X-23 #7

  

   
X-23 has been a series that I can't quite figure out if I like or not.  While I like Laura and want to know more about her, I really don't know where this whole thing is going.  Issue #7 is somewhat of a transitional point in the wayward story, is it an entertaining one? 

On the High Seas 

Laura and Gambit are attempting to secure passage into Madripoor, hopefully to find the head of the Weapon X project and stop him from restarting the accursed program anew.  However, in order to garner a ride to the troubled nation, they must attempt a rescue attempt of a police officer being held captive by pirates.  Fighting and introspection occurs (which seems to be par for the coarse with X-23). 
 
But despite my snark, what X-23 does it does very well.  Marjorie Liu knows the character extremely, and that gives the comic a very solid core.  Her interplay between herself and her near polar opposite in Gambit is thoroughly entertaining.  The artist for this issue is Sana Takeda, and I feel like his soft manga styling fits perfectly for X-23.  In many ways, Laura is the grim protagonist of a manga saga, and Takeda's pencils felt like they melded great with Liu's curt story-telling.  I am also absolutely in love with the cover by Kalman Andrasofszky.  Sadly, nothing like this appears in the book, but it's still amazing. 

Rough Waters 

And what DOES appear in this book is probably its weakest point.  Again, this is a transitional story before Laura faces Daken in Madripoor, but whereas this could have been a pretty great exercise in creative story-telling (AKA putting the character in a situation unique from her norm), it turns out as just a tad underwhelming.  No sooner are Laura and Gambit confronting the pirate band than the encounter is over, the story concluded, and nothing feeling richer or better for it.  It's not a bad stand-alone issue, and you could easily pick this up for someone who doesn't follow the series and they could enjoy it, but it just feels like another example of X-23 missing the mark. 

Buried Treasure 

However, as much as X-23 can underwhelm, it is a fairly solid book altogether.  There's action, there's solid storytelling, and there's good art.  I still feel like this series has much more to offer that it's not showing, but I'm easing into Laura's introspective journey with Gambit. 
 
X-23 #7 steals 3 stars out of 5.