X-Force/Cable: Messiah War One-Shot Review

By Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Writers) and Mike Choi & Sonia Oback (Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The X-event The Messiah Complex was one of the reasons I got back into reading comics. So, needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. That said, I’m not really sure what to expect from it, quality-wise. I really like what Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Mike Choi, and Sonia Oback (along with Clayton Crain) have done with X-Force. However, Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti have left me feeling fairly indifferent towards Cable. While I’ll readily agree that Cable has improved quite a bit since its rocky start, I can’t help but wonder if the crossover will maintain a level of consistency between the different creative teams.

The Story: The Messiah War kicks off with…well… mostly a summary to get readers caught up on the events that have lead to the crossover. Cyclops sends X-Force into the future to help Cable protect Hope, where they run straight into a familiar, unstable mercenary. Meanwhile, Lucas Bishop hits a bar in an attempt to persuade a returning “X” adversary to help eliminate Cable and Hope.

What’s Good: Event one-shots are something of a necessary evil. They must accomplish the rather tricky task of explaining enough about the past in order to make new readers feel welcome while at the same time advancing the story enough to satisfy longtime fans. And as far as that task is concerned, I have to consider the Messiah War one-shot to be a success. Simply put, the creative team manages to present a comic that keeps the old information from feeling stale and the new stuff from feeling too stunted. The narration and dialogue from Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost adequately sums things up by establishing what’s at stake. As for the visuals, Mike Choi and Sonia Oback do a nice job telling the story while, at times, putting forth some of the best work I’ve seen them do. Especially worth noting are the scenes featuring Deadpool, as they are almost worth the price of admission alone. Hilarious and disturbing, just like something involving the Merc with a Mouth should be.

What’s Not So Good: Despite being well handled by the creative team from both a writing standpoint and an artistic standpoint, there is no shaking the “been there, done that” feeling the first half of the one-shot gives off. It seems as though the whole section might have been better suited to being part of one of those free Saga releases so more time could be spent on advancing the War plot. In all honesty, the situation is understandable. But it still warrants a mention or else I wouldn’t be doing my job.

Conclusion: Messiah War definitely gets off to a slow start, but things pick up well enough by the time the first chapter reaches its conclusion. I look forward to seeing where things go next. Hopefully it involves more Deadpool.

Grade:  C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Cable #7 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer) and Ariel Olivetti (Artist)

Let’s talk about padding.

That’s right, padding. You know, when you stretch things out with lots of stuff that doesn’t really have any substance? Let’s fiiiiiiiiiilllll things in with a little padding.

Padding.

Cable #7 is full of it. Padding, that is. I know that comics no longer proceed at the same break-neck pace they used to, and when this story is collected in the inevitable TPB maybe it will seem like the calm before the storm, but as a stand-alone, this issue is all talk and no action. Cable is still on the run, carrying the mutant girl who is either the last hope of mutantkind or the harbinger of the end of the world. He and the child, who is now a young girl (a redhead, hmmm…), are hiding out in an extremely boring valley somewhere in the future– a future that looks exactly like the present as far as I can tell. Part of the problem is Olivetti’s art, which is nice but static, with flat compositions and unimaginative backgrounds.

Meanwhile, back in the present, the X-Men have finally captured Bishop, and a large part of the issue is spent on his interrogation and argument over the significance of the child. The discussion might be interesting if we hadn’t already heard it several times over the past six months. We’re basically still where we were at the end of Messiah Complex.

It’s not a bad book by any means, but it’s not exciting either. Hopefully things will pick up next issue. (Grade: C+)

– Andrew C. Murphy

King-Size Cable Spectacular #1 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Ken Lashley (Pencils), Paul Neary (Inks), and Frank D’Armata (Colors)

For a “King-Size” comic, there sure isn’t a whole lot of substance to the latest issue of Cable. While cleverly written, visually impressive, and definitely entertaining, it amounts to little more than a chess match through time between Cable and Bishop, ending with next to nothing resolved.

By telling the story almost entirely through the perspective of Bishop as he (piece by piece) tracks Cable and the “Messiah” baby ever farther into the future, Duane Swierczynski is able to weave a mighty impressive tale. That is, up until a certain point… The problem is that when everything finally comes together and all the pieces fall into place, I couldn’t help but feel surprisingly empty inside. For the first time since the series launched, I finally had some emotional investment in what was happening to the principle characters, only then to realize that very little actually happened in the nearly fifty page story. Frustrating? You bet.

It is far from a total loss though. As I said, the story is fun to read and it is complimented by some incredibly dynamic artwork by Ken Lashley, Paul Neary, and Frank D’Armata. The action has a nice flow to it, the designs for the future creatures rock, and the different glimpses of the future were always interesting. I suppose I could nitpick about some facial inconsistency, but as a whole, this one made me realize how good a Cable series can look as long as Ariel Olivetti stays away from it.

King-Size Cable #1 does a whole heck of a lot right, but it stumbles just before the finish line. If you can stomach that, then by all means give this entertaining book a read. As a side note, let me just say that Cable has got to be one of the most frustrating series I have ever invested in. It does just enough to keep me hooked, but always, it manages to let me down in some way month in and month out. One of these days everything is going to click, I just hope that day comes sooner than later. (Grade: B-)

-Kyle Posluszny

Cable #6 – Review

Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Ariel Olivetti (Artist- Cable Scenes), Michael Lacombe (Artist-Cyclops Scenes), & Val Staples (Colorist-Cyclops Scenes)

For fans of the X-Men, Cable # 6 is a must read.

Finally, after five issues of drawn out plot, we get an issue that not only gives us some development, but context and character beats as well. Although Adi Granov’s beautiful cover insinuates that Cyclops and Cable meet physically, the father and son do not. Instead, we follow Cyclops in his struggle with doubt and guilt concerning Cable and the baby, the clandestine mission of X-Force, and the decision to kill a certain traitor.

Cable himself appears sparsely in this issue, but by the end, the reader is reminded how much rides on his success in keeping the messiah child from harm. Furthermore, the focus on Cyclops realigns the series and its title character with the meta-narrative of the X-books. X-Men must protect the mutant race at any cost, even if it comes to murder. As solider, Cable is familiar with those decisions, but ironically its his younger father that struggles with it.

We return to a critical moment in Divided We Stand that causes Cyclops this confluence of uncertainty and guilt. We pick up right where Cyclops sends Wolverine to kill Mystique in Wolverine # 62. As Wolverine heads out to do what he does best, Warpath and X-23 enter and report the escape of Bishop off Muir Island. As Cyclops instructs the two to find Bishop, Warpath asks, “With or without a pulse.” “Either,” he replies. His decision to kill both Mystique and Bishop was in the heat of the moment, kept to himself without query or argument.

So now that he’s had time to mull over his decisions, it eats away at him. And though he may side step the issue with Emma and the others, he cannot escape the guilt of making such decisions and the possibility that they will fail. The resolution is dramatic and touching, and gives the series a jolt of life.

Cable isn’t the same blow-it-up series of the 1990s, but an integral part of the X-Men’s future with emotion and passion. And explosions. And a baby. (Grade: A-)

-Steven M. Bari

Cable #5 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer) and Ariel Olivetti (Artist)

Last month I gave this series some credit for finally feeling as though things were moving forward (after months of going absolutely nowhere). Issue #4 was a much needed step in the right direction and, as a result, I found myself actually looking forward to the conclusion of the “War Baby” arc. Unfortunately, Cable squanders any good will it had built up last month with a far too hasty conclusion that suffers from poor storytelling and inconsistent, confusing art direction.

Basically, Cable #5 is all about the inevitable showdown between Bishop and Cable for the fate of the “Messiah” child. But first, the two mutants must prepare, so the first half of the book deals with that. Bishop takes over a unit of the Turnpike Authority in order to have some backup for the big fight, while Cable heads to Cannonball’s lab to stock up on weaponry, destroy Cerebra so he can’t be tracked, build some baby armor, and arm the waitress Sophie so that she can protect herself should she get involved. To be honest, while reading the entire first half of the book, I couldn’t help but feel I should have some sort of montage worthy music playing in the background. It definitely has that vibe going for it.

The second half of this issue is the fight itself and boy, does it feel  disjointed. Simply put, the action never gets its rhythm going. There are a few cool moments spattered about, but as a whole, the action is nothing special and it is actually hindered more by an abrupt, hilariously stupid ending. Also, on a personal note, I have to mention that I really hate it when the seemingly innocent bystander turns out to be well trained in weaponry… it’s a cliché and tired formula.

The writing here is kept at a minimum, but it works as long as there isn’t any actual storytelling involved. Allow me to explain what I mean. The dialogue/narration is fairly amusing from time to time; Cable and Sophie make a pretty decent character pair, but this story has no depth whatsoever. Every beat that is meant to move the story forward is usually just a one or two line explanation about why something is or must be done. Bishop is on the warpath in order to kill a baby and instead of exploring the complexity of that particular situation, he just keeps saying he has to stop his future from occurring. Another example is how the conclusion of this issue is a “oops, I forgot” moment that just sort of happens without any previous explanation about how Cable’s time mechanism works.

This whole arc has felt less like a story and more like a series of events held together by the fact that Bishop is hunting Cable. Sure the dialogue is fairly interesting, but it’s as though Duane Swierczynski forgot that he had to tell a story as well. Maybe the start of a new arc will lead to some actual story development, but, at this point, I can’t possibly get my hopes high. The way this issue concludes leads me to think the next arc will just be more of the same.

As for the artwork, things look decent enough during slower moments as Arial Olivetti has clearly improved his character work, but the direction in this issue is just sloppy. It feels as though there are gaps in continuity during the entire action sequence and it ultimately destroys any flow the scenes may have. Also, there are a few inconsistencies, the most glaring of which involves a guy getting shot in the head. It shows the bullet go through his head and then one panel later his head is completely gone, as though it had exploded or something. It is always good to see something improve with each new issue, but, in my opinion, this series would be better off with a new artist or art team.

Cable #5 is just a huge disappointment all around. The storytelling is incredibly weak, the art direction is a mess, and the conclusion just left me shaking my head at how ridiculous it was. I thought things would be looking up after a decent showing last month, but, as it turns out, I was wrong. (Grade: D)

-Kyle Posluszny

Cable #4 – Review

Duane Swierczynski (writer) and Ariel Olivetti (artist)

Last month I gave Cable another chance to impress me after it finally showed some plot advancement. While not fixing all the issues I have with this series, Cable #4 proves that steady improvement can go a long way in patching up a sinking ship. In other words, I am starting to like what I see.

Cable #4 takes place right where we left off last issue. An aged Cannonball storms back into Cable’s life and quickly catches him up on the events that have taken place in the timeline where the story is currently taking place. The reunion doesn’t last long, however, as Bishop remains on the warpath, determined to eliminate any who stand the way of his mission to kill the “messiah” child (that he believes will lead to the imprisonment of the mutant race). With a nice balance between action and story, this issue finally gives me hope that the series may eventually live up to the promise it held at the conclusion of the Messiah Complex.

Pretty much everything about this issue is a step in the right direction, though it is by no means perfect. Swierczynski manages to craft a brief, but compelling tale of how Cannonball came to be one of the final mutants in the timeline. The interaction between Cable and Cannonball does a nice job conveying both the tension of the situation as well as the effect time (and time travel) has had on them. To put it simply, everyone comes across as a bit more human than before, which is always a good thing.

While there are instances of both cheesy dialogue and slightly unnatural conversation flow, for the most part it works well. This isn’t exactly high drama so the “summer action movie” feel fits well enough. The biggest shame is that this story was tackled in this manner, because the potential was there for something deeper and more complex than a chase flick through time.

As I said, everything in this issue was a step in the right direction, though I have to say I wish the artwork had taken steps similar to those taken by the writing. The scenes regarding Cannonball’s timeline work extremely well, especially the panels that show him watching the mutant population dwindle. The characters are a bit less exaggerated, the action flows, and with the exception of a few instances, characters look fairly consistent from scene to scene. If I have a major complaint it’s that everything looks extremely bland and sterile. There is literally nothing in the background in a number of scenes, which makes things feel like a string of talking heads rather than people interacting in an environment. Again, there is improvement, but quite a bit more is needed to bring this book up visually.

As a whole, I was pretty satisfied with this latest issue of Cable. It looks as though things are finally starting to click and I actually find myself looking forward to the conclusion of this arc so the story can move on to bigger and better things. The potential is there, now the writer and artist just need to realize it in the proper way. (Grade: C)

-Kyle Posluszny

Cable #1 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (writer), Ariel Olivetti (art)

Cable #1 may very well be the worst comic you’ll read of 2008. To the creative team of this book: Look at it this way, it probably can’t get any worse than this (right?). There’ve been a few books I’ve read this year that really suck. We’ve got the All-Star Batman and Robin series which has been dreadful, but at times, perversely entertaining. Then there’s The Ultimates 3 which is gratuitously bad, but seems to be improving. And then you have Cable, a book that’s devoid of story and personality.

Virtually nothing happens in this decompressed issue of 24 pages. You’ll finish it in three minutes and if quizzed afterwards, you’ll fail to recount anything that happened, save the last page. This book feels like it was written by a robot. Cable is completely emotionless and lifeless. He fights some faceless thugs, changes a diaper, and goes to a cafe. That’s it, that’s all that happens! Oh, and Bishop shows up. Wow, I didn’t see that coming.

Ariel Olivetti’s art is static and boring as usual. Sure, he can paint and draw at times, but it’s sad when his backgrounds are the most interesting pieces of his compositions. It’s been well documented that he either steals those backgrounds from other artists (like that Punisher War Journal cover he did), or he uses photographs. Sorry, but just because you’re good at Photoshop and have mediocre drawing skills doesn’t qualify you as a good storyteller.

I hate slamming books – really, I do. I don’t take joy in slamming artist or writers, either. But, this book is a complete waste of money and resources. It’s a downright insult that it isn’t returnable, either. I want my $2.99 back. It’s overpriced crap like this that drives fans away for good. (Grade: F-)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

The name Ariel Olivetti sounded familiar to me. I did some research and he was the one who made the freaking kick ass Argentine comic book “El Cazador” back in 1992. I loved that series, it was about this big ass hero that was very Sam Keith / Simon Bisley inspired. And the cover for Cable #1 looks just like him, but with smaller genitalia.

Mixing time travel with babies is not a good thing. I really want to know how the X-Men got hold of a time travel machine and why they don’t use it more often. As Jason says, not much happens in this “#1” issue. I have the same complaint as usual: Why have a number 1 issue when evidently it’s not a number 1 issue. Are the publishers expecting to get more money thinking that people are going to buy it more because it’s a brand new title? I’m sure this book will get a significant drop in sales numbers after the second issue.

As I don’t follow Marvel Comics, I don’t have a clue who this Bishop guy is, only that he’s an X-Man. While, the story is no good for new readers, I disagree with Jason on the art. I like it, but probably because Olivetti holds a special place in my heart as the creator of Cazador. (Grade: D)

-Daniel Yanez