X-23 #1 (The Killing Dream: Part 1) – Marvel Comics-$3.99
4 out of 5 stars
X-23/Laura, the female clone of Wolverine, is dreaming that she’s running away from death and destruction, when she runs into Wolverine. He tells her that he will give her freedom if she will be his queen and help him rule Hell. She wakes up screaming “no.” She is on Utopia Island, the X-Men headquarters. Although other X-Men youngsters are hanging out and eating pizza, X-23 decides to talk with Storm, who is remembering her lost love, Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner). Storm tries to make Laura feel better about not fitting in and asks Laura to play chess with her. X-23 decides to leave when she senses that Wolverine is nearby. Wolverine and Storm discuss Laura’s ability to change. Wolverine doesn’t think she can. She was raised to be a killer and that’s what she’ll always be. Storm thinks that Laura at least deserves a chance to prove him wrong. Cyclops and Emma Frost argue over Laura too. Frost thinks X-Men ruined Laura’s chances of enjoying life as a youngster. Cyclops doesn’t think Laura would have been able to anyway. Cyclops is the one who enlisted Laura in X-Force, the X-Men black ops group.
The next time we see Laura she is knocked out in the middle of a forest. Perhaps she has gone on an exhausting killing spree, but we will never know.
The next day the young X-Men give Laura crap for not hanging out with them last night. Hellion stands up for Laura. She tells him that she has missed him. The group continues to harass her, but Cyclops comes to the rescue. Cyclops sends Laura to a mutant halfway house, a place to transition from the life of a mutant to the life of an average Joe or Josephina in X-23’s case. But even in this new place, Laura’s dreams of horror continue.
Writer (Marjorie Liu): Liu makes us love X-23 by displaying how the character is one that we can all relate to. Laura does not fit in with regular human beings or mutants. She feels like she is all alone on a dark blood-covered island. She is the outsider that is within us all. It will be interesting to watch how she grows and learns to mingle with others.
Illustrator (Will Conrad): Conrad’s illustrations are fantastic. He illustrates Laura’s life in way that the reader can feel what Laura is feeling. Whether it is the pain and horror in her dreams, the awkwardness of her trying to socialize with others, or her loving of Hellion, all of Laura’s emotions can been seen on the pages thanks to Conrad.
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