X-23: Deadly Regenesis #1 Spoilers

[Ambaryerno]

The issue opens with Laura walking down a street in Minneapolis as in the preview, with Laura's thoughts drifting to her past. Her introspective is interrupted by the smell of smoke; a fire is destroying a local apartment complex, and Laura springs into action. She pulls a disabled woman from the fire (and we learn that she apparently speaks Somali. Given the long history of conflict in Somalia I guess it makes sense she had missions there and needed to know it) before going back in when she learns one of the firefighters is trapped, safely rescuing him, as well.

A news crew attempts to interview her, but the camera in her face makes Laura uncomfortable, and she angrily pushes it away.

Unfortunately, the exact wrong people turn out to be watching the news report. Laura is identified by members of an unknown company, who are now bankrolling Kimura. And it's here that we're first introduced to Haymaker, an ex-MMA fighter whose career was in the tank, and apparently Laura had something to do with it. They're hopped up on a new variation of MGH, and is Kimura's prized asset. Just who is running the show and what their actual goals are are unrevealed, but they want Laura, alive, and Kimura dispatches Haymaker to bring her in.

The next morning, Laura wakes from a nightmare, and on her way out from the safehouse she's been staying in is confronted by Haymaker, who doses her with some sort of gas that neutralizes her mutation, setting the stage for their first fight as the issue draws to a close.

----

This is a very introspective issue, dealing a lot with Laura's personal thoughts and reflections on her past. There's some great nods to continuity, including some things that haven't been mentioned in a long time. I was especially thrilled to see Kingpin appear in one of Laura's memories, a plot point that hasn't been touched on since Target X, and the Mercury Falling arc of New X-Men, and is frankly something worthy of exploration. Fisk ties into Laura's past with Haymaker and the incident which derailed his career as a fighter, which I suspect also involves the death of Jordan's brother. Another flashback shows Laura running with Kiden Nixon, whom we haven't seen at all since the No Way Home miniseries a decade ago. So for those who hated NYX: Sorry, still canon.

We also have a moment that helps to contextualize the breakdown of Laura's relationship with Hellion in Misadventures in Babysitting, as she reflects on her uncertainty about how she feels, and that Julian also expects more from her than what she's capable of giving back. It doesn't make Liu throwing him under the bus better, but it does more to frame the situation with one panel than Liu did with an entire story arc. It's also something that could be used to address the situation if any writer ever decides to ACTUALLY explore their relationship in the present day.

So far we don't really have a lot to go on with Haymaker, however the dialogue suggests that Jordan could actually be non-binary, as Kimura and others frequently use "they" rather than "him." It's almost certainly their brother Laura killed in the Fisk flashback, as he tried to explain that was the only reason he was there before she cut him down, and it appears he was about to say "Jordan" as he was dying.

I get we've had a VERY low bar for Laura stories in the Krakoa era, but this is definitely one of the better depictions of late. It leans a little too much into Liu's Robo-Laura stilted speech patterns for my taste, but any time Laura isn't growling and snarling her dialogue is a vast improvement. Kimura's voice seemed a bit off, but I found it interesting the difference in how she interacts with Haymaker, offering them encouragement and praise in a manner that actually seems genuine, contrasted with how she addresses Laura in a Facility-era flashback which comes across as disingenuous.

All in all, this issue highlights that Laura DESPERATELY needs to have a solo book, and that she's wasted in team books.

[Jackraow21]

What are Haymaker's abilities/powers exactly?

[Ambaryerno]

What are Haymaker's abilities/powers exactly?

It's vague so far, other than that it makes them an even better fighter than they were before. When Laura first encountered them she said they smelled like Kimura, so maybe they have her enhanced durability?

[Rzerox21xx]

reception here will determined whether I pick this book up.

[Rakurai]

That was very good first issue. We got flashbacks, showing of how this Laura will behave, we know our plot (and probably how it will end). As someone who loves Liu X-23 the most I'm satisfied with characterization. The art is very good, but I love the present/flashback scenes where we have same poses one panel after another.
The bit with Kiden Nixon was nice, although something about Laura smiling like that didn't fit. I enjoy how in flashbacks we get to see warmer relationship between Laura and Logan, probably after her kidnapping in X-Force series. That was very much needed before Death of Logan and All New Wolverine, showing of more of their connection.

This is a very introspective issue, dealing a lot with Laura's personal thoughts and reflections on her past. There's some great nods to continuity, including some things that haven't been mentioned in a long time. I was especially thrilled to see Kingpin appear in one of Laura's memories, a plot point that hasn't been touched on since Target X, and the Mercury Falling arc of New X-Men, and is frankly something worthy of exploration. Fisk ties into Laura's past with Haymaker and the incident which derailed his career as a fighter, which I suspect also involves the death of Jordan's brother.
(...)
All in all, this issue highlights that Laura DESPERATELY needs to have a solo book, and that she's wasted in team books.

Ha, my first thought reading scenes with Fisk was, well, Amby's going to be happy about that one. And yes, with many writers not knowing how to write her other, then Logan but boobs, she needs another shot at ongoing.
And interesting point about Jordan possibly being NB, I didn't catch it while reading.

With this mini, Captain Marvel and X-Terminators I'm finally feeling better about current era.

[JB]

Thank you for posting, this review has made me decide to pick this up! Cool to hear that there was a Kingpin flashback and now I wonder if she’ll run into him now that he’s on Krakoa.

[Ambaryerno]

That was very good first issue. We got flashbacks, showing of how this Laura will behave, we know our plot (and probably how it will end). As someone who loves Liu X-23 the most I'm satisfied with characterization. The art is very good, but I love the present/flashback scenes where we have same poses one panel after another.
The bit with Kiden Nixon was nice, although something about Laura smiling like that didn't fit. I enjoy how in flashbacks we get to see warmer relationship between Laura and Logan, probably after her kidnapping in X-Force series. That was very much needed before Death of Logan and All New Wolverine, showing of more of their connection.




Ha, my first thought reading scenes with Fisk was, well, Amby's going to be happy about that one. And yes, with many writers not knowing how to write her other, then Logan but boobs, she needs another shot at ongoing.
And interesting point about Jordan possibly being NB, I didn't catch it while reading.

With this mini, Captain Marvel and X-Terminators I'm finally feeling better about current era.

You'd think that after Laura's pledge at the end of Orphans of X she'd have been on a head-on collision with Kingpin, because Target X set him up as the white-suited elephant in the room.

[Rift]

>CTRL F Hellion
>CTRL F Kiden
>Results!

Hell yeah. But also agreed on the stilted dialogue. Like I get why they did it, but I always hated when writers had Laura avoid contractions. I get they want her to sound stilted compared to others, but girl didn't avoid any and all human contact.

[Malachi]

I am still wondering when this mini happens. At the start of Liu’s run? Before she ran into Gambit?

[Rift]

Did we see Hellion on panel? Show me my boy.

[Drexelhand]

I am still wondering when this mini happens. At the start of Liu’s run? Before she ran into Gambit?

I'm assuming so. Sometime before X-23 Vol 3 4.

Did we see Hellion on panel? Show me my boy.

He was in a flashback. It was a scene where he wanted to kiss Laura but she was like "naaaaaah".

[Ambaryerno]

I am still wondering when this mini happens. At the start of Liu’s run? Before she ran into Gambit?

I think it's set after The Killing Dream, but before she met up with Gambit during Song of the Orphan Child (so between the first and second arcs) since she was still on Utopia in the former.

Did we see Hellion on panel? Show me my boy.

This is all we got. It's not much, but still helps provide better context for MiBS.

[Rift]

Hell yeah! He lookin a lil ugly, and the outfit is off, but that's him! That's my boy! And I choose to believe that his outfit is a reference to those ugly sweaters he wore in 2003.

[Malachi]

I think it's set after The Killing Dream, but before she met up with Gambit during Song of the Orphan Child (so between the first and second arcs) since she was still on Utopia in the former.





This is all we got. It's not much, but still helps provide better context for MiBS.

Yeah I just went over it on unlimited and my memory was a bit off. She goes traveling when she leaves utopia and we don’t know how much time has passed between that and meeting up with Gambit. It’s assumed not to much time because Gambit has been keeping tabs on her but certainly their is a gap to tell a story in there with a Laura very much drifting and looking for herself.

Regarding Hellion this should then be in a period where their relationship is over but not official yet. At least from Lauras POV.

[Chubistian]

Didn't like this at all. Redundant first person narration, nothing really special about what happens in this first issue, and the art wasn't fit for my tastes. I was left cold by the debut of Laura's new mini-series, even though I hadn't high hopes to begin with