In this review of Generation X-23 #8, Nanny leads Wolverine and The Generated into a hidden part of The Facility. The repercussions of their discovery will change how The Generated perceive themselves.
GENERATION X-23 #8
Written by: Jody Houser
Art: Emilio Laiso
Main Cover: Partha Pratim Sarkar
Variant Covers: Davi Go
Page Count: 25 pages
Release Date: September 23, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Generation X-23 #8 opens with Laura, Logan, Gabby, and The Generated continuing their raid on The Facility. They lock Orphan-Maker’s recovery room before confronting Nanny. The two Wolverines and Scout engage, before Laura notices Nanny’s concerned look and mention of babies in the facility.
Laura tries a different approach to the usual hack-and-slash that defines the Wolverine brand, and instead tries to talk with Nanny. She has a greater relatability to the villain now, as spending time with The Generated has made her grow as a caretaker.
Laura’s speech convinces Nanny to cease hostility and show the team what she’s found. She leads them into a hidden underground lab within The Facility. When they get there, Nanny shows them babies with typical Facility branded X-numbers, but an extra label of “HR”. Laura thinks these babies were originally human with mutant-esque powers implanted within them. She also begins to wonder if similarly, The Generated were also humans injected with powers.
Afterwards, X-23 watches the sunset and contemplates how to navigate the new dilemma about The Generated and their identities. Logan joins her on the sunset and gives her dad advice, stating despite not having it figured out, she’s already doing the best thing she can: make an effort. The issue concludes with a snapshot of X-Infinite working on the robot resembling Kimura.
Analysis
Through her relationship with Gabby, Laura has had experience throughout her life with mentorship. However, that was easier since she knew Gabby well due to the cloning. But with The Generated, she’s had to mentor an emotionally difficult group of kids who she doesn’t know anything about. It’s been evolving her from protector to caretaker, which is highlighted during her conversation with Nanny.
By becoming a better caretaker, Laura’s empathy has increased. It’s to the point she can override her usual instinct of violence in favor of conversation. At the climax of the conversation, Laura immediately worrying about the repercussions of the discovery on The Generated’s identities was a good touch. She’s out of her depth on this one but still she cares.
Nanny was an excellent foil to bring about this story, as her desire to protect children goes hand-in-hand with Laura’s current character arc. The conversation flows well, and the emotional set-up with The Generated’s identities is placed perfectly.
It also calls back to the beginning of the book. Interesting to note, it’s ironic how sure The Generated were on The Facility and their identities in issue #3, to the degree that they told Laura how to feel about hers. But now, it’s revealed they didn’t even know about the underground baby bunker within their home–Houser does a good job highlighting their reaction to their ignorance, subtly reflecting their lack of knowledge about their origin–let alone the fact they might’ve been humans from the same bunker.
As for the humor, Gabby was the star today. I liked that it wasn’t Surprise, a.k.a. X-99, leading the humor this time. It worked in previous issues with her trying to learn fitting into human society by using Gen Z memes. That humor served its purpose there, but takes a step back here to avoid becoming played out.
Final Thoughts
Jody Houser works well to make Laura grow as a character, while also giving her some wholesome moments with Gabby and Logan. It’s a good pickup for fans of Laura and the Wolverine brand as a whole.
