Laura Kinney: X-23 Appreciation 2019

[Ambaryerno]

I randomly happened upon the NYX series on MU in the middle of the night when back ache woke me up. The tone at first is really different from regular Marvel and clearly targeted at then-teenaged Millenials with a dose of social realism similar to movies at the time like Kids, though that seems to slip a little as the original artist disappears after what look like serious production delays. Obviously, from the fact I’m posting about it in here, the big surprise for me was the original appearance of Laura in comics as a borderline mute sex worker.

I’ve read the later origin series on X-23 before, but despite all the trauma we know she’s suffered, this is quite a stark contrast from character we know and love as the All New Wolverine. What do people think of her evolution from this downbeat, almost art house sensibility to a spandex clad super-punching person?

Part of the problem is that when KYost took over writing X-23 in the books, they tried to largely write around everything that had been written before (which at the time was NYX and Claremont's early work with her on Uncanny) and start her from scratch. Kyle especially has frequently expressed his desire to retcon NYX out altogether. This is why we've been left with the bit in New X-Men where Logan only PRETENDED he didn't know Laura when they first encountered each other in Uncanny, since according to KYost they met before when she tried to kill him. This is also why her early history is kind of disjointed and mood-swinging. Innocence Lost and Target X were pretty much written to ignore the previous stories.

I think you can make sense of things if you tweak the order of events a bit.

"Canonically" it goes Innocence Lost, Target X, NYX, New X-Men, with Uncanny being dubious (it's been virtually ignored by other writers since).

However if you take this order: Innocence Lost/Facility Flashbacks in Target X > Megan and Debbie > NYX > Laura attacks Logan and is arrested by Cap > New X-Men it works a bit better. Uncanny is still problematic, but I don't think we'll ever be able to fit that end without using VERY broad strokes.

Basically, losing Megan and Debbie is what finally breaks Laura and leads her to the state we find her in when she appears in NYX. Additionally, her state in NYX can be explained by other things we learn about her in later stores: She's quick to form attachments when people show her kindness (IE how she starts latching on to Hellion after he helps defend her against Emma, and later saves her life against Nimrod). She struggles to recognize the difference between choices and orders when presented by authority figures (which is explicitly established as why she joined X-Force: She was mentally and emotionally incapable of recognizing Cyclops offered her a CHOICE. She interpreted it as an order. Logan even calls Scott out on as much). And for much of her life she had no sense of self or self-worth (an ongoing thing, but Liu especially hammered this in). All of these facts make Laura very realistically vulnerable to a manipulative sociopath like Zebra Daddy.

So Daddy swoops in, and uses the carrot to lure her in, perhaps finding her on the streets and giving her a hot meal and a place to stay, before turning the stick against her to gain control (THIS IS EXACTLY HOW MANY WOMEN ARE ENTRAPPED BY TRAFFICKERS IN REAL LIFE). Laura does what she's always done when confronted with an authority figure: She submits. It's not until she connects with Kiden that she finally breaks through, but rather than healing she decides she needs to end everything and goes after Logan.

[WebLurker]

I’ve read the later origin series on X-23 before, but despite all the trauma we know she’s suffered, this is quite a stark contrast from character we know and love as the All New Wolverine. What do people think of her evolution from this downbeat, almost art house sensibility to a spandex clad super-punching person?

Was never really a fan of the NYX backstory and it certainly is part of the messiness that Uncanny has in terms of continuity (although references to them in other stories seem to indicate that they happened despite some "Early Installment Weirdness"). On the other hand, later authors have been able to make good use of that part of her backstory to inform her present character, so I'm fine with it at the end of the day.

P"Canonically" it goes Innocence Lost, Target X, NYX, New X-Men, with Uncanny being dubious (it's been virtually ignored by other writers since).

Not quite; beyond being accounted for in the New X-Men run (albeit with the retcon), it was included in the mental sequences of the "Enemy of the State II" arc in All-New Wolverine.

[Mia]

I randomly happened upon the NYX series on MU in the middle of the night when back ache woke me up. The tone at first is really different from regular Marvel and clearly targeted at then-teenaged Millenials with a dose of social realism similar to movies at the time like Kids, though that seems to slip a little as the original artist disappears after what look like serious production delays. Obviously, from the fact I’m posting about it in here, the big surprise for me was the original appearance of Laura in comics as a borderline mute sex worker.

I’ve read the later origin series on X-23 before, but despite all the trauma we know she’s suffered, this is quite a stark contrast from character we know and love as the All New Wolverine. What do people think of her evolution from this downbeat, almost art house sensibility to a spandex clad super-punching person?

I don't like the Laura in All New Wolverine. So I'll get that out of the way.

But to answer your question, on a whole Laura's history in NYX is fine with me because it demonstrates a character picking herself and building herself instead someone/something new and not being defined and defeated by her past to contribute to the world and live with dignity. It really made for an interesting (and inspiring) story.

[Ambaryerno]

So other than the fact that her healing factor was used to create Rasputin, has Laura appeared or otherwise been mentioned in HoX/PoX at all?

[Dthirds3]

Not not yet/ maybe, literally the last silhouette we see has a outfit that's similar to hers so it might be her

[The Big G]

So other than the fact that her healing factor was used to create Rasputin, has Laura appeared or otherwise been mentioned in HoX/PoX at all?

Not that I've seen

[jhack53]

So other than the fact that her healing factor was used to create Rasputin, has Laura appeared or otherwise been mentioned in HoX/PoX at all?

no i haven't seen anything to suggest that Laura is involved. i do have a theory that based on the comics coming after these two books and the one comic featuring Laura is based on mutants that didn't go along with the whole mutant nation. which i think makes sense for Laura because she has a good relationship with her family, who are not mutants, and she gets along with multiple hero's that are not mutants, and if the events of the immune arc are still in effect a lot of people in New York still remember that she saved them.

[Rakurai]

From NYCC news consisting Laura we have cover for Fallen Angels 5, which includes two new characters - Husk and Bling!. The other one is assurance, that X will appear in X-force. 20191005214058_402700.jpeg.jpgScreenshot_20191006-082013_Samsung Internet.jpg

[Ambaryerno]

From NYCC news consisting Laura we have cover for Fallen Angels 5, which includes two new characters - Husk and Bling!. The other one is assurance, that X will appear in X-force. 20191005214058_402700.jpeg.jpgScreenshot_20191006-082013_Samsung Internet.jpg

X-Force could be interesting since we'll finally be seeing Laura and Logan interact, (@#$% Marvel for having their reunion take place off-panel. What an absolute waste of storytelling potential) but Bling! and Husk on Fallen Angels doesn't interest me much at all.

[Rakurai]

X-Force could be interesting since we'll finally be seeing Laura and Logan interact, (@#$% Marvel for having their reunion take place off-panel. What an absolute waste of storytelling potential) but Bling! and Husk on Fallen Angels doesn't interest me much at all.

Maybe at least we'll get flashback, it seems to be a tradition with X. Or actual talk in X-Men with Wolverine, Laura and Daken - I'd love to see that.
As for Bling! and Husk - it might not be interesting for Laura fans, but it makes a book which she is in more appealing to other X-Men fans who like them. Since the introduction of DoX many were saying that FA will be the first to cancel, the more interest it gets the safest I feel.

[Dthirds3]

X-Force could be interesting since we'll finally be seeing Laura and Logan interact, (@#$% Marvel for having their reunion take place off-panel. What an absolute waste of storytelling potential) but Bling! and Husk on Fallen Angels doesn't interest me much at all.

Bling is mercury's girlfriend, that could bring her in to the fold, (or set up a mercury x Laura relationship if they break up)

[Rakurai]

Bling is mercury's girlfriend, that could bring her in to the fold, (or set up a mercury x Laura relationship if they break up)

Yesss. I'd love if they finally show bi!Laura, and after LauraxJubilee it's my favorite ship.

[Triniking1234]

I'm just glad we're getting Gabby-free Laura again.

Good luck with that, Brisson.

[Ambaryerno]

I'm just glad we're getting Gabby-free Laura again.

Good luck with that, Brisson.

Hill said on Twitter that Gabby is going to be making an appearance at some point.

[Dthirds3]

Hill said on Twitter that Gabby is going to be making an appearance at some point.

Makes sence they cant ignore there relationships, (unless it involves the new xmen or nyx). Hill should handle it well