Summary
More than 20 years after the publication of Marvel’s originalNYXseries, the upcomingNYXrelaunch is harkening back to its original namesake with a cover homaging the first appearance ofX-23, the once and futureWolverine. It’s a surprising tribute to a controversial series, but one that makes sense as Wolverine returns to New York City. How the original series impacts this new story remains ambiguous, but this new cover gives hints that it hasn’t been forgotten entirely.
As Marvel prepares forthe launch of the newNYXseriesfrom writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and artist Francesco Mortariano, the publisher has now revealed W. Scott Forbes’ variant cover forNYX (2024)#3, which homages X-23’s first appearance.
Laura Kinney, X-23 at the time, debuted in the third issue of the originalNYX (2003)after first appearing on TV in the animated showX-Men: Evolution.This new cover directly homages the cover ofNYXvol 1 #3, recalling the very 2000s aesthetic of the original. On X (formerly Twitter)W. Scott Forbesgave a shout-out to originalNYX#3 cover artist Joshua Middleton, sharing how Middleton was a huge influence on his career.
Ms. Marvel And Wolverine Take Over New York In NYX: Full Roster Explained
X-Men’s upcoming NYX series will follow Ms. Marvel, Wolverine, Anole, Prodigy, and Sophie Cuckoo as they navigate a tough new post-Krakoa world.
The NewNYX#3 Cover Homages the OriginalNYX
The originalNYXsaw Laura Kinney on the streets of New York City after escaping from Weapon X, forced into involuntary sex work.It was only with the help of other misfit teens that she was able to escape that life and begin onher road to the X-Men. This first series got a follow-up without Laura in 2008,NYX: No Way Home, but the title has subsequently been dormant until this year.NYX (2024)is taking some cues from the original series, most notably in the setting, but is clearly far more of anX-Menbook, with Laura’s appearance the biggest point of crossover between the two series.
NYX (2003) #3is written by Joe Quasada, drawn by Joshua Middleton, colored by Middleton and Jean-François Beaulieu and lettered by Chris Eliopoulos and Randy Gentile.NYX: No Way Homeis written by Marjorie Liu, drawn by Kalman Andrasofsky, colored by John Rauch and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna.
NYX (2024)also promises to explore the aftermath of the Krakoan Era of the X-Men as several younger mutants band together in NYC to find out what mutant culture looks like now that their home is lost. It will be fascinating to see how Laura’s drastic evolution in the decades since her original appearance factors into this new series.Laura has gone from X-23 to Wolverinein her own right, taking on main roles in multiple X-Men teams. It’s been a while since she’s lived in New York City, and it’s not exactly somewhere she has a positive association with.
The OriginalNYXCast Might Be Coming Back
Interestingly, this cover hints that the newNYXmay return more directly to the original series than some were expecting.Marvel draws attention to the fact that the rest of the originalNYX’s cast are on missing posters on this new cover, suggesting that their disappearance may be an upcoming plot point.The majority of this original cast haven’t been seen sinceX-23vol 2 #1 in 2010, which saw Laura reunite with them to reflect on her origins. In that story, the team were all experiencing homelessness and, like Laura, they walked away into an uncertain future.
X-23(vol 2) #1 is written by Marjorie Liu, penciled by Filipe Andrade and Nuno Alves, inked by Alves, Jay Leisten and Sandu Florea, colored by Alves and Chris Sotomeyor (as SotoColor) and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
These hints, and the homage cover’s existence itself, are honestly surprising, since the majority of writers since the 2010s have avoided directly referencing the originalNYX. There’s an understandable perception that the series is a relic of the early 2000s; an ill-considered attempt to write a “mature” series that came off as exploitative. It takes skilled writers with sensitivity and a deft touch to revisit these elements of Laura’s character. This only goes doubly now that Laura isWolverine, notX-23, but it looks like writers Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing are willing to try in the newNYX.
NYX#3 (2024)
