X-23 Appreciation Post: My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel

[Galerion]

That scene was a great example of how badly Liu botched their relationship during that arc. Wolverine was a hypocrite (nothing new there), and the whole thing came across like Julian was reaching out to her for SOME kind of support and understanding during an incredibly stressful time, but she just shut him down and dismissed it completely. If ANYONE should have been able to understand and sympathize with what Julian was going through in that moment, it should have been Laura. ESPECIALLY considering the whole point of her solo was to find her emotional center. After Madripoor and Paris, this arc was like she took a step backwards into robo ice queen mode.

I have read the scene again as I was taking these screens and I was just shaking my head. I mean Julian sits there like a pile of shit explaining to her how bad everything is for him and when he asks if she returned to the X-Men she just says no and and turns around and leaves ignoring everything he said. WTF?
There was clearly an agenda going on there. Liu tried to portray him as a bad guy but I actually felt sorry for the guy the whole time and couldn't stand how everybody else was treating him.

Well there was her recent outfit from The Logan Legacy #2:

http://www.comicsblend.com/wp-conten...-legacy-2d.jpg

(sorry for the size issues)

And her one from her "date" with Teen Angel:

http://i0.wp.com/thefanboyseo.com/wp...size=527%2C800

So yes, I'm sensing a pattern here. If I'm going to play armchair psychologist here, I've always though that it might be tied into her self-loathing issues. She doesn't see herself as attractive, so she's maybe subconsciously trying to make herself more so. But she doesn't know how to exactly, so she going with something familiar or how she might think that other people see as attractive. Admittedly that's just one theory. Not that it she doesn't pull it off well, because she does.

Here are some higher quality pics of these

Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy #2


All New X-Men #30

[Punisher007]

Ah yes, thank you. Like I said, it's a good look for her. It's just interesting that someone with her "history" would choose to dress in that particular fashion (hence the attempt at psycho analyzing). Oh and TLL #2 seems to have given us even more confirmation that she DID in fact sleep with her clients during the NYX days, and not just cut them. I know that there was still some debate about that in some quarters, but Laura herself seems to have confirmed it now.

[Ambaryerno]

Ah yes, thank you. Like I said, it's a good look for her. It's just interesting that someone with her "history" would choose to dress in that particular fashion (hence the attempt at psycho analyzing). Oh and TLL #2 seems to have given us even more confirmation that she DID in fact sleep with her clients during the NYX days, and not just cut them. I know that there was still some debate about that in some quarters, but Laura herself seems to have confirmed it now.

Yeah, I don't think there's going to be any more debate about that now.

Y'know, I don't think Laura's been drawn to actually LOOK like a teenager since her solo series. Most artists seem to make her look closer to her early to mid-20s. Probably because it makes the fanservice less creepy.

[Galerion]

Yeah, I don't think there's going to be any more debate about that now.

Y'know, I don't think Laura's been drawn to actually LOOK like a teenager since her solo series. Most artists seem to make her look closer to her early to mid-20s. Probably because it makes the fanservice less creepy.

And Im very glad for that.
I am pretty happy that she isn't considered as part of the normal teen cast who is still green behind their ears or anything and that she is is hanging out with the grown-ups and considered an equal in stuff like X-Force or in the upcoming Wolverines.
I find the whole teenage thing to be almost artificial at this point and that it is purely based on her age. She doesn't have many traits that you would associate with teenagers. She has much experience, she is smart, she knows how the world works and isn't naive about it, she can defend herself, etc.

[Ambaryerno]

And Im very glad for that.
I am pretty happy that she isn't considered as part of the normal teen cast who is still green behind their ears or anything and that she is is hanging out with the grown-ups and considered an equal in stuff like X-Force or in the upcoming Wolverines.
I find the whole teenage thing to be almost artificial at this point and that it is purely based on her age. She doesn't have many traits that you would associate with teenagers. She has much experience, she is smart, she knows how the world works and isn't naive about it, she can defend herself, etc.

I don't mean her attitude or maturity level, I mean physically she's drawn to look older than she actually is.

[XCE]

Oh and TLL #2 seems to have given us even more confirmation that she DID in fact sleep with her clients during the NYX days, and not just cut them. I know that there was still some debate about that in some quarters, but Laura herself seems to have confirmed it now.

You mean Seeley confirmed it. Speaking of that scene, am I the only one who found it to be rather contrived and full of wtfuckery? Laura is upset about the death of Wolverine so she reacts by...dressing up like a hooker and hanging out in a club? It just seems like some kind of weird fanservice. And the whole "I like your panties. Um, stay warm." thing was rather cringeworthy. Laura works much better as the straight man, leave the comic relief quips to other characters.

I find the whole teenage thing to be almost artificial at this point and that it is purely based on her age.

Definitely. New X-men was enough, let's not put her at the kiddy table over and over again. There's a reason the X-Force run is a fan favorite and stuff like Avengers Academy and All-New X-men is "meh" at best; X-23 is much more enjoyable when mixed in with the grownups.

[Izanami]

And Im very glad for that.
I am pretty happy that she isn't considered as part of the normal teen cast who is still green behind their ears or anything and that she is is hanging out with the grown-ups and considered an equal in stuff like X-Force or in the upcoming Wolverines.
I find the whole teenage thing to be almost artificial at this point and that it is purely based on her age. She doesn't have many traits that you would associate with teenagers. She has much experience, she is smart, she knows how the world works and isn't naive about it, she can defend herself, etc.

This is pretty much the reason why I like her so much.
I never really enjoyed a lot of the high school dramas either, what they presented on tv for me personally felt far too fake and superficial. Then again when you went to an overcrowded school in East L.A and were concerned about class sizes, education, and lack of money; your priorities shift super fast.
Those traits that you have described about Laura are what grabbed my attention and made me want to learn more about her.

[ZNOP]

Yeah, I don't think there's going to be any more debate about that now.

Y'know, I don't think Laura's been drawn to actually LOOK like a teenager since her solo series. Most artists seem to make her look closer to her early to mid-20s. Probably because it makes the fanservice less creepy.

And, here I thought they visually aged Laura (despite her healing/age suppression factor) so they could get her and Warren in bed together without shipping an obvious pedo moment.

[Ambaryerno]

And, here I thought they visually aged Laura (despite her healing/age suppression factor) so they could get her and Warren in bed together without shipping an obvious pedo moment.

Well, technically that WOULD be counted as making the fanservice less creepy....

@XCE Yes, the dialogue wasn't perfect, but it's better than what Bendis has done with her (though to be fair, as noted elsewhere he HAS been improving). And, well, for most of her history that HAS been what her civilian dress is like (which is kinda what brought it up in the first place). As for the club, maybe she decided to try it as a means of sorting things out. The issue DID suggest Logan's death put her into kind of a mini-crisis.

Laura's really in kind of an interesting situation: Her healing factor means she's functionally immortal, though not unkillable. Nonetheless, flirtations with a death wish besides, I'm sure the idea that should COULD die is something she never seriously considered for that reason. The fact that someone like her -- someone who for all intents and purposes IS her father, whatever the actual biological relation -- has just died probably hits her very hard and it's something she struggles to grasp as regards to her own potential mortality, (think of the scene in Fellowship of the Ring after Gandalf falls into the Abyss, where they show Legolas with this confused and bewildered expression) ESPECIALLY at a time where she's finally gained an appreciation and sense of value in her own life (Laura herself even reflects on that particular struggle when she was propositioned in the club).

She thought Logan was unkillable and immortal, and not without reason. Now she's faced with the reality that not only is he gone, but now she has to question her OWN future, because it's a reminder that she's not indestructible.

So the girl needs to blow off steam, and one of the VERY few times we ever get to see her ACTUALLY enjoying herself was at the club with Warren.

I don't have a problem with the choice of venue at all.

[XCE]

So the girl needs to blow off steam, and one of the VERY few times we ever get to see her ACTUALLY enjoying herself was at the club with Warren.

That's simply trying to legitimize weirdness by pointing to another moment of weirdness. Like saying 2+2 equals 5 because this other time 1+1 equaled 3.

I wish she was still written by her creators, it's hard to enjoy fanfiction when it doesn't make much sense.

[ZNOP]

Well, technically that WOULD be counted as making the fanservice less creepy....

Ah, yes it would... I misread your post on the first pass

[Galerion]

Hey XCE you are back
Good to see you.
Can't write much else since I have get to work but I had to write this

[Galerion]

Definitely. New X-men was enough, let's not put her at the kiddy table over and over again. There's a reason the X-Force run is a fan favorite and stuff like Avengers Academy and All-New X-men is "meh" at best; X-23 is much more enjoyable when mixed in with the grownups.

New X-Men made totally sense and was decent. She had nowhere to go and didn't have much experience with living and dealing with other people. At least not with ones who didn't want to exploit her.
Avengers Arena was decent at best but it definitely felt like a regression of her character. Especially after all the events of X-Force and her solo.
It's like oh hey you did all this awesome stuff like being on a secret killing squad with veterans like Wolverine and Domino and traveling the whole world with only Gambit at your side but now you are just a simple student again. Say what?
But kudos to Gage. He did see too that that doesn't make much sense and therefore made clear that she isn't there because she has to learn anything. Like Tigra saying that she obviously doesn't need combat training and hopefully can learn from them in other ways.
Anyway we all know that this wasn't planned anyway. Liu certainly had other plans for her but the higher ups in Marvel disagreed.

That's simply trying to legitimize weirdness by pointing to another moment of weirdness. Like saying 2+2 equals 5 because this other time 1+1 equaled 3.

I wish she was still written by her creators, it's hard to enjoy fanfiction when it doesn't make much sense.

Speaking of fanfiction you should check out the Cyclops Appreciation thread. Gray Lensman is making an awesome series of fanfics with Laura and teen Scott.
I know that you are not much of a shipper but Im not too either and I still find them awesome. Maybe you will like them too.

[Galerion]

I don't mean her attitude or maturity level, I mean physically she's drawn to look older than she actually is.

Oh I know what you meant. I am still totally cool with it though. If that is an attempt of Marvel to get her appearance more in synch with her actual maturity level and associate her less with all the teen stuff then Im all for it

[XCE]

Speaking of fanfiction you should check out the Cyclops Appreciation thread. Gray Lensman is making an awesome series of fanfics with Laura and teen Scott.
I know that you are not much of a shipper but Im not too either and I still find them awesome. Maybe you will like them too.

Oh god, I will stay far away from that. I can't stand shippers.