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Let's Talk About X(-23): So, you want to know more about LOGAN's little murder girl..

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You've seen the trailers or commercials for 'LOGAN', starring Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart in their final turns as Wolverine and Professor X. Or maybe you're one of the lucky few to have already seen the film (no spoilers!) Or, maybe you've listened to your friends (lucky you!) talk about wanting to see it, and you just want to prove you're the biggest nerd of them all. In any case, you may have found yourself wondering: what's the deal with that girl? The little murder girl with the claws like Logan's, the blank stares, the angry yelling at gas station clerks, and the extremely disproportional to her size violence?

Well that little murder girl's name is Laura, and wonder no more friend because your old buddy Spike is here to enlighten you. I've been following X-23's exploits since her debut on a kids' cartoon (more on that below) roughly fourteen years ago, and in anticipation of next week's release of 'LOGAN' in theaters I am here to give you the lowdown on her history. I also come bearing recommendations on what comics to read for those so inclined, since I've pretty much read all of them.

In fact, y'see this?

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That's the promotional image from when X-23 was first revealed in 2003. I remember seeing it on Comics Continuum way back when and, although I'd play hell trying to prove it, I'm fairly certain that I posted it on GAF when it was released. That's how long I've been following X-23's exploits, and I couldn't be happier that Hugh Jackman's last outing as Wolverine is a story that introduces X-23. Super-pumped!

So strap in kiddies, and bring your reading glasses!

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VITAL SNIKT-ISTICS (Ah hah hah hah hah hah hah... hah... haaaaa. *cough*)
Real Name: Laura Kinney (or Laura Howlett)
Codenames: X-23, Talon, Wolverine
Height: 155cm (5ft 1in)
Weight: 50kg (110lbs)
Hair Color: Black (Brown in X-Men Evolution)
Eye Color: Green
Place of Birth: The Facility, somewhere in North America

Powers and Abilities: As a clone X-23 posesses all of Wolverine's mutant abilities including a regenerative healing factor, slowed aging, immunity to disease, superior poison/drug resistance, enhanced animalistic senses, and superhuman stamina, reflexes and agility. X-23 also posesses six retractable bone claws like Wolverine; in her case however, two claws are located in each forearm while a third claw extends from each foot. X-23's claws have been sharpened and laced with adamantium making them indestructible and capable of cutting through virtually anything; the rest of her skeleton however was not enhanced with the metal, making her less durable than Wolverine.

Raised entirely in captivity by a government program to become a living weapon, X-23 has received extensive training in martial arts, firearms and explosives, military tactics and strategy, assassination techniques, tracking and surveillance, disguise and infiltration, interrogation and torture. She speaks a wide variety of languages with expert fluency, and has extensive knowledge of human anatomy. The Facility also conditioned her to respond violently to a chemical smell referred to as "trigger scent;" upon exposure to this chemical X-23 enters a berserker rage similar to Wolverine's, and will kill anything covered in the scent.

In addition to her training X-23 has considerable field experience in combat situations, from working as an assassin since the age of ten, and as an active member of various mutant teams since joining the X-Men.

First Appearance: X-Men Evolution (cartoon, 2003); NYX #3 (comics, 2004)

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MADE FOR TELEVISION: X-Men Evolution (2003)
Question: other than gender, what does X-23 have in common with DC's Harley Quinn? Well like Harley, X-23 first appeared not in the pages of a comic book but on television screens, in a Saturday morning cartoon. She was created for the KidsWB series X-Men Evolution by writer/producer Craig Kyle, debuting in 2003 during the show's third season in an episode titled "X23." Introduced as a clone of Wolverine created by HYDRA, X-23 was intended to be the perfect living weapon in their war against S.H.I.E.L.D. When she learned of Wolverine's existence however, X-23 went rogue and later attacked him at the X-Mansion, blaming Logan for her tortured existence. After an action-packed and emotional confrontation with the X-Men, ending in a tearful hug between donor (father? brother?) and clone (daughter? sister?), X-23 evaded capture by S.H.I.E.L.D. and began hunting the villains who created her.

X-23 would reappear during the show's fourth and final season, in the episode "Target X." In that story Wolverine reunites with X-23 to battle Omega Red and Madame Hydra who was responsible for X-23's creation, and now seeks to recapture her and complete X-23's transformation into an emotionless killing machine. X-23 seemingly sacrifices herself to kill Madame Hydra and destroy her flying base in a fiery explosion, but at the end is revealed to have survived the blast and escaped, at last free to live on her own terms.

The 2009 animated series Wolverine and the X-Men would also feature X-23 in several episodes, including two episodes set in the show's future where X-23 would fight alongside Wolverine and her identical clone sisters.

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Suggested Reading Viewing: Watch X-Men Evolution on Hulu, Amazon Video or iTunes

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PERSONALITY SPLIT: NYX (2004) and Uncanny X-Men (2004-2005)
Though only appearing in two episodes X-23 made quite the impression on fans, and on the folks at Marvel Comics; so much so that the decision was quickly made to introduce her into the pages of X-Men comics. In 2004, X-23 would make her comic book debut in NYX, a spinoff series written by Joe Quesada and illustrated by Joshua Middleton. NYX told the story of a group of a group of homeless young mutants led by runaway Kiden Nixon, as they struggled to survive and protect each other on the streets of New York City. In the third issue their group meets X-23, introduced as a nameless underage prostitute working for the ruthless pimp known as "Zebra Daddy." X-23 tags along with the NYX teens after one of her johns kills himself during a session; when Zebra Daddy comes looking to reclaim her, X-23 chooses to kill her pimp to save the others from his wrath. Pale and dressed in goth-punk clothing, emotionally withdrawn and of few words, the X-23 of NYX is rather unlike her tanned, angry, almost feral cartoon counterpart, and virtually nothing was revealed of her past before Marvel announced the series was canceled.

NYX may have lasted only seven issues before Marvel pulled the plug, but X-23 would not share its fate and quickly found herself in a new series that was much closer to home -- and closer to a certain hirsute, clawed mutant. For the landmark 450th issue of Uncanny X-Men, the legendary creative team of writer Chris Claremont and artist Alan Davis introduced X-23 to Wolverine and the X-Men, in a story titled "The Cruelest Cut." On the hunt for a killer in New York City the team encounters X-23 working as a waitress and, after a brief and violent misunderstanding, she joins the X-Men to save one of her friends and becomes an unofficial member of the team, sharing a room at the X-Mansion with Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers. Wearing a costume borrowed from Wolverine (who himself borrowed it from Imperial Guardsman Fang) and bearing a protective attitude towards him as she tagged along on the X-Men's adventures, Claremont's version of X-23 was markedly different from her NYX iteration, and aligned more closely with her X-Men Evolution characterization. X-23 continued to appear in the pages of Uncanny X-Men for the next year before fading into the background, but since then this period of her life and Claremont's interpretation as a whole has largely been ignored by both writers and fans.

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Suggested Reading: NYX: The Complete Collection (collects NYX #1-7 and NYX: No Way Home #1-6); Uncanny X-Men #450-451; 455-460

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AN EARLY START: X-23: Innocence Lost (2005) and X-23: Target X (2007)
In developing the character of X-23 for X-Men Evolution, Craig Kyle didn't simiply write "female clone of Wolverine with claws in her feet too" and call it a day. Instead he crafted a lengthy and elaborate backstory for her; an origin rich with history, emotion and tragedy, that tied her inextricably to the story of Wolverine. In 2005 Marvel gave Kyle the chance to tell that story in full, announcing that X-23 would star in her first limited solo series. Written by Kyle and his Evolution collaborator Christopher Yost, with artwork by Billy Tan, X-23 (later retitled X-23: Innocence Lost for clarity) would reveal X-23's origin in greater detail than ever before attempted, resulting after two abortive attempts in a singular and definitive comic interpretation that would cement her position in the world of Marvel's X-Men.

When Weapon X (aka Logan, aka Wolverine) escaped from the government program that transformed him into an unstoppable killing machine, the agencies behind that program tasked new researchers with recreating their greatest success by any means necessary. Decades later work on the project under Dr. Zander Rice had stalled due to a lack of viable test subjects, until geneticist Sarah Kinney approached program director Martin Sutter with an ambitious proposal: clone the original test subject, Logan, rather than continue using inferior substitutes. When her attempts at creating a male speciment continued to fail, Sarah disobeyed orders and produced a viable female clone embryo; the experiment could proceed but as punishment for her unauthorized ambition, Dr. Rice forced Sarah to serve as the surrogate for her creation. Nine months later Sarah gave birth to a healthy, X-gene positive baby girl designated X-23 (the successful 23rd attempt at cloning Weapon X), and the Facility at last had its perfect test subject. Kept on board as an advisor Sarah watched with growing concern and helpless horror as over the years her creation, her daughter, was subjected to painful testing, brutal conditioning, and medical procedures performed by an increasingly sadistic Dr. Rice, before being sent on global missions of assassination by the Facility. Unable to bear her guilt any longer, and sensing her eminently expendable nature, Sarah began hatching a desperate plan to bring down the Facility and escape with X-23.

In 2007, Marvel and the writing team of Kyle and Yost would revisit X-23's origins once again, with a follow-up limited series featuring artwork by Mike Choi. Titled X-23: Target X, the sequel picked up in the immediate aftermath of X-23's (now Laura Kinney, as named by her mother) escape from the Facility where she was created, and chronicled her efforts to evade recapture while seeking family in a new and unfamiliar world. In addition to revealing X-23's real first encounter with Wolverine (a retcon that would further complicate her earlier appearances in Uncanny), Target also introduced an arch-enemy for X-23 in Kimura, her abusive handler. Genetically modified by the Facility to possess regenerative and density-modifying powers, Kimura was the ideal counter to X-23's abilities as well as a brutal tormentor of the young girl, and following the escape was tasked by the Facility's backers with recapturing X-23 and killing anyone she came in contact with.

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Suggested Reading: X-23: Innocence Lost; X-23: Target X

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WOLF AMONG SHEEP: New X-Men: Childhood's End (2006-2008)
"No more mutants." With those three words, the course of mutant history was drastically altered in the 2005 Avengers/X-Men crossover event House of M. On what would come to be known as "M-Day," mutants around the world suddenly found themselves mutants no longer, irrevocably depowered by the Scarlet Witch's chaos magic. Where once their numbers ranged in the millions, with more joining the ranks each day, after M-Day the mutant population was reduced to fewer than two hundred, and no new X-gene positive children were being born to replace the fallen. Homo superior was a species suddenly on the brink of extinction, and among the surviving examples of their race was X-23.

M-Day's aftermath, chronicled in the subsequent Decimation event, necessitated a complete overhaul of the family of X-Men titles Marvel published, to reflect the dire reality mutants now faced. When Craig Kyle and Chris Yost took over as writers for New X-Men, a series about mutant students enrolled at the Xavier Institute, they wasted no time in sparking immediate controversy and even outrage by killing off many of the book's young cast members. Capitalizing on the X-Men's vulnerable state following M-Day, an anti-mutant fundamentalist group led by William Stryker launched a rocket attack on the X-Mansion, blowing up a bus full of depowered students as they departed the school. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled following Stryker's attack, more than forty students were dead and many more injured, and the book's cast had been reduced to roughly a dozen active members, to be trained by the X-Men as the next, possibly last, generation of mutant heroes.

It's in this time of uncertain futures and impending doom that X-23 is introduced to the X-Men for the second time. After M-Day a concerned Logan contacts Laura and asks her to join the school again, for her protection but also to interact with mutants her own age, and perhaps begin adjusting to a "normal" life. Reluctantly X-23 agreed and joined the other students despite the disapproval of headmistress Emma Frost, who knew telepathically what X-23 had done and the potential threat she posed to the other students. Initially fearful and distrusting of Laura, her classmates began to accept her as one of their own following Stryker's attack. She befriended her roommates Dust, Pixie, and Armor, and later Mercury after she is captured by the Facility that created X-23. Laura also developed a crush on telekinetic Hellion, perhaps the unluckiest mutant to ever mutate (won't someone give that poor boy a hand?). Alongside her classmates X-23 battled anti-mutant extremists, killer robots from the future, liquid metal monsters, and inter-dimensional demons. And her remarkable skill in combat situations, coupled with her penchant for self-sacrifice, would draw the attention of X-Men leader Cyclops, who saw a use for such qualities in the days to come...

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Suggested Reading: New X-Men #20-46

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RUNNING WITH THE PACK: X-Force (2008-2010)
Hope continued to dwindle for the mutant race, labeled as an endangered species by the US government following M-Day. For the X-Men, now guarded by the Sentinels that once hunted them, the mission of peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants became secondary to the paramount fight for survival. Every X-Man, every student, every mutant lost in battle brought them one step closer to extinction; for Cyclops -- the de facto leader of mutantkind -- that meant no action to protect the species would be off the table, no matter how unthinkable prior to M-Day. And when the first and only X-gene positive child born since M-Day was nearly assassinated by an anti-mutant group, Cyclops deemed it necessary to fight the enemies of mutantkind on their own brutal, merciless terms.

In Kyle and Yost's X-Force, Cyclops recruits a team of X-Men to act as a covert death squad, tasked with hunting and eliminating the human enemies of mutantkind before their genocidal plans succeed. Initially consisting of X-23, Warpath and Wolfsbane, the team is later joined by Archangel, Domino, Elixir and Vanisher; Cyclops would ask Wolverine to lead the team, after informing him of its existence. Unhappy at this development, and especially with Laura's early involvement, Logan accepted the job to lead but also protect the team as best he could. So when Wolverine witnessed X-23 lapsing into her Facility conditioning on their first mission, jeopardizing the lives of her teammates, he sharply rebuked the young girl causing her to become confused. As they battled religious extremists, militant hate groups, rogue mutants, would-be conquerors and armies of the undead, X-23's mental and emotional state continued to deteriorate, as her Weapon X training conflicted with her newly awakening humanity.

Following an especially difficult mission to the future in the X-Force/Cable crossover Messiah War, X-23 was kidnapped and returned to the Facility where she endured brutal torture at the hands of Kimura before being rescued. Upon returning to Utopia the X-Men's island base, Logan suspended X-23 from future missions citing its adverse effect on her personal development; after the Second Coming event he removes her from X-Force permanently, advising Laura to stop letting others use her, and to start making her own choices about the life she wants for herself.

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Suggested Reading: X-Men Messiah Complex; X-Force #1-28; X-Force/Cable: Messiah War, X-Necrosha; X-Men Second Coming
 
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BECOMING HUMAN: X-23 (2010-2012) and Avengers Academy (2012-2013)
In 2010 following the events of X-Force and Second Coming, Marvel announced that Laura would star in X-23, her first ongoing solo series written by best-selling author Marjorie Liu and illustrated by a host of artists including Will Conrad, Sana Takeda and Phil Noto. When Wolverine is sent to hell and a demon posesses his body to destroy those closest to him, Laura is forced to confront her own dark side and ask difficult questions about her existence. What is she to the people around her? Is she a person, or a weapon? What does she want from life? Does X-23 have a soul?

To find answers to these questions and more, Laura leaves Utopia behind and embarks on a journey of self discovery. Accompanied by the Cajun mutant thief Gambit X-23, travels the world making stops in Nevada, Madripoor, Paris, and New York City. Along the way she encounters other clones while battling Miss Sinister; meets her devious brother (nephew?) Daken, son of Wolverine; befriends ex-mutant turned vampire Jubilee; and babysits the Fantastic Four children, Franklin and Valeria Richards. In X-23's closing issues (the series was canceled by Marvel at #21), Laura returned to the X-Men only to find them divided into two camps: the militant isolationists led by Cyclops, and the newly rebuilt school led by Wolverine. Asked to join both sides, X-23 instead chooses a third option: she will attempt to become a hero, and so joins the Avengers Academy.

Avengers Academy, a series by Christos Gage and Mike McKone that also debuted in 2010, initially told the story of a training program for young heroes becoming the next generation of Avengers, that was in reality an intervention program for at-risk teen metahumans to prevent their becoming the next generation of supervillains. X-23 joined Academy at issue #23, after the school relocated to California and expanded its roster to include other teen heroes and sidekicks in addition to the original class. Laura joined as a part-time student, becoming friends with cast members Mettle and especially Finesse, whose combat abilities and personality disorder made her sympathetic to Laura's own struggles with human emotion. When the Academy was drawn into the Avengers vs. X-Men event, Laura sided with the students at risk instead of the adults quarreling over the Phoenix Force, and even defended Justin Seyfort's Sentinel (think Iron Giant) when a Phoenix-powered Emma Frost came to destroy it. The damage caused in the battle was significant, however, and headmasters Giant-Man and Cheetah announced the Academy would be closing to avoid further conflict.

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Suggested Reading: X-23 #1-21 , Avengers Academy #23-39

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BONUS! DIRT NAP: Marvel Vs Capcom 3 (2011)
In 2010 Japanese game developer Capcom at long last announced the much anticipated third sequel in the best-selling Marvel vs Capcom fighting game franchise. Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds would be the first 3D installment in the series, featuring a roster of thirty-six playable characters (forty-eight in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, plus two available as DLC) drawn from various Capcom games and Marvel comics. At the 2010 Tokyo Game Show it was revealed that X-23 would be joining the cast, with a play style similar to that of returning favorite Wolverine. With greater emphasis on mobility rather than power, X-23 employed a variety of rushing, aerial and cross-up attacks to confuse and overwhelm her opponents when close, but was reliant on assist characters to close on enemies that excelled at keeping their distance. Her hyper combo moves included the "Rage Trigger," the "Weapon X Prime," and the "Silent Kill," in which X-23 disappeared from view only to reappear and stab her opponent from behind.

[Youtube] X-23 Reveal Trailer (1:13)

Voiced by Tara Strong, the X-23 appearing in MvC3 was very different personality-wise from her comic book version, and much closer in temperament to her original, angry incarnation from X-Men Evolution. In her story ending, X-23 defeated the planet-devouring final boss Galactus, and boasts to Wolverine at finally being the best at what they do. Unperturbed by her declaration, Logan tells Laura to remove the fallen cosmic being from the X-Mansion's lawn.

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Suggested Reading Gaming: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (PS3, X360, PSVITA, PS4)

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HARD TIMES AHEAD: Avengers Arena (2013-2014) and All-New X-Men (2014-Present)
In 2012 at the dawn of the "Marvel Now!" era, Marvel released what would perhaps become its most polarizing and controversial series of the last decade. Avengers Arena, written by Dennis Hopeless with artwork by Kevin Walker, would pit Marvel's teenage heroes against one another in a fatal "last man standing" competition, while stranded on a remote island with no contact from the outside world. If that all sounds an awful lot like Battle Royale to you, well, you aren't wrong. The mastermind behind this nefarious life-or-death game? Longtime Spider-Man and X-Men villain, Arcade. Tired of being ridiculed for his "Murderworld" schemes that failed to live up the name, and eager to establish himself as a genuine threat, Arcade chose to strike at the hero community by targeting their future: the next generation of heroes.

X-23 was among the teens kidnapped and forced to participate, along with fellow Academy alums Mettle, Hazmat, Reptil, and Justin Seyfort plus Sentinel. Other participants included Nico and Chase of the Runaways, Darkhawk, and students from the Braddock Academy, a competing hero training school based in Europe. As strategic alliances formed, crumbled and reformed according to Arcade's design X-23 stuck close to her Academy allies, until Arcade used trigger scent to turn her against the others. Ultimately X-23 failed to kill anyone while under the influence of trigger scent, though coming close several times, and in the end only she and Hazmat survived out of the Academy participants. At great cost the teens were able to bring a premature end to Arcade's game, and the survivors were rescued by their mentors and S.H.I.E.L.D; the damage had been done however, and each survivor was deeply traumatized by the ordeal.

The mental scars inflicted on X-23 would carry over to her next appearance, as she soon joined the cast of All-New X-Men, a series written by Brian Michael Bendis. All-New follows the adventures of the time-displaced "Original 5" X-Men -- a teenage Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast and Angel -- as they cope with being stranded in their future and seek to defy their fates. In issue #19 the team finds X-23, injured and suffering from amnesia, being pursued by the Purifiers. After they assist her in defeating the Purifiers Laura decides to join the team, accompanying them on their missions to outer space and alternate realities. Along the way Laura appears to develop feelings for the young Cyclops, but when he leaves the team to join his long-lost father Corsair on an interstellar vacation, X-23 becomes attached to the young Angel beginning a rocky romantic relationship that continues to this day.

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Suggested Reading: Avengers Arena #1-18; All-New X-Men (v1) #19-41; All-New X-Men (v2) #1-

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IN HIS NAME: All-New Wolverine (2016-Present)
For Marvel, when a major character suffers from overexposure, loses popularity among readers, or simply grows stale, the decision to drastically shake things up comes easily. In some instances that means killing the character off, and/or replacing the original with another character; the hope being, that a temporary "rest" is just what that character needs to restore that star's brilliance upon their inevitable return. In 2014 it was Logan's turn to take that rest; after forty years headlining the X-Men franchise, Marvel announced the Death of Wolverine event ending in the clawed mutant's adamantium -coated demise.

To honor the memory of Logan, X-23 would take up her donor/father's mantle, adopting his costume and codename to become the new Wolverine. All-New Wolverine written by Tom Taylor chronicles the adventures of X-23 as she strives to be a different kind of Wolverine, fiercely protecting her friends and the innocent while somehow avoiding the excessive bloodshed and loss of life that defined Logan's life and hers thus far. A difficult balance to be sure, especially for one trained for killing as she was, but luckily for Laura she has a little help from an unexpected source.

In the opening story arc "The Four Sisters," Laura attempts to stop a group of masked female assassins targeting government officials for elimination. All is not as it seems however, as proven when the assassins are revealed to be clones of X-23, created in a revival of the Weapon X program. These clones went rogue and escaped captivity to protect the youngest of their number, a precocious child named Gabby, and by the end of their story Laura finds herself burdened with something she's never had before: the responsibility of raising a kid sister. Shielded by her sisters from the worst of the Facility's torments, Gabby retains some of her childlike warmth and joy, offering Laura a unique opportunity for personal growth as she and Gabby live together in one of Logan's old apartments.

Oh, and they have a pet wolverine named Jonathan (the Unstoppable). He's a gift from Squirrel Girl, and he's very well behaved for a wolverine. He even has a mask that Gabby made for him, to protect his secret identity. Because why not?

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Suggested Reading: All-New Wolverine #1-

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ON THE HORIZON: LOGAN (2017) and All-New Wolverine, (cont.)
X-23 is starring in an X-Men movie! Okay okay, Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are starring in an X-Men movie, their last X-Men movie if the talk is to be believed, but X-23 is going to be in it too and in a big way! Laura's making the jump from cartoons to comics to blockbuster Hollywood movie in 'LOGAN', in theaters beginning March 3rd. She's being played by relative newcover Dafne Keen, and little is known about the character (no spoilers!) except that she has the claws, stoicism and violent fury we've come to know and love from Laura.

Meanwhile, over on the comic book front Laura continues to appear in the pages of All-New Wolverine in 2017. In issue #19 a new story arc titled "Immune" begins and will see X-23 sporting a new black-and-gray costume that's more reminiscent of her X-Force attire. Does this change signal that a certain someone is returning to wear the yellow-and-blue duds? Marvel isn't saying anything at this point, so you'll have to wait to find out. But one thing's for certain: Laura, Gabby, and Jonathan aren't going anywhere any time soon!

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Suggested Viewing/Reading: LOGAN, in theaters March 3rd; All-New Wolverine #19, on shelves April 5

TL;DR VERSION: aka "But I have the attention span of 140 characters or less!"
...You lazy motherf@&!er. Here.

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X-23: The Complete Collection Volume 01 collects X-23: Innocence Lost and X-23: Target X by Kyle/Yost, the opening arc of Marjorie Liu's X-23 solo series, and some related one-shots. Volume 02 collects the rest of Liu's X-23 run, plus issues from the "Collision" crossover with Daken: Dark Wolverine and other related stories. They're not everything, but they should suffice at getting you up to speed quickly if you want to read about X-23.

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(Thanks to Blasian Persuasion for "little murder girl")
 

PBalfredo

Member
I remember reading some of the early X-23 stuff, up until just before X-Force. Putting her in that group seems like a real dick move on Scott's part.
 

Zackat

Member
I've been reading the All-New Wolverine series as it comes up on Marvel Unlimited. I like it so far. Shit just got real in the most recent one.
 

Jintor

Member
Thank you OP.

I had no idea what they were doing with X-23 right now (besides Logan) and I'm pretty interested in All New Wolverine by the sounds of things.
 
This was a good refresher. Was a big fan of her on New X-Men and X-Force, probably because the people writing her actually understood her character. Also a fan of her and solo series with her Gambit. Fell off when she showed up in All New X-Men, she just acted completely different there, probably cause Bendis sucks.
 

Toki767

Member
I actually have been reading a lot of X-23 comics on Marvel Unlimited the past week.

I like Laura as a character.
 

Savitar

Member
I remember quite a few people hating her for a time, but that seems to have largely passed now. I always liked the character, she brought a unique situation to Logan and herself as a tragic character always had possibility, especially when you knew that she had everything to change things around and become something amazing.
 

Bronion

Member
I've been aware of the character since her debut in the TV show, but have only just started reading some of her comics. Always thought she looked cool and liked the idea of her back story.

She's like a completely different character in X-Force vs. All-New Wolverine. Not sure if the material in between helps smooth out her transition from killing machine to ordering Chinese food in the Bronx and taking selfies with Squirrel Girl, but it's pretty jarring. And she's even different in her Death of Wolverine story.

But, I find aspects I like about her in all of her stuff I've read. Really glad Logan took the direction it did and we get to see her on the big screen. The wait for next Friday is killing me.
 
Wow, congrats on the OP, very informative.
I always found her introduction in NYX a bit misguided. I'm glad they don't really reference it anymore. I haven't read the latest issues but I hate that they recently paired her up with Angel of all people, she's better than that. And I'm not crazy about her taking on the Wolverine name. I wish she had followed the Nightwing route instead.

Otherwise, I really like Laura. She could have been just another clone of a popular character but there's a lot more to her. Three days until I see Logan, I can't wait.
 
Not a comics person but I enjoyed playing as her in UMVC3. Her lvl 3 hyper combo combined with Dante's Jam Session assist meant an instant win if you got a clean hit on your opponent's second character.
 
Great write up, always love learning this type of in-depth stuff.

What was so polarizing/controversial about Avengers Arena? Being a big Battle Royale fan it was one of the first comics I read (plus the sequel Avengers Undercover) and I enjoyed it well enough.
 

Tizoc

Member
The Sana Takeda run had Vampire Jubilee and is one I ought to go back to some day.
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Thanks for the thread Spike, good work!
 

HeatBoost

Member
I really don't like the turn Laura took after Wolverine died. What made her unique was her kind of detached (but still emotional) and vaguely Vulcan outlook on things. Now she's a bit of a generic action girl. It reminds me of how Cassandra Cain was turned from someone with an interesting gimmick into Lady Shiva 2.0 when DC did One Year Later.

Having her inherit the Wolverine mantle saps her of individuality even further. As much heroic shit as Wolverine did, he was still a crazy murder midget. Enemy of the State didn't happen THAT long ago in continuity. Wanting become the new Wolverine strikes me as not unlike wanting to become the new Punisher.
 

Veedot

Member
My second favorite comic character of all time, I own every issue she's appeared in from NYX up to Avengers Academy. I read Avengers Arena but don't own a physical version. I haven't kept up with her since then and I don't think I want to read All New X-Men at all. But All New Wolverine seems pretty good (though i don't like her dating angel) and i'm just going to wait until mid may to get vol 1-3 at one time. But she just has some consistently good quality when it comes to stories she's involved in(though the issues she's in uncanny are largely forgettable).
 

Zombine

Banned
Spike this is awesome. Great write up. Laura is a pretty fun character and I'm glad she's getting her moment to shine.
 
I didn't know she was introduced as a prostitute in comics. So thats why she used to dress in skimpy exotic clothing. Reading the description it sounds like most writers want to forget that ever happened, which I don't blame them.
 
Great write up, always love learning this type of in-depth stuff.

What was so polarizing/controversial about Avengers Arena? Being a big Battle Royale fan it was one of the first comics I read (plus the sequel Avengers Undercover) and I enjoyed it well enough.
Okay well, imagine it's 2013 and you're a fan of Runaways. There's a lot of them out there, you know? Very popular series, a cult following among Marvel fans, gonna be a TV show soon after being talked about for forever. People are always asking, "when are we getting another Runaways series? When's it coming back?" There hasn't been a Runaways series in like five years, when's it happening? Or imagine you're a fan of Avengers Academy, a not-as-but-still popular series that just ended after completing a three-year run. "What's gonna happen to those characters?", you're asking. Or maybe you're an X-23 fan, still upset that her solo series was canceled and now her supporting role gig in Academy is gone and you're wondering where she'll land next. She's gotta end up somewhere, right? They wouldn't just ignore her after this.

Marvel: "We're putting them all on an island where they'll kill each other until only one survives, in a blatant ripoff of Battle Royale."

Ouch. Understandably that didn't go over well with some people, especially once the series came out and those same people started butting heads with the folks who thought Arena was actually good. For poor Laura's part, she became a glorified plot device; "oh no, X-23's hopped up on trigger scent again! She's gonna kill us all!"

Is her prostitute backstory still canon? Seems like it isn't since no one ever references it.

I didn't know she was introduced as a prostitute in comics. So thats why she used to dress in skimpy exotic clothing. Reading the description it sounds like most writers want to forget that ever happened, which I don't blame them.
Actually Liu references it several times during the solo series.

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Honestly, it makes sense. Laura was a socially stunted teenage girl used to being treated as a thing by men of authority, becoming whatever they told her to be to complete the mission. I imagine that whatever happened after Target X to put her in Zebra Daddy's stable, it involved letting herself slip back into familiar roles as a coping mechanism rather than confront the swirl of confusing, frightening emotions accompanying her growing humanity.

I was down to read All New Wolverine but after reading about the clones of X-23 that sounds lazy as hell.
Weapon X proved that turning a man into an unstoppable killing machine is possible, albeit difficult. X-23 proved that there's a f*ckton of money to be made in creating unstoppable killing machines. So what if they keep escaping? There's lots and lots of money to be made.
 

Slayven

Member
I am glad you didn't handwave away Hellion. Hands down one of the most important parts of her development. I can't put my finger on it, but their relationship was really gripping.
 
I am glad you didn't handwave away Hellion. Hands down one of the most important parts of her development. I can't put my finger on it, but their relationship was really gripping.
Thanks for the encouragement! We could all use a pat on the back now and then.

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Explain the logistics of the foot claw. How does that fuck up how she walks?
Claws from the Claw Dimension! They're actually stored in a pocket reality until needed, and by wiggling her toes a specific way they appear through a tiny portal created by the runes inscribed between her big toe and long toe.

Kind of like how Doctor Strange casts magic with hand gestures, only she does it with her toes.
 
Had no idea that she was made for TV, like Harley Quinn. Loved her character in Xmen Evolution, but haven't followed up in comics, so thanks for this summary.
 

Slayven

Member
Thanks for the encouragement! We could all use a pat on the back now and then.

kIEdcq6.jpg


Claws from the Claw Dimension! They're actually stored in a pocket reality until needed, and by wiggling her toes a specific way they appear through a tiny portal created by the runes inscribed between her big toe and long toe.

Kind of like how Doctor Strange casts magic with hand gestures, only she does it with her toes.

You get me
 

Razmos

Member
That was a great read, thank you. Loved X-23 when she was introduced in Evolution but I don't read the comics so haven't followed her since.
 

Hastati

Member
I was introduced to X-23 from either Marvel vs Capcom 3 or perhaps the Kotobukiya statue, and I'm a fan of her despite not knowing much about Marvel. That being said, I don't know much about her history in the universe, so this thread is much appreciated!

Really looking forward to seeing Logan.

Edit: It sounds like watching Logan first and then picking up towards the beginning of her origins isn't a bad way to go actually, since this is her first time (?) appearing in the movies. Otherwise there's a ton of great stuff in here to pick up, thank you for taking the time to summarize everything and provide links!
 

kunonabi

Member
i hate her comics incarnation but I'm actually looking forward to her in Logan. I still think the claws on the feet are stupid though.
 
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