Written by: Mariko Tamaki
Art by: Diego Olortegui, Walden Wong, Chris O’Halloran and VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 9, 2019
It’s no secret that this book has two of my top five characters in comics right now. I love Laura and Gabby and have said I would follow them anywhere and I mean it. However, that doesn’t mean that I blindly give any book they are in a perfect score. In fact, I thought the last issue of this series was a bit down and it’s starting to worry me that Mariko Tamaki is not getting the book out of Tom Taylor’s All-New Wolverine shadow. Does that change for the better this issue? Let’s find out…
We open where we left off last month…in the Tank, dodging bullets. I really liked the look of this issue right off the bat and Diego Olortegui continued to impress me to the very end. Laura and Gabby call Beast back to get them the hell out of their predicament and they are bringing company…the cyber/clone/robot/…whatever it is!
One thing that has been consistant since this series started is the fun Tamaki has with her characters. Gabby is awesome in every issue and that doesn’t change here. She gets her so well but also gets the interaction between her and Laura.
They finally do escape the Tank and while I was a bit confused about how Laura could use the assassin’s magnetic pulse, I did like how Tamaki used it to show that the cyber sister could have but didn’t use it herself.
They all head back to the Xavier Institute where we get a couple of answers…she is Laura’s clone, but with a couple of little differences. Yea, it’s kind of a Royale with Cheese type deal, but with a compromised healing factor as the real kicker.
We then get to see who made her and again, it’s back to All-New territory. Dr. Chandler is in the house and he is pushing this new Assasin as the be all end all killer and even when the fact that he failed big time in round one versus Laura comes up, he talks a good game nonetheless.
We end with Laura begging Gabby not to become attached to this new clone and of course, Gabby already is! That’s why she is awesome! However, I am worried about her going forward and Tamaki better not do anything to her or else! Just joking…
The book still is struggling for its own identity and you would think that bringing back Chambers couldn’t possibly change that…but, I am intrigued. He is a desperate man and who knows what desperate measures he will take. Tamaki is also playing off of Gabby’s awesome good nature and while I am worried (or else!), it is bound to create some awesome tension going forward. I already told you how much I liked the art and the whole package is a must read for Laura and Gabby fans.
Final Thoughts:
Mariko Tamaki moves the overall story ahead a tiny bit, but lets us in on some secrets and continues killing it with Gabby and Laura. If you like them, you will like the book. If you aren’t sold on them (monster!), nothing here will convince you otherwise. Personally, I love them and while I hope Tamaki gives the series it’s own flavor going forward, I am here for Laura and Gabby.
8.0/10
Weird Science Marvel Comics 
My problem with this arc is that I feel like it’s MUCH too soon after Four Sisters to be bringing back the idea of cloning X-23.
Also, Tamaki appears to be making some very fundamental continuity gaffes: X-23 was NOT created by Alchemax, as Tamaki had her monologue in the previous issue, nor was Chandler ever established to have worked on the X-23 project during All-New Wolverine. His dialogue in this issue also suggests he had a prominent role in her creation (he didn’t; that was all Sarah Kinney, and it was done against orders) and training even though you’d think for sure that Laura would have recognized him in ANW.
While connecting him to X-23 through the Trigger Scent (it wouldn’t be hard to have him as one of the hitherto faceless researchers on the project) could help explain HOW he got her genetic material to create the Sisters, it’s starting to become a much more heavy-handed retcon on Laura’s origins than that.
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You are absolutely right! I think they are really pushing that he helped create the Trigger Scent. I think Tamaki is confusing hiring Laura to go after the sisters he created with creating and training her.
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Unfortunately it’s just another symptom of the current (lack of) editorial standards at Marvel, because these are EXACTLY the sort of issues Editorial is SUPPOSED to be…yknow…EDITING for.
Continuity has gotten EXTREMELY lax the last 5+ years, characters are appearing in multiple concurrent books and being written like entirely different people in each one, (contrast Laura’s characterization in X-23 vs. how she’s been portrayed in Disassembled) the timeline between books is a wreck, making it impossible to track which story is set when, etc.
I miss the period between House of M and Avengers vs. X-Men. Not necessarily because of the stories themselves, (though there was a LOT of good stuff up until the hamfisted railroaded plot of AvX) but because it’s the last time the entire X-Line has not only been on the same page, but even in the same BOOK.
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