RazzaTazz

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Mowgli > X23

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Everyone else is doing it so why don't I? That is to write about how much they are disappointed with Avengers Arena. Except I am not going to do that. The first impediment to me doing so is that I actually have not read Avengers Arena, nor do I have any idea what is really going on other than the fact that it seems to be some version of the Hunger Games with young superheroes. What people seem to be bothered by is the treatment of their favourite characters in a setting which is apparently not designed to highlight their best qualities and to make their favourites into inferior versions of their former selves. Whereas people have complained about the treatment of their favourite characters, I have suggested to just put the series down and find characters elsewhere in the comic world that might appeal to them. It occurred to me that with all of those upset over the treatment of X23 that they might like characters from Grimm Fairy Tales, Mowgli. Granted I have never actually read a comic with X23 in it, but I think I get the gist of the character. So while the title that I have chosen for this blog might be true at this moment, it is not always the case of the character (that is to say I am sure that X23 has been awesome before.)

Anyway here goes:

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1. Feral - Though X23 is not exact wolf like (drawing more inspiration from her father, the Wolverine) it is a close enough idea to how the two characters are presented. Mowgli is the human member of the Wolf Clan at the beginning of the Grimm Fairy Tales Jungle Book series, and she has a similar feral attitude at times as to what I have read in other Wolverine comics. For those that like the semi-unhinged side of the characters and yet struggling to maintain control with it, they would also find Mowgli interesting.

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2. Story based on characters - For reasons that I won't get into (spoilers) Mowgli decides that she must go to kill the leader of the Tiger Clan. This is not just an assassination attempt though. All of the characters fear for her own safety and for her mental state and whether revenge will consume her. It is a strong characterization of a female character and as a character as a whole.

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3. Strong concept - The Jungle Book has been somewhat reimagined with more humans and a different setting, but it does not seem as forced and commercial as Avengers Arena. If people can accept that it is an updated version of the Jungle Book and not a book about superheroes (though the humans would be considered excellent street level characters in a regular superhero setting.).

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4. Strong supporting cast - The other humans are not there just for one liners or for guiding along poorly conceived plot devices, instead they are built up themselves from the same place that Mowgli is. This occurs more in the second series (Last of the Species) but still they are presented as strong throughout.

There they are a few suggestions about why the fans of X23 might like Mowgli and the updated version of the Jungle Book. Something to consider for those disappointed with a favoured character (I also wouldn't mind another single person on this site to discuss this series with.)

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21 Comments

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Delphic

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I haven't read the new series yet, but I do have each issue; however, I have read the original series. It was pretty good.

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RazzaTazz

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@delphic: Someone posted on this? Ok ... yes the original JB series was amazing.

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Strider1992

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@delphic: Someone posted on this? Ok ... yes the original JB series was amazing.

Justin Bieber had a comic series!? OMGZ THA HORROZ!

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RazzaTazz

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Edited By RazzaTazz

@strider92: Not going to dignify that with a proper response.

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Dark_Vengeance_

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@razzatazz said:

@delphic: Someone posted on this? Ok ... yes the original JB series was amazing.

Justin Bieber had a comic series!? OMGZ THA HORROZ!

He actually did..............

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Yung ANcient One

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I just bought the 1st volume of Avengers Arena. I have to find out what all the commotion is about.

( + )

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SUNMAN

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Edited By SUNMAN
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there is only one Mowgli. Tarzan...eat your heart out

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Strider1992

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RazzaTazz

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@theacidskull: There are two series now actually, both are pretty fun.

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RazzaTazz

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@theacidskull: yes by all means check it out, but do read the original series first, it was much better (though the second series is still good)

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akbogert

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Heheh. You do say you've never read X-23, so I suppose I will give you the benefit of the doubt there (and say you must by all means read Innocence Lost, not only to better justify discussing X-23's personality or backstory, but because on principle it's an amazing story). Likewise I won't try to judge this comparison without having read Mowgli.

But, point one I will dispute, because Laura is anything but feral. She is an expert strategist, cold and analytical, and she does nothing hastily. She does not rush into things. If feral means, as my dictionary tells me, wild or lacking in domestication/restraint, X-23 is nothing of the sort. She's relentless, but never in a blind way. The exception is when she is under the influence of Trigger Scent -- then, yes, she behaves in a manner we could call feral -- but TS was actually made because of how not feral Laura was. It is certainly not her natural state.

She's also extremely taciturn. It is hard to imagine her yelling anything while jumping into action (like the scan of Mowgli you have here) because that would undermine the element of surprise and make her attack -- lethal or non -- less effective, and Laura's all about efficiency. Granted, at this point I'm comparing characters I've not read, but from the scans I've seen and what little I've read (and experienced folks can either back this up or dismiss it) a more fitting comparison to Laura would be Cassandra Cain.

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RazzaTazz

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@akbogert: Well I have actually started to read Avengers Arena since I wrote this, so I have read stuff with X23 in it, and I can say that from the first page of the series, that she is shown to be feral, but I didn't really mean that. I suppose wolf-like would have been a better way to describe what I meant.

I actually wrote this blog specifically for you a while back though, glad to see that you have finally found it.

And by the way, that is not Mowgli swinging into action it is her best friend Akili. I was trying to provide an image to go with the respective points, that one goes with number four.

Cassandra Cain ... sure, I can see that.

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akbogert

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Edited By akbogert

@akbogert: Well I have actually started to read Avengers Arena since I wrote this, so I have read stuff with X23 in it, and I can say that from the first page of the series, that she is shown to be feral, but I didn't really mean that. I suppose wolf-like would have been a better way to describe what I meant.

Hahaha. I'm sorry it's just...

I've been saying that Hopeless has been writing Laura badly for months, that she's not feral and that Hopeless is writing her as feral, and I've had people tell me "no, he's writing her fine, he's not writing her feral." So I laughed upon seeing that, because I wish everyone would just acknowledge it.

That said, to be fair, if you are referring specifically to the first page, where she's jumping at Hazmat, I think almost everyone assumes she is under the effect of trigger scent, so feral would make sense. I certainly hope she's not attacking Hazmat without TS. That would be PIS, no question.

My bad about Akili. It's interesting, I don't even really think Laura has much in the way of a supporting cast, at least not in her original stuff (which is what we should probably compare the Mowgli stuff to, since we're talking about grassroots of the characters' appearances). Innocence Lost was such an insular story that really it was her mother and one or two other scientists who play any kind of focal role. You said supporting cast got more fleshed out in the second story and I think the same can be said of X-23 with Target X. Kimura is immediately striking, though she's not so much "supporting" as whatever the antonym of that is. Still very strong and developed, though.

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RazzaTazz

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@akbogert: I might catch up on some X23, but you should check out GFTJB.

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akbogert

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Edited By akbogert
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RazzaTazz

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@akbogert: yes I know, in my case it is more like, Why I Should read Innocence Lost that has been sitting on my shelf for three years.

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akbogert

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@razzatazz: I could ask a similar question about Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602...bought on a whim, never read despite knowing it will be wonderful.

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RazzaTazz

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