Back in April, Marvel announced James Asmus and Clay Mann would be the creative team for a new GAMBIT series. We had the chance to ask James a few questions back then. With the issue due on comic shop shelves tomorrow, August 8, 2012, we figured this was the perfect time to ask James some more (we've also read the comic and it's good).

Comic Vine: Whose idea was the shower scene on the first page?

James Asmus: I originally had Gambit freshly out from the shower and deciding against wearing his pink costume. But Clay had the good sense of fan-service to start things a step earlier and actually show us the real sex appeal. Consider it our karmic balance to last year's CATWOMAN #1.

CV: Will this series take Gambit to new corners of the Marvel Universe?

JA: It will, indeed! The first few issues alone will take Gambit across the globe, and even out of our world - all in the name of sexy, cool, thievery.

CV: Gambit is up to his "old habits." Is that going to be a focus of the series or will he get involved in X-Men related shenanigans?

JA: While a few mutants will find there way into the series - it'll all be in service of Gambit's story. We're telling the story of a man with bad impulses trying to figure out a life he can feel good about. We want to make the book easy for fans of the character to jump onto without making them pick up a dozen other books or a huge stack of old arcs. So it's all about building his story forward, and finding new ways to play off the most interesting parts of his character.

CV: Will there be any reoccurring characters show up or will the focus remain solely on Gambit?

JA: It's Gambit's book for sure. In the first issue, Gambit's going to meet two people who'll figure prominently into this first year of the book. But the series will rotate guest and supporting characters.

CV: What about a crossover/team up with Hawkeye now that he has his own stand alone series as well? Would they be able to get along?

JA: I couldn't help but think about that when I saw Hawkeye throw a playing card in his first issue! We haven't talked about it, but I do think both guys have great swagger and unpredictability. My guess is that they'd keep trying to one-up each other in a way that would be enjoyable for us, at least. I've never written a cross-over, but I do think it'll be fun if we can find the right story and book to try it with.

CV: What happens when the other X-Men find out he's dabbling in his old ways?

JA: I think there are worse people who could find out than the X-Men, don't you? They already know Gambit's tendency to compromise himself. I'm excited to delve into what happens when the larger hero and villain communities find out! That'll be a big part of this first year, and it starts with our second arc. And it starts with some over-seas heroes I'm really excited to write...

GAMBIT #1 is on sale Wednesday, August 8, 2012. Be sure to pick it up at your local comic shop.

Looking forward to it. :)

I'm cautiously looking forward to this. I know Gambit hasn't been able to hold up his own book before, so I'm hoping that changes with this one.

Oh, and I think a Gambit/Hawkeye team-up would be awesome.

And the award for best use of a picture frame goes to....

A Hawkeye/Gambit crossover would definitely be interesting, especially if it played out the way JA speculated. Really happy to hear the book isn't going to rely on cameos. Too many people think Gambit needs Rogue or someone else to keep things interesting. Hopefully this series will prove otherwise.

By the art looks _________

(Edited by Babs)

@maxicere said:

By the art looks gay

Gay, really -.-?

@k4tzm4n said:

And the award for best use of a picture frame goes to....

A Hawkeye/Gambit crossover would definitely be interesting, especially if it played out the way JA speculated. Really happy to hear the book isn't going to rely on cameos. Too many people think Gambit needs Rogue or someone else to keep things interesting. Hopefully this series will prove otherwise.

So true! ;D

I'm really tempted to pick this up. I want it, but with Marvel Now titles coming out I don't know if I want to spend the money. I already want to get Uncanny Avengers and All-New X-Men. Would I really want to get Gambit over those two titles? Probably not.

I've been looking forward to this it was annouced,and it looks good. GAMBIT/Hawkeye cross-over? Now that's something to behold

@maxicere

@redwingx

c'mon guys, there's probably a better way to say you don't like the art.

anyway, what's with that cover through the legs shot?

@illegal: And let's be clear, the crossover is not official. Something I brought up.

@maxicere: Clay Mann is one of the most talented artists working for Marvel. If, by "gay", you're referring to the shower scene (niiiiiice way to uphold your macho straight persona, by the by), think of it as eye candy for straight women and gay men. You know, to counter balance all the eye candy straight men get in comics.

Looks good, looking forward to it.

It's a great issue I can't wait for more.

@Gordo789 said:

anyway, what's with that cover through the legs shot?

It's a "Between the Legs Shot"!

So by the looks of things this will be the lone male fanservice book in all of comics. Its really the 1% to all the other 99% male gaze books.

Hawkeye proved to me that a character thus far unable to support a title, one who was usually stuck in team books, could hold his own in a series. I'll give this a look at the very least.

The art looks good and Gambit is an awesome character, I'll definitely getting this.

Gambit has always had such potential but has never been able to properly achieve it. But this series looks really promising and I think they may be the men to handle Gambit properly.

And I really don't understand how anyone could dislike Clay's art!

I'll be hoping for more organic charges now >:).

Yep, this book will be mine

@Bluefox170 said:

This

:O sexy Gambit shower scene!

I'm looking forward to this book.

eh, I've never been a fan of giving certain characters a series. A character like gambit should remain only in xmen books. Look how ever exposed wolverine has become.

A definite pick up for me this week.

There's something off with the coloring. Everything else is amazing

I'll get it

Watch out Grayson Ol Remy is vying for you spot as man with the best ass in comics. Gambits one of my favorite X-Men so I'm getting it. Hoping it is as good as Hawkeye 1 was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUh9VIVJ18Q

gambit's quote is relative to the video.

I, for one, don't want to see Gambit as a hunky piece of man-meat. I'm beginning to wonder how much of the Comicvine community is gay.

@Metron@Metron144: You have a fair point, and I feel the same way about some characters. But you can not compare Wolverine who is an in every X-title, who is in every Avenger title, who has his own team and teams up with nearly every Marvel character, to Gambit who barely seen and poorly written in one book. To each his own, but written correctly he draws a pretty fair audience. The problem is he hasn't been written correctly since the Claremont days.

@PsychoKnights said:

I, for one, don't want to see Gambit as a hunky piece of man-meat. I'm beginning to wonder how much of the Comicvine community is gay.

Not that being gay is a bad thing, right? Because if that's what you're implying then you may want to keep those opinions to yourself.

@Babs said:

@PsychoKnights said:

I, for one, don't want to see Gambit as a hunky piece of man-meat. I'm beginning to wonder how much of the Comicvine community is gay.

Not that being gay is a bad thing, right? Because if that's what you're implying then you may want to keep those opinions to yourself.

My views on homosexuality are a bit complicated at the moment. I suppose I would have to say I am considering the issue. I certainly hope you are not saying I don't have a right to voice disagreement of homosexuality on this site.

I'm guessing you were more concerned with me appearing to be calling the Comicvine community gay as if I meant that in a derogatory fashion. I can see how my comment might appear that way. Please rest assured that I did not mean that. It was just an observation. I noticed that most of the comments seemed positive even though the preview seemed to be mostly about showing off Gambit's physique. (for the sake of sexual equality, let me point out that I didn't really appreciate them treating Catwoman the same way. I felt with Catwoman it was exploitative, and I suppose it is with Gambit as well though my personal reaction is just...eew) Anyway, that observation clicked with several others to make me think perhaps comicvine has a larger than average homosexual population. My other observations were that I noticed Northstar, one of Marvel's most prominently homosexual characters, is rated as the third most attractive male in the powers game. I've noticed that the Comicvine staff and community is very pro-gay marriage (though with the community, that is to be somewhat expected since younger people tend to be liberal). I've also had members of Comicvine make comments about how superheros are essentially gay in that they dress in tights and flashy costumes and go around and wrestle with other men in tights and flashy costumes. The person who made this comment, which was more or less taken from a quote from Morrison, seemed to fully believe it, and other people agreed with it as well.

Anyway all of that came together at one moment in my head to make me wonder, what is the percentage of the gay community on comicvine?

@PsychoKnights: Alot of people are joking, but I know a good number of gay viners, awesome dudes and dudettes. As for a percent I dunno maybe 10% of regular users.

I'm definitely going to pick this up tomorrow! Hopefully this series will be able to reach 100th issue or more, just like Wolverine.

@Blood1991 said:

@PsychoKnights: Alot of people are joking, but I know a good number of gay viners, awesome dudes and dudettes. As for a percent I dunno maybe 10% of regular users.

If that's right, then that would be about the statistical average from my understanding.

i love Rogue i hate her with gambit though. i like remy as a charater just not as Rogues lover.

@PsychoKnights said:

@Babs said:

@PsychoKnights said:

I, for one, don't want to see Gambit as a hunky piece of man-meat. I'm beginning to wonder how much of the Comicvine community is gay.

Not that being gay is a bad thing, right? Because if that's what you're implying then you may want to keep those opinions to yourself.

My views on homosexuality are a bit complicated at the moment. I suppose I would have to say I am considering the issue. I certainly hope you are not saying I don't have a right to voice disagreement of homosexuality on this site.

That's exactly what she's saying PsychoKnights. Like most liberals, she talks about tolerance but refuses to show tolerance towards anyone with an opposing view. She seems like the type of person that would attend the chick-fil-a "Kiss in" and just to teach the Cathy's lesson for not agreeing with gay marriage (Like most of America). For once, I wish liberals would learn to be liberal, instead of the socialistic dictators they've become.

@kabukisama said:

@PsychoKnights said:

@Babs said:

@PsychoKnights said:

I, for one, don't want to see Gambit as a hunky piece of man-meat. I'm beginning to wonder how much of the Comicvine community is gay.

Not that being gay is a bad thing, right? Because if that's what you're implying then you may want to keep those opinions to yourself.

My views on homosexuality are a bit complicated at the moment. I suppose I would have to say I am considering the issue. I certainly hope you are not saying I don't have a right to voice disagreement of homosexuality on this site.

That's exactly what she's saying PsychoKnights. Like most liberals, she talks about tolerance but refuses to show tolerance towards anyone with an opposing view. She seems like the type of person that would attend the chick-fil-a "Kiss in" and just to teach the Cathy's lesson for not agreeing with gay marriage (Like most of America). For once, I wish liberals would learn to be liberal, instead of the socialistic dictators they've become.

I understand what you are saying. I've met more than my fair share of liberals who preach tolerance while responding with venom to any differing views. However, I'm not ready to lump Babs into that category. We have been PMing, and I think we are cool now. I'm hoping we can have a nice discussion about things.

@PsychoKnights:

Awesome. I'm glad to that dude. Man, that kind of so called "liberal" talk really, really rubs me the wrong way.

@kabukisama said:

@PsychoKnights:

Awesome. I'm glad to that dude. Man, that kind of so called "liberal" talk really, really rubs me the wrong way.

Yeah, me too, but be careful on jumping on condemning liberals as close minded. After all, if you discount liberals before actually listening to what they are saying, then you are guilty of the same sort of unreasonable bias that so many liberals display. In all honesty, most people find it very difficult to actually listen to another person's views and respond in a reasonable way. I certainly can't claim to always do that.

I don't care one bit about this. All I want is Gambit and Rogue to be together forever!

@PsychoKnights:

Words to the wise, I'll remember that! Slow to speak and quick to listen!

@Miss_Garrick:

Here, here!!!

@kabukisama: I've kind of maid the phrase "Listen More" my motto for the last couple years.

i have always loved this guy!!!!! he is the all time best comic book character..... i have to get this the day it comes out :)

Wow, after looking at this and reading Asmus' input, I'm going to give some consideration to maybe actually getting this. Asmus and Mann are coming to one of my LCS's for a signing of this issue next month anyway so, why not? ^^

His leg looks hairless lol