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X-23 #2 Review: The New Best Dynamic Duo in Comic

The Stepford Cuckoos have found their fallen sister, and this pushes them to advance their plan more quickly. They abandon the X-Men and the Xavier Institute. Meanwhile, Gabby still wants to know the date of X-23's birthday. Laura evades and goes to investigate the workplace of the missing geneticist. She finds a lead that takes her to an abandoned church, where she finds Gabby waiting.

X-23 #2 cover by Mike Choi and Jesus Aburtov
X-23 #2 cover by Mike Choi and Jesus Aburtov

X-23 is quickly rising through the ranks to become one of my new favorite Marvel titles. The charming dialogue between Laura and Gabby mixed with the uncertainty of identity make for a sharp comic with loads of personality.

The Stepford Cuckoos make interesting initial adversaries given the similar backgrounds. The Cuckoos are only trying to bring back their sisters too; there is no grand evil scheme for domination here.

The straight man/comic relief pairing of Laura and Gabby really is the book's strongest point, though. Gabby annoys Laura at times, but you know that they love one another and want the best for each other. Also, Jonathan is amazing, but he needs to get back to talking with Rocket Raccoon's speech device.

Mariko Tamaki is already on the way to surpassing the brilliance of All-New Wolverine, and I hope the book keeps down this path.

X-23 #2 art by Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard
X-23 #2 art by Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard

Juann Cabal, who worked many issues of All-New Wolverine, keeps the visual identity consistent from the previous series. This does wonders for the book, as the work has an elaborate simplicity to the style that keeps the page from being too busy while still giving you a full panel. Nolan Woodard compliments this with a bright palette offset by Laura's dark costume, and this creates a nice balance on each page.

X-23 #2 is a brilliant book overflowing with personality and intrigue. Laura and Gabby are a wonderful dynamic duo, and I look forward to seeing where their conflict with the Cuckoos goes. This one earns a recommendation. Give it a read.



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Joshua DavisonAbout Joshua Davison

Josh is a longtime super hero comic fan and an aspiring comic book and fiction writer himself. He also trades in videogames, Star Wars, and Magic: The Gathering, and he is also a budding film buff. He's always been a huge nerd, and he hopes to contribute something of worth to the wider geek culture conversation. He is also happy to announce that he is the new Reviews Editor for Bleeding Cool. Follow on Twitter @joshdavisonbolt.
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