X-23 4

I know nothing about X-23, beyond the fact that her name suggests yet another one of the interminable X-Men spin-offs. A quick Google of her name reveals she’s a Wolverine clone. How unoriginal, and how unpromising.

That, combined with an introductory summary of what has happened in previous issues (a ludicrous-sounding storyline involving a demon-possessed Wolverine, whose soul is trapped in hell), almost made me give up on this one before I began.

I’m rather glad I didn’t though. This is a low-key, rather appealing comic, and one of the better reads in my random sampling of titles out there.

The first surprise lies in its comprehensibility. It’s very clearly written and drawn, and there’s seldom a feeling that you have to have read and absorbed the entire convoluted history of the Marvel universe before you can understand what’s going on here. This trend can be seen in many of the Marvel comics I’ve read of late, and it makes me wonder if this is a deliberate ploy on their part.

The second surprise arrives with the discovery that Marjorie Liu is a rare talent in the superhero comics world: she has the ability to compose a storyline that isn’t one long fight scene from beginning to end. It’s not as though drama is lacking – there’s the murder of a young girl who X-23 suspects of being a prostitute, a run-in with Gambit, and a final encounter with a woman who holds information about X-23’s mother, but it’s told in an understated fashion that’s complemented by equally unfussy art.

What drives this issue forward is the dialogue and the character interaction, and that makes a pleasant change. There’s one short, token fight scene, but in terms of action, that’s all you’re going to get. Both in appearance and to some degree in terms of character, X-23 reminds me of Faith in the Buffy TV series, and I suspect Marvel are trying to tap into the same type of audience that followed that particular show.

None of this is particularly original, but it is generally well handed. The dialogue is believable and understated, and there’s no sense that events are included purely to push up the adrenalin level. Things do falter slightly when Gambit makes an appearance, partially because Marjorie Liu struggles to capture a Southern American accent, and partially because a scene where he tells X-23’s fortune with playing cards seems unconvincing and awkwardly sandwiched in with other events that are occurring.

I’ve barely mentioned the art yet. It’s clean and well-structured, but relies over-heavily on photoshopped backgrounds. That’s my only real reservation, though. It’s inventive but not showy, and matches the script well.

Maybe it was because of my initial, very low expectations, but I enjoyed this. It’s not a life-changing experience, and nor is it meant to be. It’s a good, above-average comic, and I’ll be picking up the next issue to see if it maintains this quality.