Friday, November 1, 2013

X-23 with the All New X-Men


Okay, spoilers abound in this.  So you've been warned.

I've been scratching my head how this is going to work after I finished reading Battle of the Atom issue 2(the finale of that story arc).  The previews skip from All New X-Men 17 to All New X-Men 19, so there's no info gleaming from there either.

Here's where my confusion comes in.
X-23 has made her feelings pretty well known about what the older Scott Summers has done to her, and also has no better feelings towards Emma Frost for many of the same abuse of power and position she's done.  So it doesn't seem to make sense that she would switch sides on the entire Schism front to side with the Uncanny X-Men, if even at a school run by them.  We do know though that she is joining the All New X-Men as her new uniform fits in with theirs.

Issue 18 of All New X-Men apparently contains such a big surprise that even a preview is being withheld for now.  This is starting to make it seem, alongside the new uniforms, that the All New X-Men may not side with older Cyclops after all.  New uniforms while other support characters are maintaining classic costumes seems to suggest some new form of team branding and separation while still trying to work towards Xavier's original dream of unity.  Something also that doesn't seem to fit with the concept behind Utopia and its more militarized boot camp with isolationist views.

Only time will tell, but it's starting to seem that X-23 may be siding with the original 5 either as some form of protectorate as a favor for the Jean Grey School to keep the original 5 safe, or the All New X-Men may be splintering off from both factions but still working to further Xavier's dream without animosity towards either side.  Allowing each mutant they save to have the choice of where to go and possibly even presenting a third option that's not hindered by the chest thumping and ego machinations of the Schism event(unless Wolverine and the older Scott Summers can call a tentative truce).  An unofficial original X-Factor as it were, but without the business approach or government interference.  With issue 19 featuring the return of the Purifiers, it would make sense that X-23 would follow as having a history in dealing with them.  She was who Logan called to protect the kids at Academy X when the Purifiers first made their presence known after all.  So it wouldn't be a far stretch that something similar would be suggested again.  (Academy X issue 20 is when Logan called her to come back to the original school.  All New X-Men issue 20 is when she joins that comic.  Seems to carry an intentional parallel.)

Only time will tell, but it's looking more and more towards the All New X-Men may indeed be something all new.  This may be a title to keep your eyes on as it builds to the X-23 addition in issue 20.  There seem to be a lot of questions already concerning how this may work.  Personally, I'm curious to see how it'll be handled or if those questions will be answered.

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