Prepare for a new chapter in one of the Marvel Universe’s great ongoing stories.

This January, writer Kelly Thompson and artist Pere Perez reunite ROGUE & GAMBIT for a brand new team-up series! The star-crossed lovers need to discover the source of mutant kidnappings across the world—and the answer won’t come easily.

But perhaps the bigger question lies in whether or not they’ll be able to stand each other’s company long enough to finish the job.

We caught up with Thompson to whet the appetites of Rogue and Gambit fans everywhere.

Marvel.com: Describe the difference between writing this series and your previous work on HAWKEYE or CAPTAIN PHASMA.

Kelly Thompson: You end up using slightly different muscles. I’ve done a lot of “solo” stuff and a ton of “ensemble” stuff, but this has been my first time writing a team-up book…except for GENERATIONS: THE ARCHERS, and of course the forthcoming Marvel Legacy arc in HAWKEYE. But I think it’s safe to say that Gambit and Rogue act pretty different than Kate and Clint do.

The trick, for me, has always just been about finding the voice for each character and then pinpointing what changes in each when you put them together—for both good and ill.

Marvel.com: What kind of chemistry or dynamic did you want to highlight between these two characters? 

Kelly Thompson: I think we all know that a Gambit and Rogue book can actually be a very tricky thing. Fans want a lot of things from the characters—and they’re not always the same things. We obviously can’t please everyone, but for me, the important thing about finding the right chemistry for these characters, and for our story, was to address the rich history Gambit and Rogue have—while also forging ahead and cutting new paths for them. So instead of shying away from that history, I built the story around it and we’re leaning into it—in what I hope reads as a creative way—that will be rewarding to longtime fans, but also accessible for those who might be new to the characters and curious to find out what’s so great about them and why fans both love and hate seeing them together.

I think as readers and fans (and I am both!) we often feel like we’ve already seen everything we could possibly see with Gambit and Rogue when it comes to their dynamic together. My greatest hope has been that we’re doing something new and different here—something a little outside the box—that still respects what came before. Gambit and Rogue are the comic book characters I have loved the longest in my life—they literally brought me into comics. Writing them has been a dream come true, but also, the pressure feels very on to do justice to them and to bring their many fans something they can really love. To write a story that will stand the test of time and carve a path for their future.

Marvel.com: How did you and Pere Perez approach these characters visually?

Kelly Thompson: Pere does such a great job. To be honest, this has been a very complicated book visually—it requires a lot of reference, research, and detail in the scripts—and of course that only makes things more complex for the artist. I can’t expand on that too much without giving some things away. It’s one of those things where you write a page and just hope that the artist can handle the demands (because you know they’re a lot) and then you see their version of the page and it’s better than you could have imagined. That is such an awesome moment on any book.

Marvel.com: What can you tease about how this story begins?

Kelly Thompson: We’ve got an all-new big bad that will be a lot of fun. I can’t reveal motives, but suffice to say they’ve got them in spades (no pun, I swear). Gambit and Rogue get assigned to the mission by Kitty, in part due to their long history together.

And while sometimes it may seem like their baggage might sink them on this assignment…I think we’ll see it’s what helps them survive. Even if that’s not how it feels in the heat of the moment.

ROGUE & GAMBIT, by Kelly Thompson and artist Pere Perez, arrives in January!