Comic Vine Review

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X-23 #20 - Girls Night Out, Part 1

5

Jubilee and X-23 go on a "girls night out," but will it lead them into trouble?

Jubilee makes a guest appearance in the latest issue of X-23, but will their "girls night out" get them into a little bit of trouble?

The Good

Phil Noto knocks it out of the park again. Noto is one of those incredible artists who has a very distinctive style and his work on this series continues to be stellar. Can I just say that I love that Jubilee actually looks Asian in this book? Because I do.

The book opens with the two girls going up against the boys of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Not only do both Jubilee and X-23 give the boys a run for their money, but its great to see them in such a competitive spirit. The scene quickly shifts when Gambit suggests that the two friends go out together, alone. Before Jubilee has to leave, X-23 needs someone to talk to. I really like the relationship that Liu formed between these two characters; Jubilee's light-heartedness really compliments Laura''s brooding personality, and it shows here.

It's clear that Laura still has a lot of soul searching and developing to do as a character, and it's starting to feel as if Liu is allowing her plenty of room to continue to grow as an individual as both a member of Cyclops' team as well as a new member of the Young Avengers. You get the sense in this second to last book before the series' end that Liu will leave her story open-ended, giving the reader the impression that just because her series is over, doesn't mean she has to stop growing.

Liu also addresses a very traumatic moment in X-23's past, and through the observation of another character we see that although Laura may not wear her heart on her sleeve, it doesn't mean that she can't feel. In fact, she feels without even knowing that she is feeling -- many of her actions are fueled by her emotions.

The Bad

Nothing bad here, really beautiful book.

The Verdict

This issue is very bittersweet. On one hand it was a great comic; on the other it means that we are one step closer to the final issue. What does that mean for X-23, though? A lot of characters who see their series canceled drop off the face of comics. We often don't know what happens to them for a long time. Liu's writing in this issue reassures her readers that this isn't the last we have seen of X-23 and leaves her character somewhat open-ended. Her book may be coming to an end, but this is definitely not the last we have seen of this character; that's the kind of attitude that Liu exhibits with issue #20of X-23. Pair that with yet another gorgeous issue thanks to the talent of Phil Noto, and you have a hit. New readers should be able to follow along easily, although I recommend that you pick up the series as a whole. Most of it has been solid.

21 Comments

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cobra88king8

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Edited By cobra88king8

Usually I hate the girls night out trope (just as much as I hate the team football trope) but here not only did I enjoy it, I felt it worked. Laura and Jubilee have great chemistry in this issue and I'm really bummed that this series is going to be ending next issue :( I really enjoy it

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Nudeviking

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Edited By Nudeviking

I'm also kind of bummed by this series ending. When the series started, X-23 didn't appeal much to me as a character so I didn't buy the book in the beginning, but the Jubilee bait that Marjorie Liu dropped in issue ten caused me to bite, and it's been a must by ever since.

More than the character of X-23, I hope Marjorie Liu finds a home somewhere in the Marvel Universe with characters she cares about because what she did with X-23 was amazing.

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EnSabahNurX

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Edited By EnSabahNurX

Can't wait till i get this issue, i need more well written x-23 because avengers academy just killed me and i was ready to have that be my x-23 ongoing replacement but that was a rough issue

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Gawdzilla

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Edited By Gawdzilla

Liu made Hellion look like a creepy stalker...I do not approve

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pspin

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Edited By pspin

Loved it, the football scene was funny

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Mayo88m

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Edited By Mayo88m

@EnSabahNurX said:

Can't wait till i get this issue, i need more well written x-23 because avengers academy just killed me and i was ready to have that be my x-23 ongoing replacement but that was a rough issue

Yeah, I hated her characterization in Avengers Academy. I hated the entire issue to be honest, it was a crapfest compared to the two before it. I jumped on at 20 to get to know the series a little before Laura joined, but now I'm not sure if it's worth the money to keep reading with the way they are going.

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DATNIGGA

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Edited By DATNIGGA

@Gawdzilla: ''why does he stare at me? hes creep just walking'' lol they have screwed up his character so bad

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Zdaybreak

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Edited By Zdaybreak

Your 'Jubilee actually looks Asian' comment... Just what do you mean by that?

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Nudeviking

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Edited By Nudeviking

@Shotgun said:

Your 'Jubilee actually looks Asian' comment... Just what do you mean by that?

I'm assuming they mean that Jubilee (who is supposed to be Chinese) frequently gets drawn to look like a white girl, but in this issue you can tell that the character is supposed to be Asian. Except maybe on that front cover which is god awful...

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John Valentine

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Edited By John Valentine

Hate how Liu's dragged Hellion through the mud to develop X-23. Not cool.

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John Valentine

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Edited By John Valentine

@Gawdzilla said:

Liu made Hellion look like a creepy stalker...I do not approve

Snap that. I guess royally screwing him over last issue wasn't enough.

(At least he's changed his outfit and cut his hair, though).

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natejoseph09

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Edited By natejoseph09

Good issue, sad to see Gambit and X-23 part ways :(

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andrea_mendoza1997

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:) Good review.

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djotaku

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Edited By djotaku

@Nudeviking: she's going to be writing Astonishing X-Men with Gambit. She was going to have X-23 there, but it doesn't fit since Gambit's on Wolvie's team and Wolerine doesn't want kids fighting.

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_transgojobot_

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Edited By _transgojobot_

'Bittersweet' doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. Marjorie Liu's run on this title has been fantastic; this was my gateway to her and I am now a fan.

Furthermore, this title made me enjoy reading about X-23 nearly as much as when she was written under the auspices of her creators, Craig Kyle and Chris Yost.

Plus, reading the earlier 'Babysitting' arc and this re-appearance by Jubilee just upsets me even more because of the lost wealth of stories. I'm probably not alone in this, but I would absolutely LOVE to read an ongoing title featuring X-23 and Jubilee. Heck, throw in occasional visits with the FF and it sounds even better.

It's just unfortunate (albeit understandable) that business/sales comes first.

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jrock85

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Edited By jrock85

I remember Liu saying on her blog that there probably wouldn't be a hug between Laura and Gambit.

LOL I guess she couldn't help herself.

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deactivated-5edc72068d57d

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Great review. But i have to point out that X-23 is joining the Avengers Academy, not Young Avengers.

And X-23 will be a main character in Avengers Academy.

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deactivated-5edc72068d57d

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@Nudeviking:

You do know she'll be writing Astonishing X-men now, right?

@EnSabahNurX: Actually, the did a fine job with her at Avengers Academy.

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Nudeviking

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Edited By Nudeviking

@VenomMelendez: Yeah, I heard about that a couple days ago. I guess I'll have to start picking that book up again.

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deactivated-5edc72068d57d

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@John Valentine: @John Valentine:

Except Julian has always been a jerk.

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dernman

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Edited By dernman

I'll be honest I was never really into this book. It just wasn't that great to me and the Captain Universe arc made me agree with the decisions to cancel it.

Now having said that. Every issue after the Captain Universe arc was great IMO and I'm now sad to see the series go.