this was an odd buy for me. I really wanted to check out NYX from the beginning because of Quesada and Middleton. I just had no faith it would come out on time and I didn't want to deal with ads. X-23 I had read a handful of previews online and in the Marvel catalogue and found myself surprised by my enjoyment of it. So, when this was 1/2 price on MOC, I jumped.
X-23 - Well, suddenly X-23 makes a lot more sense. And is a lot more likeable as a character. Craig Kyle and Chris Yost right a good, although quick, read that gives us X-23's origin from the very start through her appearance in NYX. Billy Tan's art is surprisingly clear and enjoyable. There's nothing particularly new or outstanding about this, but it was enjoyable.
NYX - This title on the other hand wasn't quite as good. The first four issues, which introduced us to three of our five main characters, were solid stories by JoeyQ with amazing art from Middleton. Then things went downhill. The art on #5 was completely muddled at times and made for a confusing story. The character, and specifically his powers, introduced in #6 was still confusing but at least the storytelling wasn't as much with a new artist. The sudden wrap-up that #7 became was sufficient for the series, but this left all the characters in limbo, including X-23 (who we see again in Uncanny #450). A really, really strong start to this series with a limp to the end when it got derailed by delays.
Overall, I'm glad I picked this book up. I was really surprised by how 'mature' the themes in NYX skewed (drug use, drug dealing, teenage hookers, bad families) and combining it with the more straight-forward super-hero story of X-23 (although it was quite violent) seems odd. Sure, they tell the first 15 years of X-23, but they don't seem to flow really well as one collection.