Not So Sinister, Miss Sinister
X-23's has teamed up with Gambit to uncover the real motive behind Miss Sinister in this issue, and the ending is a killer.
The Good
X-23's team up with Gambit reminded me a lot of his relationship with Storm from Claremont's X-Men days, and this issue is no different. The interaction and dialogue between the two characters is really good, and Gambit acts as a guide for X-23 in a way that Wolverine can't. In his own way, he looks out for her and begs her to heed his advice. X-23's soul searching seems to have taken a twisted turn, and she encounters several children that have a lot in common with her- which is a very interesting dynamic. The pacing of the story is good, and Gambit is no fool. I really dig the way writer Marjorie Liu delves into Gambit's memories. He, more than anyone, has a very special relationship with Mr. Sinister, and this issue definitely alludes to and plays on that idea. This issue will definitely leave you wondering whether or not there may be more than one Lara out there...
The Bad
Like I said, the pacing is good, and the art is not bad- the only real problem I had with the issue was with Miss Sinister. I have a hard time believing that Gambit would simply allow Lara to go down into a cave with Miss Sinister as easily as he did, but I understand that he respects her desire to dig deeper to find answers. I guess my biggest problem was with Miss Sinister. She did not seem to me to be a very formidable opponent, and was not exactly very interesting- at least not in this issue. She didn't deceive me, and I wasn't convinced, particularly during the shapeshifting scene. I wasn't impressed.
The Verdict: 3.5 out of 5
Even though the ending left me at the edge of my seat, this definitely is not Marjorie's best issue- then again she has set the bar pretty high with her first few issues. I was left unimpressed by Miss Sinister and would have loved it if she was written to be slightly more deceptive.
