Release Date: March 12, 2014
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Publisher: Marvel Comcis
Written By: Simon Spurrier
Art By: Rock-He Kim
Price: 3.99
Review:
This book is getting good already. Cable, aided by his newfound precog ability, leads a group of mutants in an effort to help other mutants in the real world. He’s never cared about how anyone sees him and it looks like he will continue not giving a damn when he gets labeled a terrorist or hitman.
While his origin story may be the most convoluted pile of nonsense in comics, Nathan Summers has remained one of my favorite antiheroes ever. His guerrilla tactics have almost always left him on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe but also the X-Men’s world. In this issue he jacks up the nutjob militant persona to 10 as he basically tells the entire mutant population to @#$/ right off. From every faction of X-Men to Mystique and all the “heroes” and “villains” in between, Cable rails on ’em. He informs them that all of their fighting amongst themselves while wearing sparkly outfits has left the real mutants, who live in the real world, alone, vulnerable, and without a voice unless they stand up on national TV with a giant X. Meanwhile an intel gathering mission hits a snag and Dr Nemesis is much, much smarter than you or I. The writing in this book is top notch and Cable delivers some truly revolutionary type lines that would surely light a match to any mutant that hears his words. While his method for dealing with a particular target proves mysterious, insane, and self destructive, he remains in control. ‘So, I let the parasitic fire spirit take me over, he can’t eat my soul because, well, there is none, then I blow myself up in order to kill him. Bodyslide by one.’ In that order. What just happened? Who blows themselves up and THEN teleports? Secrets abound.
Rock-He Kim’s art is otherworldly but hyper realistic at the same time. It reminds me of Clayton Crain meets Adi Granov and it looks so good. I say otherworldly because you wont see anything like it and because he illustrates characters, machines, and worlds that cant and don’t exist beautifully. He does it so they look like they can and do exist. I love his realism for this book since Cable wants to take the fight for mutant rights into the real world.
My main complaint is that I will be forced to sit thru more annoying Fantomex pickup lines written in fake French. I’m just about over that thing with him and Psylocke but least it wont be the entire focus of this book. While Cyclops hides from (and teams up with?) Captain America and the Avengers, and Wolverine writes lesson plans, Cable lives in a reality most “superheroes and villains” don’t even know exist. It’s a great premise and I hope it picks up steam and garners plenty of attention. The X-Men are too busy fighting Colossal Bad Guy A to worry about the little people who are getting stolen, experimented on, and turned into weapons or tools. Good thing Cable isn’t.