Laura: X-23 Appreciation 2018

[Beaubier]

So we didn’t really discuss this here, but Kyle had recently tweeted that if he could retcon one thing from Laura’s history, it would have been her story of being a teen prostitute. I know that Kyle never liked that story for Laura, but I have to strongly disagree with him there. One thing I really appreciated about Liu’s work is how she handled that piece of history. Unlike K/Y, she didn’t try to sweep it under the rug. Instead she made great parallels about how some used laura’s body as a weapon, and Zebra Daddy used her for sex. But ultimately in either case she was being used, and Laura was so accustomed to being treated as a thing that she saw no difference. No other writer has really handled that story in a truly thoughtful way, but I think I’d find it upsetting if that chapter of Laura’s life was unceremoniously erased.

[Ambaryerno]

So we didn’t really discuss this here, but Kyle had recently tweeted that if he could retcon one thing from Laura’s history, it would have been her story of being a teen prostitute. I know that Kyle never liked that story for Laura, but I have to strongly disagree with him there. One thing I really appreciated about Liu’s work is how she handled that piece of history. Unlike K/Y, she didn’t try to sweep it under the rug. Instead she made great parallels about how some used laura’s body as a weapon, and Zebra Daddy used her for sex. But ultimately in either case she was being used, and Laura was so accustomed to being treated as a thing that she saw no difference. No other writer has really handled that story in a truly thoughtful way, but I think I’d find it upsetting if that chapter of Laura’s life was unceremoniously erased.

Agreed. If you think about recent events with the MeToo movement, and how Laura's story can be particularly relevant, I think that Marvel can and SHOULD actually do more with it.

One thing I always wanted to see was a story that actually shows HOW Zebra Daddy got his hooks into her, because Laura at the time NYX took place is exactly the sort of person that traffickers target; someone who's young, alone, and with poor self-image or self-esteem who is easy to control and manipulate. I've always imagined it being a narration and visual-only story, where the narrator discusses facts about sex trafficking and how anyone can fall victim to it, while we see those sequence of events. Then at the end we cut to the present, where it's revealed that Laura is the narrator, and has been addressing a support group for trafficking victims with her story to help them cope with their experiences.

It would be a great way of showing that anyone can potentially be targeted, but that it's possible to recover. They could also use her to address the stigma that sex workers (both forced and voluntary workers) continue to face, which is frankly something that's backwards and unfair.

[Shampoozie]

Can you imagine how Kyle felt when NYX came out? He was probably pretty pissed having his creation go in a totally different direction than what he wanted by being introduced as an underage prostitute. That being said it is a unique story to tell. It adds to how much Laura has overcome and grown as a character. It also gives her motivation to help people in sex worker situations which can lead to some interesting stories down the road.

[Beaubier]

Can you imagine how Kyle felt when NYX came out? He was probably pretty pissed having his creation go in a totally different direction than what he wanted by being introduced as an underage prostitute. That being said it is a unique story to tell. It adds to how much Laura has overcome and grown as a character. It also gives her motivation to help people in sex worker situations which can lead to some interesting stories down the road.

Yeah. Like I said in a previous post, I have sympathy for creators when their characters go in directions they didn’t want. But ultimately I prefer it when writers work with curveballs instead of just saying “that never happened” or “here’s what actually happened and it only vaguely resembles what was canon prior.”

Once in a while a great retcon is implemented into a story that creates an abundance of storytelling opportunities. Take for example the retcon that Magneto was the father of SW and Quicksilver, which was (before yet another horrible retcon) a brilliant retcon in my opinion. Retconning the NYX story wouldn’t really serve any purpose but to make uncomfortable people feel better. Sex trafficking happens all of the time, and I think it’s important that we have a hero that went through it and overcame. More could be done with Laura to bring visibility to the issue, but as is I think Liu did some good things with it.

[WebLurker]

I think that the original NYX story wasn't a good idea, but the characterization that has been built off of it was. So, I'd say it would be worse to take it out then leave it in. In any event, it's become too interconnected to remove.

[Ambaryerno]

More could be done with Laura to bring visibility to the issue, but as is I think Liu did some good things with it.

Laura and Jessica Jones would both be great platforms to discuss the subject.

[Shampoozie]

Hoping for Laura to have a role in uncanny too. It would be nice if she started popping up more in other books.

There you go, Laura popping up in other books.
https://www.cbr.com/uncanny-x-men-1-...marvel-comics/

[Rich Johnston]

Lol. Really? The writers are all clearly joking around and teasing each other. That clearly went over the head of whoever wrote that article. Said writer should feel embarrassed. That isn’t news at all.

That isn't the joking around that has gone over someone's head....

[Gunther]

There you go, Laura popping up in other books.
https://www.cbr.com/uncanny-x-men-1-...marvel-comics/

That really awesome! I noticed her outfit changed a bit( no stomach showing), I wonder if that will be her outfit come November. I personally always liked her showing some belly as its kinda her thing when she's not in a team uniform.

[Ambaryerno]

That really awesome! I noticed her outfit changed a bit( no stomach showing), I wonder if that will be her outfit come November. I personally always liked her showing some belly as its kinda her thing when she's not in a team uniform.

I'm sure it's just an artist's error. She also doesn't show as much of her middle in this costume to begin with, so it's probably easier for it to be obscured, anyway.

[RoamingGnome8]

I think that the original NYX story wasn't a good idea, but the characterization that has been built off of it was. So, I'd say it would be worse to take it out then leave it in. In any event, it's become too interconnected to remove.

I agree with WebLurker; I feel like NYX hasn't aged well and that story was more focused on sexualization than exploring the issue of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.

I think ultimately it was Liu who handled the subject matter respectfully.

I'm kind of neutral about the plot point- while I think it CAN be used to analyze those kinds of issues and make a really great story (Like when Liu had Laura and Jubilee go after traffickers); I'm not overly sad when writers avoid bringing up that plot point other than I really liked Kiden, because that storyline is heavily tied to Laura being sexualized despite being a teenager.

[Gambit, King of Thieves]

I'm sure it's just an artist's error. She also doesn't show as much of her middle in this costume to begin with, so it's probably easier for it to be obscured, anyway.

Well, Jean, Storm, and Kurt are in their Red costumes, so Laura could have a different X-23: Red costume than her normal X-23 costume.

[Ambaryerno]

Well, Jean, Storm, and Kurt are in their Red costumes, so Laura could have a different X-23: Red costume than her normal X-23 costume.

Interior art from Uncanny #1 shows her with the bared midriff, so it's almost certainly an art error.

[Gambit, King of Thieves]

Interior art? Already?
GIVE IT TO ME

[Ambaryerno]