I have been loving Marjorie Liu's X-23, and the first issue that ropes the FF into her ongoing series is no different. At first I was worried about the dynamic between Laura and the FF team, but Liu quickly proves that they can all work very well together.
The Good
It's nice to see that Liu continues to keep certain elements of Laura's character constant even 14 issues into her series. It's clear that Laura has a hard time trusting people, and that getting as close as she did to Gambit was a huge progression for her character throughout the series. In this issue, Liu forces X-23 to do something she doesn't do very often -- trust the people around her, and she does this by not giving Laura any other choice. Laura meets the FF and she is immediately on the defense. That is until Sue steps in to guide her through the FF mansion, introducing her to all the FF kids. The result is some really great interaction between Laura and the kids.
Reed and Valeria quickly realize that the power Laura is harboring within her is not only connected to Spidey and Sue Storm, but it is also connected to the earthquake that recently took place in Manhattan and destroyed an entire city block. The FF team comes one step closer to solving (or at least understanding) Laura's crazy light flash/seizures.
The Bad
Nothing! This series has been fantastic and only continues to get more interesting.
The Verdict
This issue is definitely one of the best. Some of the best scenes are those featuring the Thing and X-23 -- there are very few people who aren't intimidated by Ben, and evidently, Laura is one of them. Phil Noto knocks this issue out of the park as well with some absolutely jaw dropping art work. The story is stellar and overall one of the best this week.