X-23 Volume 1: The Killing Dream

by Marjorie M. Liu

[Quirky Cat]

Summary:

X-23 has lived a hard life. She's never really been allowed to be a kid. Even now that she's theoretically safe with the X-Men, it feels like she doesn't have the space to face her own demons. So it's time to leave.

Despite her plans, X-23 will not be alone. And no, it isn't her father figure following her (this time). It's none other than Gambit. He knows what it's like to not fit in with the rest of the team and won't let her needs be overlooked.

Review:

So, there are many reasons why I wanted to read X-23 Vol. 1. The two dominant reasons are this: X-23 is my favorite X-Men, and Marjorie Liu is one of my favorite authors. This is a bit of a match made in heaven for me. I'm surprised I hadn't previously read it (my comic TBR is so out of control).

One thing that Liu really gets right here is how traumatized and haunted X-23 is. She's never been allowed to feel like a child, and the X-Men can't just start treating her like one now and expect it to take. Those conflicting facts set the tone.

I'm not going to lie – I love (love love love) that Gambit cameo in X-23 Vol. 1. I wasn't expecting him to be the X-Men that would step up and help take care of things. That said, I have to admit that he's the perfect fit, so I'm glad it happened this way.

My biggest complaint about X-23 Vol. 1? The character design. There are a couple of characters that I struggled to tell apart. There's a character who appears in this volume that looks alarming, like X-23 (but isn't another X clone, to be clear!). It takes some effort to be sure who is on the page. I didn't enjoy that so much.

Highlights:
Marvel Collected Editions
X-23
Gambit Cameo
Haunting Past

You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy