He didn’t leave me letters.
He left me comics.
And this one hurt the most.
X-Men #24. Gambit and Rogue.
 
They can’t touch — not without risking everything.
The moment I read it, I understood my father in a new way. He never said much about feelings. But he kept this issue in pristine condition — bagged, boarded, with a post-it:
“This is how I felt for years. Strong. Scared. Waiting.”
 
Labeled Artifact 0013, this 1993 Check Scan variant isn’t just rare — it’s revealing. My father was Gambit. Emotionally powerful, unpredictable, trying to protect others from what he carried. This comic showed me that sensitivity isn’t weakness — it’s restraint forged by pain.
 
Includes:
1993 original Check Scan variant, bagged and boarded
His note on backboard: “I wanted to love right — not recklessly”
 
This isn’t a comic. It’s a confession in panels.