Gambit (2nd series) #2

Issue Date: 
October 1997
Story Title: 
Shadow Rise
Staff: 

Terry Kavanagh & Howard Mackie (writer), Klaus Janson (pencils), Christie Scheele (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Kelly Corvese (editor), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief)

Brief Description: 

Gambit is found and rescued by Brother Marcelo and Sister Katrina, who were given directions to his location by Tante Mattie. Gambit gets brought to Our Lady of Sorrows, a Vatican safe house, where Katrina takes care of Gambit and grows feelings for him. Marcelo leaves to continue the search for Anielle. When Marcelo returns, he finds out that Gambit made love to Katrina, a nun! Gambit gets up and prepares himself to continue the search for Anielle together with Marcelo. Sybil attacks and kills Marcelo. Gambit finds Anielle but, in return, is attacked by Oliver Stoker, Sybil and their minions Wormwood and Cerebrus!

Full Summary: 

Gambit denies the fact to himself that he is running out of air and makes it out of the deep river. Gambit climbs up and finds himself at a graveyard, where he finds a tombstone with his name on it! At least, the name of Remy LeBeau, the name the Thieves Guild gave him when they took him off the streets of New Orleans.

Gambit stares at the stone for a while, but panics and runs away. Gambit runs through some bushes to the back of the graveyard and then stops to catch his breath. Gambit lights up one of his playing cards, and behind him stands another tombstone with his name! Gambit believes that this must be hell. His hell. Out of a sudden, zombie arms crawl out of the ground and reach for the Cajun, calling out his name. Gambit gets pulled back into the river and gets distracted by the face of Sister Katrina. Gambit can’t understand it and fades away.

A few moments later, Gambit awakes back on top of the river. Gambit panics, but gets hold back by Brother Marcelo. Gambit notices the astral form of Tante Mattie above Marcelo and wonders what she is doing here. But before Gambit can figure that out, he faints again. Later, Gambit wakes up in the bedroom of Marcelo and Katrina, who explain that they rescued him. Gambit is wounded, but is lucky that the bullets that hit him passed right through him. Marcelo grows impatient and cuts to the case, demanding to know where the just-fallen is. Gambit, exhausted, doesn’t like Marcelo’s attitude and jokes that he liked him better when Marcelo was kissing him. Marcelo gets upset and defends that he was only performing C.P.R.

Katrina holds the angry Brother Marcelo back. Marcelo decides to leave and look for the fallen angel himself. Katrina is left behind and she continues to take care of Gambit. Gambit is confused and asks Katrina if she too believes that Anielle is an angel. Katrina isn’t sure, explaining that she finds faith not that easy. Gambit agrees and goes back to sleep. That night, Katrina reports the events to Father Bonavita by phone. Gambit’s fever rises up and he shivers. Katrina hears it and goes to his room, and goes to lie next to him, holding him tight to her body.

The next day, Gambit feels better and asks where he is. Katrina explains that they are at Our Lady of Sorrows, a building in the like of a Vatican safe house, if you will. Gambit asks Katrina where Tante Mattie is, as he saw her when Marcelo rescued him. Katrina asks if he is talking about Mattie Baptiste, the Grigori’s contact here in the South-Eastern United States. Gambit confirms. Katrina explains that she and Marcelo immediately went to her when they arrived here and she instructed them where to find Remy, before she vanished.

Gambit asks for more information about the Grigori Katrina mentions. He believes that they are “angels” from the dawn of Genesis, fallen in the sundering of heaven. They were not heavy enough with sin to crash through the Earth into the burning abyss with their darker brethren and, instead, they became the “Sons of God,” who favored the daughters of man, supposedly spawning a line of divine hybrids.

Gambit says that he is afraid that he knows Tante Mattie way too well to believe that she is any kind of angel. Katrina takes out a sponge and playfully washes her neck with it. Gambit stares at it and, concentrating, listens to her explanation. Katrina says that she prefers a broader interpretation herself, something more allegorical. Even at face Vallie, considering the millennia that have passed since, the blessed bloodline would be thin, at best. Katrina explains that the current Grigori are more of a sect, a silent strand running through most organized religions, serving as self-appointed keepers of Angel Arcana. But nonetheless, Katrina says that she is impressed by Gambit’s knowledge of Christian Canon. Gambit explains that he has been a lot of things in his life, at least enough to know that you don’t have to be an angel to fall from grace.

Time passes and an angry Marcelo enters Gambit’s room, asking where Katrina is. Gambit says that she is back in her room. But Gambit reassures Marcelo that he is more interested in Anielle, if that what he’s worried about. Marcelo doesn’t understand and asks Gambit if he truly claims that Haneal is the one who came to them. Gambit corrects that her name is Anielle, and isn’t claiming anyone. He dresses up, while Marcelo corrects that it’s a title, and that “grace of God” means that beings in their order, sex is hardly a… Marcelo looks at Gambit’s bed and recognizes Katrina’s sweater lying on it.

Marcelo asks how Gambit could do this, because Katrina was only weeks away from her vows. Gambit realizes his mistake and that he made love to a nun! Marcelo wants to continue his search, warning that other dark forces are searching for Anielle as well. His warning comes too late, as Sybil and her guards attack. Sybil holds Katrina in her might and wants to kill her. Marcelo rushes to rescue Katrina, but one of Sybil’s zombie guards shoots him. Sybil punishes the zombie, slashing it, and tells them to move over and kill Gambit instead. Gambit tries to escape the shooting. Gambit defeats all the zombie guards. Sybil is left, but she finds it better to leave and vanishes in the shadows. Katrina mourns over Marcelo, who dies in her arms.

Gambit runs over various rooftops and eventually finds Anielle, still wearing his coat. Sybil arrives too and grows wings and tries to get to Anielle. Gambit makes it to Anielle first and crashes through a rooftop and lands in a church. Katrina’s there too. Gambit tries to understand what’s going on, but doesn’t have much time. Especially not when Oliver stoker, and his minions, Wormwood and Cerebrus, arrive on the scene and are ready to attack!

Characters Involved: 

Gambit

Tante Mattie Baptiste (only in astral form)

Anielle

Brother Marcelo

Sister Katrina

Oliver Stoker

Sybil

Wormwood

Cerebrus II

zombie security guards/gangsters

Story Notes: 

More information about Gambit being found by the Thieves Guild as a baby can be found in Gambit (3rd series) #1.

First appearance of Sybil, Wormwood and Cerebrus.

Issue Information: 
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