All-New Wolverine, Vol. 5: Orphans of X

All-New Wolverine (Collected Editions)

by Tom Taylor (Writer), Juan Cabal (Illustrations)

Daken has been kidnapped, and it's up to Wolverine to find him. But when his trail brings her back to the Facility, the place that tortured and created her, what new horrors will Laura find cooking there? Who, exactly, are the Orphans of X? How are they connected to the Wolverine? And what do they know about Laura and her past?

Collects: All-New Wolverine #25-30

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2018

About the author

Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.

Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.

He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.

He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sarah Kinney character has been evolving and showing growth and this volume hopefully heralds an improvement to what has been a weak series. The Orphans of X are all related to victims of the 'Wolverines' and they've got together to take them down for good! Cameos from the likes of Lady Deathstrike, Creed and Old Man Logan! An improving 6 out of 12, Three Stars.
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2019 read

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost a loved one to a Wolverine? Join the Orphans of X! The aim? To hunt down and kill all Wolverines using material gleaned from the magical Muramasa blade, that neutralises the Wolverines’ healing factors.

So does they do it - nuh buh muh huh guh? Sorry, my brain shut down at the astoopidity of that question! The real question should be: is it at least a somewhat entertaining read before Laura and co. inevitably beat them? Eh, kinda…

It’s the same problem with each Wolverine book: whoever’s writing it always crams it with action but it’s always tension-free because, no matter how badly injured Wolverine gets, the healing factor has them up and walking about quicksmart. So it goes here. Characters “die” with the frequency that most normal people sleep so death’s impact is totally lost in this series. And I couldn’t get too excited about the Orphans of X as they have this villain of the week vibe to them, because that’s basically what they are!

Laura’s mom returns from the dead just as the Orphans begin their campaign against her, which, I get wouldn’t be an obvious ploy to Laura as she didn’t really know about them at that point, but it’s obvious to the reader. So, again, if you’ve got ten or so working brain cells (does a quick check - phewf, just about!), it doesn’t exactly make for edge-of-your-seat reading.

What’s worse is that Tom Taylor seems to be a smarter writer than this. Through Daken and Gabby he makes wry observations about how convenient Laura’s mom turned up just as this new threat emerged, and how Daken’s arm tattoo returned exactly as his arm regrew (“So… do you just keep one tattooist permanently employed or…?”). It feels like a very workmanlike effort.

But I like the chemistry Taylor’s created between Laura, Daken and Gabby which reminded me of DBZ’s Goku, Vegeta and Gohan and their banter is one of the better aspects of this title. Taylor also seems to be having fun with the healing factor angle, concocting inventively gory plans that you couldn’t get away with with other non-healing characters. And I liked that it didn’t end in a predictable snikt-fest (though there be plenty of that nonsense along the way!), with Laura instead choosing a more cerebral approach.

Juann Cabal’s art is quite good for the most part - if you’re a Jamie McKelvie fan, you’ll definitely dig this dude’s style - and Terry Dodson and Dan Mora’s covers were great.

All-New Wolverine, Volume 5: Orphans of X wasn’t so good that it’ll leave much of a lasting impression but it’s an entertaining enough read. Given Wolverine books’ usually low quality? Not bad, pickle. I mean, bub.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap! That was fantastic! Can Tom Taylor write all of Marvel's comics?

A group of those affected by the many people Wolverine and his clawed brethren have killed over the years go after Laura and Daken. (Yes, I know Jason Aaron visited this same concept during his Wolverine run, but Tom comes up with a better ending.)

Taylor has a way of surprising you with the end of each issue that I really like. Gabby continues to make me laugh. Even during these super serious issues with the possibility of really dying, she keeps the snark up. Taylor even uses her to comment on the absurdity of comics, like when Daken grows his arm back complete with tattoo. Plus she provides the best panel I've seen in a comic all year. Love the new code name!


I wasn't familiar with Juan Cabal before but Marvel has got a real winner here. They better make sure they hold onto him. I love his clean, expressive art. It reminds me of Kevin Maguire or Mikel Janin.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"They want to kill you, Laura." - [character name withheld for spoiler's sake]

"That's not so easily done." - Laura "All-New Wolverine" Kinney

Orphans of X is my swan song for the 'All-New Wolverine' series - the local library system does not carry the sixth and final volume - but Marvel could've just as easily called it a day with this book.

This might be the bloodiest and most violent of the volumes thus far, with its numerous scenes of brutal action. Laura and family face off with the Orphans of X, an angry masked group that is out to exterminate any and all relation to Logan a.k.a. the original Wolverine. It also involves a secret trip to the mountains of Japan and assistance from the X-Men. Elsewhere, kid sister sidekick Gabby - who often has the best dialogue, and who has never been a cloying second banana - is finally bestowed with the perfect nickname for her superheroine alter ego. Then the finale features a monologue by Laura, running for several pages, in which she attempts to reason with her hostile antagonists. As unlikely as it sounds, it was such a great and effective character moment. Laura Kinney now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Kamala Khan as my favorites among Marvel's newer female leads.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Possibly my favourite Laura book so far. Took a bunch of stuff from Logan's book I never particularly liked and made it cool. Superb curve-ball at the end!

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit heavy handed in the message but it has all the feels.

World: The art is great, I like how expressive the people are, even if they do have dead eyes and wax expressions sometimes...I'm wondering if it's the colors or the art itself. I will say this, I don't like the new colors for Laura's suit, I know it fits her current mood but I loved the bright yellow and blue, that's just me. The world building here is also fantastic, building upon the history of X-23 and also the X family (mainly Weapon X family) and telling this tale was great, it really was a call back. Where as the last arc was about Kimura and now with this arc, Taylor is pulling from the past and hitting it home! Oh, I hate the blue armor, it's ugly (you'll know when you see it...it's just fugly as fug).

Story: The pull from the past makes this more important that a typical secret society bent on killing the mutants story. This feels very much like Tynion IV's victim syndicate for Detective Comics but where as that was a bit distant and the villains were not sympathetic here they are. The story is well paced, the action is fun, the dialog is great and Gabby is the best thing for this series since ever. This arc really pulls at the heart strings. That being said I did find that the final issue with the message a bit heavy handed, yes it's the perfect end to this situation and this once again like the last arc in Roosevelt Island clearly distinguishes Laura as her own Wolverine but yes it did skew a bit over the line of being a bit heavy handed. I loved it, but it's there.

Characters: Oh the family is back together and it's beautiful. I love Laura, her personal voice is just fantastic and Taylor has made her so different that it makes my heart soar. From where she was at the start of her journey to now, it's great. Gabby, there's nothing else to say about her but that she'a perfect and I love how Marvel is slowly following the DC tradition of Legacy characters and building them up slowly so that they become something more. The villains this time around were good, they were well thought out, their gripe made sense and their journey interesting. Daken I've never been a fan of but he was good this arc so good for him.

I liked this arc, it had it's issues but I love this series and I see what Taylor is trying to do, even when it's a bit heavy handed it's still so good.

Onward to the next book!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as good as the previous three volumes but still a lot of fun!

So Laura goes on a rescue mission after Draken, the son of wolverine, and basically her brother, goes missing. Instead of finding him she finds her mother. What's that? Draken breaks free of the Orphans of X, a evil community hellbent on killing all the wolverines for the murders they committed. When he comes into the picture and meets up with Laura and Gabby shit goes down, people get killed, and then the war between the Wolverines and the Orphans of X is on.

Good: I like the banter between Laura, Gabby, and Draken. The mystery of the Orphans of X and hell, even their meaning and why they do what they do, made sense. The feel of loss and change here works well, especially for Laura, who continues to grow in interesting ways.

Bad: I thought the ending kind of lacked the punch it was going for. A little to heavy handed even for me. I also thought the lack of stakes didn't feel real. Even when characters die you know they'll be fine.

Overall a fun, solid volume, but didn't have any huge moments I loved. A 3 out of 5.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book. Whenever it starts to get a little too socially conscious, Gabby throws out a terrific line that brings it all back on the level. The page where she gets her "hero name" is priceless. On the other hand, we go back to "the beginning" and then Japan again for the zilllionth time in Wolverine comics, but that's okay. I didn't even dislike Daken all of the time. Good art, excellent writing... snikt!... 'nuff said, true believer.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
Have you been affected by a Weapon X creation, or derivative thereof? Lost a family member, a limb, your livelihood? Then maybe you should join the Orphans Of X.

This new organization have Laura and Gabby firmly in their sights in this next family-driven storyline from Tom Taylor. If you're a fan of X-23, this one really digs deep into her history, with supporting characters and even a returning 'villain'.

I love the extended family dynamic that Laura has with the other Wolverine-like characters. From Old Man Logan and Sabretooth to Daken and Lady Deathstrike, she has a different rapport with each of them and Taylor makes them all feel natural and earned after all of her years interacting with them. Plus Gabby finally gets a codename and it's absolutely perfect.

On the art from, Juann Cabal draws these six issues and I would like him to draw this series from now until the end of time, please. His work feels super-detailed without being crowded, he has perfect comedic timing, and his action scenes are superb. There are some very abstract ideas in the middle of this story, but Cabal rolls with them all to give some truly gorgeous scenes.

This book is back on top, and literally cannot do any wrong at this point. Even with the classic Wolverine returning, Marvel would be remiss to cancel this now.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an improvement over the last volume. There's some great bonding between Laura and her brother Daken. However, there is some stuff set in Japan that seems to be drawn by someone who didn't do a lot of research on it. The armor that is made for Laura looks more Balinese than Japanese.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brand new storyline in a way. Kinda feels like the volumes before only have a small link. Huge improvement from Vol 4. This seems like a cool story development, so cool background info from Japan, and some new characters arrive. Will be cool to see where this one goes.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an epic story this was.

Someone is targeting Daken and we see its the Orphans of X, a group comprised of the victims of the family who these wolverines murdered and they get ahold of the Muramasa blade the one thing that can kill them and its a race against time to meet Muramasa and forge a new armor and its for Laura to save her brother and her friends and maybe in the process face the Orphans of X and rescue them too!

Its a story I think will kinda split the fanbase like some people will like it and the others will hate it but the way we see Laura develop into her own and kinda give solace to other people not by violence but by talking and giving them hope and being compassionate made me love her and in a way it brought the story full circle with her burying her mother and making peace with the victims and all that, so yeah a good story with solid ending. Plus the art was awesome too.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un grupo de humanos que se hacen llamar los"Huérfanos de X" han logrado reunirse tras años de investigaciones y desarrollo de proyectos mortíferos para vengarse de los que en algún momento mataron a algunos de sus familiares, los asesinos fueron Laura, Daken, Wolverine entre otros. Es así que Daken, el hijo de Wolverine será el primero en desaparecer y Laura irá tras su pista. Encuentros relativamente tibios esperables de humanos sin mayores poderes especiales. Un viaje a Japón relativamente interesante. Una historia regular.

[ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

good!!!! aaaa

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

People who had a close one killed by any one of our clawed mutants have regrouped in an organisation aiming to wipe out those responsible once and for all. After kidnapping Daken they're out to get some bits of the Murumasa blade (which negates any healing factor).

Chalk another 4* for Tom Taylor who manages a good story, mixing action, humor (Gaby, once again on top), a bit of suspense (we all know nobody will die but still) and even some sick stuff that add a slight weirdo touch (Daken literally misses one arm for nearly half the book).
The way Laura finally deals with the Orphans is well-handled if maybe a bit naive but I'm just an old schmuck.

To top it all the characters and their interactions are great. I still have the first X-23 books to read so I can't make any final judgement but it seems to me that Taylor has perfectly nailed Laura. Or at least this Laura, the one with a past she has chosen to live with and go forward. He really gives her depth and turned her into something more than than a B-list character.
And there's Gaby of course. I'm pretty sure that with any other writer I couldn't stand her. But dammit, she's so fun and cute I just can't resist.

Juann Cabal draws the whole book. The guy can draw and does a decent storytelling but I find it cold. Not enough blacks (to add depth) and an inking line that merely traces over the pencil without boldening it in my opinion. But I won't throw it at him. I've seen my share of 2-bits losers and he isn't one of them.

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

More good new wolverine from Tom Taylor and Juann Cabal. The art from Mr. Cabal might be my new favorite stuff, its so damn crisp and detailed I freaking love it. OK lets talk about the important part.....Gabby! Seriously Gabby is such a fresh character I love her personality. So this volume the whole wolverine family (minus ummm... Logan i suppose) is teamed up to tackle the Orphans of X who are family memebers of people who have suffered from mutant attacks. The story is sort of mundane but Tom Taylor's writing picks up the slack and its a fun ride. 5 volumes in and I am still a big fan of this series.

[Blindzider · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best volume by far in this series: The art is good (looks a little like Frank Cho's work) and it's consistent throughout. Laura and her family deal with a group of people committed to hunting and killing them. They are definitely serious and Taylor brings back a piece of Wolverine history to add some depth and weight to the threat of this group. The story comes full circle, coming back to Laura's origin, and ends in a frank and realistic viewpoint about violence and how it continues.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title is amazing. I love Tom Taylor.

Laura is tracked by the Orphans of X. She’ll need Daken to help her out. And the Muramassa Blade.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor's X-23 comic continues to be great.

As usual, much of the joy is in the characters. Laura and Gabby (and Jonathan!) continue to be lots of fun, and the introduction of Daken to this volume only improves on that dynamic. The interactions between him and Laura as true family members are very touching.

The plot is also interesting, because it's all about the victims of the Wolver-crew seeking their revenge. Though this starts off as strong conflicts, it's not surprising at all that Taylor manages to twist this in unexpected ways.

Beyond that we get the great humor and strong continuity that has made Taylor's A-NW superior.

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

(read as single issues)

I just love Laura and Gabby (aka HONEY BADGER) just so much and I like this storyline more than I thought I would (going to Japan and crafting ~mystical soul armor~ is like, not my favorite flavor of Wolverine adventure in general) but I do appreciate the reckoning of grief and the aftermath of violence in away that superhero comics don't always dwell on.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite volumes of the series, Taylor and Cabal hit it out of the park on this one. Laura and her hilarious sister Gabby are joined by brother Daken as they face the mysterious "Orphans of X" organization. Laura's stories are all about chosen family, and redemption by overcoming trauma; here Taylor focuses on loss, particularly the "Orphans" whose family members were killed by the Weapon X program. It's an interesting and entirely plausible situation, but some of the organization's leaders were a little under-baked. That's probably my only criticism - a lot of the power was in not explaining the backstory of these victims who were blinded by grief.

Regardless our creative team crafts a great Wolverine story, with a surprisingly emotional final page (and yes I'm referring to Laura, the mantle and family of Wolverine here) that works several volumes in but could also serve as an in-medias-res origin. (I am ready to pitch this volume to the MCU execs, just say the word.) Taylor's character development and pacing is great, and he fits in a lot of heart, great fight scenes and funny one liners (almost exclusively courtesy of Gabby). Cabal and Woodard's art is fabulous aside from just a few strange looking expressions. Looking forward to volume six, and sad it's the last one.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very strong collection, featuring a group of people who've all lost loved ones as collateral damage in mutant battles, the titular "orphans of x." They started as a support group, but are now actively hunting mutants, in particular, Wolverine, Daken, Logan, and others with a healing factor. The artwork is also at a very high level throughout. Plus, the introduction of (duh duh duhhhhhh)...the Honey Badger (otherwise known as Gabby).

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura and the wolverines come face to face with the orphans of X, a group of people who lost family members to the weaponized mutants. And they might have a way to kill them for sure (well, not for sure sure. They’re not named Uncle Ben).

Really does a lot to advance Laura Kinney, Daren, and Gabby’s characters.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume accomplished what I had considered to be the impossible:



I didn't hate Daken.



'Nuff said.

[nella ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

daken ily (3.75 ⭐)

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderfully well-written volume of All-New Wolverine.
I don't know what the MARVEL Legacy relaunch will do to this series (it's super hard for me to keep any info straight, or to find any straightforward info online. help.).

Tom Taylor is so smart. I didn't know Daken before, but lucky for me, Taylor introduced us to him in the last volume All-New Wolverine, Volume 4: Immune, so when Daken becomes the focal point of this volume Orphans of X I didn't have to Google him for the first time.

The plot itself was pretty good. A nice terrorist type support group looking to kill all the Wolverines out there: Obviously lead by the one guy Laura spared as a kid (coming back to bite her in the ass). And obviously, it was his father that programmed her and used her as X-23 to murder people for the highest bidder. And obviously, the leader who knew all this, withheld that key information from his little group..
The soul armor/sword stuff was a little out there for me (I'm not super into magic in my comics) but the feel-good ending was also pretty good, albeit cheesy.
Lady Deathstrike: "But... they killed us all."
Laura: "Yes. And you got better. Let's not dwell on it."

Gabby is still my favorite (alongside Laura, of course).
Why she's adorable:
1. Gabby freaking out when Laura threw the shield, like Captain America.
2. Gabby getting booped on the nose by Daken.
3. Gabby becoming the Honey Badger.

[Des Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowee! I've really loved Tom Taylor's Wolverine, and this volume is a great example of the run at peak form. Juann Cabal lends a McKelvie-esque hand to pencil the whole damn thing with patience and consistency, and that makes all the difference in the world. Taylor crafts a Wolverine story with equal parts Logan, and X-23. He makes some deep cuts, and cleverly walks the line of what this book is meant to be. I'm absolutely impressed, and he even employs Daken in a meaningful way, which makes me resent the character a whole lot less.

In a lot of ways, the plot is a better executed version of Detective's Victim Syndicate. The Orphans have that real life grassroots feel that gives you the chills. The ending was emotional, and genuinely heart-wrenching for me. I don't get that all that often from a big-two book. I'm thankful, and hope the series continues with this level of consistency.

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOLVERINEFAM, AN EMOJIONAL FIELD

--------------------------------

'I won't be alone in this armor... ...I'll be wrapped in the souls of my family.'

OH MY GOD, I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS. WOLVERINEFAM IS TRULY THE MOST

This was so good, I truly love the dynamic Laura now has with Gabby (HONEY BADGER!) and Daken. But oof, why did we have to do the whole clone thing, that was uncalled for especially when Laura had to go back to the place where she was made. WHO ALLOWED THIS. Does the mental torture never endddd 😭😭 I loved it, but still

The art remains great except for faces so I'm excited for the next volume (and the last, sobs) which features different artists

Favorite quotes: 'You'd like to strike fear into hearts?'
'I'd like to strike a modicum of fear, yes.
Four-and-a-half feet of fear?'

'We found your arm, and we were a bit worried when you weren't attached to it.'

'So... Do you just keep one tattooist permanently employed or...?'

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as single issues.

Wow. Just wow. I have loved Laura's journey as the Wolverine, but this story was phenomenal. I can't say too much without spoiling it, but a lot of stops get pulled out as things escalate in the fight against the Orphans of X. I loved the nods to Logan's time in Japan, I loved the interactions with Laura's family, and I especially loved the ending. As I read it, I had to stop and collect my emotions and thoughts - the solution is so uniquely Laura, I was touched deeply by it. It made perfect sense, but I didn't see it coming. Tom Taylor continues to write one of the best series of the 2010s.

Edit: How could I not talk about how awesome Gabby is? She is amazing and a real treasure for the Marvel Universe. She has been a positive influence not only on Laura, but also on her readers.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good? I somehow still never expect it. Once again, I cried. The ending! Was so emotional!