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mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
5.0
Slurp. Wow that was great. Okay so I'm a pretty big fan of X-23 in general. I kind of expected this book to be mostly filled with retreads of stuff I'd already read. But most of this was new. And it was in order and it made sense. I even liked the one page summaries in which other stories happened that weren't being reprinted here - especially since most of those I had read. There was a lot more to her origin than I had seen before. But the bits with her cousin I particularly liked. Mostly what I like about Laura is that she's trying to figure it out, she's trying to become more complicated and nuanced. And in general watching characters that I know react and respond to her adds a lot to them and her. 4.5 of 5.
nathaniel_1206's review against another edition
4.0
When I was in college I let myself get talked into taking a Bible as Literature class. I ended up auditing the class, which means I was Pass/Fail instead of a letter grade.
Our first paper was only four pages long, but it also seemed to require understanding every reference to every person mentioned. I tried to write a bit of the paper without checking the references. I got a third of the way, then went back and checked the references. More than half of what I had written was complete nonsense. I dropped the class later that week.
X-23 is a clone in the same vein as Wolverine; claws, healing factor, and created to murder. For 80% of this fine collection that is enough information for the reader.
The other 20% reminded of my Bible as Literature class. I am not a faithful X-Person reader, I tend to dip in and out. The other twenty percent had references to a lot of Mutants I kind of remember and some I had zero idea about.
Aside from the ridiculous, overly complicated mutant universe Marvel has created; the murderous nature of the main character, there is something touching in here. They don't touch on it hard, but they kinda bump up against it every story arc. It's worth reading for that.
I also think someone could write a very good paper/book on the murderous young woman as hero in superhero comics. So far I got X-23, and Cassandra Cain iteration of Batgirl (now currently Orphan) in DC continuity. There has to be others.
Our first paper was only four pages long, but it also seemed to require understanding every reference to every person mentioned. I tried to write a bit of the paper without checking the references. I got a third of the way, then went back and checked the references. More than half of what I had written was complete nonsense. I dropped the class later that week.
X-23 is a clone in the same vein as Wolverine; claws, healing factor, and created to murder. For 80% of this fine collection that is enough information for the reader.
The other 20% reminded of my Bible as Literature class. I am not a faithful X-Person reader, I tend to dip in and out. The other twenty percent had references to a lot of Mutants I kind of remember and some I had zero idea about.
Aside from the ridiculous, overly complicated mutant universe Marvel has created; the murderous nature of the main character, there is something touching in here. They don't touch on it hard, but they kinda bump up against it every story arc. It's worth reading for that.
I also think someone could write a very good paper/book on the murderous young woman as hero in superhero comics. So far I got X-23, and Cassandra Cain iteration of Batgirl (now currently Orphan) in DC continuity. There has to be others.
trike's review against another edition
4.0
The average of four stars are due primarily to the origin story, which is easily one of the best superhero origins I've ever read. Fortunately, the first two tales comprise the bulk of this collection.
X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine, another attempt at the Weapon X program. Her code name comes from the fact she is the twenty-third attempt. The lab's new hire is a brilliant geneticist, Dr. Sarah Kinney, who realizes after many attempts that making the clone female is the only way to produce a viable offspring following so many failures over the years. The internal politics and power struggles of the lab ends up with McKinney given no choice but to be the host. So now we're done with the first few pages.
Innocence Lost - ★★★★★ written by: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost, art by: Billy Tan - This is absolutely brilliant on every level. The story structure, the plot, the characters... it all lands perfectly and works as a whole. This is one of the best versions of the theme of "sins of the father" (and mother, in this case) that I've ever encountered. From its brutal beginnings it flows logically through to its tragic conclusion. A true and worthy successor to Barry Windsor-Smith's brilliant [b:Wolverine: Weapon X|267792|Wolverine Weapon X (Marvel Premiere Classic)|Barry Windsor-Smith|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298522946s/267792.jpg|259609] story, a pivot point in Marvel's history that is the equivalent to DC's [b:Batman: The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159]. These books altered the course of comics, and the fact that X-23 can stand alongside them is impressive. Also, the art is amazing.
Billy Tan's cover of issue 2 sums up the character. A trapped, yet lethally dangerous, child.
Target X - ★★★★★ written by: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost, art by: Mike Choi - Here we have X-23 (now using the name Laura) on the run, seeking out the only family she has left, her creator's sister and daughter. Kyle and Yost fill in a bit more of her training and backstory while simultaneously pushing the story forward. Naturally, the organization which created X-23 isn't going to just let her walk away, so Laura is forced to exercise all her considerable skills and training in order to evade them. The art is spectacular.
I was really impressed with how seamlessly they wove new characters into the tale, especially the assassin Kimura, who wasn't even hinted at in the first story. One of the key elements to Innocence Lost was the creation of the trigger scent which causes X-23 to go into a berserker killing rage. The solution to that here was clever and logical. I love stories which set up a premise and then find wiggle room within it while not violating the internal rules, and Kyle and Yost do that perfectly here. This is a masterclass in structure and building both a world and a character.
We also get Captain America and Daredevil wrestling with important issues of Laura's guilt or innocence as they interrogate her about what happened, and Laura finally gets closure on her mother's thoughts when she confronts Wolverine, who has a copy of the letter Sarah sent to both of them.
Check out this piece by Mike Choi and Sonia Oback. This, to me, is THE definitive depiction of X-23, Laura Kinney.
Double Threat - ★☆☆☆☆ written by: Jay Faerber, art by: Francis Portela - This is a section of the Captain Universe cross-over, of which I know nothing. This just lays there, adding nothing to the character of Laura. This is pure filler. Just before this is a page detailing all sorts of other adventures X-23 has, including traveling to The Savage Land, one of my favorite Marvel locations, but alas, we just get this pointless story instead. The art is serviceable.
x-23: Women of Marvel - ★★☆☆☆ written by: Marjorie Liu, art by: Filipe Andrade & Nuno Alves - This bounces between weirdo dream sequences and Laura returning to her old stomping grounds in New York City, where she meets up with some of her street urchin pals. Apparently Laura was a prostitute for a while for some inexplicable but no doubt misogynistic reason. We're spared that nonsense here, but this feels like we're reading reading chapter 8 of a larger story, so it feels incomplete and out of place. The art was not to my taste and gets in the way of the story sometimes.
The Killing Dream - ★★☆☆☆ written by: Marjorie Liu, art by: Will Conrad with Sana Takeda - More dream sequence stuff... or is it? Dun dun dun. Laura goes to hell, literally, as my least favorite aspects of the Marvel Universe make their presence known: demons. These guys are generally one-trick ponies who chew the scenery and cause anguish for no reason than to do so. This is a mess of a story, frankly, and I have no idea what the point is supposed to be here. Laura defeats - I guess? It's completely unclear - the demon by choosing herself, I maybe she's merely allowed to think that. These stories are aggravating because they feel like a college sophomore in Creative Writing 101 trying to be deep and failing. I'm also annoyed by weirdness for weirdness' sake. The art is fine.
Judgment - ★★★☆☆ written by: Si Spurrier, art by: David LaFuente - This one is a short story where Laura meets Ghost Rider and she sees his "Penance Stare" in action. She wonders if it will work on her, because she's not sure if she has a soul. This one is actually a nice little character moment for X-23, as she grapples with her past in a tangible way. The existential questions she has follow naturally from her experiences, so it was nice to see this examination of her dilemma. Particularly after the clunkiness of the previous stories. The art is a bit too stylized for my taste, but it's satisfactory.
X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine, another attempt at the Weapon X program. Her code name comes from the fact she is the twenty-third attempt. The lab's new hire is a brilliant geneticist, Dr. Sarah Kinney, who realizes after many attempts that making the clone female is the only way to produce a viable offspring following so many failures over the years. The internal politics and power struggles of the lab ends up with McKinney given no choice but to be the host. So now we're done with the first few pages.
Innocence Lost - ★★★★★ written by: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost, art by: Billy Tan - This is absolutely brilliant on every level. The story structure, the plot, the characters... it all lands perfectly and works as a whole. This is one of the best versions of the theme of "sins of the father" (and mother, in this case) that I've ever encountered. From its brutal beginnings it flows logically through to its tragic conclusion. A true and worthy successor to Barry Windsor-Smith's brilliant [b:Wolverine: Weapon X|267792|Wolverine Weapon X (Marvel Premiere Classic)|Barry Windsor-Smith|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298522946s/267792.jpg|259609] story, a pivot point in Marvel's history that is the equivalent to DC's [b:Batman: The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159]. These books altered the course of comics, and the fact that X-23 can stand alongside them is impressive. Also, the art is amazing.
Billy Tan's cover of issue 2 sums up the character. A trapped, yet lethally dangerous, child.
Target X - ★★★★★ written by: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost, art by: Mike Choi - Here we have X-23 (now using the name Laura) on the run, seeking out the only family she has left, her creator's sister and daughter. Kyle and Yost fill in a bit more of her training and backstory while simultaneously pushing the story forward. Naturally, the organization which created X-23 isn't going to just let her walk away, so Laura is forced to exercise all her considerable skills and training in order to evade them. The art is spectacular.
I was really impressed with how seamlessly they wove new characters into the tale, especially the assassin Kimura, who wasn't even hinted at in the first story. One of the key elements to Innocence Lost was the creation of the trigger scent which causes X-23 to go into a berserker killing rage. The solution to that here was clever and logical. I love stories which set up a premise and then find wiggle room within it while not violating the internal rules, and Kyle and Yost do that perfectly here. This is a masterclass in structure and building both a world and a character.
We also get Captain America and Daredevil wrestling with important issues of Laura's guilt or innocence as they interrogate her about what happened, and Laura finally gets closure on her mother's thoughts when she confronts Wolverine, who has a copy of the letter Sarah sent to both of them.
Check out this piece by Mike Choi and Sonia Oback. This, to me, is THE definitive depiction of X-23, Laura Kinney.
Double Threat - ★☆☆☆☆ written by: Jay Faerber, art by: Francis Portela - This is a section of the Captain Universe cross-over, of which I know nothing. This just lays there, adding nothing to the character of Laura. This is pure filler. Just before this is a page detailing all sorts of other adventures X-23 has, including traveling to The Savage Land, one of my favorite Marvel locations, but alas, we just get this pointless story instead. The art is serviceable.
x-23: Women of Marvel - ★★☆☆☆ written by: Marjorie Liu, art by: Filipe Andrade & Nuno Alves - This bounces between weirdo dream sequences and Laura returning to her old stomping grounds in New York City, where she meets up with some of her street urchin pals. Apparently Laura was a prostitute for a while for some inexplicable but no doubt misogynistic reason. We're spared that nonsense here, but this feels like we're reading reading chapter 8 of a larger story, so it feels incomplete and out of place. The art was not to my taste and gets in the way of the story sometimes.
The Killing Dream - ★★☆☆☆ written by: Marjorie Liu, art by: Will Conrad with Sana Takeda - More dream sequence stuff... or is it? Dun dun dun. Laura goes to hell, literally, as my least favorite aspects of the Marvel Universe make their presence known: demons. These guys are generally one-trick ponies who chew the scenery and cause anguish for no reason than to do so. This is a mess of a story, frankly, and I have no idea what the point is supposed to be here. Laura defeats - I guess? It's completely unclear - the demon by choosing herself, I maybe she's merely allowed to think that. These stories are aggravating because they feel like a college sophomore in Creative Writing 101 trying to be deep and failing. I'm also annoyed by weirdness for weirdness' sake. The art is fine.
Judgment - ★★★☆☆ written by: Si Spurrier, art by: David LaFuente - This one is a short story where Laura meets Ghost Rider and she sees his "Penance Stare" in action. She wonders if it will work on her, because she's not sure if she has a soul. This one is actually a nice little character moment for X-23, as she grapples with her past in a tangible way. The existential questions she has follow naturally from her experiences, so it was nice to see this examination of her dilemma. Particularly after the clunkiness of the previous stories. The art is a bit too stylized for my taste, but it's satisfactory.
elllie_725's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed the first run, but the second one wasn't as enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Sexual assault
honguan's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
areyouokay's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
5.0
The latest reboot of X-23 made me painfully aware of just how far behind I am in reading up on this fascinating character. So I decided to go crazy and read everything about her that I could. The first stop, naturally, had to be the Complete Collection Vol. 1.
I’m actually pretty sure that I could have read all of these on Marvel Unlimited if I had wanted to, but in this case it was easier to get the collection all arranged for me. Plus the price was reasonable, and it’s always nice to support a series, even and older one, by buying it.
This volume covers a huge chunk of X-23 (aka Laura’s past) from her origin story up through the 2010 reboot of her series. Some of the events are standalone issues, and thus have a page or two of context before hand, to help give a better idea of what is going on. I found this to be incredibly helpful, and am glad that somebody thought to add it.
Warnings first: Okay, this really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, but X-23 has some fairly graphic scenes in it. I mean, we’re talking about a young girl that was genetically created, and then raised, to be a killer. So it isn’t going to be pleasant all the time. There are also some animal deaths that happen. You can see them coming though, so just skip a couple of panels and don’t think about it too much.
Before reading this volume, I knew the basics about Laura and her creation, but that was about the extent of it. Since I’ve been reading the latest round of her comics, naturally I became curious about more of her past, especially since it keeps getting mentioned. I’m not there yet (for example I haven’t hit the clone conflicts she’s referred to), but this one volume made a huge dent in what I didn’t know about her.
I thought I knew that Laura was a tragic character before this…but now I know just how badly I underestimated that. Laura is one of those characters that just seem to get kicked down again and again and again. Not all that dissimilar to Peter Parker, when you stop and think about it. It’s just the way they’re beat down that’s different.
I have to give her character so much credit for pulling through the messes again and again, while still doing everything possible to maintain her humanity. We can argue all we want about that, but the truth of the matter is that for as long as she worries about it, she is in fact still human enough to care.
There were a few characters in this series that I would have loved to kick a few dozen times, but they were obviously designed to make me feel that way. Still, they did a great job of pointing out some obvious morality questions. These people believe that mutants are less than human, while they themselves act like monsters. The irony appears to be lost on them, which isn’t terribly surprising.
I think my favorite of the collection so far was probably the original X-23 series, where her origin was laid out. It was tough to read, of course, but it was still fascinating. I liked everything else as well, but for different reasons.
Despite liking the first series the best (so far) my favorite scene/event wasn’t in any of them. I absolutely loved the scenes involving Captain America. How he was forced to face his own biases based on his past, and how it was causing him to repeat the same mistakes as everyone else in Laura’s life. It was incredibly well done. I don’t think this would have worked nearly so well if they had chosen any character other than Captain America (being that he’s fully capable of admitting when he’s wrong, even if it does take some time to sink in).
I could go on to the next X-23 Complete Collection next, but I think I’m going to follow the advice I was given and read Wolverine: The Road to Hell next. That one sounds interesting, and it’ll fit chronologically with what I’ve already read. So win-win.
I’m actually pretty sure that I could have read all of these on Marvel Unlimited if I had wanted to, but in this case it was easier to get the collection all arranged for me. Plus the price was reasonable, and it’s always nice to support a series, even and older one, by buying it.
This volume covers a huge chunk of X-23 (aka Laura’s past) from her origin story up through the 2010 reboot of her series. Some of the events are standalone issues, and thus have a page or two of context before hand, to help give a better idea of what is going on. I found this to be incredibly helpful, and am glad that somebody thought to add it.
Warnings first: Okay, this really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, but X-23 has some fairly graphic scenes in it. I mean, we’re talking about a young girl that was genetically created, and then raised, to be a killer. So it isn’t going to be pleasant all the time. There are also some animal deaths that happen. You can see them coming though, so just skip a couple of panels and don’t think about it too much.
Before reading this volume, I knew the basics about Laura and her creation, but that was about the extent of it. Since I’ve been reading the latest round of her comics, naturally I became curious about more of her past, especially since it keeps getting mentioned. I’m not there yet (for example I haven’t hit the clone conflicts she’s referred to), but this one volume made a huge dent in what I didn’t know about her.
I thought I knew that Laura was a tragic character before this…but now I know just how badly I underestimated that. Laura is one of those characters that just seem to get kicked down again and again and again. Not all that dissimilar to Peter Parker, when you stop and think about it. It’s just the way they’re beat down that’s different.
I have to give her character so much credit for pulling through the messes again and again, while still doing everything possible to maintain her humanity. We can argue all we want about that, but the truth of the matter is that for as long as she worries about it, she is in fact still human enough to care.
There were a few characters in this series that I would have loved to kick a few dozen times, but they were obviously designed to make me feel that way. Still, they did a great job of pointing out some obvious morality questions. These people believe that mutants are less than human, while they themselves act like monsters. The irony appears to be lost on them, which isn’t terribly surprising.
I think my favorite of the collection so far was probably the original X-23 series, where her origin was laid out. It was tough to read, of course, but it was still fascinating. I liked everything else as well, but for different reasons.
Despite liking the first series the best (so far) my favorite scene/event wasn’t in any of them. I absolutely loved the scenes involving Captain America. How he was forced to face his own biases based on his past, and how it was causing him to repeat the same mistakes as everyone else in Laura’s life. It was incredibly well done. I don’t think this would have worked nearly so well if they had chosen any character other than Captain America (being that he’s fully capable of admitting when he’s wrong, even if it does take some time to sink in).
I could go on to the next X-23 Complete Collection next, but I think I’m going to follow the advice I was given and read Wolverine: The Road to Hell next. That one sounds interesting, and it’ll fit chronologically with what I’ve already read. So win-win.
moosaysmoo's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75