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

[javi150190]

[Ambaryerno]

The only thing I was okay with about Laura and Arena was the explanation that she instinctively calculates how to kill everyone in the room, and she can't turn it off. It lined up with her back story pretty well.

And then in the very next issue Hopeless has her decide Leeroy Jenkins was the best example of how to deal with Apex, who had control of A FREAKIN' SENTINEL.

[Punisher007]

The less said about Avengers Arena, the better. Also, can we please get X-23 into a X-Men film at some point, pretty please? I'd also like to see her interact with Black Widow more. There's the potential for an interesting mentor/protégé relationship there, and it was teased right before she joined the Avengers Academy.

[Punisher007]

I think the use of her first name is just because of her being a student. The people at the school and her teachers know her on a personal level like other students they refer to them by first names. Really most of them speak on first name basis anyway over using code names. Only during X Force did i see her called "X" quite a lot. The whole Talon thing never really came off KYost kinda tried to get it to stick but everyone seemed to prefer X-23 i guess everyone just got used to that and the name Talon vanished. It's more of an artistic choice than a realistic one when you think about if Laura would even want to use that name after her Mother's dying words were that is not her name and her name is Laura. It's an interesting thing to ponder if they had managed to give her the code name Talon would she have been as successful as she has been. I think X-23 just sounds more mysterious and a bit more menacing than Talon.

Yeah that's the thing with Laura she has similarities to Wolverine but is a much different character when you scratch below the surface. She's much for easier to empathise with and her back story and how she has developed and moved beyond that has created a lot of depth to her to create her own personality. One of my favorite little things she has developed is her taste for spicy food explaining that growing up she ate tasteless nutrients so she prefers extreme tastes like hot peppers and garlic.

Oh god flashbacks from the horrors of Avengers Arena. That was some of the worst writing for her i ever saw. In the end i stopped being angry and it just became funny especially any scene where the trigger scent was involved she'd instantly yell "TRIGGER SCENT!" which just seemed hilarious to me considering anytime before when she caught the scent she'd instantly be under it's control and it just seemed really cartoonish. Though for that series a lot of characters had personality transplants to fit in with the story. Yes let's forget all the progress she made in making friends and decisions, let's forget how she decided to work to be a better person than her creators wanted to make her and just make her into a vicious killer that charges around like some unstoppable moron into near death.

Jubilee tends to call her "X" as well.

[idiyona]

The less said about Avengers Arena, the better. Also, can we please get X-23 into a X-Men film at some point, pretty please? I'd also like to see her interact with Black Widow more. There's the potential for an interesting mentor/protégé relationship there, and it was teased right before she joined the Avengers Academy.

I think Liu had intended for something like that if her solo had continued. I would agree that it would have been interesting but would have preferred it to be written by someone else. At times she went too much with the feel of a corny 90s after-school special about self-esteem.

[Ambaryerno]

The less said about Avengers Arena, the better. Also, can we please get X-23 into a X-Men film at some point, pretty please? I'd also like to see her interact with Black Widow more. There's the potential for an interesting mentor/protégé relationship there, and it was teased right before she joined the Avengers Academy.

I keep saying Laura would be a major asset in the X-Films: Recasting Wolverine when Jackman decides to call it quits is going to be problematic. It's not like Terrence Howard who got replaced after the first movie, because Jackman has so completely owned and defined the role and audiences may not accept a replacement. Either way, replacing him with another actor now is going to cause a LOT of controversy and may even be potentially damaging (just see how virulent the reaction to Afflek replacing Bale as Batman has been. And that's only after THREE films!). However if you introduce Laura you don't need to worry as much, especially since she's a less-familiar character, which makes her someone it would be easier to present to audiences without as many expectations. Her being Logan's clone/however you want to describe it also allows her to take over his role in the films, so if they were to adapt any further comic stoies (IE, a proper adaptation of the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Saga to replace X3) you can use her instead of Wolverine. But at the same time she would also still bring her own unique character dynamic. Finally, if you cast a young enough actress (start with someone aged around 17, like Paquin was when cast as Rogue) and she can remain with the franchise for quite a long time before you have to worry about her being too old to continue playing the role (at which point its just a matter of keeping her interested in coming back).

[loudlysilent]

X-23 One Shot (2010) cover by Alina Urusov. Great issue and one of my fav covers ever. I wish Urusov would do work for Marvel more often!

[Daken]

Ah yeah! I loved that one shot, I was so happy Laura went and visited the other kids from NYX - I really want to see more of those guys :s

[Punisher007]

I keep saying Laura would be a major asset in the X-Films: Recasting Wolverine when Jackman decides to call it quits is going to be problematic. It's not like Terrence Howard who got replaced after the first movie, because Jackman has so completely owned and defined the role and audiences may not accept a replacement. Either way, replacing him with another actor now is going to cause a LOT of controversy and may even be potentially damaging (just see how virulent the reaction to Afflek replacing Bale as Batman has been. And that's only after THREE films!). However if you introduce Laura you don't need to worry as much, especially since she's a less-familiar character, which makes her someone it would be easier to present to audiences without as many expectations. Her being Logan's clone/however you want to describe it also allows her to take over his role in the films, so if they were to adapt any further comic stoies (IE, a proper adaptation of the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Saga to replace X3) you can use her instead of Wolverine. But at the same time she would also still bring her own unique character dynamic. Finally, if you cast a young enough actress (start with someone aged around 17, like Paquin was when cast as Rogue) and she can remain with the franchise for quite a long time before you have to worry about her being too old to continue playing the role (at which point its just a matter of keeping her interested in coming back).

While I agree that she probably needs a younger actress to play her, a part of me still screams "Summer Glau would be perfect for this part." I can't help it.

[Punisher007]

I think Liu had intended for something like that if her solo had continued. I would agree that it would have been interesting but would have preferred it to be written by someone else. At times she went too much with the feel of a corny 90s after-school special about self-esteem.

Well Nathan Edmondson is writing BW now (excellent book btw), so that's something different. Perhaps if I can get in touch with him, I'll float the idea.

[Ambaryerno]

While I agree that she probably needs a younger actress to play her, a part of me still screams "Summer Glau would be perfect for this part." I can't help it.

Summer PROBABLY could still pass as a teenager for a couple more years, and I agree, she would be PERFECT for Laura (Laura more or less IS River Tam, minus the crazy and telepathy), but sadly I think the window for using Glau has passed. If only they'd introduced Laura to the films 5-7 years or so ago.

[Moondoggie]

Summer Glau has the look and has played similar characters so i can see why a lot of people want her but i am wary because of those reasons. I'd prefer a newer actress who has not played that kind of role before because she would come into it with a fresh mindset of what that character should be and would listen to the source material more. Summer is such a big star and has done so many types of roles similar that she probably can't help playing her roles like her iconic ones because that is what her fans really want. It wouldn't feel like Laura to me and yeah she's probably too old for it now. I'd rather they find a young up and coming actress that would benefit from the role and make it her own while not having the Keanu Reeves effect. His role as Neo was so iconic that every film he did after that he just ends up playing the same character. I think Summer Glau is becoming the same.

[XCE]

X-23 is my favorite character and since we're sharing art I thought I'd share some of the original art I've personally commissioned featuring Laura. Here are three of my favorites:

Gabriele Dell'otto:


Chris Stevens:


Stanley "Artgerm" Lau:


If you'd like to see more then I have loads more X-23 art in my CAF gallery: http://comicartfans.com/gallerydetail.asp?gcat=96395

If you do have a browse there, I'd love to hear which artist's depiction of Laura you like the most. : )

[Daken]

Wow, had a look.You have a large collection! I think my favourite X-23 one is the NEN one, although I also really like the Andy Carreon one too

[Mia]

Well various writers have slowly forgot a lot of interesting things about her like her ability for tactical thinking and the fact she speaks several languages. Liu even had her in Paris without speaking French once and she has been one of the better writers to handle her. It does bug me when she's been written as quite dumb lately just charging into things without a plan like Wolverine and just assume she can just absorb the damage and win out in the end. That's not really how she is, yes she can absorb a lot of punishment but she fights differently to Logan and plans. Not seen any of that for a while.

Kind of miss the old tactical genius she was



Even impressed Armor and that's not easy XD.

It's not that people don't forget. It's just that certain writers don't know how. X-23 only thrives in the hands of certain and talented writers. Writers who either don't have the talent or just can't be bothered. I still can't believe the horrible job that Gage did on her in AA.

Yeah, I can TOTALLY see how a character who would nearly fly themselves into a coma to get a teammate (who, up until that point, he had generally treated with disregard at best if not outright disdain) urgently-needed medical attention that they would otherwise have died without is nothing but a self-absorbed and repugnant individual with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Your words not mine. I didn’t say that he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. But from what I have seen of him over the years. His bad qualities far outweigh the good.

Whether it be his explosive anger, tendency to sulk, self-absorption (his attempt to try and sell out the X-Men to Magneto was just unbelievable), selfishness or mean-spiritedness towards others. I find on a whole that he is just a toxic and repugnant person. Not only do I not like the character, I don’t like people in real life who are like that.