Gambit #1

Oct 2012 · Marvel · 2.99 USD

📊 ~46,992 copies sold its debut month

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“Once a Thief... (Part 1)”

★ 1st appearance — Joelle

About this Issue

Gambit #1 (2012) opens Remy LeBeau's third and final ongoing solo series — the fifth Gambit-headlined publication overall — deliberately repositioning a fan-favorite '90s X-Man away from team dynamics and back to his roots as a charismatic, self-directed thief operating inside the wider Marvel Universe rather than the X-Men corner of it. The issue introduces three new characters — arms-dealing collector Borya Cich, his Croatian head-of-security Remlik, and the mysterious immortal thief Joelle — who would drive the series' central plot threads across all 17 issues, making this debut the narrative engine for everything that followed. Writer James Asmus and artist Clay Mann also delivered a deliberate costume redesign here, retiring Gambit's longstanding pink-and-black spandex in favor of a more grounded, real-world silhouette — a meaningful visual reset for a character whose look had been largely static since the 1990s. The series, and thus this first issue, also carries a notable behind-the-scenes footnote: Asmus had pitched making Gambit bisexual in this very series, a story direction that was not approved, making the book a reference point in ongoing comics-industry conversations about LGBTQ+ representation in superhero publishing.

In "Once a Thief... (Part 1)," Gambit trades the X-Men’s latest mission for a high-stakes heist at a glamorous fundraiser hosted by the infamous arms dealer Borya Cich. With a taste for danger and a past that still lingers, he sets his sights on one of Cich’s most prized artifacts—just as the night’s events begin to spiral beyond his control. Written by James Asmus and illustrated with sharp detail by Clay Mann, this issue features cover art by Mann and Seth Mann, capturing the tension and flair of a thief stepping back into his old life.

writer James Asmus · artist Clay Mann · inker Seth Mann · colorist Rachelle Rosenberg · letterer Cory Petit · letterer Virtual Calligraphy · cover Clay Mann, Seth Mann

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $7

CGC 9.8 · 21 in census $75

CGC 9.6 · 10 in census $35*

CGC 9.4 · 3 in census $30*

CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $26*

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $25*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

The series was announced at the C2E2 convention in 2012, with Marvel pitching it under the working subtitle 'King of Thieves' and framing it as a return to Gambit's core identity as a mutant master thief. James Asmus, coming off his first ongoing Marvel work on Generation Hope, was paired with artist Clay Mann — whose prior collaboration with Asmus and comfort with sleek, kinetic figure work made him a natural fit for a heist-driven book. Both Asmus and Mann independently raised the question of redesigning Gambit's costume before the series launched, with the resulting look swapping out the notorious head-sock and narrow armor pieces for more practical streetwear geometry. Editors Daniel Ketchum and Nick Lowe oversaw the title, which ran for 17 issues before cancellation in late 2013; the complete run was later collected in a single omnibus edition, Gambit: King of Thieves, in May 2019, also incorporating material from A+X #3.

Trivia · 9 facts

First appearance of Borya Cich — a super-villain arms dealer and artifact collector who serves as the series' primary antagonist and recurs through the final issue (#17).
First appearance of Remlik — Cich's head of security, introduced at the fundraiser scene and likewise a recurring presence across the run.
First appearance of Joelle — an immortal female thief whose mysterious past and shared interest in a stolen artifact makes her Gambit's primary partner and foil throughout the series; her name is not spoken aloud until issue #4.
The story's inciting theft takes place at a fundraiser hosted by Borya Cich on Long Island (Sagaponack); Cich's secret vault contains a range of Marvel Universe artifacts including Mandroid Armor, Doombots, a Goblin Glider, Sentinels, and Amelia Earhart's actual aircraft.
This issue is titled 'Once a Thief… Part One' and is the first chapter of the 'Once a Thief' arc collected in the trade paperback Gambit, Vol. 1: Once a Thief.
Creative team: writer James Asmus, penciller Clay Mann, inker Seth Mann, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, letterer Cory Petit; cover art by Clay Mann.
This is Gambit's third ongoing solo series and fifth solo publication overall, following the 1993 limited series, the 1997 limited series, the 1999–2001 ongoing, and the 2004 Astonishing X-Men: Gambit miniseries.
The complete 17-issue run, beginning with this issue, was collected in the omnibus Gambit: King of Thieves (May 2019), which also includes material from A+X #3.
Writer James Asmus had pitched making Gambit bisexual during this series — a story direction declined editorially — which Asmus publicly confirmed in 2015 and which has since become a frequently cited episode in discussions of Marvel's representation history in the early 2010s.