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brad7991's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cathepsut's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The DNA of the Wolverine is used to create Weapon X. This is a collection of stories by different authors and artists. They loosely follow and build on each other. I liked the first two stories a lot, the rest not so much.
X-23 (2005) #1-6, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — X-23‘s conception and childhood.
Target X #1-6, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Target X picks up with her as a 15-year old teenager. My pet peeve: the artwork totally changes and the female characters are a lot more sexualized. Totally different style.
What I liked: the plasticity and depth and the way object are shown at high speeds.
Very well drawn, in fact!
Captain Universe/X-23 #1, ⭐️⭐️ — first impression is not so nice artwork. The story was forgettable.
X-23 One-Shot (2010) #1, Women of Marvel, ⭐️ — Ugly artwork and I didn‘t like the story either.
X-23 (2010) #1-3, The Killing Dream, ⭐️⭐️⭐️ — artwork and story were ok-ish. Women are ridiculously slim with silly boobs.
material from To Serve and Protect #2, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — better.
unladylike's review against another edition
4.0
This was much better than I expected, although I admit I didn't really know what to expect. I've barely known the X-23 character over the years since she was created (in both senses), and none of the writers attached to this series are among my favorites. And yet, her very dark and disturbing life and path are compelling and well-told in these pages.
It's clearly not actually "complete," as there are a couple pages that fill the reader in on many events that have taken place off-page, presumably in various X-Men and X-Force comics that didn't keep X-23/Laura at centerstage.
Looking forward to plowing through the second volume of this asap!
It's clearly not actually "complete," as there are a couple pages that fill the reader in on many events that have taken place off-page, presumably in various X-Men and X-Force comics that didn't keep X-23/Laura at centerstage.
Looking forward to plowing through the second volume of this asap!
captwinghead's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars.
This started out so great! I didn't want to put it down as heartbreaking as it was. Then it went downhill about 70% in.
The first half is Laura's origin story. We know the story: she was cloned from Wolverine to be the perfect weapon. I'd only read about her after she'd been away from the Weapon X program for a while so this was all new to me. I didn't know that they wanted her to be a male clone but it would've taken about a decade longer to do that. I didn't know about her mother who tried to distance herself but eventually did the right thing and tried to free her. I didn't know there was a scientist that resented her and although I thought they'd give him too much background initially, the book balances it very well.
Laura has been through so much! She reminds me of Cassandra Cain because they were never treated like children and they carry their guilt with them for the rest of their lives even though they were made to hurt others. Both of them decided to be heroes in the end and that's so admirable.
The last scene Laura has with her mother made me cry. As did the scene where her mother figured out she was self mutilating. I loved seeing her with Megan and her aunt but I knew that would end soon. Unfortunately.
One complaint I have is that Laura is meant to be in her early teens and sometimes she's drawn in a way that's a little too mature for her. The Women in Marvel issue had terrible art, as well. Overly sexualized and infantile at times.
Honestly, it's a wonder if there are any female x-men that didn't have their sexuality used against them. Laura spent a portion of her life as a prostitute and most of her story centers around her not having agency. Odd because, while Wolverine had the same issue with being used as a weapon, there's no implication (as far as I know) that he was also used sexually by others. I'd say it's a testament to how different women are treated compared to men but I don't know how much planning went into it.
I wish they'd done more with her relationship with Logan. There's a lot of references to it but not a lot of it in this collection.
Anyway, the first half makes it a recommend but it goes downhill from there.
This started out so great! I didn't want to put it down as heartbreaking as it was. Then it went downhill about 70% in.
The first half is Laura's origin story. We know the story: she was cloned from Wolverine to be the perfect weapon. I'd only read about her after she'd been away from the Weapon X program for a while so this was all new to me. I didn't know that they wanted her to be a male clone but it would've taken about a decade longer to do that. I didn't know about her mother who tried to distance herself but eventually did the right thing and tried to free her. I didn't know there was a scientist that resented her and although I thought they'd give him too much background initially, the book balances it very well.
Laura has been through so much! She reminds me of Cassandra Cain because they were never treated like children and they carry their guilt with them for the rest of their lives even though they were made to hurt others. Both of them decided to be heroes in the end and that's so admirable.
The last scene Laura has with her mother made me cry. As did the scene where her mother figured out she was self mutilating. I loved seeing her with Megan and her aunt but I knew that would end soon. Unfortunately.
One complaint I have is that Laura is meant to be in her early teens and sometimes she's drawn in a way that's a little too mature for her. The Women in Marvel issue had terrible art, as well. Overly sexualized and infantile at times.
Honestly, it's a wonder if there are any female x-men that didn't have their sexuality used against them. Laura spent a portion of her life as a prostitute and most of her story centers around her not having agency. Odd because, while Wolverine had the same issue with being used as a weapon, there's no implication (as far as I know) that he was also used sexually by others. I'd say it's a testament to how different women are treated compared to men but I don't know how much planning went into it.
I wish they'd done more with her relationship with Logan. There's a lot of references to it but not a lot of it in this collection.
Anyway, the first half makes it a recommend but it goes downhill from there.
marc_brighteyes's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amarisreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
X-23 the complete Collection remains not my favorite comic but just one of my favorite books of all time. The exploration of Laura as a character is one of the most fascinating character studies I have gotten to read in my life so far.
Firstly, the better half of this novel is from Sarah Kinney's perspective. I love Sarah's breakaway from the lab and her narration, what we later come to find out is her letter, as we watch the tragic story of X-23's life unfold. The exploration of abuse and how that cycle continues in Sarah, Martin, his godson, and the terrible actions that X-23 is forced to do because of it. When she chooses to save the child, her cutting herself, and finally escaping the lab are some of the most heartbreaking and exciting moments of this story. Her killing of her mother due to trigger scent and the heart-shattering conclusion of the first saga in this story solidified this as one of my favorite stories.
The second half of the story begins to kinda follow vignettes of Laura's life from the age of 15-17. I love Laura and Megan, and how Megan's mom talks about how she saved every member of the Kinney family. The Ghostrider story, the game-changer, and even the X-Men story leave Laura in such an interesting place. It questions who she is, how she is going to move forward, and what can she do to reclaim her independence.
Ultimately I love Laura's story because it kept me on the edge of my seat, even though this is a reread. I love the exploration of learning how to feel, learning how to love, and finding yourself. I think those are themes that any teenage girl can relate to, not just "weapons". Laura's journey in finding herself encourages me to borrow some of her bravery and continue the often painful adventure that is constant self-reflection and self-discovery.
Firstly, the better half of this novel is from Sarah Kinney's perspective. I love Sarah's breakaway from the lab and her narration, what we later come to find out is her letter, as we watch the tragic story of X-23's life unfold. The exploration of abuse and how that cycle continues in Sarah, Martin, his godson, and the terrible actions that X-23 is forced to do because of it. When she chooses to save the child, her cutting herself, and finally escaping the lab are some of the most heartbreaking and exciting moments of this story. Her killing of her mother due to trigger scent and the heart-shattering conclusion of the first saga in this story solidified this as one of my favorite stories.
The second half of the story begins to kinda follow vignettes of Laura's life from the age of 15-17. I love Laura and Megan, and how Megan's mom talks about how she saved every member of the Kinney family. The Ghostrider story, the game-changer, and even the X-Men story leave Laura in such an interesting place. It questions who she is, how she is going to move forward, and what can she do to reclaim her independence.
Ultimately I love Laura's story because it kept me on the edge of my seat, even though this is a reread. I love the exploration of learning how to feel, learning how to love, and finding yourself. I think those are themes that any teenage girl can relate to, not just "weapons". Laura's journey in finding herself encourages me to borrow some of her bravery and continue the often painful adventure that is constant self-reflection and self-discovery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
kenlaan's review against another edition
3.0
The first 12 chapters in this (so X-23 2005 1-6 and X-23: Target X 1-6) are very good. She has a great origin story and Target X is great, too. The other stuff I could've done without, but I'm glad it was there for completion's sake.
monteskevin's review against another edition
4.0
Thematically poignant and action packed, where this lands is hard for me. Laura’s (X23) arc brings forth these notions of loneliness, isolationism, identity crises and more smoothly, unfortunately, it whiffs at driving home that sense of belonging and family. Vin Diesel shaking his head. If I could give this a half star I would, and put it around 3.5 as it’s feeling for giving us a fun epilogue-ish bonus comic with Ghost Rider was whiffed.
liza_12's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
oodadoo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0