CBR has the preview for the next X-23 issue up.
Issue 11 hits shelves June 1st.
Bits of it I like, bits of it I don't. I do like it dove right into the comparison of the two. Again though the memories seem jumbled together randomly referencing previous stories wildly, but in a way that seems to suggest fractured memories more than actual mistakes.
I'm still not sure on the entire killing to feel alive bit though. It seems rather off in comparison to the Laura we're shown in her two Origin miniseries and Academy X, and yet also close but not quite her. I can't wait to read more of the issue to see where it's going, but I hope they start getting back towards healing her of what's built up from the past, and less of this making it into something that it wasn't before. Laura isn't an easy character to understand, and I can see why an author would take the easy out to define it, but those reading the comic that are fans of the character's previous appearances aren't here for the character to be redefined. They want to see her grow from what she was previously defined as. Sometimes it feels like the writing gets the character, at other times, it feels like they don't. It feels like getting too deep into how the character thinks and feels is too alien for them to define correctly. Which to be fair, it probably is. Heaven knows when I try to get into the character's psyche, I hit the same surface details they use to simplify it, and trying to go deeper just isn't comfortable, but those surface details simplified still aren't quite at the heart of the character. X-23 is a character that's hard to grasp, so I'm not going to fault the writing for that as getting too deep and understanding it fully could be dentrimental to one's own psyche. The childhood rooted nature is hard to really define appropriately.
I also loved how it just dissmissed comedicly the page last issue that could have had fans up in arms. Now here's hoping they explore more of the possibilities of these two around each other. Including apparently Jubilee's rapidly manifesting vampiric powers.
Overall, the art is fantastic. Jubilee is perfect, but something about X-23 is still feeling off compared to her previous depictions. Not bad off, just not quite right.
Purpose is the word you're looking for.
ReplyDeleteThe facility raised her on missions, giving her a purpose, then her mother did, then her purpose was to protect her family, then protect Kiden, then protecting the academy X kids, then X-Force missions, then self-discovery as commanded by Logan, and then stopping weapon X from restarting. That led her to killing children and taking away her purpose once completed, leading to a slump, depression, and complete loss of purpose making her fall back into old habits.
You can have purpose without structure, which is what Emma and Cyclops didn't grasp from their own experiences. Laura's creativity in missions is what shows it's never been structure. This also shows she's not a good soldier though she follows orders. She's cognizant of this as she's still following the purpose Logan gave her of self-discovery, to find out how to live for herself. That help or should I explain it better?
... Could you have at least used a fancy word to say that and not make me feel so dumb for missing the obvious?
ReplyDeleteI see your point. Tieing it back to having a purpose in life which also gives her an outlet to use as avoidance from thinking about what comes after each goal is accomplished. The blindspot of living one day at a time that untreated depression, suicidal behaviour, or being a cutter generally involves.
So it's not so much she gets satisfaction from killing, it's more towards that's the immediate goal(recon, mission, assasination) to just act on without thinking. The whole enjoying killing thing seems more of Kimura's bag anyway, but did she just say/think that to screw with Jubilee? It's hard to tell what's genuine, and what's Laura playing her perception games like she did with Daken.
The whole bit of "What were you thinking?" "Nothing." when asked about the memory makes me wonder if that might be what the writer is trying to hint at too, or did the blood get tainted by the telepathic presence that's always harassing Laura?
And here I was hoping to goad her into a tirade about what I misspoke about.
ReplyDeleteI also missed the fact that X-23 isn't trying to commit suicide using death by cop, but also isn't trying to live. This type of state of mind has a weird thing to it.
Not wanting to be alive, but not wanting to be dead either. It's a hard mentality to put into words when stuck in that transitional period.
I also mis-spoke about depression, cutting, and suicidal behaviour, as all three though related also have different depths and emotions or personal confusion tied to them for the character. Tabby, break out your text book and go all factual on my ass please!