X-23 #1 Recap/Review - SPOILERS

[Ambaryerno]

We begin with the preview, as Laura monologues a quick rundown of her history, and she and Gabby fight off the mooks mid-flight. At least one of their opponents is revealed to be a mutant, or something other than a normal human when he loses his mask, and smashes Gabby with a cement truck. Laura finishes him off and the pair return to the X-mansion to check in with Beast.

Back at the mansion Laura meets with Hank, where it's established she has chosen to dedicate herself to hunting down those who are peddling in illicit genetic research on mutants, to prevent anyone else from being subject to the same experiences she and Gabby faced. Hank gives her a lead on a geneticist who worked for Alchemax, but has since disappeared, and is one of several individuals who have gone missing. Recognizing the importance of what Laura is doing to stop the misuse of such research Hank expresses his desire to help as he turns over the file.

With her meeting concluded, Laura meets up with Gabby (snacking on a pretzel). As she starts to go over the details of their next mission they bump into the Cuckoos, back to being three identical triplet blondes with matching clothing (Gabby likens them to an evil choir, which the Cuckoos take in stride). It turns out that, coincidentally, they chose to celebrate their birthday on the same day as Laura's because it's the birthday of Sophie's favorite actor. Gabby asks if Laura knows her own birthday, but Laura evades the question. Later, she and Gabby get into an argument when Gabby presses her about her own birthday. Laura dismisses it as insignificant, but Gabby is insistent because if Laura has a birthday, it means SHE has one, too (mostly for the cake). Back at the apartment, Laura gives Gabby a quick history lesson on the Cuckoos, particularly the deaths of Sophie and Esme. She also notes that something doesn't seem right with them.

Meanwhile, the Cuckoos see to their own birthday celebration at a run-down house, where we learn that THEY are the ones who kidnapped the missing scientist...in a desperate bid to save Sophie and Esme! The Three-in-One have arranged to revive their sisters in cloned bodies, but those bodies are breaking down because they can't handle the stress of their psychic bond. They have a plan in place to save them, but express doubts since it will make them enemies of the X-Men to carry it out. Nonetheless they remain committed in order to save their sisters. Phoebe, Mindee, and Celeste leave the house again after their celebration, but once they're gone, Esme prepares to inject something into Sophie, remarking that the plan will work best if there's only one of them, and that SHE deserves it.

The issue ends with a final musing by Laura on birthdays, and the strange connection she and the Cuckoos have as Esme prepares to put the next phase of her plan into motion.

----

Wow, what a way to start. I think most of the fears that Laura's development in ANW would be thrown out can be put to rest. While we didn't get an explanation why she took back the negatively-charged X-23 name, Laura herself hasn't changed. Cabal's art as usual is spectacular, particularly with Woodward's bold color palette. Per usual Cabal hides a few jokes and references in his work (check out the pictures hanging on Gabby's walls).

The biggest shock of the issue was the revelation that Esme and Sophie have been resurrected, and that goes a LONG way towards explaining the antagonistic role of the Cuckoos in the solicits. Not least of which because it seems Esme is up to her old tricks. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Esme is the one behind the Three-in-One returning to their identical appearances and synchronized voices (which thankfully DID get called attention to, so it's clearly not that their development has been ignored).

Overall this is a solid start to the new series. I'd really like Tamaki to at least touch on WHY Laura took back her old name at some point. I'm also a little disappointed Laura's trip to the school didn't lead to a few other familiar faces. But those are pretty minor quibbles.

Can't wait to see where this goes.

[Wiccan]

This cuckoos thing screams The Gifted sinergy. Not saying it's a bad thing at all, but them going back to looking the same AND Esme returning feels like too much to be a coincidence.

[PsychoEFrost]

I thought that Phoenix Celeste annihilated Sophie and Esme's bodies during Warsong. How would they get personality DNA for them to clone?

[Ambaryerno]

I thought that Phoenix Celeste annihilated Sophie and Esme's bodies during Warsong. How would they get personality DNA for them to clone?

Psychics.

I'm sure there's going to be some sort of telepathic shenanigans involved.

[lurkerforyears]

they did resurrect again in some event whose name I have forgotten. they worked with the original dead Thunderbird, Banshee (so, it was before Uncanny Avengers), and some Madrox dupes, all resurrected characters.
I think it's the same event that resurrected the Alpha Flight characters killed by Bendis.
they died again at the end of the event, but it shows Warsong isnt an obstacle for their resurrection.

Or they could explain everything with Secret Wars recreating the universe.

[jpmst17]

not a bad first issue. I like Laura a lot, so i enjoyed it, and Gabby was pretty funny too

[Dthirds3]

I thought that Phoenix Celeste annihilated Sophie and Esme's bodies during Warsong. How would they get personality DNA for them to clone?

Your forget about IVX, there were cuckoos still being stored there, and the cuckoo's were ment to uses ther powers together. Saying the store room had backups isn't impossible, and xavier proves that a psychics consensus can be reconstructed from scratch when he became x.

[Beaubier]

This cuckoos thing screams The Gifted sinergy. Not saying it's a bad thing at all, but them going back to looking the same AND Esme returning feels like too much to be a coincidence.

Tamaki has said that she loves the Cuckoos during the Morrison run. I’m sure The Gifted’s success encouraged Marvel to greenlight her idea, but mostly it seems a case of Tamaki liking the Morrison Cuckoos so much she wanted to get them back to the way they were.

[Ambaryerno]

Your forget about IVX, there were cuckoos still being stored there, and the cuckoo's were ment to uses ther powers together. Saying the store room had backups isn't impossible, and xavier proves that a psychics consensus can be reconstructed from scratch when he became x.

Wasn't that really the Shadow King all along?

[Master of Sound]

What a bs! The Cuckoo's acting like one again and looking the same again. They had do much development last years and this team sets them back a decade or so.

Liked it though that Esme kills Sophie again.

[Ambaryerno]

What a bs! The Cuckoo's acting like one again and looking the same again. They had do much development last years and this team sets them back a decade or so.

Liked it though that Esme kills Sophie again.

Like I've said, I'm sure the fact the Cuckoos are acting like one and looking the same is going to be a plot point, probably because Esme is manipulating them. Especially because Laura noted something seemed off about them, and Tamaki made a point of having Gabby observe they were all dressed the same.

[Havok83]

This book has no business looking as good as it does. If only the main books had an artist of this caliber. I was impressed

[WhiteQueenEmmaFrost]

I thought that Phoenix Celeste annihilated Sophie and Esme's bodies during Warsong. How would they get personality DNA for them to clone?

I mean they ARE clones it's their consciousness that's different.

[jpmst17]

This book has no business looking as good as it does. If only the main books had an artist of this caliber. I was impressed

the art was awesome

[PsychoEFrost]

I mean they ARE clones it's their consciousness that's different.

They are clones created by John Sublime using Emma's DNA, and an unknown XY integer. The World got nuked, so creating new clones shouldn't be that simple, but I'm guessing that I'm over analyzing the issue.