Let's start with a dream list...

Comics are an ongoing delight: full of surprises, suspense, drama and frustrations.  There are a great many things going on in comics these days that I would never have anticipated, ranging from the ridiculous to the wonderful.

So: in a continuing ongoing countdown, this is my letter to Santa Claus.  This is what I want to see in my comics: the top ten things I am not getting now, starting with #10.

10. Gambit

Gambit.  Sure, we have a Gambit comic, soon to be cancelled, I hear.  And not before time.  It was disappointing. It wasn't what I was looking for.  In old comics, Gambit catches my eye even when he's in the background:  as acrobatic as Spider-Man, as wily as Loki, a tease and a torment but a reliable friend in need. Fearless in a fight. Elusive in personality.  Perpetually dynamic.

I know many women who say Gambit is their favourite X-Men character.  The sexiest, the smartest.  But we've had years now of Gambit being less sexy, less smart, and taking a minor role.  Remember how comic used to have adult superheroes with teen side-kicks?  With Gambit, they reversed the pattern: the adult superhero become the companion, advisor, and sidekick to a teen whose story we were following: Jubilee and then X-23.  He went from being the bad boy of the X-Men to being a benign, favourite uncle.

Not that I have any problem with that: I just wish he'd kept his edge.  He should have a good heart and a dangerous manner, but smooth, smooth as satin.  A glib chameleon as much at home in dark underworld alleys as he is in exclusive hotels.

A man always in motion, always making himself one step ahead of the game - and there's always a game.

And Rogue?  I'd rather she came nowhere near him.  I adore her, but her role in Gambit's life has done him no good.  Let him take his loss with a broken heart and an eye to flirtation.

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