What do you think?
Rate this book
X-23: The Complete Collection
X-23: The Complete Collection, Vol. 2
X-23 has left the X-Men to find the answers she seeks out alone in the world. But she'll soon fi nd herself side-by-side with another of the team's mysterious orphans: Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit! Can they help each other survive Ms. Sinister? Then, it's the ultimate legacy crossover as Laura locks claws with Daken! Will Wolverine's son and his teenage clone make for bitter enemies or an unstoppable team? As X-23's memories begin to spin her out of control, Logan must to step back into her life, along with another of his protégées - the vampire Jubilee!
COLLECTING: X-23 (2010) 4-21, DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE 8-9; MATERIAL FROM WOLVERINE: THE ROAD TO HELL 1, ALL-NEW WOLVERINE SAGA 1
COLLECTING: X-23 (2010) 4-21, DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE 8-9; MATERIAL FROM WOLVERINE: THE ROAD TO HELL 1, ALL-NEW WOLVERINE SAGA 1
472 pages, Paperback
Published November 29, 2016
78 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Marjorie M. Liu
317 books4,320 followersNew York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and she leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop.
Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”
Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.
Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.
Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”
Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.
Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 3, 2020
A good collection. X-23 is one of my favourite next generations characters. This volume is a lot slower and less action packed than the other as it is more about X-23 finding herself, building relationships, and making her own choices.
The first arc is X-23 striking off on her own with the fall out from her role in X-Force. Gambit is along for the ride. Like a good mentor he let's her take the lead, the bad side is Gambit us my favourite X-man I wanted him to do more.
X-23 meets Draken this is the most action packed arc in the volume.
X-23 meets Wolverine's other "daughter" who is going through her own changes and transitions.
X-23 builds inroads to the Future Foundation and a thread from her annual is explored.
The final ard is more of a new beginning and dealing with some old issues.
Great story, great character development, a little light on the action though I understand why this is necessary.
The first arc is X-23 striking off on her own with the fall out from her role in X-Force. Gambit is along for the ride. Like a good mentor he let's her take the lead, the bad side is Gambit us my favourite X-man I wanted him to do more.
X-23 meets Draken this is the most action packed arc in the volume.
X-23 meets Wolverine's other "daughter" who is going through her own changes and transitions.
X-23 builds inroads to the Future Foundation and a thread from her annual is explored.
The final ard is more of a new beginning and dealing with some old issues.
Great story, great character development, a little light on the action though I understand why this is necessary.
March 18, 2017
This was... fine. I guess?
At times, it was brilliant! The issues with Daken and Jubilee were fantastic! Even the issues with Valeri and Franklin were pretty great.
What didn't work:
I was bored out of my skull during a lot of this. The Mr. Sinister clone issues were boring. I don't know much about Gambit but, while I appreciate that he's a big brother figure for Laura here, I just wasn't super invested in 75% of the issues with him. I am definitely not a fan of the anime art. It makes the characters look like video game characters which sucked because most of Jubilee's parts in this book had that art.
What worked:
Marjorie Liu seems to focus a lot on Laura's sense of self and autonomy. I'm not sure how much of the prostitution storyline Liu was involved with but all of her issues focus on Laura helping save other women from slavery. She's consistently reading the signs of abuse and controlling behavior in her surroundings and rescuing other women. It's a powerful, feminist aspect of this character and that should be celebrated. Especially when some writers and some idiotic artists continue to sexualize Laura.
The issues with Daken were fantastic. Although, the quality was better when it was the issues from Daken's series. The art is better, the writing is better and I really got an understanding of why Daken was acting the way he was. There is a part where Daken refers to Laura as family and he commends her skills. They even talk about their different viewpoints on violence. It was so nice to see! I would gladly read more about them.
The issues with Jubilee were great, as well. Jubilee is a vampire in these issues so it's a clear parallel between her and Laura. Laura was made to kill and is trying to move past that part of her life. Jubilee is currently a creature that lives to kill and is trying to live with that part of her life. Jubilee is a literal ray of sunshine and she exists to try to bring Laura out of her shell. Amongst Gambit who's trying his best to bring her out of her shell and Logan who, let's face it, doesn't know what the hell to do with Laura, Jubilee is just a great friend. She's trying to show Laura that she's still human. She's still a person with wants and needs and life of her own. I would gladly read more about their friendship.
There's a Captain Universe storyline I didn't care about with the Fantastic Four but I loved seeing Laura with Valeria and Franklin. She's so protective of children even if she's really awkward around them. Which, #relatable.
The Phil Noto art was fantastic!
Anyway, this is not a huge recommend the way vol. 1 of this collection was. There was a lot more miss than hit for me but, if you just want to read about x-23 and you've exhausted the Craig Kyle stuff, feel free to check this out. I think the X-23 series had some pretty good issues. Just single out the ones with Noto's art.
3 kind of meh stars.
At times, it was brilliant! The issues with Daken and Jubilee were fantastic! Even the issues with Valeri and Franklin were pretty great.
What didn't work:
I was bored out of my skull during a lot of this. The Mr. Sinister clone issues were boring. I don't know much about Gambit but, while I appreciate that he's a big brother figure for Laura here, I just wasn't super invested in 75% of the issues with him. I am definitely not a fan of the anime art. It makes the characters look like video game characters which sucked because most of Jubilee's parts in this book had that art.
What worked:
Marjorie Liu seems to focus a lot on Laura's sense of self and autonomy. I'm not sure how much of the prostitution storyline Liu was involved with but all of her issues focus on Laura helping save other women from slavery. She's consistently reading the signs of abuse and controlling behavior in her surroundings and rescuing other women. It's a powerful, feminist aspect of this character and that should be celebrated. Especially when some writers and some idiotic artists continue to sexualize Laura.
The issues with Daken were fantastic. Although, the quality was better when it was the issues from Daken's series. The art is better, the writing is better and I really got an understanding of why Daken was acting the way he was. There is a part where Daken refers to Laura as family and he commends her skills. They even talk about their different viewpoints on violence. It was so nice to see! I would gladly read more about them.
The issues with Jubilee were great, as well. Jubilee is a vampire in these issues so it's a clear parallel between her and Laura. Laura was made to kill and is trying to move past that part of her life. Jubilee is currently a creature that lives to kill and is trying to live with that part of her life. Jubilee is a literal ray of sunshine and she exists to try to bring Laura out of her shell. Amongst Gambit who's trying his best to bring her out of her shell and Logan who, let's face it, doesn't know what the hell to do with Laura, Jubilee is just a great friend. She's trying to show Laura that she's still human. She's still a person with wants and needs and life of her own. I would gladly read more about their friendship.
There's a Captain Universe storyline I didn't care about with the Fantastic Four but I loved seeing Laura with Valeria and Franklin. She's so protective of children even if she's really awkward around them. Which, #relatable.
The Phil Noto art was fantastic!
Anyway, this is not a huge recommend the way vol. 1 of this collection was. There was a lot more miss than hit for me but, if you just want to read about x-23 and you've exhausted the Craig Kyle stuff, feel free to check this out. I think the X-23 series had some pretty good issues. Just single out the ones with Noto's art.
3 kind of meh stars.
June 27, 2017
3.5 stars.
Definitely readable, but not as good as Collection1.
Definitely readable, but not as good as Collection1.
April 8, 2023
First half of this collection, while good, is a little unfocused. Luckily the second half of it is far stronger, giving us a deeper look into Laura and her travels with her buddy Gambit and trying to find new meaning in life. It works well and shows a softer side to the character, but still brutal when needed. A 3.5 out of 5 for the collection here.
December 7, 2019
I was legit sad when this ended.
This character is truly the shit, and Marjorie Liu handles her very well. Speaking of Liu, i met her while I was reading this, and she signed my trade :-)
The art was phenomenal. The Miss Sinister story was good, but where this really shined was with the Captain Universe stuff, the Daken stuff, the Fantastic Four stuff, and ESPECIALLY the Laura/Jubilee team up.
Very mature writing. I don’t mean “boobs and naughty words” mature. I mean mature as in full of complex emotions and fully fleshed out characters grappling with conflicts that extend beyond “how do I kick this dude’s ass.”
X-23 continues to be loveable. She has a soft spoken stoicism that makes her both mysterious and transparent. Her heart shines through when she’s distant. There’s a poetry to her world view, and she says the most when she’s silent.
This run is awesome.
This character is truly the shit, and Marjorie Liu handles her very well. Speaking of Liu, i met her while I was reading this, and she signed my trade :-)
The art was phenomenal. The Miss Sinister story was good, but where this really shined was with the Captain Universe stuff, the Daken stuff, the Fantastic Four stuff, and ESPECIALLY the Laura/Jubilee team up.
Very mature writing. I don’t mean “boobs and naughty words” mature. I mean mature as in full of complex emotions and fully fleshed out characters grappling with conflicts that extend beyond “how do I kick this dude’s ass.”
X-23 continues to be loveable. She has a soft spoken stoicism that makes her both mysterious and transparent. Her heart shines through when she’s distant. There’s a poetry to her world view, and she says the most when she’s silent.
This run is awesome.
December 18, 2023
The Future Wolverine Coming Into Her Own
Getting past your emo phase is no easy thing, especially when confronting everything that made Laura X-23. But despite all of the hardships, Laura has grown as a person, becoming compassionate with each new encounter. Despite the killer instinct sticking around, Laura changes and grows, finding her own path. She isn't just another Wolverine, let alone a Wolverine fill-in. She's quiet and growing more confident in the humanity that defines Laura Kinney.
Getting past your emo phase is no easy thing, especially when confronting everything that made Laura X-23. But despite all of the hardships, Laura has grown as a person, becoming compassionate with each new encounter. Despite the killer instinct sticking around, Laura changes and grows, finding her own path. She isn't just another Wolverine, let alone a Wolverine fill-in. She's quiet and growing more confident in the humanity that defines Laura Kinney.
July 17, 2023
I think the first half of the collection seems to constantly lose its internal focus. It's characterizations are fantastic but it's central narrative can be a bit too messy.
Second half is awesome though. It finds it's footing and it finishes the run off incredibly. Overall not as strong as the first collection but still pretty damn great.
Second half is awesome though. It finds it's footing and it finishes the run off incredibly. Overall not as strong as the first collection but still pretty damn great.
September 18, 2017
The remaining issues of X-23's solo series are collected here, including the Collision crossover with Daken: Dark Wolverine.
We open with a three part story that pits Laura and Gambit against Miss Sinister, a character I find very interesting, that has a lot of potential and kind of just...ends, which is a shame. The interaction between Gambit and Laura is a huge draw though. The art's a little all over the place though, with Will Conrad, Marco Checchetto, David Lopez, and Sana Takeda all drawing sections of these three issues. All good artists on their own, but not really when combined together.
Takeda also draws the one-and-done issue that pops up next as X-23 and Gambit head to Madripoor, but this one also lacks a total point. It's beautiful to look at, but a little low on character compared to the earlier arc.
Next is Collision, which throws Laura and Daken together to work against Weapon X. Collision is a fun story, but it feels incomplete; it's more of a Daken story than an X-23 story, capitalizing on the set-up in his own book and having Laura and Gambit along for the ride more than anything else. I cannot fault the art though, with Ryan Stegman on X-23 and the unbelievably talented Marco Checchetto on the Daken issues. So beautiful, so visceral. Give me all the Checchetto.
The remaining stories are more character driven than story, with the return of the Uni-Power and the Future Foundation factoring into Chaos Theory very heavily, and some blinding work from Phil Noto on art, before Sana Takeda returns for Adventures In Babysitting, which is a thinly veiled Schism tie-in that revisits the X-23/Hellion romance, and the Touched By Darkness arc that has X-23 and Jubilee bonding, which is also nice. Then we finish off with Girls Night Out and a 'Nuff Said issue to end the series on.
While I enjoyed these stories, they did feel as if they lost their focus a bit. X-23 becomes a bit of a guest star in her own book, and while her relationships with the characters around her drive the story, she's so passive at times that she could almost not be there at all. We also don't get any closure on the Miss Sinister arc from the beginning of the book, which irritates me a lot, especially when Liu spends a lot of time wrapping up stuff from the Captain Universe one-shot and even going back to NYX.
I cannot fault the art though. Between the aforementioned Checchetto on the Daken issues, and then Takeda and Noto alternating, this is one of the prettiest Marvel books I've read in a long time. I wish Marvel took more artistic risks these days like this.
X-23's adventures are still fun in this second volume, but lose a bit of their impact along the way. Come for the stabbing, stay for the lovely visuals.
We open with a three part story that pits Laura and Gambit against Miss Sinister, a character I find very interesting, that has a lot of potential and kind of just...ends, which is a shame. The interaction between Gambit and Laura is a huge draw though. The art's a little all over the place though, with Will Conrad, Marco Checchetto, David Lopez, and Sana Takeda all drawing sections of these three issues. All good artists on their own, but not really when combined together.
Takeda also draws the one-and-done issue that pops up next as X-23 and Gambit head to Madripoor, but this one also lacks a total point. It's beautiful to look at, but a little low on character compared to the earlier arc.
Next is Collision, which throws Laura and Daken together to work against Weapon X. Collision is a fun story, but it feels incomplete; it's more of a Daken story than an X-23 story, capitalizing on the set-up in his own book and having Laura and Gambit along for the ride more than anything else. I cannot fault the art though, with Ryan Stegman on X-23 and the unbelievably talented Marco Checchetto on the Daken issues. So beautiful, so visceral. Give me all the Checchetto.
The remaining stories are more character driven than story, with the return of the Uni-Power and the Future Foundation factoring into Chaos Theory very heavily, and some blinding work from Phil Noto on art, before Sana Takeda returns for Adventures In Babysitting, which is a thinly veiled Schism tie-in that revisits the X-23/Hellion romance, and the Touched By Darkness arc that has X-23 and Jubilee bonding, which is also nice. Then we finish off with Girls Night Out and a 'Nuff Said issue to end the series on.
While I enjoyed these stories, they did feel as if they lost their focus a bit. X-23 becomes a bit of a guest star in her own book, and while her relationships with the characters around her drive the story, she's so passive at times that she could almost not be there at all. We also don't get any closure on the Miss Sinister arc from the beginning of the book, which irritates me a lot, especially when Liu spends a lot of time wrapping up stuff from the Captain Universe one-shot and even going back to NYX.
I cannot fault the art though. Between the aforementioned Checchetto on the Daken issues, and then Takeda and Noto alternating, this is one of the prettiest Marvel books I've read in a long time. I wish Marvel took more artistic risks these days like this.
X-23's adventures are still fun in this second volume, but lose a bit of their impact along the way. Come for the stabbing, stay for the lovely visuals.
May 21, 2017
I have mixed emotions about this one. The first half is strong and consistent (most of my thoughts on that are pretty much the same for what I said in my review of Volume 1). Right now though, I want to focus on why this is has a lower rating under the five stars I gave to Volume 1.
After issue twelve, where Chaos Theory starts, there is a drop. It's like a drop from rated R to basic PG-13. It definitely held Laura back. The narrative could have continued on with that mystery woman and the list from the end of Touching Darkness, but instead Laura got stuck with Spider-Man and babysitting the Fantastic Four kids. Plus there is a back and forth switch between art styles that can make someone confused about the present timeline.
A part of me thinks the second half it would be easy to forget, but I also have to wonder, what happened? Why did the story suddenly fall back?
I kept trying to add extra detail in here, but I don't feel like lingering on what I didn't like. I'd rather hold to the good parts. I am really enjoying the character of Laura and just want to keep pushing through to get more material about her.
After issue twelve, where Chaos Theory starts, there is a drop. It's like a drop from rated R to basic PG-13. It definitely held Laura back. The narrative could have continued on with that mystery woman and the list from the end of Touching Darkness, but instead Laura got stuck with Spider-Man and babysitting the Fantastic Four kids. Plus there is a back and forth switch between art styles that can make someone confused about the present timeline.
A part of me thinks the second half it would be easy to forget, but I also have to wonder, what happened? Why did the story suddenly fall back?
I kept trying to add extra detail in here, but I don't feel like lingering on what I didn't like. I'd rather hold to the good parts. I am really enjoying the character of Laura and just want to keep pushing through to get more material about her.
Read
August 18, 2024The second X-23 collection has the remainder of Marjorie Liu’s run, plus two crossover issues from the Daken series. This entire run is essentially a road trip with Laura and Gambit, who decides to watch over her at the start of the book. They encounter various superheroes and villains: Miss Sinister, Daken, Wolverine and Jubilee, the Fantastic Four, and Hellion, with whom Laura shares a romantic past. The stories are fine but they don’t feel especially consequential. I like Laura and she does have character progression here. My favorite parts are the scenes with Laura and Wolverine and the FF arc, mainly because I love the FF. Her babysitting gig for Franklin and Valeria involves both a dragon and The Collector. Nice. Like I said though, this series doesn’t feel as meaty as I think it could have been.
Great art throughout, especially by Sana Takeda and Phil Noto. Takeda’s art is a little too anime/video game for me but I can’t deny that it looks beautiful (she would go on work with Liu on Monstress).
Now on to Tom Taylor’s series.
Great art throughout, especially by Sana Takeda and Phil Noto. Takeda’s art is a little too anime/video game for me but I can’t deny that it looks beautiful (she would go on work with Liu on Monstress).
Now on to Tom Taylor’s series.
August 28, 2018
As with the first Complete Collection volume, these X-23 stories were far more impressive than I ever expected. It's still some of the darkest content Marvel has put their name on, so don't read it if you're looking for a light-hearted teenage superhero book. This collection includes a lot of Wolverine, Daken (Wolverine's son, who isn't given an origin story in these pages), Jubilee (!!!), and Gambit (!!!!!), who makes a great friend and mentor/protector for Laura. When this collection starts, she has already been put on multiple teams - mostly as a killer for Cyclops, who has feuded and split off from Wolverine's X-school and is running his own mutant island called Utopia. Oh! There's also a short arc where Laura/X-23 is called in to play babysitter for the FF!
Every issue in this large collection is gorgeous, art-wise. And the various writers handling it have done a great job of maintaining consistency and adding depth and conflict to this already conflicted young character.
Every issue in this large collection is gorgeous, art-wise. And the various writers handling it have done a great job of maintaining consistency and adding depth and conflict to this already conflicted young character.
June 13, 2024
If possible, I enjoyed this one even more than Vol 1. And I think a good chunk of that is because not only do I get to read stories about my favourite X-23, but I also got to have my other favourite character tag along as well. Even more beautiful artwork and exciting stories is made even better with the team up of Gambit. His and Laura's relationship is one of my absolute favourites and the best part of the entire book is definitely when Laura, Remy, Logan and Jubilee all come together. I generally wish there were more stories of that little group but thankfully the ones in this book are still more than fantastic enough to make up for it.
May 12, 2017
Super good. Getting Laura, Jubilee, Logan, and Gambit all together made for some great character interactions. Daken's a jerk and just weird... But overall this book was fantastic. I really appreciated how it fills in gaps of what you need to know from X-Force and other things. Rarely are "complete collections" so good about that sort of thing. Fantastic art throughout, with Phil Noto especially, and Sana Takeda too.
December 30, 2019
This volume features Sana Takeada's work on Marvel's X-23. She has a few issues within this tradeback that are absolutely beautiful art. Sana Takeada is known also for Monstress. Story wise, X-23 is dealing with alot of internal struggle from her time as a human weapon agaisnt her will. She desperstly tries to grapple with identity and her scent trigger. Wolverine, Jubilee, Gambit, and even Spiderman, and the Fantastic 4 join Laura as she overcomes her limits and gains freedom from her past.
October 21, 2022
Absolutely one of the best X-Men comics I’ve ever read. The art was stunning, the writing was great, I loved the character development with Laura and Gambit, and Laura and Logan, and Laura and Jubilee. Even Laura and Sue Storm and her kids. This was such a JOY to read and I really loved it. I originally got the book from my library but I went and brought a copy of it as well to keep—that’s how much I enjoyed it. This is what a five star book should feel like
April 9, 2018
This was nothing compared to volume one. This seemed to be more of a collection of stories rather than a story like the first volume. Many of the stories in this book had great characters like Gambit, Wolverine, Spider man, that was fun. The constant back and forth for stories and characters was not. I much prefer, the all new wolverine series.
October 23, 2019
Oh, now all that Gambit and Madripoor stuff at the end of All-New Wolverine makes sense. Gambit is an odd choice. He's not someone who frequently has platonic relationships with adult women. Or has ever been involved in any good stories
I still feel like this collection has a bit of a gap. There's an apparently important Wolverine story that drives a lot of the action.
I still feel like this collection has a bit of a gap. There's an apparently important Wolverine story that drives a lot of the action.
January 27, 2022
Finding yourself...
This collection showcases X23 on the mend. She's been through a lot and she's of the age where she's trying to find her place and judge her worth. It's written really well and gets you to really connect with the character as she grows from self doubt and self hate to love.
This collection showcases X23 on the mend. She's been through a lot and she's of the age where she's trying to find her place and judge her worth. It's written really well and gets you to really connect with the character as she grows from self doubt and self hate to love.
May 27, 2021
Great story
Always been a fan of Marvel Comics and have enjoyed stories of both the gals & the guys. The art work is spectacular and the stories just grab you and pull you right into their world. Give them a try and become a fan of the Marvel Universe.
Always been a fan of Marvel Comics and have enjoyed stories of both the gals & the guys. The art work is spectacular and the stories just grab you and pull you right into their world. Give them a try and become a fan of the Marvel Universe.
December 9, 2023
So the overall story is amazing, but some of the art work was not really that good in some respects. It’s good for the fact that you get more of an understanding of Laura than before. And what she has gone through.
January 4, 2025
To think that this all started with X-Men: Evolution
Didn't expected this to be over 400 pages, but I was most Definitely not disappointed. The amount of crossovers with other teams, and even briefly appearing characters was amazing.
Didn't expected this to be over 400 pages, but I was most Definitely not disappointed. The amount of crossovers with other teams, and even briefly appearing characters was amazing.
July 13, 2018
The last issue is literally one of my favs ever.
And I know many quite almost hate Julian, but I think I love my broken white trash boy
And I know many quite almost hate Julian, but I think I love my broken white trash boy
January 18, 2019
I really loved it ahhh Gambit so dreamy
October 18, 2019
Good book. Tragic Life for X-23. I did like the Richards kids encounter with The Collector.
August 15, 2022
Did not want it to end
I love this series, original, riveting and great characters. Nice backstory, pretty much has everything, now I have to go look for more….
I love this series, original, riveting and great characters. Nice backstory, pretty much has everything, now I have to go look for more….
October 28, 2023
X23
I want free. I love Laura Kinney so much and I want her to steal Kimura’s outfit now and ever.
I want free. I love Laura Kinney so much and I want her to steal Kimura’s outfit now and ever.
February 11, 2025
and if i say marjorie liu is the best marvel comic writer
September 23, 2025
all over the place. didn't fully work for me but like the first volume a few of the instalments were good
2.5*
2.5*
October 23, 2020
Volume 2 is mostly comprised of X-23’s own series where she get’s a story beyond her backstory. She’s paired with Gambit throughout most of the series and they make for a very interesting pair; Gambit acts as a mix between a parental figure and a friend and generally tries to look out for Laura and support her emotionally. Since Gambit is a fairly amoral character, at least according to my very shallow understanding of him based primarily on the cartoons, it makes sense for Laura to find support from him, since he’s not going to be scared or judgemental of her.
The book is comprised of a number of different comic book events, but the plot isn’t really what connects one story to another and it isn’t the most important part of the story; that would be the character developement. Put bluntly the first volume, the most important part of which was Laura’s origin story, was all about setting up Laura’s trauma, and these new stories are about working through and moving past them.
On all fronts the series has a decent start. Gambit and Laura end up investigating the activities of Mrs. Sinister, the female clone of Mr. Sinister. Comic book plotlines being what they are I have no idea why she exists or when she was created, and I don’t really need to. Miss Sinister lures Laura to her facility by sending a young girl after her, making it look like that girl is trying to lure her to the sex slave trade. This girl ends up being killed, which makes Laura rather upset, and she and Gambit investigate her death. It turns out she was a clone created by Ms. Sinister, who has some explanation or another as to how she’s not actually evil. It’s not very convincing, either to the reader or to Laura and Gambit. Honestly this whole plot line isn’t particularly interesting or good, it’s kind of just generic villain shennanigans, so I will sum it up very quickly by saying that Ms. Sinister is cloning children for evil reasons, is dying, and wanted to bring Laura here to steal her body. She fails and get’s taken over by Mr. Sinister. There’s more to it than that, but if this whole thing really interests you, just read the book; it’s not really the part of the story worth talking about.
What is worthwhile about the story is that it sets up Gambit and Laura’s relationship and Laura’s character development. To begin with Laura’s sense of self worth is basically nothing, but it is increasing from nothing. Very slowly. She was trained to believe that she was a tool and not a thing, has no normal experiences, no social circle, and a massive amount of guilt, and it will take a while to work through that. Saving some clone children helps because it gives her a way to be useful, to protect instead of hurt, and because it hopefully reinforces the idea that being a clone doesn’t mean that she isn’t still a girl; accepting the value of their lives may help her accept hers. The idea that being a clone made her life not worthwhile was one that was brought up very directly in X-Force, where X-Force killed the clones of some mutants and said it didn’t matter because they were clones, despite the fact that one of their teammates was a clone. However the closest X-Force got to actually addressing the issue was just having some people tell Laura her life matters, and there’s a big difference between being told something and learning something. With that being said Laur isn’t all that much better after this story line is completed; this just gives her a foundation to build on.
The book is comprised of a number of different comic book events, but the plot isn’t really what connects one story to another and it isn’t the most important part of the story; that would be the character developement. Put bluntly the first volume, the most important part of which was Laura’s origin story, was all about setting up Laura’s trauma, and these new stories are about working through and moving past them.
On all fronts the series has a decent start. Gambit and Laura end up investigating the activities of Mrs. Sinister, the female clone of Mr. Sinister. Comic book plotlines being what they are I have no idea why she exists or when she was created, and I don’t really need to. Miss Sinister lures Laura to her facility by sending a young girl after her, making it look like that girl is trying to lure her to the sex slave trade. This girl ends up being killed, which makes Laura rather upset, and she and Gambit investigate her death. It turns out she was a clone created by Ms. Sinister, who has some explanation or another as to how she’s not actually evil. It’s not very convincing, either to the reader or to Laura and Gambit. Honestly this whole plot line isn’t particularly interesting or good, it’s kind of just generic villain shennanigans, so I will sum it up very quickly by saying that Ms. Sinister is cloning children for evil reasons, is dying, and wanted to bring Laura here to steal her body. She fails and get’s taken over by Mr. Sinister. There’s more to it than that, but if this whole thing really interests you, just read the book; it’s not really the part of the story worth talking about.
What is worthwhile about the story is that it sets up Gambit and Laura’s relationship and Laura’s character development. To begin with Laura’s sense of self worth is basically nothing, but it is increasing from nothing. Very slowly. She was trained to believe that she was a tool and not a thing, has no normal experiences, no social circle, and a massive amount of guilt, and it will take a while to work through that. Saving some clone children helps because it gives her a way to be useful, to protect instead of hurt, and because it hopefully reinforces the idea that being a clone doesn’t mean that she isn’t still a girl; accepting the value of their lives may help her accept hers. The idea that being a clone made her life not worthwhile was one that was brought up very directly in X-Force, where X-Force killed the clones of some mutants and said it didn’t matter because they were clones, despite the fact that one of their teammates was a clone. However the closest X-Force got to actually addressing the issue was just having some people tell Laura her life matters, and there’s a big difference between being told something and learning something. With that being said Laur isn’t all that much better after this story line is completed; this just gives her a foundation to build on.
July 9, 2018
Sinister (4-6). Again, Liu shows off her great characterization when she brings Gambit into the narrative, and uses that as an opportunity to really reveal both Gambit and Laura. The story itself is also another interesting bit of continuity, as Liu resolves the Mrs. Sinister arc. Finally, there's some nice tropes about identity and cloning; Liu doesn't give it as much attention as she might have, but the application to Laura is obvious [7/10].
Road to Hell. This little snippet is an intro for Laura's new MacGuffin quest after a member of Weapon X. There's not much to it [5/10].
Sharks (7). And so the quest begins. Sadly, though Gambit continues along and though they're on an interesting quest, this one-off issue has very little depth [5/10].
Collision (8-9). A crossover between X-23 and Daken is an excellent idea, and Weapon X is a good plot for them, but this story feels quite off-kilter for most of its length, and Daken playing do-I-betray-or-not games. It's only the last issue that's particularly strong, when we get some deep and meaningful interactions between the two [6/10].
Touching Darkness (10-12). Liu practically makes this a team book, bringing together Laura with Gambit, Wolverine, and Jubilee. It's a pretty wonderful crew, all well-characterized, and bouncing off of each other in interesting ways. The Jubilee-Laura comparison is particularly interesting. Oh, and there's some story here too, about more testing and trigger scent and blah, blah, blah [7/10].
Chaos Theory (13-16). This is more of that Captain Universe foolishness, but done much better than the one-off from years before. Yeah, the Universe power is still a talking entity, but now it's King Arthur or something, fighting demons. Weird. The team-up with the FF results in a kind of strange story for Laura, but it's great to see her interacting with a family that treats her as someone to be treasured [6/10].
Misadventures in Babysitting (17-19). The real joy of this arc is getting to see Julian and Laura together again, and receiving some closure on their relationship from New X-Men. Beyond that, babysitting the Richards' kids is fun, and there's some good action (that gets a bit dull in the middle). A good story, mainly for its character beats [7/10].
Girls Night' Out (20-21). These two issues are a fine ending for the series. The final team-up with Jubilee is great for the way it book-ends things all the way back to X-23's introduction, while the last issue with its mysticism and its lack of dialogue is a quirky and thoughtful way to finish [7+/10].
Overall, this book has some weak areas, but most of it's pretty good, and it's a joy to see an entire other volume of Laura.
Road to Hell. This little snippet is an intro for Laura's new MacGuffin quest after a member of Weapon X. There's not much to it [5/10].
Sharks (7). And so the quest begins. Sadly, though Gambit continues along and though they're on an interesting quest, this one-off issue has very little depth [5/10].
Collision (8-9). A crossover between X-23 and Daken is an excellent idea, and Weapon X is a good plot for them, but this story feels quite off-kilter for most of its length, and Daken playing do-I-betray-or-not games. It's only the last issue that's particularly strong, when we get some deep and meaningful interactions between the two [6/10].
Touching Darkness (10-12). Liu practically makes this a team book, bringing together Laura with Gambit, Wolverine, and Jubilee. It's a pretty wonderful crew, all well-characterized, and bouncing off of each other in interesting ways. The Jubilee-Laura comparison is particularly interesting. Oh, and there's some story here too, about more testing and trigger scent and blah, blah, blah [7/10].
Chaos Theory (13-16). This is more of that Captain Universe foolishness, but done much better than the one-off from years before. Yeah, the Universe power is still a talking entity, but now it's King Arthur or something, fighting demons. Weird. The team-up with the FF results in a kind of strange story for Laura, but it's great to see her interacting with a family that treats her as someone to be treasured [6/10].
Misadventures in Babysitting (17-19). The real joy of this arc is getting to see Julian and Laura together again, and receiving some closure on their relationship from New X-Men. Beyond that, babysitting the Richards' kids is fun, and there's some good action (that gets a bit dull in the middle). A good story, mainly for its character beats [7/10].
Girls Night' Out (20-21). These two issues are a fine ending for the series. The final team-up with Jubilee is great for the way it book-ends things all the way back to X-23's introduction, while the last issue with its mysticism and its lack of dialogue is a quirky and thoughtful way to finish [7+/10].
Overall, this book has some weak areas, but most of it's pretty good, and it's a joy to see an entire other volume of Laura.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews