and it was so sweet of Mr Asmus to reply. Class act!
Onto Exc24… here was the pitch:
XWriter1: let’s give Gambit a bad guy!
XWriter2: how should we do that?
X1: how do you get Gambit on your bad side?
X2: uhm, threaten Rogue!
XWriter3: she’s in another book, you can’t use her.
X2: and we’re making all the X-men bisexual because “representation.”
X3: NOT bc you want to see Rogue kiss girls, right?
X1&X2: right right!
X3: how about you show the bad guy abusing individuals, those who can’t defend themselves? The impoverished, children? Someone who robs others of their agency?
X1: wouldn’t that make Gambit look, like, noble or something?
X2: can’t have that. I know! Let’s call him names and emasculate him!
X1: genius! I have never identified with Gambit until this moment!
XWriter3: I mean, just proving yourself to be a rich ashhole who abuses power is really enough to trigger Gambit, you don’t have to—
X1: let’s put him in a maid costume!
X2: haha awesome! What else do we know about Gambit?
X1: cats. Three cats.
X2: let’s give the bad guy DOGS! Three dogs!
X1: omg we’re gonna win a Pulitzer!