Showing posts with label X-23. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X-23. Show all posts

Monday, January 16, 2017

All-New Wolverine #16 - A Review

Intercepted by Bellona - another of Laura Kinney's clones, who lacks her healing factor but feels no pain - the all-new Wolverine is back in the clutches of the mad scientists who created her! Laura's only hope of rescue lies with Gabby - her adopted "sister". Even armed with no sense of pain and her own set of bone claws, can Gabby hope to save the day?


All-New Wolverine #16 is an enjoyable action-packed issue. Tom Taylor does a fine job of explaining Laura's past as X-23 for newer readers who might not be familiar with that time of her life, not slowing the story down a moment while allowing for this exposition. The action sequences are illustrated amazingly by Nik Virella and finished well by Michael Garland.

Monday, December 12, 2016

All-New Wolverine #15 - A Review

The people who created X-23 want her back, but the young woman cloned from Wolverine will not give up her life as Laura Kinney without a fight. With SHIELD now on the hunt following Laura's killing the inhabitants of a small town (an accident caused by the release of the trigger scent that makes Laura go berserk), Laura and her adopted sister Gabby have taken refuge on a pirate ship bound for Madripoor. They hope to find Laura's former masters there but can they truly trust the people giving them transport?

Artist Djibril Morissette-Phan takes over the art duties on this series with this issue. For the most part, the artwork is competently crafted though hardly outstanding. There is not a lot of variety in Morissette-Phan's expressions and the design for Gabby here is probably the least subtle ever in depicting her light facial scars. They seem anything but light here.

For the most part, this issue is one extended action sequence. It serves its purpose well enough but it still seems sort of flat compared to previous issues which had a bit more nuance. There is some of the humor that sets your average Tom Taylor story apart from the common clay of comic books, yet this issue is perhaps the most straight-forward Wolverine-style story since the series began. It isn't bad but it's far and away from what the readers have come to expect.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

All-New Wolverine #14 - A Review

Somebody is trying to turn Laura Kinney back into the mindless killer she once was. They succeeded, however briefly, after Laura fled to a small town seeking to get away. Now, with SHIELD chasing after her, Laura will have to turn to an old enemy for help in getting into the hostile nation of Madripoor, where her would-be controllers have fled.

Tom Taylor continues to impress with every issue of this series that he writes. While I have to question the intelligence of SHIELD Command continuing to send ordinary agents into Laura's life (to say nothing of the bigoted Agent Bennett acting on his apparent hatred of mutants in front of Nick 'Goddam' Fury!), I can't deny that the action sequence where Laura escapes from a SHIELD plane is  a great one. And Taylor's command of comedy is still second to none.


The artwork is equally enjoyable. New penciller Nik Virella sports a simple, serviceable style. Scott Hanna does his usual stellar job on the inks. And colorists Jesus Aburtov and Michael Garland do such a fine job you would never know that there were multiple colorists at work on this book.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

All-New Wolverine #9 - A Review

Laura Kinney doesn't work for SHIELD but she is willing to lend a hand when Maria Hill asks nicely and pays for her take-out. It seems they lost an agent investigating some new bio-weapon, which turned out to be pheromones meant to attract Fin Fang Foom. And the missing agent turns out to be an alternate universe version of the original Wolverine, from the future. And those facts are the least strange thing about the day the all-new Wolverine is about to have.


The cover may say this is a Civil War II tie-in but Tom Taylor keeps the script mercifully free of any reference to that event, save for gratuitous (and hilarious) cameos by Iron Man and Captain Marvel. This issue is high on laughs and short on drama, which is as it should be.

Marcio Takara's artwork is most enjoyable. The lack of backgrounds and pixelated skies in some panels threw me off a little bit but his character designs are good and the action of the issue flows well. And Matheus Lopes continues to impress with his color work.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

All-New Wolverine #8 - A Review

Laura Kinney (AKA Wolverine) is trying to establish a normal life her "sister" (i.e. younger clone) Gabby. Well, as normal as can be managed when you're raising your younger clone in Manhattan, you have a pet wolverine and you work as a freelance problem-solver whom the director of SHIELD has on speed-dial. So it is that Maria Hill has interrupted Laura's attempts to expose Gabby to the wonders of Chinese take-out so that Wolverine can sniff out some trouble. Literally.

Thankfully, despite the big THE ROAD TO CIVIL WAR II banner on the cover of this book, this issue is surprisingly free of pesky tie-ins to bloated crossovers I care nothing about. Tom Taylor keeps the focus firmly on Laura and Gabby, whose interactions are both cute and hysterical as they cope with the general insanity that dealing with SHIELD tends to require. While not as over the top as series like Howard The Duck or The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Tom Taylor still delivers comedy on the sly amid the excellent action sequences one expects in a Wolverine book.

Artist Marcio Takara proves capable of matching the manic pace of Taylor's scripts. There is a sense of dynamic action to Takara's work, with the characters always seemingly in motion. The color art by Jordan Boyd also matches this sense of high-energy.

Friday, April 29, 2016

All-New Wolverine #7 - A Review

Laura Kinney isn't sure what to do about her semi-sister Gabby - one of her clones that is several years younger and a whole lot sweeter than her. Laura isn't exactly sure how to be a parent or a sibling, having had what might be called an unusual upbringing if one were inclined to polite understatement. Unfortunately, figuring things out will have to wait for a while. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is in need of help.. But maybe it is Squirrel Girl who will wind up helping Laura...

Tom Taylor perfectly captures the anarchic spirit of Squirrel Girl in this issue. Doreen Green may be a silly character, especially in comparison to the dour Wolverine, but she isn't a stupid or unskilled hero. The two heroines play remarkably well off of each other and the ending of the issue proves to be as touching as it is hilarious.

Marcio Takara's artwork perfectly suits Taylor's story. Takra's style proves equally capable of depicting the lighter, more ludicrous moments of the action as well as the moments of high-action. And Jordan Boyd delivers an exemplary performance on the color art.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

All New Wolverine #4 - A Review

Wolverine needs a safe place to hide herself and her three "sisters".  And there's few places safer than the home of Doctor Strange, at least when it comes to mundane menaces. But opening the wrong doors can unleash terrible things...
Despite one of my favorite comics mini-series of all time being the Giffen/DeMatties/MacGuire Defenders, I still don't think of Doctor Strange being a comedic character. Then again, I never really thought about Wolverine - Logan or Laura - being funny characters until Tom Taylor got his hands on them. This may be the most uproariously funny issue of this series so far yet it is also the most touching and the most action-packed. This book has the perfect balance of ethos, pathos and hilarity as well as ax-wielding berserk young women killing monsters.

Taylor is backed by an excellent art team. David Lopez and David Navarrot deliver their usual stellar work on the pencils and inks. And Nathan Fairbaim finishes things beautifully with his color art.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

All-New Wolverine #3 - A Review

Laura Kinney's first mission as the new Wolverine isn't off to a stellar start. While she successful stopped an assassination attempt, she also discovered the assassin was a clone like her.  As in, exactly like her!

Now Laura has uncovered the clone's "sisters" - all part of the same batch created by the sinister Alchemax Genetics. But Alchemax wants their rebellious property back. And while Laura can handle herself in a fight, it remains to be seen if she can cope with three equally strong-willed young women who don't share her desire to avoid killing.
I don't usually associate humor with Wolverine as a title but I do associate it with the writing of Tom Taylor. There's a wit to all of Taylor's writing that is unique and it's adapted quite well - scarily so - to the darker tone this series requires. This is not to say that things are all laughs. Far from it! There's plenty of action as well as some general badassery.  Overall, the tone is sharp and well-balanced, like a katana.
The artwork is just as good as the writing. David Lopez and David Navarrot are performing miracles on a monthly basis. And the colors by Nathan Fairbairn are well chosen and always thematically appropriate.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

All-New Wolverine #2 - A Review

Identity issues are part of the package when you're a clone. Yet Laura Kinney is experiencing a whole new range of odd emotions with the discovery that she has "sisters" - imperfect clones who lack her powers but have been granted a superhuman-tolerance for pain and a complete lack of empathy. Or so the scientists who created them claim. Of course Laura would be reluctant to kill these girls even without her suspicions there's more going on than is obvious. But will the trio of remaining assassins have the same qualms about sparing her if The Wolverine forces a fight?


Any fears that Tom Taylor might be forced to hold back on the humor while writing a dour, serious X-Title have proven totally unfounded. While not as uproariously funny as his work on Superior Iron Man, there are still some truly funny bits amid the action of this issue. And the action is top-notch as well!


Taylor's scripts are brought to life beautifully by David Lopez and David Navarrot. The character designs give each of the Laura Kinney clones a distinct look. There's no trouble telling who is who, even ignoring the differences in age and one of the clones being an albino.  It's a subtle touch but a nice one and it's good to see they didn't leave the characters' visual identity entirely in the hands of colorist Nathan Fairbairn.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Dallas Comic Con 2014 - ALL THE PICTURES! - Part Nine



Artist Jessica Cathryn Feinberg 



Skull E. Laye as Han Solo.



Robin



Daenerys Targaryen and Belle.



X-23



Green Arrow



Huntress



Daenerys Targaryen and an Arkham Asylum doctor.



Cyclops and Jean Grey



Rogue and Jubilee.



Batwoman and a pair of Stephs - Robin and Batgirl, Stephanie Browns.




Casual Dress Stormtrooper



Battle-Scared Terminator




All this fun at the convention and she's reading!  For shame, Belle!


Friday, May 23, 2014

Dallas Comic Con 2014 - ALL THE PICTURES! - Part Three


Hush and Poison Ivy



The Tenth Doctor & Rose Tyler



Poison Ivy and her dream/nightmare come-true - Two Harleys!



X-23



Ghost Rider



Nightwing



Huntress and Black Canary



Hawkgirl



Jawas!



The Powerpuff Girls



Captain America and Elsa from Frozen



Gwen Stacy

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Dallas Sci-Fi Expo 2013 - Day Two

I definitely wound up posing for more pictures today than I wound up taking.  Here's everything I did manage to take today.



Starbuck
 

Tron
 

Harley Quinn
 

CAJ Cosplay as Madelyne Pryor.

Rogue and CAJ Cosplay as Madelyne Pryor.
 

Kate Bishop Hawkeye.  She was kind enough to pose as I was catching her heading to lunch.  I insisted she pose with the nachos because... well, if you've read Hawkeye, it makes about as much sense as anything else that happens in that book.
 

Arwen
 

Jedi

Me as The Doctor vs some form of Human/Dalek Hybrid.
 

Kimmie Britt of IHOGeek.com as Katniss Everdeen 

Yvonna Lynn of Charisma +2 as Crossplay Han Solo. 
 

Two models from Gothic Vogue.
 

X-23.