X-23 Appreciation 2021

[AppleJ]

Laura has been built up by writers who work in a very different way then Hickman. Majorie wrote a introspective character journey with a prose style in narration. Taylor wrote with clever dialogue and colorful characters. With emphasize on relationships.

Hickman will probably be more interested in how she deals with some external factor. Perhaps how an external event affects her internally. With a lot less introspective character work and more focus on themes that go along with his overarching story.

For me Majorie and Hickman almost occupies different ends of one axis of the writers spectrum. Even if he does a good job will I find it appropriate for Laura? I’m very wary.

Oh, that's a really relevant point you know. I find myself a huge fan of both Liu and Taylor, while finding Hickman largely distasteful. I definitely prize character work over themes and "big ideas". Not that I don't like world-building or esoteric meaning in my comic, but it's nothing to me if I don't care about the individual characters that live in that world and feel invested in them. Liu and Taylor have a knack for showing the humanity even in characters with darkness in them.

It has been a long and not exceptionally enjoyable transition for me into HiX-Men. Putting Laura in the Vault for a year after the cringeworthy Fallen Angels mini was just depressing after shunting my other favorite characters off to be wallpaper in Excalibur. Glad Gabby's finally getting love in New Mutants at least, though I hate that nobody seems to care that Laura has been gone. Hopefully she can land somewhere impactful after her return here and with a writer that loves her.

[Dthirds3]

I have this theory, the nimrod is basically a combination of drawn and synch and the tri sentinel in powers had its name blotted out. The vault leads to the three of them becoming the tri sentinel and backfires. Taking out the vault but speeding up geting nimrod online. Its so stupid its probably what thell do.

[Drako]

So, i read X-23 by Mariko Tamaki. Didn't like this one as much.
The first arc with the Cuckoos sisters enjoyable but the rest was kinda uninspired. I mean another arc with a killer clone of Laura created by Alchemax? I thought it was Zelda at the begining, but no, it was another unrelated clone.

I also didn't like the name change by Gabby. Scout is boring compared to Honey Badger.

And Marvel changed her awesome artist after the first arc again.
At the end i didn't care much for this book and had a much better time reading All-New Wolverine.

I also read X-Men #5 and New Mutants #14 and #15.

X-Men was in "preparation" for X-Men #18, that you guys said. Well, i didn't understand much of what was happening. I felt like i was dropped in the middle of a long running TV series (which i kinda was). It doesn't help that i don't know 60% of the cast. At least Laura costume was awesome. Well, i'll try issue #18 to see if i keep reading.

New Mutants #14 and #15 i thought it was easier to follow, but i was only reading for Gabby anyway and she is cute af here. She act more like a kid, but her relationship with Daken sold me on the book and i will keep reading.

[Ambaryerno]

So, i read X-23 by Mariko Tamaki. Didn't like this one as much.
The first arc with the Cuckoos sisters enjoyable but the rest was kinda uninspired. I mean another arc with a killer clone of Laura created by Alchemax? I thought it was Zelda at the begining, but no, it was another unrelated clone.

I also didn't like the name change by Gabby. Scout is boring compared to Honey Badger.

And Marvel changed her awesome artist after the first arc again.
At the end i didn't care much for this book and had a much better time reading All-New Wolverine.

I also read X-Men #5 and New Mutants #14 and #15.

X-Men was in "preparation" for X-Men #18, that you guys said. Well, i didn't understand much of what was happening. I felt like i was dropped in the middle of a long running TV series (which i kinda was). It doesn't help that i don't know 60% of the cast. At least Laura costume was awesome. Well, i'll try issue #18 to see if i keep reading.

New Mutants #14 and #15 i thought it was easier to follow, but i was only reading for Gabby anyway and she is cute af here. She act more like a kid, but her relationship with Daken sold me on the book and i will keep reading.

In some ways the Tamaki series kind of just felt like filler. Like they wanted to keep her in a book but didn’t have a real direction. The fact that it also meant dumping her back into the X-23 code name with such a weak hand wave didn’t help. The first arc is kind of meaningless after Krakoa, since Sophie and Esme got rez’ed after all, and while the IDEA of Laura and Gabby being at odds had potential, it was ultimately wasted.

And yes, Scout is a HORRIBLE name. The idea Gabby can only be Honey Badger if Laura is Wolverine is also just plain stupid, and takes away from Gabby’s own agency as a character.

[Drako]

In some ways the Tamaki series kind of just felt like filler. Like they wanted to keep her in a book but didn’t have a real direction. The fact that it also meant dumping her back into the X-23 code name with such a weak hand wave didn’t help. The first arc is kind of meaningless after Krakoa, since Sophie and Esme got rez’ed after all, and while the IDEA of Laura and Gabby being at odds had potential, it was ultimately wasted.

It really does looks like filler. Laura was the same, beginning to end.
Also, she had two cool costumes in All-New and then she was using a bland uniforme that didn't even had a mask in X-23.

And I felt that Laura and Gabby being at odds with each other came from nowhere. Didn't have any build up.

And yes, Scout is a HORRIBLE name.

I agree. Honey Badger not only is a cool name, but the real animal is bad ass. It's listed as the "most fearless animal in the world" in the Guinness Book of Records. Why change that to Scout?

It feels like Tamaki wanted to put her stamp in something and made the change for the worse.

The idea Gabby can only be Honey Badger if Laura is Wolverine is also just plain stupid, and takes away from Gabby’s own agency as a character.

Isn't Laura calling herself Wolverine in X-Men 5?

[Ambaryerno]

It really does looks like filler. Laura was the same, beginning to end.
Also, she had two cool costumes in All-New and then she was using a bland uniforme that didn't even had a mask in X-23.

And I felt that Laura and Gabby being at odds with each other came from nowhere. Didn't have any build up.



I agree. Honey Badger not only is a cool name, but the real animal is bad ass. It's listed as the "most fearless animal in the world" in the Guinness Book of Records. Why change that to Scout?

It feels like Tamaki wanted to put her stamp in something and made the change for the worse.



Isn't Laura calling herself Wolverine in X-Men 5?

I disagree about the costume. Aside from the goofy ass palm gloves I actually quite liked her outfit in the Tamaki book. Partly because of the creative process. Mike Choi surveyed actual women in Laura’s age range (18-21) to find out what they would wear, and it shows. It’s sexy and feminine without being exploitative, but is also very practical with the athleisure base, and a color scheme that works very well (Laura simply looks best in darker colors).

[Drako]

I disagree about the costume. Aside from the goofy ass palm gloves I actually quite liked her outfit in the Tamaki book. Partly because of the creative process. Mike Choi surveyed actual women in Laura’s age range (18-21) to find out what they would wear, and it shows. It’s sexy and feminine without being exploitative, but is also very practical with the athleisure base, and a color scheme that works very well (Laura simply looks best in darker colors).

Coming of her Wolverine days it felt like i step back for me. I liked more when she had the Jacket on, it made the costume look more complete.

[Havok83]

Wolverine is coming to FF

[AppleJ]

Wolverine is coming to FF

I miss seeing Laura and Gambit interact.

And yes, changing Honeybadger to Scout is absolutely abysmal. What editor green lighted that idea? Scout is so generic. Blah.

[Jackraow21]

Wouldn’t mind her bringing that costume back. Especially since Logan is back in brown and tan (his best colors) and they’re both Wolverine apparently.

[Ambaryerno]

Wouldn’t mind her bringing that costume back. Especially since Logan is back in brown and tan (his best colors) and they’re both Wolverine apparently.

If she was going with a Wolverine suit I would rather it be the black and gray biker. It, for want of a better phrase, fit her better.

[Malachi]

If she was going with a Wolverine suit I would rather it be the black and gray biker. It, for want of a better phrase, fit her better.

Yeah it suits her better. The yellow was a statement on the change in personality and tone. I like it fine but I think that muted colors works better.

I started reading X-men when Logan was in his brown suit so I wouldn't be surprised if that affects me too.

[Jackraow21]

But yellow/blue and brown/tan are the Wolverine’s colors. The black/gray costume, while awesome, feels like more of a mission specific (black ops) look for X-Force. If she’s also going to be “the Wolverine”, meaning a superhero going by that name, I think that costume does suit her. Definitely suits her better than Logan, as he has often told her to be better than him, which I interpret to mean as “brighter, more heroic, more of a superhero.” In that vein, I see it making sense.

[Nazrel]

But yellow/blue and brown/tan are the Wolverine’s colors. The black/gray costume, while awesome, feels like more of a mission specific (black ops) look for X-Force. If she’s also going to be “the Wolverine”, meaning a superhero going by that name, I think that costume does suit her. Definitely suits her better than Logan, as he has often told her to be better than him, which I interpret to mean as “brighter, more heroic, more of a superhero.” In that vein, I see it making sense.

You are thinking to much in terms of the title, and not enough in relation to the character; dark colors have always been Laura's pallet and suit her character; yes she's a brighter more optimistic character then Logan (almost any character is), but it's more starlight, candle in the darkness, then the sun (that would be Gabby.); she's still a stoic character with 3 to 4 digits worth of murders behind her.

[Jackraow21]

Dark colors always suited Logan more too, for the same reasons. But the explanations given over the years were that Xavier wanted the X-men to look like superheroes to the public and a more recent one was that the bright yellow draws enemy fire and thus protects others around him who don’t have healing factors. So the same logic would apply to Laura if she’s going to be Wolverine. Just saying.

Those are the trademark colors. If he’s not wearing them, maybe she should? It would be plausible anyway.