Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

You are here: Home / Definitive Guide to Collecting X-Men as graphic novels / X-23, Wolverine – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

X-23, Wolverine – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

The X-23 comic books definitive issue-by-issue collecting guide and trade reading order for omnibus, hardcover, and trade paperback collections. Find every issue and appearance! Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated April 2023 with titles scheduled for release through August 2023.

X-23_2010_021_Textless.jpgX-23 is the original codename of Wolverine, Laura Kinney. She has been called both Logans clone and his daughter, but in her own way she’s Marvel’s Harley Quinn.

That’s because, like Quinn, X-23 originated in a medium other than comics. She was created for the cartoon X-Men Evolution by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, who would also oversee her comics journey for half a decade in a pair of mini-series and on two teams.

Kyle and Yost’s material is stellar from beginning to end. Their run on X-23 often explored the theme of her savagery – how she was raised to be a perfect assassin without being a person.

Afterwards, Author Marjorie Liu took X-23 over for two years for her first solo ongoing title. Liu focused more on X-23’s human side and her internal emotional life, forging connections with Gambit and Jubilee.

Unfortunately, her development goes on a detour from that point.

With the cancellation of her title in the midst of a reshuffling of the X-Men line, X-23 was shipped to Avengers Academy for a year. Christos Gage extended Liu’s work, but it was in a crowded team title. Afterward, Dennis Hopeless picked up X-23 and other Academy cast members for Avengers Arena – where she was cast mostly an unintentional villain.

After the end of Arena, X-23 is adopted by All-New X-Men, weirdly filling out the young cast of the 1960s original X-Men with a Wolverine analog. She’s mostly played for big action beats and romance, but her development finally gets back on track in the aftermath of Wolverine’s death in Wolverines.

Finally, in the wake of Secret Wars, X-23 regained a solo title for the first time in half a decade – this time taking on the mantle of Wolverine(!) while also continuing in All-New X-Men.

Join the Crushing On Crushing Krisis mailing list for a notice whenever this page is updated with new collections – plus, a not-more-than-weekly ping about new comics content.


The X-23 Bookshelf

X-23 in Omnibus

X-23 Omnibus, Vol. 1 (2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302951603 / digital)
Collects X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: Target X #1-6, X-23 (2010A) #1, X-23 (2010B) #1-21, Captain Universe (2005) #3 [AKA Captain Universe/X-23 #1], Daken: Dark Wolverine #8-9, and material from X-Men: To Serve And Protect (20210) #2, Wolverine: The Road To Hell (2010) #1, and All-New Wolverine Saga (2010) #1.

All-New Wolverine Omnibus (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302926441)
Collects All-New Wolverine (2015) #1-35 & Annual 1 and Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine (2017) #1

X-23 (2005 – 2010) in Complete Collections

X-23-2005-001.jpgYou need just two books if you’re looking for only the major thread of X-23’s solo story with no filler or team action through X-Men: Schism just prior to Avengers vs. X-Men and Marvel Now:

X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901165 / digital) collects X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: Target X (2007) #1-6, Captain Universe (2005) #3 [AKA Captain Universe/X-23 #1], X-23 (2010A) #1, X-23 (2010B) #1-3, and X-Men: To Serve And Protect (2011) #2 (4th story).

Volume 1 does not collect X-23’s mature readers debut in NYX #3-7, her stories in Marvel Team-Up #5-6, or her membership in New X-Men and X-Force (2008) – all of which are detailed below.

X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901172 / digital) collects X-23 (2010B) #4-21, her crossover with Daken: Dark Wolverine (2010) #8-9, and relevant material from Wolverine: Road to Hell (2010) #1 and All-New Wolverine Saga (2010).

Oddly, this doesn’t include her story from X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2 or her crossover in Venom: Circle of Four, which could have fit into this collection. They’re both described below.

From there, you can continue to X-23’s appearances in Avengers Academy, directly to Avengers Arena, to her joining All-New X-Men, or even to her appearances in Wolverines, before continuing to her next solo turn in All-New Wolverine.

X-23 Reading Order

Early X-23: NYX (2003) #3-7, X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: Target X (2007) #1-6, & Uncanny X-Men (1963)

X-23’s earliest stories were told in a sequence of self-contained mini-series, which were released out of continuity order. While I’m generally in favor of reading books with big reveals in order of their release to preserve the revealing moments, X-23’s early years were carefully curated and make sense as an integrated continuity-order story.

[Marvel Unlimited: X-23, Target X, NYX, Uncanny, X-Men #165, Marvel Team-Up, Captain Universe]

In order of release: NYX (2003) #3-7 (release of #7 was not until after Uncanny X-Men #460), Uncanny X-Men (1963) #450-451, X-Men (1991) #165, X-23 (2005) #1-6, Marvel Team-Up (2004) #5-6, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #455-460, Captain Universe/X-23 (2006) #1, and X-23: Target X (2007) #1-6 (released after New X-Men (2004) #32 & X-Men (1991) #193, below).X-23-Target-X-2007-001

X-23 (2005) #1-6 is Laura’s first solo comic. It explores her origin and is set before her debut. It is collected in her omnibus, as well as:

NYX/X-23 (2005 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785118251 / digital)
X-23 (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785115021 / digital)
X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901165 / digital).

X-23: Target X (2007) #1-6 helps to link Laura’s origin to her debut in New York. It is collected in her omnibus, as well as:

X-23: Target X (2007 paperback, ISBN 978-0785119715 / digital)
X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901165 / digital).

NYX (2003) #3-7 was Laura’s debut. It is not collected in X-23 recollections like the Complete Collection or Omnibus because it is a mature readers title. Ultimately, this is now treated as continuity-lite and you van easily skip past it in your read. It is collected in:

NYX/X-23 (2005 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785118251 / digital)
NYX: Wannabe (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785112433 / digital)
NYX Complete Collection (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-0785195986 / digital)

Uncanny X-Men (1963) #450-451: See Guide to Uncanny X-Men (2001 – 2011). These issues by Chris Claremont feature the team discovering X-23 (to their collective shock!) in Manhattan. They end with X-23 returning to the mansion with X-23.

X-Men (1991) #165: See Guide to Uncanny X-Men (2001 – 2011) or Guide to New X-Men. This one-off Christmas tale byCrhis Claremont features some of X-23’s first interactions with the X-Men. It is often collected alongside Uncanny X-Men, which was his main title at the time.

Marvel Team-Up (2005) #5-6: Marvel Team-Up Volume 1: Golden Child (2005 paperback, ISBN 978-0785115953 / digital)
Issue #5 follows Laura in her earliest days at the X-Mansion, under the watchful eyes of Cyclops and Emma Frost. She strikes out on her own at the end of the issue to confront Spider-Man, who she assumes to be a villain, but winds up teaming up with him (along with Black Widow and Captain America, who we learn she has met before later, in Target X). The interesting development for her is in #5, whereas #6 is just fighting.

Uncanny X-Men (1963) #455-460: See Guide to Uncanny X-Men (2001 – 2011). This is also by Claremont. Issue #455 continues Laura’s integration into life in the mansion, similar to her scenes in Marvel Team-Up #5. It also re-introduces Psylocke to the team and finds a rash decision from Laura leading them into a trap. Laura gets good exposure here; Claremont has always had a way with writing young female characters.

During UXM #458: a flashback in Breaking Into Comics The Marvel Way (2010) #2 (4th story). Also, at an unspecified time in this period, X-23 appears on a video screen in Marvel Team-Up (2005) #7

Captain Universe (2005) #3 [AKA Captain Universe/X-23 #1] in her omnibus, as well as

Captain Universe: Universal Heroes (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785118572 / digital)
X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901165 / digital)

Also in this period, a not-in-continuity X-23 appears in Marvel Team-Up (2004) #15-18 & 25 and Deadpool/GLI: Summer Fun Spectacular (2007) #1

X-23 in New X-Men: Academy X (2004) #20-46 by Kyle & Yost (2006 – 2008)

X-23 transitions to the cast of New X-Men in a particularly fraught period for the team, as the results of House of M hits the crowded halls of the Xavier School as well as the genocidal violence of the purifiers.

New-X-Men-2004-001

X-23 doesn’t get a singular focus here, but she remains under the pen of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, who wrote both of her mini-series. Thus, the thread of her upbringing and lack of socialization is continued throughout the run. [Marvel Unlimited: main series, World War Hulk]

#20-36: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men

After NXM#32: X-23 cameos in 190 and may be a random, unnamed student in #189 and 193 and X-Men: Phoenix Warsong (2006) #1.

X-Men Vol. 2 (1991) #202: See X-Men, Vol. 2. The collected young New X-Men briefly save the day against the Acolytes, with X-23 fighting Frenzy.

#38-41: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men

X-Men: Endangered Species in oversize hardcover and paperback. A story collected from back-up features across all of the X-titles leading up to Messiah Complex. Mostly a Beast story.

World War Hulk: X-Men (2007) #1-2: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men or Guide t0 Marvel Universe Events – World War Hulk. This is effectively a Young X-Men story, and sees X-23 squaring off against a cosmically angry Hulk! This occurs during New X-Men #42.

#42-43: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men

X-Men: Messiah Complex: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. X-23 appears throughout this crossover with her team; it includes the final issues of their series.

X-23 in X-Force (2008) #1-28 & Annual 1 by Kyle & Yost

After Messiah Complex the New X-Men Academy is dissolved. While some students move directly to SF and others re-form in Young X-Men, X-23 joins Wolverine’s hyper-violent squad of assassins in X-Force.

[Marvel Unlimited: X-Force, Annual, Cable, Messiah War One-Shot, Manifest Destiny #4, Hulk, Sex & Violence, X-Necrosha, Pixie Strikes Back]

Here’s how that breaks out, issue by issue:X-Force-2008-0017

#1-6: See Guide to X-Force

Before or during #1: Present day action in Cable Vol. 2 (2008) #6 shows X-23 teaming with Warpath early in the formation of X-Force.

During #2: a flashback in Dark X-Men: Confession (2009)

Cable (2008) #7 & 9-10: See Guide to Cable. These issues are half a modern-day X-Force story and half a future Cable story.

Annual 1: See Guide to X-Force

Secret Invasion: X-Men (2008) #1-2 & 4: This is a minor appearance. See Guide to Uncanny X-Men (2001 – 2010) or Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Secret Invasion.

X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #4 (2nd story): See Guide to Uncanny X-Men (2001 – 2010). This is a story of Mercury and X-23 during their downtime at the X-Men’s new base of operations in San Francisco. She also has cameos in the final stories in #2-3.

#7-11 & 12 (first half): See Guide to X-Force

After #9: a flashback in Dark X-Men: Confession (2009) and a single panel cameo in X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #3. Then, we see a brief domestic scene in Uncanny X-Men (1963) #505 of X-23 sharing a room with Armor and Pixie, which tips off Emma to Cyclops’s secret X-Force team.

After #12 (first half): X-23 helps defend the X-Men’s base from intruders in a page of Uncanny X-Men (1963) #510

Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Utopia: See Guide to Uncanny X-Men (2001 – 2010). Laura appears in issues of this event as part of the fight against the Dark Avengers in Exodus one-shot, Uncanny X-Men #514-515, and Dark Avengers (2009) #8.

Hulk (2008) #14-17: See Guide to Hulk. This is X-Force’s one appearance as a team outside of the X-Men titles, as they square off versus both green and red Hulks. X-23 does not appear on-panel in 16

During Hulk #15: Flashback in Fall Of The Hulks: Red Hulk (2010) #2

X-Force: Sex & Violence (2010) #1 & 3: See Guide to X-Force. Though released later, mini-series fills in a brief adventure for the team prior to Messiah War.

#12 (2nd half) & #13-15 [AKA X-Force/Cable: Messiah Complex]: See Guide to X-Force. X-23 appears throughout this crossover, including the chapters in Cable (2008)

#16-20, X-Necrosha (2009), & #21-25: See Guide to X-Force.

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back! (2010) #1-4 (2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785146766 / digital)
X-23 is a major cast member in Pixie’s adventure.

X-23 (2010A) #1 & Second Coming

One of several one-shots for Marvel’s women, only one of whom had a solo ongoing series at this time. [Marvel Unlimited]

#1: X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901165 / digital)
Collects X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: Target X (2007) #1-6, Captain Universe (2005) #3 [AKA Captain Universe/X-23 #1], X-23 (2010A) #1, X-23 (2010B) #1-3, and X-Men: To Serve And Protect (2011) #2 (4th story).

Previously, this issue was only available in Mighty Women of Marvel (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785149538 / digital) along with other 2010 woman-led one-shots and in X-Women (2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785162797 / digital) along with other one shots.

X-Men: Second Coming (2010): See Guide to X-Force. X-23 appears in nearly every issue of this crossover alongside X-Force. It has long-term implications for the X-Men as a whole if not X-23 in specific.

The Heroic Age:
X-23 (2010B) #1-21 & Venom: Circle of Four

X-23-2010-004

Note that X-23 has a one-shot issue earlier in 2010, listed above, which technically makes this X-23 (2010B) – sometimes also know as X-23 [II] (2010).

[Marvel Unlimited: main series, Road to Hell, Serve & Protect #2, Daken, Fear Itself: The Home Front, Venom]

as recollected in Complete Collections…

#1-3: X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901165 / digital) collects X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: Target X (2007) #1-6, Captain Universe (2005) #3 [AKA Captain Universe/X-23 #1], X-23 (2010A) #1, X-23 (2010B) #1-3, and X-Men: To Serve And Protect (2011) #2 (4th story).

#4-21: X-23: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901172 / digital)
collects X-23 (2010B) #4-21, her crossover with Daken: Dark Wolverine (2010) #8-9, and relevant material from Wolverine: Road to Hell (2010) #1 and All-New Wolverine Saga (2010).

as originally collected…

Wolverine: Road To Hell (2010) #1: A brief story shared by Daken and X-23 that leads into both of their series. It’s more of a preview of Daken than of X-23, who barely appears. However, by chronology it might fit better to read it after her #3 (as confirmed by its placement in the Complete Collections). This was originally collected with Daken’s series rather than X-23’s.

#1-6: Volume 1: The Killing Dream (2011 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785152958 / 2011 paperback, ISBN ‎ 978-0785147978 / digital)

Before her solo ongoing begins: If X-23 appears in Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age (2011) #1, it’s in the deep background! Then, she appears in a few panels of battle in Uncanny X-Men (1963) #534 and in a splash page in X-Men (2010) #2 and in a montage of action in #4.

During #1-3: A brief flash of X-23’s story is shown in Wolverine (2010) #3. She does not appear in Wolverine (2010) #5.1 (or, if she does, it’s in the background of a panel).

X-Men: To Serve & Protect (2011) #2 (4th story): In Complete Collection, above. a brief X-23/Ghost Rider team-up story. Originally collected in X-Men: To Serve & Protect (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152286 / digital). This occurs between issues #3-4 of her series (as confirmed by its placement in the Complete Collections).

#7-9: Daken/X-23: Collision (2011 hardcover, ISBN ‎ 978-0785147077 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785147084 / digital)
This collects includes X-23 (2010B) #7-9 and Daken: Dark Wolverine (2010) #5-9. X-23’s order of appearances here are X7, a final-page cameo in Daken #7, X8, Daken #8, X9, and Daken#9.

X-23-2010-010

ure Ladoes not appear in New Mutants (2009) #27, despite it being listed in some guides.

#10-16: Volume 2: Chaos Theory (2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785152965 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785147985 / digital)

Fear Itself: The Home Front (2011) #5-7 (2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785163893 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156673 / digital)
Stories in these anthology issues feature X-23 in a team-up with other teen legacy heroes in the midst of Fear Itself. Also, see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Fear Itself.

X-23 does not appear in Schism, which signals the fracturing of the team into two factions – Cyclops and Wolverine. She cameos in a single panel of its epilogue, X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1 saying “Is there any other choice?” when asked which side of the divide she will come down on.

This sets up her introduction to Avengers Academy, but the remainder of her own title plays out before she relocates. X-Men Legacy (2008) #259-260 occur in parallel to this final arc, but X-23 appears there only in single-panel flashbacks in Rogue’s retelling of Messiah Complex and Second Coming.

#17-21: Vol. 3: Don’t Look Back (2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785152811
/ 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152828 / digital)

Venom: Circle of Four: See Guide to Venom. This crossover occurs between #20-21. It was originally planned for the titles of its various participants (Red Hulk, Ghost Rider, and X-23), but as they neared cancellation and Venom did not they were made into a special decimal point mini series here in Venom (2011) #13, 13.1-4, & 14. (X-23 also appears in single panels of flashback to this story in Venom (2011) #23, 25, & 42)

X-23 in Avengers Academy (2010) #23-39

X-23 joins Avengers Academy (2010) #23

In the wake of her solo series (and the schism that occurred in the X-Men just prior to its end), Wolverine and Hank Pym decide that Laura would be best served at the Avengers Academy rather than Wolverine’s school due to her history of instability when amongst the X-Men students.

This places X-23 in the midst of a large, unfamiliar cast that was largely created by writer Christos Gage just for the title. In that group, X-23 befriends Finesse – a similarly deadly would-be assassin who is on a different path than X-23.

Laura stars in Avengers Academy for the year running up to Avengers vs. X-Men and through the event. It continues for one further arc, though its release was compressed into just a few months to make way for the subsequent launch of Avengers Arena in Marvel Now.

[Marvel Unlimited]

#23-26: See Guide to Young Avengers. X-23 is featured throughout #23 as part of her arrival, but the story is mostly Reptil’s. X-23 gets a few good training scenes, including one talking about animal instincts vs. killer instincts with Tigra. She appears in just a pair of pages in #24 – training with Finesse and Mettle, and then on the final splash. In #25 she appears briefly in the background of a combat scene.

X-23 mostly appears in the background of crowd scenes in Astonishing X-Men (2004) #51at Northstar’s wedding, but her former writer Marjorie Lui does fit in one exchange with her pal, Jubilee The Vampire.

#29-33: See Guide to Young Avengers or Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Avengers vs. X-Men, as these issues are tie-ins to that event. As one of the only mutants at the Academy (and Wolverine’s clone!), X-23 is naturally a focus of this arc. Issue #29 has several nods to her existing plots, including a brief confrontation with Wolverine over Schism and a reunion with some of her Academy X friends. Then, Laura is the star of #30-32 and is featured in #33. These issues serve the AvX plot, but also has establishing moments of relationship that will play out in Arena (especially with Hazmat).

X-23 and Jubilee in Astonishing X-Men (2004) #51

#34-37: See Guide to Young Avengers. In #34, Laura  briefly trains with her friend Finesse and appears with the team throughout. In #35 she cameos in battle and has a scene where she believes she is dying, and reflects on her many victims on a single page. She is shown fighting throughout #36 with a few key heroic moments. In #37, Laura has few scenes, but Finesse’s defense of her is interesting (if inessential) character development that continues past the end of the arc,

#38-39: See Guide to Young Avengers. Issue #38 is another reunion with Laura’s Academy X friends – and culminates in #39. Altogether, it gives Laura a solid arc of growth, even if it is mostly erased in Arena.

Marvel Now:
Avengers Arena (2013) #1-18

X-23 on the cover of Avengers Arena (2013) #14

Arena is a brutally fun version of Hunger Games using Marvel’s young heroes as fodder – but there’s more than meets the eye in this young adult battle royale.

Unfortunately, X-23 is mostly played as an impulsive antagonist throughout these series due to the use of her trigger scent. If you enjoy her more savage tendencies, then you’ll probably appreciate the action in this book. If you’re more intrigued by the development of her character arc from Liu’s run as continued by Gage in Academy, this may not be satisfying for you.

Laura does not continue into the follow-up series, Avengers Undercover.

[Marvel Unlimited]

Avengers Arena (2013) #1-6, 8-11, 13-18: See Guide to Young Avengers.

Also in this period: X-23’s photo is shown (along with dozens of other heroes) in a non-continuity fashion in Young Avengers (2013) #11.

After Arena #18: Madame Web projects a vision of Laura fighting Hazmat into Peter Parker’s brain in The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #695. We also see a brief flashback to Arena in Avengers Undercover (2014) #1.

X-23 in All-New X-Men (2013) #19-41 (2014 – 2015)

X-23 and Jean Grey on the cover of All-New X-Men (2013) #21

All-New X-Men was a title written by Brian Bendis that introduced the original, Silver Age, teenage X-Men to the modern day.

X-23 is thrust into this title and team with little explanation of her exit from Avengers Arena. Generally, in this period she feels “off-voice” from the established tone of her character. That can make some of her choices in this title feel dissonant for a long-time reader. She does enjoy some featured moments in this run that lead to character development in her next series.

[Marvel Unlimited: main series, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Widow #11, UXM #600]

#19-21: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. This arc focuses heavily on X-23 as she is discovered by the All-New team in the wake of Avengers Arena.

#22-24 [AKA The Trial of Jean Grey]: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. X-23 is a featured player here in All-New X-Men (2013) #22-23 (not in Guardians #11), Guardians of the Galaxy (2013) #12, ANXM 24, and GotG 13.

After Trial of Jean Grey: In Uncanny X-Men (2013) #23, in the deep background of a panel. Then appears in panels of X-Men: No More Humans (2014) OGN as part of the assembled All-New X-Men – though she has no specific speech or action. X-23 and the team briefly spar with Quentin Quire in Wolverine and the X-Men (2014) #4. She appears in a panel of flashback in Cyclops (2014) #1.

#26: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. Issue #26 is a standalone story in the wake of Trial. It has a brief passage of development for Laura as she attempts to leave the team but is stopped by two of the members with whom she’s forged a connection.

#27-29: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. An arc that follows up on the characters from Battle of the Atom and No More Humans. You can skip this if you haven’t read those stories. Laura is a background team player in #27. She barely appears in #28, though that sets up a cool final splash image and heavy involvement in #29.

#30-31: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. The first six pages of #30 focus on Laura’s relationship with the young Angel, and she is a major contributor to the team’s actions in #31.

X-23 teams-up with Natasha in Black Widow (2014) #11

#32-36: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. A cross-dimensional arc with Miles Morales, who at the time was the Spider-Man of the Marvel Ultimate Universe. Laura has some development with Angel and specific action. She does not appear in #37, which is an issue focused on Jean Grey.

Black Widow (2014) #11: See Guide to Black Widow. A team-up between Black Widow and Laura drawn by former X-23 artist, Phil Noto! This is a great-looking story much more in the feel of X-23’s solo adventures than her appearances in All-New X-Men. This may actually occur after the Death of Wolverine, but because it makes no mention of it you might find that it makes more sense to read it first. X-23 subsequently appears in a single, silent panel of #12 reacting to news coverage of Widow.

Death of Wolverine and Wolverines (2015) #1-13 all occur here, as noted in the next section.

After Wolverines (2015) #13: in Nova (2013) Annual 1, X-23 appears with the All-New team in the final panel of this as a lead-in to Black Vortex.

#38-39 [AKA The Black Vortex]: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. X-23 appears throughout this crossover story, but is not one of the most major players from her team. She appears in The Black Vortex Alpha (2015) #1, Guardians of the Galaxy (2013) #24, Legendary Star-Lord (2014) #9, All-New X-Men (2013) #38-39, Guardians Team-Up (2015) #3, Legendary Star-Lord (2014) #10-11, Guardians of the Galaxy and X-Men: The Black Vortex Omega (2015) #1

#40-41 & Uncanny X-Men (1963) #600: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men and Guide to X-Men Flagship Titles (2011-2019). In issue #41, X-23 shares scenes with the team and with Angel in the wake of Black Vortex. Otherwise, she is mostly relegated to background action. Almost all active X-characters make an appearance in Uncanny #600.

Wolverines (2015) #14-20 occur here, as noted in the next section.

Wolverines (2015) #1-20

Logan’s untimely (and unlikely) demise leads Laura to anchor a book of Logan’s allies and Weapon X castoffs in Wolverines, which released with an accelerated weekly schedule.

[Marvel Unlimited: Logan Legacy, Wolverines]

Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy (2014) #1-2 & 7: See Guide to Wolverine – Logan. Note that the story begins in media res and then goes back to explain X-23’s involvement in issue #2.

#1-5: Vol. 1: Dancing with the Devil (2015 paperback, ISBN 978-0785192862 / digital)

#6-10: Vol. 2: Claw, Blade, and Fang (2015 paperback, ISBN 978-0785192879 / digital)

#11-15: Vol. 3: The Living and The Dead (2015 paperback, ISBN 978-0785197355 / digital)

After #13: Nova (2013) Annual 1, followed by all of Black Vortex and the end of All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men (1963) #600, as noted above.

#16-20: Vol. 4: Destiny (2015 paperback, ISBN 978-0785197676 / digital)

X-23 briefly cameos in Deadpool (2013) #45 (along with a many other characters)

All-New, All Different Marvel & Marvel Legacy:
All-New Wolverine (2016) #1-35 & Annual 1 by Tom Taylor

Laura’s takes up the mantle of Wolverine to complete her narrative arc from Wolverines (2015) as penned by Tom Taylor. This title became a cult favorite of X-fans, leading to Laura’s popularity skyrocketing (as well as the introduction of Gabby AKA Honey Badger AKA Scout].

Meanwhile, Laura continues her membership in All-New X-Men in a title written by Avengers Arena author Dennis Hopeless.

[Marvel Unlimited: main series, Annual, All-New X-Men, Civil War II, Monsters Unleashed, IvX, Secret Empire, Generations]

X-23 as Wolverine in All-New Wolverine (2016) #1

in a single omnibus…

All-New Wolverine Omnibus (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302926441)
Collects All-New Wolverine (2015) #1-35 & Annual 1 and Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine (2017) #1

as originally collected (with guest appearances included)…

#1-6: Volume 1: The Four Sisters (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-0785196525 / digital)

Annual 1: This has only ever been collected in a Laura-focused collection in omnibus, above. Otherwise, it is consistently collected along with Spider-Gwen (2015B), as it is a team-up with her. See Guide to Spider-Gwen.

All-New X-Men (2015) #1-6, 9 & Annual 1: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men. This all likely occurs prior to Laura’s first arc, at which point she already seems to be embedded with the team.

Before or early in her series: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe (2016) OGN HC, Deadpool V Gambit (2016) #4

Likely before Civil War II: A Year of Marvels: May Infinite Comic (2016) #1, All-New, All Different Marvel Universe (2016) One-Shot, A Year of Marvels: The Incredible (2016) #1, Mockingbird (2016) #5

Out of Continuity: X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever (2016) #1-5

#7-12: Volume 2: Civil War II (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-0785196532 / digital)

Civil War II: See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Civil War II. Laura appears in Civil War II (2016) #1 & 3 (and briefly in #8), Civil War II: Choosing Sides (2016) #1, New Avengers (2015) #12, Nova (2016) #8, Uncanny Avengers [II] (2015) #13. (She also cameos in The Accused (2016) #1).

#13-18: Volume 3: Enemy of the State II (2017 paperback, ISBN 978-1302902902 / digital)

Likely after Civil War II but before IvX: Power Man and Iron Fist (2016) #10, Ghost Rider (2017) #1-5

All-New X-Men (2016) #12 & 15-16: See Guide to New Mutants & Young X-Men.

Monsters Unleashed (2017): See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Monsters Unleashed. Laura appears in issue #4 and has a Gambit team-up in All-New X-Men (2016) #1.MU.

Inhumans vs. X-Men AKA IvX (2017): See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Inhumans vs. X-men. Laura appears in #1-2 & 5-6, All-New X-Men (2016) #17-18, and Extraordinary X-Men (2016) #19

After IvX, she appears in All-New X-Men (2016) #19 and Mosaic (2016) #7

In the wake of Inhumans vs. X-Men, most books in the X-Men line relaunched under the “ResurrXion” banner. All-New Wolverine continued with no change, other than to Laura’s suit from her Blue-and-Yellow Logan tribute the Black-and-Grey of her X-Force look.

#19-24: Volume 4: Immune (2017 paperback, ISBN 978-1302909352 / digital)

Secret Empire: See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Secret Empire. Laura appears in #9-10

Generations: All-New Wolverine & Wolverine (2017) #1: This has only ever been collected in a Laura-focused collection in omnibus, above. Otherwise, See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Generations.

Laura appears in Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America (2017) #1, Weapon X (2017) #8-11, Hawkeye (2017) #12.

#25-29: Volume 5: Orphans of X (2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302905613 / digital)
An arc exploring Laura’s origins co-starring Daken.

#31-35: Volume 6: Old Woman Laura (2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302911102 / digital)
Issues #33-35 are a flash-forward story with no connection to present-day continuity.

Guest appearances in this period include Cable (2017) #151-154 and Venom (2017) #154. Then, Laura appears with the assembled X-Men in Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (2017) #1-5, followed by X-Men: Red (2018) Annual 1, then X-Men# Gold (2017) #30. 

Fresh Start:
X-Men: Red (2018) #1-11 & Annual 1
& and Hunt for Wolverine: Adamantium Agenda (2018) #1-4 by Tom Taylor

Laura (and Gabby) begin to star in Jean Grey’s X-Men team in X-Men Red in 2018 a few months before Laura begins a new run as X-23 written by Mariko Tamaki, with artist Juan Cabal continuing from her prior series. [Marvel Unlimited: Red, Annual, Adamantium Agenda]

X-Men: Red (2018) Annual 1 & #1-11: See Guide to X-Men Flagship Titles (2011-2019). Laura is one of Jean’s most-trusted team members, despite them just having met. Yet, this is probably not a must-read for X-23 fans (though Gabby gets plenty to do). Though released later, the Annual is the first chronological story of this series (it is set prior to X-Men Gold #30, while the rest of the series is set afterward).

Hunt for Wolverine: Adamantium Agenda #1-4 (2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302913038 / digital)
A New Avengers reunion between Cage, Jones, Stark, and Parker, with Laure standing in for Wolverine starting in issue #2. Collects Hunt for Wolverine (2018) #1 and Hunt for Wolverine: Adamantium Agenda (2018) #1-4. She also appears briefly in Hunt For Wolverine: Weapon Lost (2018) #1. Also, see Guide to Wolverine – Logan.

X-23 (2018) #1-12 by Mariko Tamaki

[Marvel Unlimited]

#1-6: Vol. 1: Family Album

#7-12: Vol. 2 (2019 paperback, ISBN 9781302916862)

During or slightly after her solo series but before Uncanny X-Men, Laura also appears in Mr. and Mrs. X (2018) #1 & 6, Extermination (2018) #2-5, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015B) #37, X-Men: Black (2018) Mojo & Emma Frost, Astonishing X-Men (2017) #17, and Merry X-Men Holiday Special (2018) #1

Uncanny X-Men (2018) & Age of X-Man (2019)

[Marvel Unlimited: Uncanny X-Men, AoX Alpha, Marvelous X-Men, AoX Omega]

Uncanny X-Men (2018) #1-6 & 8-10: See X-Men Flagships. Laura is a member of this massive squad, with several lighthearted moments for her throughout.

Age of X-Man: From her appearance in Uncanny X-Men, Laura continues into the Age of X-Men event, where she appears throughout in Age of X-Man (2019) Alpha, Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men (2019) #1-5, Age of X-Man: Nextgen (2019) #1-2 & 5, Age of X-Man: X-Tremists (2019) #2, Age of X-Man: Prisoner X (2019) #1 & 3-4, Age of X-Man: Apocalypse & the X-Tracts (2019) #3 & 5, and Age of X-Man Omega (2019) #1.

After Age of X-Man, Laura appears in Uncanny X-Men (2018) #19 and Fearless (2019) #1-2. She appears in a page of Marvel Comics (2019) #1000. She also appears in a non-continuity capacity in Major X (2019) #5, History of the Marvel Universe (2019) #6, and Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) #1

Wolverine in The Age of Krakoa

Early in the Age of Krakoa, Logan makes a point of saying that “she’s Wolverine, too,” emphasizing that Laura no longer goes by the X-23 codename.

[Marvel Unlimited: Fallen Angels, X-Men (2019), X-Men (2021), X-Men/Black Knight, X Deaths of Wolverine, X-Terminators]

X-23 in X-Men (2019) #18

Fallen Angels (2019) #1-6: See Guide to Mr. Sinister. Laura is one of the three anchors of this non-team, along with Kwannon and Teen Cable.

During Fallen Angels, Laura appears in X-Force (2019) #2

X-Men (2019) #5 & 18-19: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. This Children of the Vault tale is an absolutely critical story for Laura with long-term ramifications on her plot.

The Hellfire Gala: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. After rejoining the X-Men on Krakoa after her adventure with the Children of the Vault, Laura appears throughout this event – though not with much significance to her character. She is in Marauders (2019) #21, X-Force (2019) #20, X-Men (2019) #21, New Mutants (2019) #19, X-Corp (2021) 2, Way of X (2021) #3, Wolverine (2020) #13, and X-Factor (2020) #10, as well as an unofficial issue in Children of the Atom (2021) #6. However, she does not appear in Planet-Size X-Men (2021) #1.

Just prior to the Gala, we see Laura in New Mutants (2019) #18. Spinning directly out of the Hellfire Gala, Laura appears alongside the new X-Men away team in X-Men: The Trial of Magneto (2021) #1-4. She also cameos in Reptil (2021) #1

X-Men (2021) #1-5 & 8 & Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight (2022) #1: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. Laura is an ongoing member of the new flagship away team.

Also in this period, Laura appears in Hellions (2020) #16 & 18, Devil’s Reign: X-Men (2022) #1, Death of Doctor Strange (2021) #4-5, New Mutants (2019) #24, and Marauders (2022) Annual 1. She makes a non-continuity montage appearance in Infinite Possibilities Infinity Comic (2022) #1.

X Deaths of Wolverine (2022) #3-5: See Guide to Wolverine – Logan. Laura is part of the all-Wolverines away team sent to hunt down Logan. She also appears in X Lives of Wolverine (2022) #5.

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #35 & 37-40: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. Issue #35 is a Maggot story where he befriends Laura, which leads to a team-up throughout this arc. Per Emma, Laura is explicitly an X-Man at this time, so it’s prior to the Hellfire Gala.

X-Men (2021) #10-12 & X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2022) #1: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. Laura departs the main X-Men team during this event.

Also in this period, Laura appears in The Marvels (2021) #12, Knights of X (2022) #5, and makes continuity-lite appearances in Alligator Loki Infinity Comic (2022) #7 and Marvel Meow Infinity Comic (2022) #12. Then, after AXE, she is deep in the background of a panel in X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #59.

A.X.E.: Judgment Day (2022): See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – AXE, Judgment Day. Laura appears in only A.X.E.: Judgment Day (2022) #2 and A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants (2022) #1

X-Terminators (2022) #1-5: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. Laura is one of the stars of this series, alongside Dazzler and Jubilee. X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #74 is a brief epilogue to this series.

Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic (2022) #27-32: A mini-arc about the Wolverine family of Logan, Daken, Laura, & Gabby by Stephanie Williams.

Also in this period, Laura is in Wolverine (2019) #26, Legion of X (2022) #8, Thunderbolts (2022) #5, and Immortal X-Men (2022) #10 (which is likely after Captain Marvel and X-Men, since it’s likely her final story prior to Sins of Sinister. Also, in X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #67 (in non-continuity montage) & 81 (unseen on the other end of a phone call with Jubilee).

X-Men (2021) #16-21: See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. The final scene of issue #16 initiates a major story for Laura that connects back to the Children of the Vault story and has massive ongoing implications for her character.

Captain Marvel (2019) #43-48 (ongoing): See Guide to Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers. This Brood arc is effectively an indirect crossover with the above arc of X-Men, with some characters (and ramifications) jumping back and forth between the two.

X-23: Deadly Regenesis (2023) #1-5

This retcon series is set during the Utopia period of 2009-2011. [Marvel Unlimited]

#1-5: Deadly Regenesis (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302947200 / digital TBA)

Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Check Amazon for Marvel’s newest X-23 and All-New Wolverine titles

Back to Crushing Comics