Laura is finding out that trying to keep two super powered pre-teens safe isn’t as easy as she thought. This adventure in babysitting takes X-23 from joy riding a dragon, to being lost on a foreign planet, where she is now face to face with a man who calls himself Taneleer Tivan – The Collector. Was this what Laura signed up for when leaving the X-men?
X-23 #18
Story by: Marjorie Liu
Art by: Sana Takeda
Letters By: VC-Cory Petit
Cover By: Kalman Andrasofszky
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in X-23: After leaving the X-Men, Laura is on a journey of self discovery. Along the way, she finds herself with the Future Foundation’s, Reed Richards and Sue Storm, whom need her help… with babysitting.
BRINGING THE ’80s BACK
While reading this issue I couldn’t help but feel like I was having a flash back of watching the movie “Adventures In Babysitting”, side pony tail, leg warmers and all. I feel this idea is fully embraced by the writer, Marjorie Liu and actually played up on with the advertising of this issue. Aside from the obvious fact that X-23 #18 feels like those dreaded filler episodes on your favorite TV series, I did enjoy the read. It was a fun, feel good story with Sana Takeda’s amazing art that makes you want to stare at the pages for hours. The most enjoyable moments for me, would be the cute banter between Laura and Julian, in which, you discover some seemingly important information about Laura. I do wish, however, they would have used this issue to continue to fill out the character’s development more, and focus less on the somewhat hokey adventure.
SO MUCH POTENTIAL, SO LITTLE TIME
The issue opens with high action and beautiful art that grabs your attention, and makes you want to see more. The pages turn, and the art stays amazing, yet the writing seems to get lost. Reader’s get very little feeling for who X-23 is, and are only shown her need to find the children she has been intrusted with keeping an eye on. X-23 is a very likable character, with so much potential. Knowing that Marvel is planning to cancel this title, I can’t help but be mad they aren’t doing more with the precious issues she has left. This issue follows her “adventure” and leaves you wondering, “Why did I read this again?” It tells readers very little about who she is, and does even less to make you want to read more about her.
BOTTOM LINE: THE ’80s CALLED AND THEY WANT THEIR MOVIE BACK
Overall I wouldn’t recommend this as a must read, although the writing was decent enough. Marvel lost an opportunity to use a multi-issue story arc to really fill readers in on who Laura is. Considering the company will be canceling the series, and moving her to Avengers Academy series, this concern becomes even more important. In a multi-character story arc, it is very easy for characters to get lost. It would have been smart to use these last issues she has to completely tell us her story, leave readers wanting more, and thus following her into the Avengers Academy storyline.
[rating:3/5]
3 Comments
I totally agree, I really hope they do something cool with her before the series ends officially. I want people amped about this character in her own title. Although i’m sure she’ll have her moments in Avengers Academy.
So sad to see this book go, really enjoyed it, much better than Daken, wich is also not bad.
This is a terrible review