Wolverine Gets a New Costume and Fights an Alien Contagion

If you haven't been reading All-New Wolverine, you might not be aware of the current state of the mutant hero. Logan died back in 2014's Death of Wolverine arc. Laura Kinney, aka X-23, was created from a sample of Wolverine's DNA. She eventually grew to see the X-Man as a father figure and took on his mantle after his death.

Since becoming Wolverine, Laura wore a costume similar to Logan's original yellow and blue suit. Now she's getting a new armored suit, just in time as a new threat arrives. We talked to All-New Wolverine writer, Tom Taylor, about the upcoming Immune story arc.

Comic Vine: What made you decide to give Laura a new costume?

Tom Taylor: A lot of what we’ve been doing in this series comes down to moving Laura to the next logical step. She’s growing on the page. This suit is part of that growth. It all comes down to the amount of times Laura is hurt, or taken out of action. Just because she has a healing factor, doesn’t mean she enjoys pain, or bullets ripping through her internal organs. She has had her issues with pain before, and she’s moving through this. This suit is designed to be bulletproof and generally more protective. In designing the suit, Mark Paniccia, Christina Harrington, and I went through a lot of versions with artist, Leonard Kirk. The colors of the suit are a nod to her X-Force days. What she wore then was certainly a fan-favorite. It’s also about stealth. It’s a bit easier to hunt prey when you’re not wearing bright yellow.

With it resembling the X-Force costume, will she go on more stealth 'missions'?

Maybe, if she survives the events of Immune.

Will she stick with this costume for now or will she still use the yellow and blue outfit?

This will be her costume for now.

What can you tell us about the Immune story arc?

When an alien child crashes into a major city in an escape pod, it speaks one name before dying, "Laura Kinney." The child has succumbed to a virus. And now, an entire city is fast becoming infected.

With thousands falling sick from the alien contagion, the city is quarantined by SHIELD, working with other world governments and the superhero community. Only Wolverine can enter the contamination zone. But, if she enters, she can't walk out again.

The clock is ticking and the stakes have never been higher. Can Laura uncover her own connection and importance to the alien child? Can she save a city? Will she make the ultimate sacrifice to do so? Hundreds of thousands of lives are in Wolverine's clawed hands.

Can you tell us anything about the alien child? Is it a new or familiar species in the Marvel Universe?

It appears to be a new species. But I can’t say too much.

Has Leonard Kirk started working on the arc yet? How are his designs?

Leonard is flooding my inbox with art and I couldn’t be happier. His designs are just fantastic, but it’s his humanity that’s exciting me the most. Every picture he sends of Gabby and Laura tells a tale and you can see so much of their relationship in every still image. I’m really excited to have Leonard as our ongoing artist on All New Wolverine.

Can you tease any guest appearances or cameos besides SHIELD agents?

This arc is really an event unto itself. It’s possibly the most epic story I’ve created for a solo character. A lot of heroes will be drawn in, particularly the scientifically minded, who can help, remotely. So, we may see Peter Parker, or Beast, or Iron Man, or Janet Van Dyne, or Black Panther, and there will certainly be some surprise characters as well. There’s also an alien connection, so don’t be surprised if we see some space-based heroes pop up too.

Will Gabby and Jonathan will still be part of the book?

Of course. Gabby has a big part to play. And as for Jonathan, well, he thinks the book is about him. He thinks HE’S the All New Wolverine. Are you going to tell him any different? Are you?

Immune begins in April in All-New Wolverine #19, written by Tom Taylor with art by Leonard Kirk. Adam Kubert provides art for the cover. The book is part of a new line of X-Men titles. Laura will also appear in the next Wolverine film, Logan.

So she goes from cross-dressing as Astonishing Wolverine to cross-dressing as X-Force Wolverine. Such brilliance from Marvel's house of ideas.

I'm liking the new costume. Really enjoying the series.

Yeah, this looks a lot better. The current costume looks like something out of deviantart IMO

I thought from the start she should have gone for a spin on the X-Force uniform. The black-and-grey just suits her better than the gold-and-blue.

@NukeA6: You, uh, DID read the part where the new costume is based on her OWN X-Force, duds, right?

Cool costume, but...it's the same as X-Force Wolverine. I was thinking more like a totally different design or something.

@NukeA6: damn you're really bitter and butthurt.

I'm not so sure they're Marvel's ideas as much as they are Tumblr's. Either way, they still stink.

Just telling it like it is.

Might as well give Marvel's biggest rip-off another ripped-off costume. It suits her.

I always loved the XForce costumes. (Especially Wolverine and Deadpool) Would be cooler if the mask gave her red eyes. Still looks good though.

How is SHE the biggest rip-off at Marvel?

What do you expect from someone who is having a Fantomex avatar lol?

Much better costume for her.

@aros001: They're just bitter that wolverine is still dead, which I got to give props to marvel for sticking with keeping him dead I really like what they're doing with with Laura Kinney with all new wolverine though I've been a longtime X-23 fan for years and to see her journey and becoming the new wolverine it's a very interesting character study and development for the character.

Lots of people dismiss it as regression but I view it as a natural progression and development for the character.

And it's great knowing that her series is still for the most part getting really great reviews and I'd assume selling decent enough it's been a really consistently strong title.

Like the new costume. Here's hoping this "Immune" story is better than "Enemy of the State II", which has been pretty boring so far.

Gotta love that irony.

Well, she's literally a clone of Wolverine (for starters). She has the same power set minus, what, the same claw configuration? That wasn't good enough, though. They had to go and give her Wolverine's name and costume, too.

Talk to me when Fanto is using a staff, charging playing cards, and starts calling himself "Gambit".

I could always change. I do rather frequently. Besides, Fanto's situation doesn't make any of what I said about Wolverette any less true.

The new costume looks cool.

Bit better, but I prefer her original X-force costumem

Well even Marvel can't turn trash into gold. I mean isn't that the guy whose 4 issue mini started with 19K and ended with 9K in sales?

I have no idea. He's not popular, I can tell you that, and that's the main reason I like using him as an avatar. Anywho, what does that have to do with Wolverette?

X-23: Back In Black. (c)

Dunno. What have your posts to do with Wolverine? I don't give a rats ass about Fantomex just like everyone else. Maybe you should start doing the same with Wolverine?

She is way more relevant that your pet characters like Fantomex or Tempus ever will be including playing a main role in a 100 million dollar movie in March. If you want to continue being mad sure suit yourself.

It's you who makes himself look like a fool after all.

When you say "Wolverine" do you mean the real one or the rip-off? I also wonder what Tempus has to do with X-23. Do you think it bothers me that people don't like the same characters I do? It doesn't. Neither of those two are even close to my favorites, either. My top three (anything after that gets muddy, depending on what's happening at the time) are Black Widow, Winter Soldier, and Domino. Widow has been in several movies already, as has Bucky, and Domino is rumored to be appearing in the upcoming sequel to Deadpool. How's that for relevant?

@galerion: Actually having read the exchange you are the one coming off looking like a jackass.

@bl00dwerk you better drop all your comic pulls and read only Batman. Because obviously only a favorite of the masses means you are a worthy character.

The one who this article is about and the only person who is called Wolverine in the MU. I guess you haven't even read anything on here, eh? Doesn't surprise me.

Anyway keep it classy and have fun for another year in the comments section of every single article about Wolverine on Comicvine. It's funny that you aren't brave enough you post your comments anywhere else but we all know why.

Have a fine day.

Ha. Fantomex pops up, here and there, and it's usually pretty funny when he does. As for Tempus, I don't expect to see her again anytime soon (if ever).

I don't understand what you mean by "brave enough" to post anywhere else. Do you mean the CBR forums? I do post, sometimes, but not in the appreciation thread. That's for fans, hence why it's called an "appreciation" thread. My opinion doesn't really belong there. I just post in what I call "neutral" threads, those that are for different views on the same subject. I also try to respect the opinions of others, even if some of those in question have absolutely no respect for mine...

You may want to get your history right before you shoot off at the mouth.

In case you just jumped into comics with the SJW bandwagon and missed out on the 40 yearish history of Wolverine, X-23 only recently stole Wolverine's identity. Most threads concerning Wolverine still focus on James Howlett.

As far as somebody posting comments you don't like on the internet? Get over it. As far as his/her bravery at posting other places? What The Tumbler/Twitter crowd gonna beat him up or something? Criminy.

Always will prefer her tank top look.

She didn't steal jack OR shit. There's only ONE ENTITY that has the right to say who is or is not Wolverine. And it's the one whose name is on the comics.

If MARVEL says X-23 is Wolverine, THEN SHE IS WOLVERINE. PERIOD.

I, for one, agree with @bl00dwerk: X-23 will always be a rip-off. No amount of costume changing will remedy that.

Not really digging the new costume, I tend to like more colorful costumes, plus now her hair kinda gets lost in the dark colors of her suit. Though, I'm sure it will more sense in the comic itself.

Not telling it "like it is", just telling it like you see it.

What have I stated about her that is untrue? She IS a clone of Wolverine (literally). That's not how I see it, that's how it is.

This thread is awesome.

Wouldn't make any sense here though. The reason she is changing her costume is because she wants more protection which quite honestly makes sense.

I have never understood the arguments that she doesn't need protection just because she has a healing factor. Would you willingly take a bullet or a knife to the stomach even if you know you would heal from it? Hell no.

Regeneration is a different thing from invulnerability like Superman for example has. When a bullet just bounces of your skin that's cool. When it tears your flesh, shatters your bones and pierces your lungs it's suddenly way less cool. At least for the person who is actually experiencing it in-universe.

@bl00dwerk: It's not that what you said was untrue, but your putting your opinion out there like it can be the only one. Many people don't see her as a rip-off, the see her as somone who is continuing Logans legacy in a new way. Much how Scott Lang or Miles Morales aren't an Ant-Man or a Spider-Man rip off in many peoples eyes.

It isn't the only one, but people sure like to argue with me about it. Seems to me they think their opinion is the only one...

Lets see. Wolverine is James Howlett for 40 years. He gets hoodwinked and Laura takes the name. Sounds a lot like Identity Theft to me.

Marvel can do what they want, and actually have been following into your shitty SJW mindset. They are losing many long time fans over it. It's a bad idea in my opinion to destroy the fan base you've cultivated for a generation to appease some new fly by night customers who may or may not stick with the title for any length of time. Granted Marvel is backed by the mouse now, but bad business decisions back in the 90's and a near bankruptcy is why you see Spider-Man with Sony, X-Men with Fox, etc. All I know is if Marvel wants to "...Say she is Wolverine, Period" then I'll give DC my money until the status quo comes back around, Laura loses her job and falls into sidekick limbo because Marvel decided to try and replace an icon instead of building her into her own persona.

At any rate, the common people have shown recently (as highlighted by the election last month) that they are tired of this SJW bullshit. Maybe it'll trickle into Marvel's bottom line and we can see some of these SJW's out of a job. Here's hoping.

At any rate I hope I didn't trigger you too much. If so ask for directions to the nearest safe space. There will be crayons and a lack of common sense available for you.

I'm ok with her taking the mantle for a while but what I read is chic flick. Geared towards women.

You know Grant Morrison based Fantomex on Italian comic about a thief name Diabolik?

@judasnixon said:

@bl00dwerk said:

Might as well give Marvel's biggest rip-off another ripped-off costume. It suits her.

You know Grant Morrison based Fantomex on Italian comic about a thief name Diabolik?

I may have heard that, don't really remember. I'm not that big a fan.

For the love of God just bring back Wolverine already. Old Fart and Wolvy-Mc-Boobies is getting really old.

I like it a lot, but I enjoy the previous one more. Either way, she's awesome. F the haters.

When you say "just saying it like it is" you are saying there is only one way it could be.