X-23: Deadly Regenesis #5: The Past Haunts Us All

If you’re new to the series, X-23: Deadly Regenesis serves as a fill-in to the X-23 series from 2010, telling new stories and details that mainly transpired before issue #4. In this particular issue, the story jumps right into the action where Laura “X-23” Kinney and Jordan “Haymaker” Gastin charge Kingpin inside a facility to take him out. His guards, however, neutralize Laura with a power-dampening spray. In the process, relations between Kingpin and Laura’s former handler, Kimura, soured due to a deal gone south. As Kingpin escapes, Laura and Kimura face off against each other in a powered-less fight to the death, challenging Laura’s promise to herself to no longer kill.

Cover Art

The main cover art for this issue was drawn by Kalman Andrasofszky (X-23, Captain Canuck). With it depicting Kingpin as a towering, larger-than-life figure that is pinning down Laura with a single hand, it’s reminiscent of some of the classic covers where you see Wilson Fisk drawn in an oversized stature to emulate how intimidating of a character he is. Meanwhile, Laura looks like she’s not scared or intimidated but is just out to kill. Andrasofszky does an amazing job capturing the essence of these two characters so well.

The variant cover option, entitled Antihero Gallery Kirkham Variant, was drawn by Tyler Kirkham (Earth 2: World’s End, Batman and the Outsiders) and colored by Cici De La Cruz (Miles Morales: Spider-Man). It depicts Laura with her blades out, and the blades’ reflection shows a throwback to her wearing the Wolverine outfit. The coloring strikes a wonderful balance with the lighting and shadows, and framing Laura like this is a great pose for the character. Definitely a great cover, but the issue itself will cost significantly more than the main issue cover ($15).

Writing & Story

Erica Schultz (Forgotten Home, Red Sonja, Hallows’ Eve) had a challenge in front of her in writing this series. This issue, however, did not disappoint. The first page of the issue gives the reader some background information on what was happening and the context around the story, which really helped springboard the issue right into the action. The inner monologue gave enough insight into Laura’s thinking, striking it with a nice balance that didn’t overload and caused much of a headache trying to follow it and the dialogue at the same time.

This issue allowed for a number of emotions in the story for the character (and the reader) to go through; anger, frustration, revenge, humor, and healing. In a story focused so much on Laura’s redemption and attempt to make good on her own promise, this was a roller coaster of a story! The dialogue felt natural, Kingpin’s reaction to Kimura when she asked about her getting her pay was hysterical but on point for the character, and Laura’s final attempt to stop Kingpin was also a gut wench/buster combo.

Artwork

The artwork in this issue was really enjoyable. Edgar Salazar (Project Superpowers: Chapter Two, Deathstroke) overall did a fine job with the artwork, particularly with the action sequences. The highlight of the issue is capturing Kingpin’s two facial expressions when Kimura asked if she was being paid. The first panel showed him laughing hysterically, and the second panel is him with a serious face saying that the deal was voided. However, the art could have benefitted from some better-drawn poses in some panels, as well as creating more panel breaks throughout the issue. Every piece of art stayed boxed inside of its panel, not allowing for more of the art to take life and lead the action with it.

The colors by Carlos Lopez (Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris, Old Man Logan) were impressive. In many panels, there was some use of flat colors that somehow worked really well with the story and the characters. If someone can make colors that on the surface seem dull and make it engaging with the audience, they’ve certainly done their job well in that area. The lettering by Cory Petit (X-Factor, The Amazing Spider-Man) was equally impressive. Utilizing different styles and colors for the various sound effects, Petit did a great job capturing each sound in its own way to make it visually distinct while at the same time keeping them consistent when necessary, such as using “slice” and “Snikt” with the same colors and font style.