I'm Tired of Clones Now Aren't We All: X-23#8

I've been enjoying Mariko Tamaki's run on X-23. She has a great feel for Marvel's convoluted mutant world, and her take on Laura and Gabby is a delight. But I admit to a certain disappointment with this issue, and I'm not sure if it's her fault.

There are some storylines that just seem to glom themselves to certain characters, being repeated over and over like a narrative bass line. Spider-Man has his Self Doubt and Responsibility storylines, Captain America has periodic What Is America Becoming storylines, and Wolverine is forever facing cross checks from Am I A Man or Beast multi-part tales.

X-23 has Another Clone stories. Tom Taylor touched on these in his run, and now Tamaki is bringing her take on that to this title. And I find myself asking: Why?

X-23 is, as I'm sure everyone knows, a clone of Wolverine, as is her sister, Gabby. There was another sister as well, and maybe even more. Being a clone of Wolverine, we've had the stories where Laura confronts her humanity as it vies against her bestial nature. I had thought that particular narrative vein had been mined to death, but nothing in comics is ever mined to death. It's only given a few months to recover.

This time, though, there is yet another clone, another sister, another opportunity for drama. This time the clone in question is the ultimate killing machine, a combination of Wolverine DNA and cybernetics. A Terminator version of X-23.  Once again Laura and Gabby have to deal with this--Laura being the more apprehensive older sister to Gabby's cheerful 'Let's all be friends' approach.

It's not a terrible issue by any means. The exchanges between Laura and Gabby still amuse, as does Gabby's approach to all out carnage. I'm just really tired of clone stories.  What's needed to salvage this story for me--and since I paid for this comic at a store, and didn't rip it off from the internet, paying customer right here it's all about me--is some drastic change or surprise by story's end. Because right now, it just seems like well paddled water.