Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 cover In Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1, the mutant formerly known as X-23 takes to the streets for a personal mission only she can complete.

Ever since Laura ascended to the title of Wolverine in 2015, the decade since has seen her use that name on and off, briefly reverting to X-23 before the Krakoa era had her share it with Logan. Give or take a few weird digressions that have not totally been resolved yet —namely that the Laura you’ll see in the issue is technically a duplicate of the original, who is now older and calling herself “Talon”— you pretty much know what to expect from her in this role. With Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1, she’s back in her own series (running alongside her other starring role in NYX) and better than ever. She is the best there is at what she does, of course.

The setup here is pretty simple. Now living in NYC, hanging out with the likes of Ms. Marvel and Sophie Cuckoo, Laura’s sense of justice takes her to Dubai to settle a case of mutant trafficking, where things may not be as cut and dry as you would otherwise assume. Her killer instincts get a real workout while there, obviously.

While the overall package of Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 is quite nice, my main issue is that I don’t really know what the angle of the book is. This issue goes big on the mutant trafficking angle —which itself was already seen in last month’s Psylocke #1— but then in the final pages, it tees up a brawl with Elektra, who doesn’t particularly tie in with that theme. I don’t think every new comic book needs to be about something, but it helps. (Example: the recent launch of Dazzler, which uses her to tackle the topic of culture wars.) Laura specifically references her time a sex worker in one scene, and while it does tie into the main story, it’s sort of left on the side rather than directly engaged with. This could be picked up again later, but that remains to be seen. Laura is popular, but not to the degree that the other Wolverine is. With the current state of the industry there isn’t space to meander or go on tangents with a book like this, which is already at a disadvantage.

That being said, Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 is worth checking out, especially for fans of the character. Shultz brings up some good ideas here, namely the idea of the “”model minority” and how not every marginalized person is “good.” That would be a take I’d like to see expanded upon, especially with a character like Laura. I also really like Giada Belviso’s art, which is reminiscent of David López’s work on All-New Wolverine, offering a sense of visual continuity with that fan favorite series. The fight scenes here art fantastic, as are the smaller moments that require Belviso to convey the complex emotions of the character. Overall, this book has potential, but I don’t think it’s completely “there” yet.