• Written by: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly
• Art by: Francesco Mortarino
• Colors by: Raúl Angulo
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
• Cover art by: Sara Pichelli
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: August 28, 2024

NYX #2, by Marvel Comics on 8/28/24, begins a Laura Kinney-focused issue when X-23 tracks down a gang responsible for snatching young mutants off the streets of NYC.

---

Is NYX #2 Good?

What the actual Hell is this!? Oh, Lordy. Expectations for this title weren’t high from the onset. After reading the ridiculous issue #1, those expectations dropped lower. Now, it’s safe to say that after reading NYX #2, this title is the first bona fide dud of Tom Brevoort’s From the Ashes era.

When last we left the yet-to-be-assembled team members in NYX #1, Kamala Khan was busy trying to get her personal life back in order when Sophie Cuckoo decided Kamal should be her best friend at ESU. During a school night of eating and clubbing, the mutants cross paths with members of an anti-mutant group, leading to an explosive encounter with the Krakoan (who is really Hellion in disguise).

In NYX #2, we catch up with Laura Kinney, aka X-23, aka Wolverine’s younger clone, as she prowls the seedier parts of NYC after receiving reports that at least 30 young mutants have disappeared. On this particular night, she pounces on a masked gang who looks to be increasing that disappearance count by one.

Contrary to the first impressions above, the issue starts well enough. We get some internal monologue to get readers inside Laura’s head. Her attack on the masked gang achieves the desired effect of intimidation. However, the scene ends poorly when the gang and the young mutant they’re escorting (not kidnapping) simply disappear.

Later, Laura somehow tracks the group to an underground club in Bushwick, guarded by an elephant-headed bouncer who speaks an alien language that Laura somehow understands and also speaks. When Laura enters the club, she seeks out the manager, a mutant codenamed Local, who can make things around the city happen. If you’re a DC comics reader, Local is the rough mutant equivalent of City Boy. Laura tells Local she wants to meet his boss, Mr. Friend. Local agrees on the condition that Laura passes a series of challenges. While the two banter, Kamala Khan pops up from behind a couch (I’m not kidding) to fill Laura in on her run-in with the Krakoan. Laura firmly tells Kamala to #$%^ off.

“Who’s Mr. Friend?” you might ask. You wouldn’t know that name from issue #1 unless you used the linked QR code contained at the end of the last issue to take you to an additional page not contained in the comic. Yes, the QR code is a stupid idea, and Marvel is supposedly dispensing with it quickly. Also, this issue earns the award for the most out-of-the-blue character appearance of the year. Why is Kamala Khan here? How did she get in? What is going on?

Laura agrees to the challenges, starting with the theft of a car, followed by a break-in at ESU to steal Orchis tech, and a chance run-in with Prodigy, ending with much flirting between Laura and Local. Laura’s success in the challenges earns her an audience with Mr. Friend. As soon as she steps into the man’s office, she knows something isn’t right.

Mr. Friend’s perennially toothy grin turns out to be the result of a dried human corpse used as a front for Mr. Friend’s puppet master, Mojo. Laura leaps to attack, but Mojo sends her packing with a lot of damage and without breaking a sweat.

The issue ends with Laura limping off to regenerate most of her body, a long look in the mirror, and (I’m not kidding) Laura returning to the underground club to dance the night away as if nothing’s wrong.

Overall, this story is silly with a capital DUMB. The transitions from one major act to the next make little sense, and Laura’s “solution” to her discovery is flat-out ridiculous. I don’t know what Lanzing and Kelly were thinking with this script, but it’s not good.

How’s the Art? If there’s one thing I can’t complain about, it’s the art by Francesco Mortarino. X-23 looks great in her uniform and civvies. Despite the general lack of wow moments, the panel layouts and composition look good, and the visual aesthetic achieves that gritty, urban-setting-at-night feel that appears to be the intent.

That said, Mortarino has this weird quirk of making all faces look wide and stretched. Other than that, Mortarino did a good job. Kudos to Martarino for not letting this issue be a total loss.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Final Thoughts

NYX #2 delivers a Luara Kinney-centric issue when she tracks down a masked gang “helping” young mutants off the streets and into a safe space. Unfortunately, Lanzing and Kelly’s script execution is riddled with poor transitions, characters that pop in and out from literally nowhere, and a jaw-droppingly bizarre ending. If it wasn’t for the decent art by Francesco Mortarino, this comic would be a total loss.

4.8/10

---

We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media: 

Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics

If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.

Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com

---

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.