X-23 Omnibus #1

History

X-23 was conceived by writer Craig Kyle for the X-Men: Evolution animated series, first appearing on screen in 2003 as a Wolverine analogue designed to connect with younger viewers — with Kyle later describing his intent as giving the show a Wolverine who was burdened by the murders she remembered rather than haunted by a past she had forgotten. When the character proved popular both on television and through her surprise comics debut in Joe Quesada and Joshua Middleton's NYX #3 (2004), Marvel greenlit a dedicated origin miniseries; Kyle brought in Christopher Yost as co-writer, and Billy Tan was tapped as the initial series artist, followed by Mike Choi on the Target X follow-up. The 2023 omnibus, released under Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, consolidates three distinct publishing phases — the Kyle/Yost origin duology, a 2010 one-shot, and Marjorie Liu's full 21-issue ongoing — into 928 pages, with two cover editions: a standard version and a direct-market variant featuring cover art by Leinil Francis Yu.

Trivia · 8 facts

• X-23 (Laura Kinney) was created by writer Craig Kyle for the X-Men: Evolution animated series, first appearing in Season 3, Episode 10 ('X-23') in 2003 — voiced by Andrea Libman — making her one of the very few Marvel characters whose medium-of-origin was television, not comics.
• Her first print appearance was in NYX #3 (February 2004), written by Joe Quesada with art by Joshua Middleton; the Omnibus intentionally does not reprint NYX, focusing instead on the dedicated X-23 publishing line.
• The Omnibus collects: X-23 (2005) #1–6 ('Innocence Lost'), X-23: Target X #1–6, X-23 (2010) one-shot #1, X-23 (2010 ongoing) #1–21, Captain Universe/X-23 #1, Daken: Dark Wolverine #8–9, and supplemental material from X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2, Wolverine: The Road to Hell #1, and All-New Wolverine Saga #1.
• The two origin miniseries — 'Innocence Lost' and 'Target X' — were written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, with Billy Tan drawing the former and Mike Choi drawing the latter; together they establish Laura's creation at the Facility, her trigger-scent conditioning, the death of Dr. Sarah Kinney, and her path to the X-Men.
• The X-23 (2010) ongoing — the character's first solo ongoing series — was written by Marjorie Liu, whose run is frequently cited by critics and fans as the most psychologically nuanced treatment of the character, exploring her search for identity after the events of X-Men: Second Coming.
• The Omnibus features a notable 'Collision' crossover arc (issues from Daken: Dark Wolverine #8–9 and X-23 (2010) #7–9) pitting Laura against Daken, Logan's other clone-offspring, written by both Liu and Daniel Way.
• The volume was published on June 27, 2023, runs 928 pages, and was issued in two cover editions: a standard bookshop edition and a direct-market-only variant with cover art by Leinil Francis Yu (repurposed from X-23 Vol. 3 #4).
• Dafne Keen portrayed Laura Kinney/X-23 in the 2017 film Logan and again in the 2024 MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine, providing the character with a significant live-action profile that has driven ongoing reader interest in these foundational comics.

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Variants (1)