Wolverine is back, which means Laura is no longer the All-New Wolverine as we begin X-23 #1. But does that leave her without purpose, or can she carve out a new direction for herself and Honey Badger?
You can check out a different review for X-23 #1 here.
X-23 #1
“Two Birthdays and Three Funerals”
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Penciler: Juann Cabal
Colorist: Nolan Woodard
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 11, 2018
Collected in: TBD
Reviewer: Masfueg0
Solicitation Text
| Cloned from a warrior, raised as a killer, Laura Kinney has gone through hell and come out the other side a hero. After a stint as the All-New Wolverine, she returns to her roots as X-23 to make sure no one ever has to go through the horrors she did. With her sister Gabby and their pet Jonathan in tow, X-23 forges her own destiny in this new series by Mariko Tamaki (HULK, HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: CLAWS OF A KILLER) and Juann Cabal (ALL-NEW WOLVERINE, ELEKTRA). |
I’m reluctant to admit this but I’ve actually never read an issue of X-23. I’ve always felt like there was so much history there and I wouldn’t know where to start. Well, there is no time like the present than jumping into Marvel’s ‘Fresh Start’. Not to mention the movie Logan helped in building my interest immensely. Let’s be honest that movie got so much right.
Story
Story telling is an art, obviously. Some writers are able to put words on a page an tell a good story. Then there are writers who are able to make the words come alive and that’s what we have here. I’ve read a lot of comic books since 2008, when I first started reading, and some of my favorite writers have been ones like Geoff Johns who are able to do this. It’s as if you’re reading perfectly dialogued TV show. When I think about what I’m reading its as if I’ve watched a cartoon of the comic book I’m currently reading. MIND PICTURES MAN! So, right away big kudos to Mariko Tamaki.
As far as the story we were actually presented with, I really enjoyed it. Since jumping back into X-Men comics Honey Badger has quickly become a favorite of mine. She’s so much fun. It’s like reading what a young Wolverine would be like if he had no restrictions from Prof X.
Another good thing they did here was not involve villains from the past…yet. One thing X-men comics love to do is always bring everything back to their main big bads. Like Sinister, Magneto or the Weapon X program. So far, that’s not what was presented here. Tamaki took a huge swerve. It was interesting, spooky and just down right ‘Fresh’. Did I mention it was a little spooky? Yea, spooky in an X-men comic isn’t typical unless it’s Mojo but, it worked here.
Art
The art from Juann Cabal complimented the story so well. I really enjoyed the creativity of the panels in the big action sequence in the opening of the book. I’m also a sucker for bold colors/lines and attention to detail and we got that here. I actually caught myself stopping and really trying to pick a part the details of their costumes or the tread on the bottom of their shoes. I really hope the artist stays on this book for a long while.
Conclusion
This book had it all. Great storytelling, good art and spooky intrigue. I don’t have crazy criteria for comics to be considered good or great for that matter. But this was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it from top to bottom. I’ve read a few of Marvel’s ‘Fresh Start’ books and this one tops them so far. I have to mention that with very little knowledge a noob can jump in and hit the ground running. This book gets a 10 from me. There just wasn’t anything about it that I didn’t enjoy.
