Wolverine/X-23 Laura Kinney Appreciation 2023

[Rakurai]

From the weapon to X-Men, I hope 2023 has something good in store for Laura.


Cloned from Logans damaged gene sample Laura was created to be a perfect weapon, able to kill anyone for a right price for her masters.
Since then she came a long way to be a hero, learning about normal world around her and about herself, spend time searching for her soul and her own value.

Reading list:
NYX (2003) - first appearance
X-23 Innocence Lost
X-23 Target X
New X-Men - from issue 20
X-Force (2008)
X-23 one-shot and 2010 series
Avengers Academy (from issue 23)/Avengers Arena/Venom: Circle of Four
All New X-Men - from issue 20 and whole v2 series
Death of Wolverine/Logan Legacy/Wolverines
All New Wolverine
X-Men Red
X-23 (2018 series)
Fallen Angels
X-Men (2019) issues 5, 18, 19
X-Men (2021) from 1 to 12
Captain Marvel from issue 43
X-Terminators



We already know, on International Woman Day (08.03.2023) we are getting X-23 Deadly Regenesis issue 1 of 5, so this year we get a flashback miniseries about Laura adventures around Utopia era.

We also currently have issue, where we have two Lauras. One is pre-Vault copy, with no memories of Vault, but who has been in X-Men, X-Terminators and Captain Marvel. The other is VaultLaura, who just recently emerged from Vault after many years inside, with Forges help. On January 11 we'll probably get some insight about Laura life in Vault (hopefully) in X-Men 18 (2021)

Young Laura incoming issues: Captain Marvel 45 on 04.01.2023, X-Terminators 5 on 25.01.2023, Captain Marvel 46 on 15.02.2023 and 47 on 15.03.2023 and her mini solo-series X-23: Deadly Regenesis on 08.03.2023
Old Woman Laura incoming issues: X-Men 18 on 11.01.2023

[Ambaryerno]

This year will mark Laura's 20th birthday IRL.

She first appeared on August 8, 2003, in the Evolution episode, X23. She would make her comics debut 4 months later on December 10, 2003, when NYX #3 was released. Since then, she's probably one of four X-characters who has proven capable of supporting a solo series (the others being Logan, Cable, and Gambit. 5 if you count Deadpool as an X-character).

I wonder if Marvel has anything actually planned to celebrate this milestone. 20 years is a LONG time for a character make consistent appearances among the modern Big Two, when most of her peers have long ago been wallpapered in favor of nostalgia and the status quo. The quality of those appearances may be dubious, but Laura is one of probably 3 characters Marvel has introduced in the past two decades that can be said to be teetering at the edge of the A-list. It'd be nice to see something special to acknowledge that achievement.

[Grunty]

This year will mark Laura's 20th birthday IRL.

She first appeared on August 8, 2003, in the Evolution episode, X23. She would make her comics debut 4 months later on December 10, 2003, when NYX #3 was released. Since then, she's probably one of four X-characters who has proven capable of supporting a solo series (the others being Logan, Cable, and Gambit. 5 if you count Deadpool as an X-character).

I wonder if Marvel has anything actually planned to celebrate this milestone. 20 years is a LONG time for a character make consistent appearances among the modern Big Two, when most of her peers have long ago been wallpapered in favor of nostalgia and the status quo. The quality of those appearances may be dubious, but Laura is one of probably 3 characters Marvel has introduced in the past two decades that can be said to be teetering at the edge of the A-list. It'd be nice to see something special to acknowledge that achievement.

20 years and only a single cartoon show since (and that is 14 years ago now), in which she only had 3 little non-speaking appearances. *Sigh* That damn movie rights conflict robbed us of so much content and chances for characters like her to have roles.

X-men TAS nostalgia be damned we need a new cartoon with new takes in which those character created in the past 20-30 years have a chance to be given some spotlight too.

As for the anniversary itself.

Perhaps a single overpriced comic written by current writers and none of those who wrote her stand out and classic stories, with trivial stories that add nothing to the character or retroactively try to insert modern takes on her into her past incarnations, drawn by mediocre artist?

Pessimism aside it would be nice for her to get something substantial again this year.

[Outburstz]

So is old Laura going to co exist with young Laura?

[JB]

Laura's omnibus HC, an extremely rare thing for a female mutant, releases this year as well and pre-orders are open.

[Rakurai]

So is old Laura going to co exist with young Laura?

No clue. I'd be more excited if anyone but Duggan was writing this, since knowing him they might not even meet.
I've seen many comments cheering for them both to be merged, which I don't think would be a good idea for Laura. They should be very different now and all those years in Vault is a huge baggage for "our" Laura.

Laura's omnibus HC, an extremely rare thing for a female mutant, releases this year as well and pre-orders are open.

I can't belive it, that having all tbps and both complete collection I still bought it xD

[JB]

No clue. I'd be more excited if anyone but Duggan was writing this, since knowing him they might not even meet.
I've seen many comments cheering for them both to be merged, which I don't think would be a good idea for Laura. They should be very different now and all those years in Vault is a huge baggage for "our" Laura.




I can't belive it, that having all tbps and both complete collection I still bought it xD

Haha it's a must. It's going to look fantastically sexy on a bookshelf.

[Grunty]

No clue. I'd be more excited if anyone but Duggan was writing this, since knowing him they might not even meet.
I've seen many comments cheering for them both to be merged, which I don't think would be a good idea for Laura. They should be very different now and all those years in Vault is a huge baggage for "our" Laura

Especialy since said baggage does not actualy add anything of value to the character. It's over a hundred years locked away in an enclosed location, fighting a singular enemy of dubious narrative quality or longlivity, with no interaction to other characters and groups besides a romantic relationship with "In name only" Synch who might not be around for long either.

Nothing of that matters to the "real world" of the Marvel universe and it's people, factions or events and it can't be used to improve her interaction with those either.

The only thing it could be used for, would be to declare that base Laura is now even more of a powerfull fighter, but even that will constantly be ignored anyway just like Wolverines "supreme martial artist" qualities.

If Gabby would spend a single year off pannel having adventures in space it could add hundred times more story potential to her, than a million years in the Vault would add to Laura.

[Rakurai]

Haha it's a must. It's going to look fantastically sexy on a bookshelf.

Oh yeah, it totally will <3

Especialy since said baggage does not actualy add anything of value to the character. It's over a hundred years locked away in an enclosed location, fighting a singular enemy of dubious narrative quality or longlivity, with no interaction to other characters and groups besides a romantic relationship with "In name only" Synch who might not be around for long either.

Nothing of that matters to the "real world" of the Marvel universe and it's people, factions or events and it can't be used to improve her interaction with those either.

The only thing it could be used for, would be to declare that base Laura is now even more of a powerfull fighter, but even that will constantly be ignored anyway just like Wolverines "supreme martial artist" qualities.

If Gabby would spend a single year off pannel having adventures in space it could add hundred times more story potential to her, than a million years in the Vault would add to Laura.

Partially, yes.
I don't agree about Synch not being around for long, his last two years were brilliant for him and his fans, I think after Hickmans and Duggans work next writers will follow.
The rest is true, Vault doesn't add anything for Laura (maybe yet, but for now it's only Synch story), her over year of absence was hard, when you are fan of one X-Men first, and rest of them second. And that waiting feels rather reward-less.
However they decide to resolve Old/Young Woman Laura trouble I hope they do it with respect to her character and it's going to be her story, not someone else's.

[Ambaryerno]

20 years and only a single cartoon show since (and that is 14 years ago now), in which she only had 3 little non-speaking appearances. *Sigh* That damn movie rights conflict robbed us of so much content and chances for characters like her to have roles.

X-men TAS nostalgia be damned we need a new cartoon with new takes in which those character created in the past 20-30 years have a chance to be given some spotlight too.

As for the anniversary itself.

Perhaps a single overpriced comic written by current writers and none of those who wrote her stand out and classic stories, with trivial stories that add nothing to the character or retroactively try to insert modern takes on her into her past incarnations, drawn by mediocre artist?

Pessimism aside it would be nice for her to get something substantial again this year.

Honestly, I don't think the movie rights issue had much an effect on Laura. If anything, it was Disney getting the rights BACK that hurt, since it killed her solo film (Fox should have pushed the X-23 film forward rather than the clusterfuck and constant false starts from Gambit).

The biggest obstacle Laura has had to deal with is from Logan himself. Imagine had Marvel not brought in Old Man Logan after Secret Wars, leaving Laura as the ONLY Wolverine, and actually given her the chance to own the role on the Flagship books and events, rather than shoving her off into Hopeless's godawful shipping fic.

I still wonder if she wouldn't be better off under the Avengers label, where she's not constantly being left in Logan's shadow so he can appear in 20 different X books.

[Frontier]

Happy New Year to Laura and her fans !

[Grunty]

Partially, yes.
I don't agree about Synch not being around for long, his last two years were brilliant for him and his fans, I think after Hickmans and Duggans work next writers will follow. (...)

Fair enough.
My problem with Synch is mainly that i see a character brought back from the dead after 19 years and having been mostly forgotten by the fanbase since, only to be thrown into a massive time skip adventure, from which he returned as entirely different person.

Combined with then being thrown into "big deal" territory right afterwards, it feels to me like the character was placed on a giant stepladder, one which needs to be constantly held in place by writers. Because the moment one lets go of it, the poor guy will come down hard and likely never recover, since there is no natural grown foundation to keep him up there.

But again, fair enough to anyone who has actual hope for him.

Honestly, I don't think the movie rights issue had much an effect on Laura. If anything, it was Disney getting the rights BACK that hurt, since it killed her solo film (Fox should have pushed the X-23 film forward rather than the clusterfuck and constant false starts from Gambit).

In terms of movies that's true. Never the less i feel a new cartoon in which she could have had more of a role (backed by her popularity over the mid 2000's to 2010's), would have greatly helped her to remain in popularity and perhaps get more development and expansion than she ultimately got in the comics over the past decade.

With both Fox and Disney alike being so glaringly blind on the potential of video games to maintain and improve their income from and popularity of their IPs, cartoons are basicly the second best entry media for their properties after the movies.

And i consider the movie rights conflict a strong reason for why no new X-men show had been made for a decade. Hence robbing characters like Laura of her chance for additional appearance outside the comics.

The biggest obstacle Laura has had to deal with is from Logan himself. Imagine had Marvel not brought in Old Man Logan after Secret Wars, leaving Laura as the ONLY Wolverine, and actually given her the chance to own the role on the Flagship books and events, rather than shoving her off into Hopeless's godawful shipping fic.

Personaly i consider the idea of Laura as Wolverine an unachievable fantasy, which under no circumstances would have ever really worked. Simply because Logan himself is far too much of a fixture to ever be removed from that name and position in pop culture.
Even without Old Man Logan as the "place holder" around it would have never worked and i feel they should have instead tried to push her with her own identity in his absence. Not to fit the hole his (brief) absence left behind, but simply removing his shadow for a while.

I still wonder if she wouldn't be better off under the Avengers label, where she's not constantly being left in Logan's shadow so he can appear in 20 different X books.

I don't think the grass is currently much greener on the Avengers side either. But being independent of the X-men might definetly be a good idea, if not running entirely solo, she might do well in a team or area of the marvel universe that is much more disconnected and stand alone from both the Avengers and the X-men.

Infact looking back, it feels like the X-men, especialy since House of M, has essentialy become a black hole within the Marvel narrative.

Basicly the moment a character gets the label "mutant" slapped on them, they become a fixed property of the X-men verse, from which event horizon they are never allowed to escape again. What or who ever they are or have been MUST always be filtered through what oppressive, all consuming direction the X-men comics are currently suffering from.

Only Wolverine himself has this rare quality anymore to escape said black hole for a while.

Though yeah. Laura might be better of escaping the chains of the X-verse and just being allowed to do things in the wider Marvel universe herself, perhaps better away from the Avengers too, since she doesn't really suit them either.

[Ambaryerno]

Fair enough.
My problem with Synch is mainly that i see a character brought back from the dead after 19 years and having been mostly forgotten by the fanbase since, only to be thrown into a massive time skip adventure, from which he returned as entirely different person.

Combined with then being thrown into "big deal" territory right afterwards, it feels to me like the character was placed on a giant stepladder, one which needs to be constantly held in place by writers. Because the moment one lets go of it, the poor guy will come down hard and likely never recover, since there is no natural grown foundation to keep him up there.

But again, fair enough to anyone who has actual hope for him.



In terms of movies that's true. Never the less i feel a new cartoon in which she could have had more of a role (backed by her popularity over the mid 2000's to 2010's), would have greatly helped her to remain in popularity and perhaps get more development and expansion than she ultimately got in the comics over the past decade.

With both Fox and Disney alike being so glaringly blind on the potential of video games to maintain and improve their income from and popularity of their IPs, cartoons are basicly the second best entry media for their properties after the movies.

And i consider the movie rights conflict a strong reason for why no new X-men show had been made for a decade. Hence robbing characters like Laura of her chance for additional appearance outside the comics.



Personaly i consider the idea of Laura as Wolverine an unachievable fantasy, which under no circumstances would have ever really worked. Simply because Logan himself is far too much of a fixture to ever be removed from that name and position in pop culture.
Even without Old Man Logan as the "place holder" around it would have never worked and i feel they should have instead tried to push her with her own identity in his absence. Not to fit the hole his (brief) absence left behind, but simply removing his shadow for a while.



I don't think the grass is currently much greener on the Avengers side either. But being independent of the X-men might definetly be a good idea, if not running entirely solo, she might do well in a team or area of the marvel universe that is much more disconnected and stand alone from both the Avengers and the X-men.

Infact looking back, it feels like the X-men, especialy since House of M, has essentialy become a black hole within the Marvel narrative.

Basicly the moment a character gets the label "mutant" slapped on them, they become a fixed property of the X-men verse, from which event horizon they are never allowed to escape again. What or who ever they are or have been MUST always be filtered through what oppressive, all consuming direction the X-men comics are currently suffering from.

Only Wolverine himself has this rare quality anymore to escape said black hole for a while.

Though yeah. Laura might be better of escaping the chains of the X-verse and just being allowed to do things in the wider Marvel universe herself, perhaps better away from the Avengers too, since she doesn't really suit them either.

I would argue Laura is much more of a fit for the Avengers than Logan is. Tbh, I think you could make an argument she’s even more heroic than Cap himself, who can at times be inflexible and black and white in his thinking (for instance, his refusal to recognize that Laura was as much a victim of the Facility as the people she killed for them).

[WebLurker]

The biggest obstacle Laura has had to deal with is from Logan himself. Imagine had Marvel not brought in Old Man Logan after Secret Wars, leaving Laura as the ONLY Wolverine, and actually given her the chance to own the role on the Flagship books and events, rather than shoving her off into Hopeless's godawful shipping fic.

So the somewhat OOC line from the Fallen Angels mini about her wanting to escape Logan's shadow might've been true in the meta sense?

[topfueluhl]

Some nice Choi X-23 art for the new year/thread.

MDS00680.jpg