Real Blood
I LOVED X-23 #10, but then again the writer was Marjorie Liu, so I was kind of expecting to. She and Sana Takeda deliver an impressive issue as the start of a new arc.
SPOILER WARNING
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
X-23 and Gambit are in Paris, and Laura is cutting herself again, presumably traumitized by the events of the Daken crossover. Gambit tries to celebrate her birthday in an attempt to normalize her life a bit, but she doesn't take to it well. She later wounds Gambit accidentally when he surprises her while deep in thought, which only serves to deepen her depression. Gambit calls Wolverine for help, and Jubilee (now a vampire dependant on Logan's healing blood to keep the monster at bay) accompanies him.
Laura reacts badly to Jubilee's arrival, immediately lashing out at her with her claws because Jubilee's scent is all predator now (apparently Laura wasn't warned that Jubes is a vampire, which seems like a bit of an oversight on Logan and Gambit's part). Jubilee's superhuman speed allows her to avoid Laura's claws. While Jubes and Gambit catch up, Logan has a heart-to-heart with X-23, wherein Logan asks her about her "kill list", tries to explain Jubilee's new reality, and attempts to reassure her about herself. He later sends the two girls out into the streets of Paris together (which, it could be argued, is another oversight), while he and Gambit sit down to discuss matters. Gambit proceeds to give Wolverine a great lecture on the way he treats Jubilee as opposed to Laura, critisizing him for not protecting and helping X-23 the way he does Jubes.
Meanwhile, Laura and Jubilee encounter a group of creepy guys near the Eiffel Tower, who proceed to paw at Laura (who just stands there unresponsive) until Jubes intervenes to scare them off. Jubilee asks if Laura is ok, and Laura responds by popping a claw and cutting her own neck, apparently in an attempt to lure Jubes into biting her. Jubilee feels the "blood urge", and approaches Laura with red eyes and bared fangs. The issue ends with one of the most visually provocative images I've seen in a while.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
What I liked:
Almost everything. Marjorie Liu has been writing X-23 well, she seems to have a great handle on Gambit, and is a huge fan of Jubilee, so she certainly understands these characters well. Sana Takeda's artwork is stellar and visually compelling.
Liu leaves the reader with a few questions here. Why is X-23 trying to tempt Jubilee into feeding on her? Is she just trying to hurt herself in a new way, or is she trying to prove that Jubilee isn't as in control as she seems? (It must bother Laura that Jubes seems much more comfortable with her situation than she is with hers.) And who exactly was Jubilee trying to save when she scared off those guys who were touching Laura? It seems that Jubes may have her own doubts about X-23's level of control.
What I didn't:
Pretty much just the cover art. It's awful, quite frankly. As someone mentioned on another forum, if they'd made the last page of this issue the cover, they'd probably double their sales.
All in all, an issue I'd highly recommend. A solid 4.5 out of 5.
0 Comments