X-23: The Best At What SHE Does Appreciation 2022

[Ambaryerno]

Hey Amb, you gonna list her recommend or must read list?

Reading Guide for Newbies

There's more out there for her than this (IE her Ghost Rider one-shot) but most of them don't really bear mention.

Essentials

X-23: Innocence Lost - Origin Story Part I

NYX #1-6 - First Appearance in #3, but it's a six-issue arc, and the story IMO is worth reading.

X-23: Target X - Origin Story Part II. (Whatever the "official" chronology, I still feel that it works better narratively if you assume that the framing story of Laura's interrogation by Captain America is set after NYX)

New X-Men Vol. 2, #20 through the Messiah Complex event

X-Force Vol. 3 including the Messiah War, Necrosha, and Second Coming events.

X-23 one-shot (Liu)

X-23 ongoing (Liu)

All-New Wolverine (Taylor)

X-23 ongoing (Tamaki)

Skippable, But Fills In Blanks

Captain Universe: X-23. Offers some background for the Marjorie Liu ongoing, but is otherwise not particularly important.

Avengers Academy, beginning with #23 through the end (note the book has tie-ins with AvX). It follows immediately after the conclusion of the X-23 ongoing by Liu. Laura was rather underutilized, but there's some good character development nonetheless.

Avengers Arena (Hopeless). Follows immediately after Academy, and sets up Laura's status quo for All-New X-Men. She's written...decently here. Though there's one or two REALLY bad OOC moments.

All-New X-Men (Bendis) beginning with #20. Laura is not written well. At all. And she's pretty badly utilized, but it does serve as a chronological bridge between Arena and All-New Wolverine.

The Logan Legacy. Miniseries following the aftermath of the Death of Wolverine, and Laura's reaction. Explains why she has blue and gold highlights in her hair in the latter part of All-New X-Men.

Wolverines. Lays some groundwork for All-New Wolverine. Laura is written...okayish until she jobs to Mystique because EVERYONE has to job to Mystique for plot.

Doesn't Do Anything But Worth A Read

Circle of Four - Miniseries that did some pretty interesting stuff, and set up plot threads that have never been referenced since.

Skippable

Uncanny X-Men #450-460. This was her first appearance in the X-books proper after NYX. Unfortunately, her character is very poorly established at this time, and Claremont treats her as Logan with Boobs. Her appearances here have been virtually retconned out of continuity.

X-Men Red (Taylor). She's written decently, but honestly her only role here was to get Gabby into the book, and she doesn't have much to do.

Kill It With Fire

All-New X-Men (Hopeless). Laura's only role is to be in an emotionally abusive relationship with time-displaced Teen Angel. Some of the worst I've ever seen her written.

In fact, you skip pretty much anything she's in after Tamaki's X-23 book. She's horribly-written and misused in pretty much everything in the current Hickman/Krakoa era.

[Ambaryerno]

I feel like they should make her a street level hero. Let logan do the world ending convoluted ****, she can the more character driven emotional core storyes

Frankly, Logan should be street level, too. He's been punching above his weight class for FAR too long.

[Shampoozie]

Happy new year X fans, hopefully Laure has a good year

[topfueluhl]

I just about had that entire horrendous run purged from my memory, thank you very much. :-P

Ha, sorry! Still a great page though.

[Dthirds3]

Frankly, Logan should be street level, too. He's been punching above his weight class for FAR too long.

Logans been powercreped to the point that not possible. Laura can be brought down/stuned by small arms fire, Logan takes blows from the infinity gauntlet and healed from a atomic level in seconds. Not to mention his bones would technelly negats and reflect most damage street level players could deal.

[Galerion]

Logans been powercreped to the point that not possible. Laura can be brought down/stuned by small arms fire, Logan takes blows from the infinity gauntlet and healed from a atomic level in seconds. Not to mention his bones would technelly negats and reflect most damage street level players could deal.

I can't quite agree because to be fair those are single instances. In Inferno Nirmrod kills Logan outright with a single blast and rips in skeleton in half after it and as we know he was already killed multiples there. Not quite sure but I think he also died in X-Force. So Logan is far from invincible currently and it is good that way because everything else would be silly. Now you are right that he is above street level but so is Laura. Since her inception she has mowed through droves of armed and trained soldiers without issues. I mean that was the entire point of her creation. But I don't see that as an issue and I too think they should at least be closer to street level and that is for one reason many people also probably enjoy Punisher comics. It's a power fantasy and wish fulfillment. To see your protagonist just absolutely dismantle the opposition is a valid story to tell too. Not everything needs to be an immense struggle of untold proportions and world-ending and all that. Everything else approaching cosmic level just requires Batman level of plot armor and Im just simply not a fan of that narrative tool.

[HumbleMumble]

I’m hoping for a new name this year, since we can’t have x-23 anymore and the wolverine name has become this character limiting box. Right now it feels like when a writer says I want to use Wolverine in my book, the xmen office is like no we have Wolverine at home, Laura is the Wolverine at home.

[AJpyro]

And since DC has a talon we need something fresh.

[SavageJudgeDredd]

I’m hoping for a new name this year, since we can’t have x-23 anymore and the wolverine name has become this character limiting box. Right now it feels like when a writer says I want to use Wolverine in my book, the xmen office is like no we have Wolverine at home, Laura is the Wolverine at home.

I agree, I don't think the Wolverine name and costume is helping her. X-23 was a pretty cool name everybody remembers.

[Nazrel]

I’m hoping for a new name this year, since we can’t have x-23 anymore and the wolverine name has become this character limiting box. Right now it feels like when a writer says I want to use Wolverine in my book, the xmen office is like no we have Wolverine at home, Laura is the Wolverine at home.

Yes, it's profoundly frustrating the inability of lazy writers to tell the difference between a character and the gaudy outfit they're wearing.

[Galerion]

I agree, I don't think the Wolverine name and costume is helping her. X-23 was a pretty cool name everybody remembers.

Since I took a break from comics can someone clear up why she even is Wolverine again?

[Ambaryerno]

Since I took a break from comics can someone clear up why she even is Wolverine again?

No explanation given in the books. The issue she went into the Vault they simply called her Wolverine again.

[Ambaryerno]

Question is, what should a new name be? Talon would have been fitting because of her foot claws. And honestly, I'd prefer to avoid something Wolverine-adjacent, (Honey Badger works for Gabby because of her personality, but it would be too thematic/close for Laura) so no other mustelids.

[Sandmans_Raven]

Happy New Year, Laura Fans! Here's hoping 2022 is good for her. I haven't been super impressed with what Duggan's done with her in X-Men so far...

[Galerion]

No explanation given in the books. The issue she went into the Vault they simply called her Wolverine again.

Question is, what should a new name be? Talon would have been fitting because of her foot claws. And honestly, I'd prefer to avoid something Wolverine-adjacent, (Honey Badger works for Gabby because of her personality, but it would be too thematic/close for Laura) so no other mustelids.

A shame. You know with the MCU being so successful you would think that also the comic side sees the value in planning and thinking things through instead of just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing if it sticks but oh well. Nothing we can do about it.

I will also throw a curve ball. Why does she need a new name? I don't think she needs it.
Like first there is the real-life stuff. Giving a her a new name would would have probably worked in 2007 when Target X was released and the Talon name was teased but we are now in 2022. The train has left the station and people know her as X-23. Be they hardcore or casual fans considering she had her successful big screen debut in Logan and there are now quite a few comics available with the X-23 branding. It's just like how Kwannon is still Psylocke. For the casual people she still is what people think of when they hear Psylocke even though technically it's a different person now.

And in universe it also makes sense that she would keep that name. Like X-23 is not a name that you give a person. It's a designation that you give an object. A tool. And that is exactly what she started as but she broke out of it and that's the reason she should keep it. It's a symbol. A symbol that no matter what you started as and what you have done you can always strive to be something more and to be better. And for her enemies it can serve as a warning that if you mess with her she is gonna **** up your **** with ruthless efficiency.

Happy New Year, Laura Fans! Here's hoping 2022 is good for her. I haven't been super impressed with what Duggan's done with her in X-Men so far...

To be fair there has hardly been anything done so far. Currently it feels like the book just exists for the sake of existing but hopefully that changes soon.