ADVANCE REVIEW: Cable #6

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Writer: Duane Swierczynski

Artists: Michel Lacombe & Ariel Olivetti

Colours: Val Staples

Publisher: Marvel Comics

I’ve harked on enough in previous X-related reviews about the new focus of the X-Men titles over the last year or so, so I won’t repeat myself here. Suffice to say, while the flagship title Uncanny reaches its 500th issue, and stalwarts X-Men (now subtitled Legacy) and Astonishing continue on their new paths, a number of new X-titles have been launched, including the rejuvenation of X-Force, the replacement of New- with Young X-Men… and a new ongoing Cable series by writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Ariel Olivetti.

The premise of this new Cable title was nicely set up in the wake of the Messiah Complex crossover – to protect the life of a possible new mutant messiah baby, Cable, entrusted with this mission by his father, Scott Summers (aka Cyclops), escapes with the child into the time-stream. But he is followed by the former X-Man, Bishop, who, believing that the baby is actually a threat to mutant survival rather than its saviour, sets out to kill her before his own experiences of the future can become reality. It really felt like there was plenty of fresh new ideas that could make this series work, driven by a strong core concept setting it apart from the other Marvel mutant titles on offer.

So, here we are at issue 6, an extra-sized issue set in the present, following on from the five-part opening arc. ‘War Baby’ was a disappointment on so many levels; it was far too slow, and could easily have been written in two if not three parts; the conclusion was not particularly exciting; and the dystopian future in which the action was set was unoriginal and unimaginative. And I’m still not convinced by Olivetti’s art either – his painted-but-rugged style should fit this book nicely, but unfortunately there is just too much over-muscled posturing without the fluidity of storytelling to really make it a success.

But this issue is rather different, in many ways. It still features Swierczynski’s signature internal monologue narration, but here the protagonist throughout is not Cable, but Cyclops, who agonises over his decision to let his son leave on such an important mission, with seemingly no way to track him or the baby. Now, I know this may not sound like the most exciting premise for an extra-sized issue, and long-time fans of both characters will find nothing particularly new in the relationship dynamics between the two. But this is a superbly-paced issue that really hits the mark with the emotional resonance required, while at the same time nicely tying off a few loose story threads involving Scott that have appeared throughout recent X-books of late (it would be interesting to know whether this was always the plan, or whether the opportunity just arose in this particular book – I suspect the latter). There is no reason at all why this couldn’t have been a Cyclops one-shot rather than a ‘time-out’ issue in the Cable schedule; however, that doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a strong piece of writing, or that it creates a well-needed change of pace for this particular book.

Another thing really going for this issue is the art – sandwiched between Olivetti’s Cable images that book-end this issue, Micael Lacombe does some very impressive work in bringing to life what is essentially a ‘talking heads’ (or, more accurately, ‘talking brains’) story. He is not an artist I know much about, but this really is a case of finding the right artist for this particular story (I assume a ‘well done’ is due to Editor Axel Alonso here). There are a few panels where facial expressions aren’t quite right and characters end up looking far more goofy than I’m sure was intended, but overall this is strong stuff, and I hope Marvel have some other suitable projects lined up for him in the future.

I am not convinced that the quality of this issue redeems the series completely from its stuttering and uninspired start; for one thing, this story is a one-off set in the present rather than the future, and for another it doesn’t even feature the title character in any active sense at all. But taken on its own, this is a well crafted story that illustrates the potential in this title if the right balance can be found, and, if this is Swierczynski finally finding his feet, then we may finally be seeing the birth of a comic book with a real future ahead.

Rating: 7/10