Upcoming X-books art teases

[Jackraow21]

That’s badass.

[Frontier]

Laura's best colors .

[Ambaryerno]

"Stephen Segovia after Mike Choi for an exclusive retailer variant for Wolverine #39 for Unknown Comics. Dave Curiel on colors."

And yet they still won't give her a 20th Birthday nod. :-P

[Uncanny X-Man]

"Stephen Segovia after Mike Choi for an exclusive retailer variant for Wolverine #39 for Unknown Comics. Dave Curiel on colors."

We need to get Segovia back, I can't believe the X-office let him go off to DC and Image where he's been drawing 2 issues a month almost every month for the past year. Give the man a major X-book already.

[AJpyro]

And yet they still won't give her a 20th Birthday nod. :-P

Wait she's forever 18?

[Ambaryerno]

Wait she's forever 18?

She's canonically 20 in the books, however I mean her publishing 20th birthday. She first appeared in Evolution in August, 2003, and NYX #3 was December, 2003.

[Wolverine12]

She's canonically 20 in the books, however I mean her publishing 20th birthday. She first appeared in Evolution in August, 2003, and NYX #3 was December, 2003.

I think she's not quite at the level that Marvel would do something like that unfortunately

On the bright side we currently have 2 Laura's kicking ass in 616 and maybe we'll get an Ultimate version next year.

[Grunty]

I think she's not quite at the level that Marvel would do something like that unfortunately

Which is arguably a failure on Marvel Comics part, by not properly expanding and progressing the character in a memorable and stand alone form, that it would warrant such an anniversary celebration because it would miss a money making opportunity.

X-23 was essentialy a "hot property" in the mid to late 00's. From her two origin mini series, to her prominent usage in the post Decimination New X-men and finaly her role on K&Y's X-force. A new character who actualy managed to "get over" with a large chunk of the fanbase, even those outside the comics and actualy reach mainstream awareness.

This very homage cover is evident of her potential at the time.

When she was revealed for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the majority of reactions weren't "who is that?", but "oh her." and most of the fanbase of these games aren't comic readers, but rather just fans of Marvel characters in general, just like the movie audience would be in the following decade.

But it seems once her stint on Kyle and Yost's X-force ended, Marvel comics didn't knew what to do with her anymore. Her own short lived series spun in circles without going anywhere, until she was shuffeled around between wastefull appearance like in Avengers Academy/The Arena (in itself a wastefull project, which was trend chasing the success of The Hunger Games) and All New X-men (which stole so much time from actual young characters), before finaly getting settled with the "Wolverine Too" mantle that essentialy robbed her of her own identity.

Why does Laura need to have her own "mini-me" clone, to be someone's big sister archetype just like Logan is to her, before she even got to have more than one proper personal enemy?

This is not meant against Gabby herself or anyone who welcomed the character, but she is in my opinion absolutely not what Laura needed. Because that would have been more personal enemies and friends outside the X-men circle with the potential to re-appear and force her into action and adventure.

Sabertooth, Omega Red, Gauntlet, Cyber, Silver Samurai, Lady Deathstrike, Madam Hydra, Viper, various secret organizations, personal best friends and frenemies and so on. Wolverine just needs to step out of the door and he will be pulled into some messy bloody adventure that the collectors will buy even if it's just 20 pages of fighting generic bikers in a bar and saying "bub" a lot. Boosh, best selling comic of the year, Eisner Awards (this is an exaggeration, but it feels fitting to just how much the character works on "auto pilot" now).

But Laura doesn't have the basis for that, because the editors and writers failed to consider that she would need something like that to be stand alone capable (a problem many of her generation of "hot new characters" seem to suffer from).
The facility is destroyed, her creators are dead, her original nemesis is dead and nobody demands her return (Kimura just never had "it" to stay relevant or become respected) and there is nothing else that just exist for her.

And now she is basicly just written and treated as "discount female Wolverine", with still no sign of a plan or even effort to make her anything but in sight.

20 years ago, Laura emerged from Logan's shadow with the potential to be her own star, but Marvel Comics has just squeezed her back into it

At this stage it feels like it's up to creators and writers of shows like the one she originates from and those of movies, to fullfill the potential the character has which the comic division has been incapable of using for over a decade now (though in part because they can just convert unused established characters to be tied to her admittedly).

On the bright side we currently have 2 Laura's kicking ass in 616 and maybe we'll get an Ultimate version next year.

Talon is anything but a "bright side" for the character. Rather she is a sympton of the above mentioned problem.

Laura's own "old man Logan", 40 years too early and without any of the narrative qualities.

Whereas OML originated from a celebrated stand alone mini series (what ever one likes it or not is up to personal opinion) and a dark dystopian world that was seemingly fascinating enough that writers felt compelled to create follow up spin offs, Talon is the product of a continuity heavy mini-arc within a rather convulted status quo.
Likewise OML's story involves dark versions of major marvel figures, Talon's origins only involve the forgetable Children of the Vault and the Vault itself which is a closed circle dimension without any interesting qualitites or ties to the Marvel Universe at large.

In my opinion the character has no worth or longterm potential (even less for adaptations). Like most "younger/older" version that exist while the original is still present, she just robs someone else of a chance to shine including the "real" (as in the one fitting the popular perception of the character) X-23.

As for an Ultimate version.
Admittedly there is still an untapped potential, because for some reason the writers of that universe never introduced her, but given that the new UU will likely have a short shelf life, her chance to appear seem slim and that includes being able to shine.

Of course all of this is just my viewpoint.

[Kingdom X]

I think she's not quite at the level that Marvel would do something like that unfortunately

On the bright side we currently have 2 Laura's kicking ass in 616 and maybe we'll get an Ultimate version next year.

I’d argue she is. She’s held down more solo titles than the majority of X-Men, she had a well liked live action adaption, and she’s the legacy of one of Marvel’s most popular characters.

Not saying Marvel would do something huge, but they’ve done variant specials for far less. Even a one-shot or backup story for the anniversary would make sense.

[Ambaryerno]

I think she's not quite at the level that Marvel would do something like that unfortunately

On the bright side we currently have 2 Laura's kicking ass in 616 and maybe we'll get an Ultimate version next year.

I'm sorry, but I simply can't agree with anything in this assessment.

Laura is one of three characters Marvel has created in the last 20 years that you can legitimately say "made it" (the others being Miles and Kamala). The only reason she didn't get her own movie before either is because the amorphous Disney blob reached out with its protoplasmic tendrils and devoured the studio which owned the film rights and killed all those future projects (Mangold was actively working on developing the X-23 spinoff at the time of the Disney buy-out of Fox).

She's one of the only X-Men who's a proven commodity able to support a solo book. Even O5 and Claremont stallwarts like Cyclops, Storm, Jean, etc. have never been able to find solo success, at best managing a limited series here and there. Even if her prominence has waned as she lost her identity under the pens of Bendis, Hopeless, Hickman, and Duggan, reducing her to Wolverine With ****, and largely sidelining her in events, she's still been a consistent presence for twenty years. None of her peers can legitimately claim the same, having faded in and out, and lost all relevance thanks to Editorial's fear of "aging" the O5 into not being relatable (an incredibly misguided notion since the comics audience itself has been growing older, as other forms of entertainment are out-competing comics for younger consumers).

She's absolutely at the level. The problem is editors like Jordan White just don't GAF about anyone created after the 1990s because they make the O5 look too old, and kids (who aren't even the main audience anymore!) don't want to read about 40 year old superheroes.

And Talon has been a terrible development. She's barely even a character, and about 90% of her existence has been relegated to being Synch's hanger-on hot cougar girlfriend. And Duggan took an entire issue to literally say "Yeah, we're not actually going to explore the implications of there being two Lauras around." The sooner that plot is dealt with the better.

[Jackraow21]

Well said. There should be one Laura (who is young), and one Cable (who is old). My hope is that in the Breevort era we get back to that at least. I wouldn't mind OG Laura taking the Talon codename whenever Old Woman Laura leaves, though. It's a good name IMO.

Also, I hope she becomes an X-Force character and kind of the heart and soul of that book. Put Cable back in charge of the team, let Deniz Camp write it, have Sage and Hope together on the intelligence side. Could be dope if done right.

[Nazrel]

Why does Laura need to have her own "mini-me" clone, to be someone's big sister archetype just like Logan is to her, before she even got to have more than one proper personal enemy?

This is not meant against Gabby herself or anyone who welcomed the character, but she is in my opinion absolutely not what Laura needed. Because that would have been more personal enemies and friends outside the X-men circle with the potential to re-appear and force her into action and adventure.

Sabertooth, Omega Red, Gauntlet, Cyber, Silver Samurai, Lady Deathstrike, Madam Hydra, Viper, various secret organizations, personal best friends and frenemies and so on. Wolverine just needs to step out of the door and he will be pulled into some messy bloody adventure that the collectors will buy even if it's just 20 pages of fighting generic bikers in a bar and saying "bub" a lot. Boosh, best selling comic of the year, Eisner Awards (this is an exaggeration, but it feels fitting to just how much the character works on "auto pilot" now).

Gonna disagree with you on the Gabby and Logan front. Logan was never really big brother or father to Laura, he was incredibly neglectful, which is what makes her dynamic with Gabby work, her endeavoring to try to do better, and they did set up and establish several friends and, potential enemy concepts, if not individuals; they just constantly failed to do anything with them.

For the most recent years I would put it down to the fact none of it was particularly simpatico with the high concept mutant ethnostate koolaid all of the characters were forced to drink, which overrode many characters meaningful characterization.

Outside of New, and maybe her stint on X-force (Kyle and Yost, not Percy), she's honestly at her best when she has little to do with the X-men.

[JB]

I'm wondering if Laura will get a 25th anniversary celebration. I feel like we see more "25th anniversary!" covers and what not than we see "20th anniversary!" stuff.

[Ambaryerno]

Well said. There should be one Laura (who is young), and one Cable (who is old). My hope is that in the Breevort era we get back to that at least. I wouldn't mind OG Laura taking the Talon codename whenever Old Woman Laura leaves, though. It's a good name IMO.

Also, I hope she becomes an X-Force character and kind of the heart and soul of that book. Put Cable back in charge of the team, let Deniz Camp write it, have Sage and Hope together on the intelligence side. Could be dope if done right.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind Laura dropping Wolverine and taking on Talon herself once the Vault Clone is gone, since that was the codename Kyle and Yost were setting up, anyway. And HOPEFULLY if she stops using Wolverine writers will stop making her Logan's understudy, and give her her own personality back.

The idea of Laura being on X-Force, but as the conscience of the team, intrigues me. IMO one of the best developments of Laura's character was her deciding not to kill, but still being fully capable of it if you push her too far or leave her no other choice. Having her bring that attitude on a team that has been most successful when depicted as getting their hands dirty could make for a lot of fun conflict. Having her butt heads with Cable on how far is too far could be interesting.

[yogaflame]

X-23 sucks. Clones or other GMO variants are lazy writing. The only reason she's sold well in solo books is because the audience loves fetishizing over a hyper-violent child sex slave. I can't believe the character even exists(what the hell was Quesada thinking? Oh yeah, let's bring this cartoon character to the comics this way!), but then I remember who actually runs the entertainment industry(as all other industries), and then it makes sense. Do you really think Marvel-Disney wants to call attention to X-23's originating comic series(NYX) in this day and age? I would think they would rather sweep that under the rug....