Remember DC's Answer to the Ultimates?

 

I look back to those far-off 200X days this week at CBR. DC was serious about challenging Marvel's status as the industry's leader...and had some fun with Marvel's hottest book at the time.

ASKANI’SON #1-#4, February - May 1996

The Shadow Lengthens

Credits: Scott Lobdell (plot), Jeph Loeb (script), Gene Ha (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Kevin Somers & Malibu (colors)

This is more of a sequel to The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix than The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix turned out to be. The creative team of Scott Lobdell and Gene Ha is reunited, with Jeph Loeb relieving Lobdell of scripting duties. The story takes place a few years after the initial miniseries, presenting the world that’s developed after the death of Apocalypse. The New Canaanites run the corrupt government, a snotty teenage Cable is rebelling against the Askani teachings, and Apocalypse’s former aide Ch’vayre is trying to raise Stryfe. Since Cyclops and Phoenix, the retconned mentor Blaquesmith was introduced in Cable, making him a natural inclusion for the series. After Teen Cable and his friend Tetherblood are arrested for suspected ties to the Askani, they meet Blaquesmith in prison. Blaquesmith uses his mystic powers to release the Professor from Cable’s techno-organic mesh, and is apparently killed covering his escape. Meanwhile, a government official named Umbridge is assigned to apprehend Cable, while Stryfe and Ch’vayre create the Zero robot.

I’ve avoided reading this for years, as I’ve never cared for any of the stories about Cable’s future and I find pretty much anything relating to the Askani incredibly boring. Leaving my biases aside, I did find myself enjoying this issue. Revealing that Cable is angry after being abandoned by Redd and Slymm is a decent starting place, and I’m glad the story isn’t opening with him as the hardcore anti-Apocalypse rebel since we’ve already seen that a million times. The conflicts are set up well and there’s only a minimal amount of new age gibberish dialogue from the Askani. Ha’s art is successful in creating this new world, and it just feels like there’s more going on here than Cyclops and Phoenix, which sometimes felt aimless.

A Tiny Spark

Credits: Scott Lobdell (plot), Jeph Loeb (script), Gene Ha (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Kevin Somers & Malibu (colors)

The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix often seemed like an excuse for Gene Ha to show off his idiosyncratic design sense, and this issue follows slightly in those footsteps. However, there is a sense that things are actually happening, as the major characters are all pointed towards the remnants of the Askani Clan in Ebonshire. The individual scenes of Umbridge, Cable, and Stryfe learning of Ebonshire are all fine, and Ha is given the opportunity to draw strange landscapes, weird technology, and a (disgusting) failed attempt at human cloning along the way. We also learn that Blaquesmith is still alive, which I would’ve expected to be a final issue reveal.

An Ember Glows

Credits: Scott Lobdell (plot), Jeph Loeb (script), Gene Ha (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Kevin Somers & Malibu (colors)

The issue opens with Teen Cable coming across the wreckage of a ship, which has been destroyed by some kind of monster called a Daegon. Cable wants to rescue the sole survivor of the crash, which as fate would have it, is Umbridge, the Canaanite agent sent to kill him. After defeating the monster, he meets his future wife, Aliya, who mistakes him for a pirate. Both Cable and Umbridge are injured, so Aliya takes them away to safety. This is a solid action opening, bringing together some of the plotlines and creating a nice dynamic between Cable and Aliya. It also gives Gene Ha some crazy monsters to draw, which is fun. On the way to Aliya’s home, we see a Psimitar lance for the first time, which surprised me. I always thought it was something pulled out of the air during Joe Casey’s run on Cable. The story ends with Aliya taking Cable and Umbridge home, where she’s been training under Sanctity, the last of the Askani. Sanctity immediately recognizes Cable as the fabled “Askani’son,” which is where this mystical savior nonsense begins. Meanwhile, Ch’vayre attempts to assassinate Stryfe, but he’s powerful enough to sense the attack before it happens. I like bratty teenage Stryfe, even though he hasn’t topped the ridiculous rants on the back of those “X-Cutioner’s Song” trading cards yet.

A Bright and Shining Light

Credits: Scott Lobdell (plot), Jeph Loeb (script), Gene Ha (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Kevin Somers & Malibu (colors)

In the final chapter, Sanctity presents the Askani’son to her followers, who seem to have blossomed in-between issues. The New Canaanites attack, as Umbridge reveals her true loyalties. Teen Cable and Aliya are saved by Tetherblood, while Stryfe abducts Sanctity. He offers her a partnership, and because she’s usually portrayed as insane, she agrees. I’m a little disappointed that Stryfe’s story arc just seems like a setup for a future miniseries, and I’m not sure if anyone did anything with the Stryfe/Sanctity partnership anyway. Cable, Aliya, and Tetherblood form the Clan Chosen, establishing the group we saw Cable fight with in the early issues of his regular series. I’m stunned this mini didn’t establish Apocalypse’s return, since Cable allegedly spent his life fighting him, but I’m also glad the series didn’t go in a too obvious direction. I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Gene Ha was given more interesting things to draw this time, and I think Lobdell and Loeb were able to make the main characters engaging enough to follow throughout the four issues. Usually, stories about Cable’s future involve characters with dumb names wearing dumber outfits shooting Liefeld-guns at each other on barren battlefields. This is definitely an improvement.

WOLVERINE ’96 - 1996

The Last Ronin

Credits: Jeph Loeb (plot), Ralph Macchio (script), Ed McGuiness (penciler), Nathan Massengill w/Norman Lee (inkers), Gloria Vasquez (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: In Japan, Bastion encourages the government to use the Red Ronin robot as an anti-mutant mechanism. Meanwhile, Silver Samurai convinces Wolverine to help him break Sunfire out of a government facility, where he’s been kept ever since his powers went haywire months earlier. When Wolverine and Sunfire reach Red Ronin, they run into Yukio, who is trying to find a way to deliver the robot to the highest bidder. On the government’s command, Red Ronin is activated when the intruders are detected. Wolverine disables the robot, but Sunfire’s powers go out of control during the fight. After Wolverine calms him down, he takes Sunfire to Canada to train with Mac and Heather Hudson.

Continuity Notes: It’s revealed that Sunfire lost control of his powers due to Magneto’s electromagnetic pulse in X-Men #25.

Review: Is this the first Loeb/McGuiness collaboration? It does follow their future path of minimal plots that revolve around giant robots and gratuitous action scenes. There’s barely anything to this story, but it does take advantage of a few existing continuity points. I remember some fans were convinced that Sunfire was killed in X-Men #25, due to the brief scene that had him consumed in a flash of light as Magneto’s electromagnetic pulse swept the planet. Picking up on that scene and using it to justify his lack of appearances since then (I’m assuming he didn’t appear in-between these two stories) is a nice use of the past. Showing Bastion’s actions overseas also helps to develop him as a more credible villain, and pitting Wolverine against an obscure character like Red Ronin is fun. For whatever reason, Red Ronin is only operational for a few pages, and McGuiness doesn’t really get to do much with him, so it’s a bit of a wasted opportunity. Ralph Macchio, one of the routine fill-in scripters of this era, delivers another mid-70s style script. Everything is spelled out in great detail, so over half of the script consists of exposition or descriptions of events that are clearly depicted in the art.

The Golden Temple

Credits: Joseph Kelly (writer), Tommy Lee Edwards (penciler), Rich Case (inker), Paul Becton (colors), John Workman (letters)

Summary: Amiko runs away to find the Golden Temple, where she hopes to find the samurai who once saved her life. She’s joined by a grizzled homeless man who helps her on the journey. When they reach the temple, Amiko is disappointed to see it’s been abandoned. The homeless man reveals himself as Wolverine, the “samurai” she’s been searching for the entire time.

Review: This has Tommy Lee Edwards art, and John Workman even hand-lettered it, so it’s a little “arty” for a mid-90s annual backup. I assume Joseph Kelly is Joe Kelly, making what might be his debut on an X-title. It’s an adequately told story about a child’s imagination, believing in yourself, and accepting change. Wolverine’s Japanese supporting cast never really received the attention they deserved, so I’m glad someone decided to do a character-driven piece with Wolverine’s adopted daughter. This might also be the only Wolverine story set in Japan that doesn’t feature the Hand, so it probably deserves an award just for that.

CABLE #38 - #39, December 1996 - January 1997

Previously…in Cable: After attacking the Weapon X facility in Canada, Psycho-Man targets Kane. He kidnaps Copycat, unaware she’s morphed into Kane. Cable, Domino, and Kane board a strange ship to follow Psycho-Man.

In Perspective

Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Vince Russell w/Hanna & Lee (inkers), Mike Thomas & Graphic Color Works (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letterer)

Summary: Cable, Domino, and Kane arrive in the Microverse and are greeted by the surviving Micronauts -- Commander Rann, Mari, and Bug. Meanwhile, Psycho-Man discovers that Copycat has been impersonating Kane, preventing him from acquiring the future technology in Kane’s body. Cable and the others reach Psycho-Man’s base, but are surprised when his soldiers barely put up a fight. The heroes grow more emotional, culminating in Kane declaring his hatred for Cable when he discovers Copycat, who is in chains.

Miscellaneous Note: The Statement of Ownership has average sales at 149,639 for the year, with the most recent issue selling 152,749 copies.

Review: This is another example of the ‘70s nostalgia that briefly swept Marvel’s offices at the time. The Micronauts are characters from a toy line that enjoyed a decent run as a Marvel series in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Marvel tried regaining the rights in the late ‘90s, even announcing a new title, but it never happened. I’m assuming the characters in this issue are the ones created by Marvel freelancers for the series and not the toy company, although they do call themselves “Micronauts” without a copyright notice for the toy company in the indicia. At any rate, they’re here, they’re retro, and they’re teaming up with Cable for a few issues. Loeb gives Rann and Bug hints of a personality (Mari, the token female, barely speaks), so the Micronauts don’t come across as completely generic. Kane’s character arc of divorcing himself from a violent lifestyle is connected with Rann, who has lost most of his friends while battling Psycho-Man, so at least Loeb is putting some effort into this.

All Things Great and Small

Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Mike Thomas & Graphic Color Works (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letterer)

Summary: Psycho-Man manipulates Kane’s anger and Cable’s self-doubt, allowing him to take Cable captive. Domino and the Micronauts retreat, soon making their way to Psycho-Man’s lab. The Micronauts use Psycho-Man’s technology to shrink themselves, while Domino locates Copycat. The diminutive Micronauts weaken Psycho-Man, giving Cable time to conjure a telepathic and telekinetic blast. Psycho-Man is crippled when he’s forced to experience the love Kane and Copycat share. The Micronauts send Cable and his friends home. Later, Domino and Copycat reconcile.

Continuity Notes: Copycat claims that she takes on the psychic patterns of the people she impersonates, which is used to explain why Cable never knew she impersonated Domino for a year. It seems like this is thrown in because Loeb was under the impression that Cable was always telepathic, which is a continuity point that often seemed to confuse him.

Creative Differences: The bottom 3/4^th of the final page is clearly not drawn by Ian Churchill (it looks like Mike Wieringo). This is a tacked-on ending that has Moira MacTaggert contacting the mansion, revealing that Renee Majcomb needs help. Since this is Loeb’s final issue, I’m assuming he didn’t write the final few panels that are setting up the next storyline.

Review: Jeph Loeb says goodbye, leaving us with a few hints that his future work won’t exactly delight the critics. This is a story that has the heroes shrinking themselves so they can have an advantage while fighting the villain. What? How exactly does that work? At least Ant-Man has an army of ants he can command. Just a few pages later, Psycho-Man is defeated when he experiences the power of love. The man’s taken down by a Michael Bolton song. What a disgrace. I do like seeing various corners of the Marvel Universe interacting with Cable, and Loeb always had some idea of how to incorporate the assorted characters Nicieza introduced into a supporting cast, so at least some of his strengths are highlighted in his final arc. Loeb’s run was often dull, and occasionally suffered from nonsensical plotting, but he did bring direction to this wildly flailing title. Considering where this book was pre-Loeb, I can actually understand Marvel’s willingness to give him more assignments at the time. At this point, I wouldn’t have pegged him as a future “Worst Writer in Comics,” even with his flaws.

CABLE #37 – November 1996

True Lies
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Graphic Color Works (colors)

Summary: G. W. Bridge and a team of SHIELD agents investigate Canada’s Weapon X facility. The employees and patients inside have trashed the building, and all of the records are missing. Meanwhile, Cable and Domino arrive in San Francisco to visit Kane. The theatre Kane has been living in has been destroyed by an anti-mutant mob. Cable’s surprised to see Kane so distressed. Copycat, Kane’s girlfriend, enters. Domino is angry that Kane would become involved with the spy who impersonated her for a year. Tensions rise, and Cable has to stop a fight between Domino and Copycat. The Psycho Man enters, abducting Kane and shrinking down to an imperceptible height to escape. A giant spaceship suddenly appears, asking Cable and Domino to board. Kane emerges, revealing that Psycho Man actually abducted Copycat. He says that they have to board the ship to save her.

Continuity Notes: I’m assuming that the Weapon X facility here isn’t the same one in the Maverick one-shot. That was the original facility that altered Wolverine, and was established as abandoned going back to Wolverine #48.

According to the narrative captions, Copycat’s shapeshifting skills prevent telepaths from detecting her. This would actually make her more powerful than Mystique, which seems silly. Most likely, Loeb added that line because he seems to think that Cable has always been a telepath, and that’s the only way to justify Copycat’s time undercover in early X-Force issues. I’ll again point out that Cable’s telepathic powers didn’t emerge until the “Child’s Play” crossover, which was almost three years into X-Force’s run.

I don't recall Kane ever being described as a mutant, so I'm assuming the anti-mutant mob targeted the theatre because of Copycat.

Review: Like most of the Loeb/Churchill issues from this run, this is competent but not particularly great. There’s not a lot to criticize, since the story gives just enough information to build suspense around Psycho Man’s plan, and the characters are given just enough room to showcase their personalities. Pitting Cable against a traditional Fantastic Four villain has some novelty appeal, and emphasizing that Domino still hates Copycat is a nice use of past continuity. I’ll also give Loeb credit for not stretching out the mystery villain’s big reveal, which is something the titles often had trouble with during this era. It’s still just a setup issue, though, and even if it’s not quite boring, it’s still bland. The story does what it needs to do, but unless you already have a deep investment in all of these characters, it’s hard to care that much. It’s not quite killing time, but it’s not doing anything interesting with the characters, either.

X-FORCE #61 – December 1996

Ask Me No More Questions and I’ll Tell You No More Lies
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Kevin Lau (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins (colors)

Summary: Cable and Shatterstar fight Mojo’s troops as the world watches on television. Mojo sends the ambient energy the viewers generate to Mojoworld. During the broadcast, Mojo kills Shatterstar, as X-Force watches in horror. Spiral appears, and says she can save Shatterstar with Longshot and Siryn’s help. They leave, as the rest of X-Force faces Mojo’s arriving army. Spiral blocks Mojo’s signal and teleports Cable and Shatterstar’s body out of Mojo’s broadcast. In “another time”, Longshot, Siryn, Cable, and Shatterstar arrive with Spiral at the Weisman Institute. Siryn leads them to the room of Benjamin Russell, who is now a comatose adult. Cable hands Shatterstar’s body to Longshot, who then transfers Shatterstar’s soul into Benjamin’s body. Shatterstar awakens inside Benjamin’s body, which now has Shatterstar’s facial markings. Mojo suddenly arrives, and Spiral quickly teleports everyone back to Mojoworld. On Longshot’s order, Caliban breaks the television set inside Mojo’s palace. Breaking the connection between Earth and Mojoworld causes Mojo to get lost in the transmission signal. Shatterstar declares that he is whole, as the Gamesmaster looks on and laughs.

Continuity Notes: In the previous issue, Cable and Shatterstar were inside a cartoon show. Now, their bodies are inexplicitly back to normal and they’re fighting in Shatterstar’s future. Cable claims that this isn’t reality, but a recreation.

According to Spiral, Benjamin Russell was “hurled into a coma” when his mutant powers manifested. How exactly he ended up in the Weisman Institute for the Criminally Insane isn’t explained.

Spiral also says that both Shatterstar and Benjamin Russell “mean more than all the world to me”. As far as I know, their connection has never been revealed. She’s helping X-Force defeat Mojo in this issue because she doesn’t want him to grow more powerful. Why she aided Mojo in the previous issue is unexplained.

Siryn is brought along to find Benjamin because of her time undercover at the Weisman Institute. However, she only saw a flash of Benjamin’s face on a computer screen, she never actually met him.

“Huh?” Moments: The entire issue qualifies for this tag, obviously. More specifically, one scene has Cable using his telepathic powers like Ben Kenobi in Star Wars. He has Dr. Weisman repeat “There’s no need to detain you, go on ahead” so the team can easily enter her institute. However, the art depicts Siryn repeating Cable’s line, not Dr. Weisman. Siryn even makes a remark in the next panel that she hopes Cable never uses his telepathy in that manner on her. There’s also the fact that Shatterstar’s body turns into a glowing orb that represents his soul once Longshot touches it, which is a nonsensical element that’s a major plot point.

Creative Differences: Jeph Loeb has apparently contended that this issue was heavily rewritten and is not the story he wanted to tell. It’s also his last issue on the title, which may or may not be a coincidence.

Review: Well, what can you say about this one? It’s largely unreadable, never answers the questions it set out to answer, and doesn’t even make sense in the context of the two issues that preceded it. Plus, the art style abruptly shifts into a full-on manga look, so now the cast suddenly has giant eyes, tiny noses, and pointy chins. I guess there is some significance here, as this is the first time an X-book was drawn in a direct manga style without being filtered through a traditional superhero sensibility. I hated the art in this issue as a teenager, and my opinion is only slightly less negative today, but this issue clearly has bigger problems.

The actual resolution to the Shatterstar/Benjamin Russell mystery is so bungled, even the editors have to cop to it in a future letters column. With all of the goodwill in the world, you can’t make any sense of this. Even if you ignore Shatterstar’s memories of being created in a lab in the future, the explanation of his connection to Benjamin makes no sense. If Shatterstar and Benjamin are the same person, how did they coexist? If we assume that the scenes at the Weisman Institute take place in the past, how do you explain all of Shatterstar’s appearances before his soul joined Benjamin’s body? Is this supposed to create a time loop, like the birth of John Connor in the first Terminator movie, where Shatterstar exists in the future because his soul was placed inside the body of Benjamin Russell in the past? If that’s the case, it’s certainly not explained here. Besides, a time loop would only work if Shatterstar went directly from Benjamin’s hospital room to a hundred years in the future, before he time-traveled to meet X-Force. And even then, you’d have to assume that Shatterstar had some type of amnesia that prevented him from remembering his time with X-Force (the more I think about this, the more I wonder if this actually was the original plan). Assuming that the Weisman Institute scenes don’t take place in the past, then the story makes even less sense. And what exactly is the Gamemaster’s role in all of this? Was Shatterstar really from the future or not? If not, how did Mojo get footage of him a hundred years in the future in the previous issue?

Even if you ignore the confusing continuity elements, you’re still left with a terrible Mojo story. His plan consists of drawing energy from couch potatoes on Earth, and he’s defeated when someone literally unplugs a TV set. The giant army X-Force is supposed to be fighting on Mojoworld appears and disappears in-between panels, and there’s no explanation of how Mojo finds Spiral and the others at the Weisman Institute, even when the story explicitly shows that she severed his broadcast a few pages earlier. It’s a mess all around, and it’s not even enjoyable as a trainwreck. It’s a dreadful storyline that’s deserves every bit of its reputation.

X-FORCE #60 – November 1996

I Know YOU Are But What Am I?
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Anthony Castrillo (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: As Mojo watches on, Gog and Magog brainwash Shatterstar and Cable. Mojo displays holograms, filmed a hundred years in the future, that show Shatterstar killing him. Cable breaks free from his restraints, but is soon struck down by Spiral. After meeting with Dr. Strange in New York, Longshot finds a way to travel to Mojoworld with X-Force. They’re greeted by Dazzler and a group of resistance fighters. X-Force joins them and invades Mojo’s fortress. Inside, they only find a blank television screen. Domino turns it on, and a cartoon show starring Cable and Shatterstar appears. On Earth, the cartoon airs on television and hypnotizes viewers. Mojo brags that he’ll have all the audience he needs on Earth. Meanwhile, Mimic and Blob follow the orders of a mystery man and kidnap Risque.

Continuity Notes: According to Longshot, Mojo has a time traveler working for him, which explains how he’s getting footage of the future. Longshot also believes that this is the start of “the Hundred Year War” which ends in the deaths of both Mojo and Shatterstar.

Why exactly Shatterstar is fighting the original Mojo in the future isn’t explained. His descendent, Mojo V, has always been portrayed as Shatterstar’s rival. Also, Spiral is shown serving Mojo again with no explanation.

Dr. Strange claims that he no longer has the power to send Longshot home, which I assume is a reference to something that happened in his own title before it was cancelled. How exactly the team travels to Mojoworld isn’t explained; Longshot just asks Strange to point them in the right direction, and they arrive a few pages later.

Blob and Mimic tell Risque that they rescued her from Mr. Sinister in X-Force #58. Risque has also been working for their mysterious employer.

Miscellaneous Note: The Statement of Ownership lists average sales of 233,665 with the most recent issue selling 213,123 copies.

Review: Rather than continuing the story of Shatterstar’s confusing origin, the narrative shifts to a confusing Mojo story instead. The last time the Mojoworld characters appeared was less than a year earlier in X-Men #47, which reestablished that Mojo was dead and that Dazzler and Longshot were working towards creating a new democracy. Now, Mojo is back to life without explanation, and Longshot and Dazzler are freedom fighters again. This isn’t the only jarring element, as Longshot’s appearance in the previous issue is unresolved. How and why he ended up on Earth isn’t explained, and what exactly he does to return to Mojoworld in this issue is also unclear. The story spends fives pages on having the team meet Dr. Strange, only to have him reveal that he can’t take them where they need to go. How exactly they get to where they need to go just happens in-between pages with no explanation. Maybe a few of those five pages could’ve been spent on something relevant to the plot?

The rest of the issue mainly consists of X-Force running around while Cable and Shatterstar are brainwashed. None of it’s particularly entertaining, and it feels like the same story could’ve easily been told in half the number of pages. Anthony Castrillo returns as the fill-in artist, fusing his Byrne influence with the emerging manga superhero style. A few pages look nice, but large sections of the issue seem rushed. He also has an annoying habit of not drawing pupils for several of the characters in random panels, which was a ‘90s fad that was already dated by this point.

X-FORCE #59 – October 1996

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Anthony Castrillo (penciler), Bud Larosa (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Cable interrogates Shatterstar, hoping to learn if he really is a human named Benjamin Russell. Rictor enters, offering to help Shatterstar deal with his identity crisis. The team flies to the Weisman Institute to investigate the facility where Benjamin Russell once lived. The building is empty, and their investigation reveals nothing. While flying to Boston, Benjamin Russell’s hometown, their aircraft is suddenly attacked by Gog and Magog. They abduct Shatterstar, but Cable follows them through their teleportation portal. X-Force’s ship almost crashes, but it miraculously lands safely. The team is stunned to see Longshot sitting in the cockpit.

Continuity Notes: X-Force is now staying in an underground bunker in upstate New York, as it’s inferred that Cable distrusts the X-Men after the Onslaught disaster. Cable asks Detective Charlotte Jones for the police file on Benjamin Russell, but all files relating to X-Force are missing. Cable blames Operation: Zero Tolerance, but Domino wonders if the Gamesmaster is responsible.

Review: This is the beginning of everyone’s favorite X-Force story. At this point, Loeb is mostly reiterating clues from the previous issues, while bringing in Mojoworld characters like Gog, Magog, and Longshot. Shatterstar was given a very rushed origin story in his early appearances that tied him to the future of Mojoworld, but it was quickly ignored so that he could cut up people and grimace in X-Force. In his first appearance, he traveled to this era looking for the X-Men’s help so that he could overthrow the future Mojo. Shatterstar was recruited by Cable and apparently forgot his initial motivation, even when he actually got to meet the X-Men. (In the earlier issues of X-Force, when Cable was more of a jerk, he admitted to himself that he had no real interest in helping Shatterstar’s mission).

Fleshing out Shatterstar’s origin story, and actually resolving his original conflict, is a perfectly reasonable idea. The character had been around for five years at this point, and this was one of many dropped storylines that deserved attention. However, for reasons still unknown, this storyline turned into an attempt to establish Shatterstar as a teenager from Earth, and not an alien warrior from the future. That’s one way to play with the audience’s expectations, but there still has to be an explanation for his initial appearances (and the storyline that had Mojo V hiring Arcade to kill Shatterstar, or the times his physiology has been described as alien). When it’s all over, the Benjamin Russell connection remains unexplained and no one knows who Shatterstar really is. “Pointless” is the nicest way to describe the final result. As for this issue specifically, it’s still mostly setup. Nothing really stands out as good or bad, but it’s hard to be charitable knowing how the storyline turns out.

CABLE #36 – October 1996

The Gift
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Bernard Chang (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Graphic Colorworks (colors)

Summary: In the aftermath of the Onslaught battle, Cable’s techno-organic virus has again consumed his body. Nathaniel Richards, the scientist father of Mr. Fantastic, tries to save his life. Cannonball, Domino, Storm, Caliban, and Franklin Richards watch anxiously as Cable’s condition deteriorates. Franklin declares that he will help Cable, and soon Cable’s astral form is reunited with his son Tyler. Tyler relieves Cable of his guilt over his death, and encourages him to pursue his destiny. After Nathaniel Richards gives Cable minutes to live, Franklin begins to cry. Cable’s spirit is then reunited with his late wife, Aliya. She encourages him to keep fighting before saying goodbye. In reality, Cable awakens and suppresses the virus, returning his body back to normal. Cable wonders if it was Franklin, or his internal resolution that saved him.

Continuity Notes: Cannonball refers to Tyler as Cable’s adopted son, which confirms what had been long implied. I assume that Tyler wasn’t made a blood relative because Marvel didn’t want such a minor character to have the all-important Summers genes. According to this issue, Cable named him Tyler, so he presumably knew him at a young age.

Review: This resolves the “Cable’s virus is out of control” storyline that had been running since the X-Man crossover. I never cared for the idea that Cable has to fight to keep the virus in check, mainly because the only drama it leads to usually involves Cable concentrating really hard and making pained faces. I understand that the virus exists in part to keep Cable’s powers at a reasonable level, but that doesn’t mean that stories about the virus itself are inherently interesting. This specific story tries to get around the “Cable tries really hard” resolution to his infection. Loeb instead goes with the inspirational dream route, as Cable is reunited with his late wife and son. Their conversations are a little cliché, but the sappiness is at least bearable. I believe this is the first time Tyler’s been presented in a sympathetic light, which is amusing since he’s already been killed off at this point.

In retrospect, it’s strange that Marvel kept pushing these retconned aspects of Cable, even as his popularity continued to dwindle. Cable was initially a mysterious mutant with scarcely any powers who had to rely on guns to survive. Now he’s potentially the most powerful mutant on Earth, who has to fight a science fiction disease while fulfilling the destiny given to him by a quasi-religious order in the future. I personally find Cable’s characterization more tolerable during this period, but he’s clearly had a lot grafted on to him, and later writers have struggled with how to deal with it.

CABLE #35 – September 1996

It Is Always Darkest…
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna & Art Thibert (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Cable and the Invisible Woman combine their powers to protect the heroes from Onslaught’s psionic assault. Apocalypse suddenly appears, telling Cable that he can separate Franklin Richards from Onslaught if Cable grants him access to the Astral Plane. The Invisible Woman convinces Cable to go along with the plan. Cable and Apocalypse soon travel though the Astral Plane and arrive inside Onslaught’s citadel. Onslaught attacks them with psionic projections of Magneto, Hulk, and Post. While Cable fights them off, Apocalypse approaches Franklin Richards. He reveals that his plan to separate Franklin from Onslaught is to simply kill him. The Invisible Woman, who has been telepathically shielded by Cable, emerges and fights Apocalypse. Onslaught uses his powers to send the trio back to the streets, leaving Franklin in his custody. Apocalypse teleports away, as Cable comforts the Invisible Woman. Inside Onslaught, Franklin is inspired by the heroes’ actions and has his hope renewed.

Creative Differences: Some of Cable’s word balloons on page four have been poorly re-lettered. I don’t know if this was an actual dialogue change or some last minute typo correction, since his dialogue (about being the son of a hero like Franklin) fits in with the conversation he’s having on the rest of the page.

Review: It’s another issue of large panels and big action scenes that don’t really accomplish anything. I like Churchill’s interpretation of Apocalypse, and it seems like his art is improving overall during this run of issues, so at least it’s not bad to look at. The story doesn’t stand up to a lot of scrutiny, as it’s unclear which scenes are supposed to be in the Astral Plane, and which are supposed to be in reality. It’s possible that the entire fight with Onslaught takes place on the Astral Plane, but that seems unlikely as a transition caption clearly states that Onslaught is in the real world, one page before Cable and Apocalypse arrive. Plus, the word balloons drop the special effect used for telepathic communication once they enter Onslaught’s citadel. It’s possible that Loeb intended that Cable and Apocalypse used the Astral Plane to teleport from the streets to the inside of the citadel, but that would contradict every other appearance of the Astral Plane that I’m aware of. (When X-Man pulled Xavier’s physical body out of the Astral Plane, it was stated that only X-Man was powerful enough to do this. It was also treated as a huge deal, while this issue doesn’t portray their journey as anything special.) I finally realized what Loeb was probably trying to convey – that Onslaught sensed their mental presence and pulled them out of the Astral Plane into reality. If Onslaught is supposed to be as powerful as X-Man, that would at least work with past continuity, and it’s preferable to making the Astral Plane a quick teleportation gimmick for telepaths. Whichever is the case, the ambiguity is annoying.

Overlooking the shaky plot, Loeb does create a few decent character moments. Forcing Cable to team up with Apocalypse, his most hated enemy (now that Marvel’s forgotten about Stryfe) is an obvious way to go, but the interaction between the characters is fun. In one surprising scene, Apocalypse even offers to rid Cable of the techno-organic virus after Cable brags that it’s making him stronger. We also see Apocalypse’s reaction to Franklin Richards, which is something that would’ve happened years earlier, if the X-franchise hadn’t been so segregated from the rest of the Marvel Universe for so long. Apocalypse wants to kill him not only to depower Onslaught, but also to prevent him from disrupting his own plans. If Apocalypse was willing to infect Cable with a deadly virus as an infant, it makes sense that he would also view Franklin as a threat. I barely remember anything from most of the Onslaught crossover issues, but I do remember enjoying the reconnection of the Marvel Universe, even if it didn’t last.

X-FORCE #58 – September 1996

…Before the Dawn
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Anthony Castrillo (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Sunspot fantasizes about a past where his mutant powers never emerged. A boy in the shadows tells Sunspot that he can make this reality, but he needs him to convince the rest of X-Force to follow him. Meanwhile, Siryn awakens in the rubble of Xavier’s mansion, and realizes that she’s the only conscious member of X-Force. She tries to revive the team as each member mentally lives out a fantasy. Meltdown is killing Sabretooth, Caliban is reenacting the early life of Superman, Warpath is on the reservation with his brother, Shatterstar is resting peacefully in the forest, and Domino is living in quiet darkness. Sunspot recruits each member to join the mysterious boy. Before fully giving in, the team realizes that the boy is actually Onslaught. The team stands against him and regains consciousness. Another mental image of a young boy appears, telling them that he represents the goodness of a young Charles Xavier. In his final moments, he protected Siryn from Onslaught because he views her as the team’s inspiration. He tells X-Force that their victory over Onslaught’s temptation has freed him.

Continuity Note: Risque has disappeared between issues. Siryn tells Warpath that she wasn’t there when she regained consciousness.

Review: This is the standard “every character has a fantasy” issue. Like a lot of Loeb’s work from this era, it’s nothing to get excited over but it has a basic level of competence, even if the setup of the story doesn’t exactly work if you think about it too much. If Siryn is supposed to represent the best of X-Force, why did Xavier keep her away from Onslaught’s temptations? Wouldn’t it have been smarter to keep a more susceptible member awake? I’m not sure why Siryn is labeled the team’s inspiration either, since none of the team members even think about her while Onslaught is trying to lure them to his side. At any rate, the story is just an excuse to give each member a fantasy scene, so the mechanics aren’t worth over-analyzing.

Now that X-Force has fulfilled its part in the crossover (which was apparently “blow up the mansion”, which happens in every other X-crossover), Loeb was stuck without anywhere to go. X-Force wasn’t going to be contributing any further to the plot, yet the crossover was still going on. With an issue to kill, he tries to do a character study of each cast member, which is an admirable goal. The only new revelation comes in Shatterstar’s segment, which reveals that his fantasy is a peaceful, non-violent one. This would seem more promising if it wasn’t tied into the incomprehensible storyline the character is about to endure. Loeb is able to give the characters just enough personality to make them individuals and seem likable enough, but all of the characterizations feel at least a little shallow. Caliban is the dumb puppy, Sunspot misses his old life, Warpath misses his brother, Meltdown’s still angry…most of these ideas are reasonable (I’ve discussed my dislike of Loeb’s Caliban before), the execution just feels superficial. I’m glad there is a focus on the characters, I just wish more was done with them.

X-FORCE #57 – August 1996

In the Company of Strangers
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Anthony Castrillo (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: After Mr. Sinister’s assault on X-Man and X-Force, only Domino and Caliban are left standing. Caliban, whose strength is suddenly enhanced, violently attacks Sinister. Domino enacts the armory’s self-destruct sequence, destroying part of the mansion, and leads the team away from Sinister. Caliban and Meltdown are separated from the others in the tunnels beneath the mansion. Meltdown comforts Caliban, who is distraught over his sudden bloodlust. Meanwhile, X-Man reveals to Domino that Sinister shut his powers off. He uses what’s left of his powers to enter Sunspot’s mind, hoping that the Askani teaching he absorbed from Cable can undo Sinister’s damage. A mental image of Blaquesmith suddenly appears, and the duo is knocked unconscious. Sinister soon attacks the rest of the team, as Warpath and Risque arrive to help. X-Man regains consciousness and attacks Sinister. Sinister convinces him to enter his mind and see that his motives for stopping Apocalypse are legitimate. X-Man falls for the trap, and Sinister refocuses his telepathy to attack the team. With X-Force defeated, Sinister leaves with X-Man.

Continuity Notes: This issue continues directly from X-Man #18.

Sinister speculates that Caliban’s suddenly enhanced strength is due to a failsafe implanted in him by Apocalypse. Apocalypse genetically altered Caliban back in the early issues of X-Factor.

How exactly Sinister shut off X-Man’s powers is left vague. Sunspot assumes that Sinister hasn’t done this to Cable because of his techno-organic virus (which is a strange explanation), while Domino claims that Cable’s Askani teachings protect him.

Risque mentally refers to Sinister as one of the “legendary ones”, and says that she didn’t expect to meet any of them so soon. Sinister doesn’t recognize her and is surprised that there is a mutant he’s never heard of. I don’t know if any backstory was ever given on Risque, but it almost seems as if Loeb was setting her up to be another time-travelling character.

Review: After an entire issue of fight scenes and explosions, the story’s exactly where it was at the end of the previous chapter. Loeb, to his credit, is able to throw enough things into the mix to prevent the issue from feeling like a total waste of time, but it’s hard not to notice that the story’s going in circles. Revealing that Apocalypse implanted an anti-Sinister failsafe in Caliban years earlier is a smart use of past continuity, connecting Apocalypse’s earliest appearances (before Sinister was even created, let alone retconned into being one of his fiercest enemies) with the more recent revelations about the character. Loeb also uses the scene to create a character moment between Caliban and Meltdown, who is beginning to drop her rough facade. It feels a little forced, but it is nice that some of the ongoing character arcs haven’t been forgotten during the crossover. The fill-in art comes from Anthony Castrillo, who spends much of the issue doing a pretty blatant John Byrne imitation. Some of the pages look like average, acceptable superhero art, while others are just cramped and awkward. It looks like Castrillo is trying to combine Byrne with the manga style that was getting popular at the time, and the results are inconsistent at best.

X-FORCE #56 – July 1996

Crazy for You
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Adam Pollina (penciler), Bud Larosa & Mark Morales (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: When Siryn and Shatterstar spar with each other inside an abandoned church, Siryn suddenly sees an image of Deadpool in Shatterstar’s sword. She begins to remember her time inside the Weisman Institute, where Deadpool was left behind. Concerned that the telepathic force behind the institute might have already influenced Xavier and Cable, Siryn leaves with Shatterstar and tells no one else. The pair breaks into the institute and begins exploring. Shatterstar has a sense of déjà vu and goes off on his own. He’s ambushed by Dr. Weisman, Deadpool, and ten-year-old Jeremy Stevens. Siryn comes across multiple duplicates of Deadpool before finally finding the real one inside a padded room. He hands her his sword, asking her to kill him and make the voices in his head stop. Dr. Weisman and Jeremy enter. Siryn turns the blade on Jeremy, believing him to be the telepathic power behind the institute. She then realizes that Weisman is the culprit and puts the blade to her neck. A mental image of Gamesmaster escapes from Weisman’s body, congratulating Siryn for winning this round of the game. Meanwhile, Warpath continues to travel around Florida with Risque. They defend a suspected mutant from his attackers, only to find that the injured party is actually a burn victim. Risque’s behavior during the fight leads the victim to declare his own anti-mutant bias. Risque makes a comment about voluntary mutant segregation, which unnerves Warpath. Elsewhere, with the Weisman Institute free from Gamesmaster’s influence, Siryn leaves. She finds Shatterstar outside, crying. He tells her that Gamesmaster revealed to him that his life as Shatterstar was a lie, and that he’s actually a human boy named Benjamin Russell.

Continuity Notes: Loeb drops another hint about Shatterstar’s feelings for Rictor in the opening narrative captions. “Siryn has lost Warpath. He has lost Rictor. Both see these missing teammates as ‘friends’. Both too stubborn to admit they may mean more than that”.

Risque uses her mutant powers for the first time, and it’s impossible to figure out what they’re supposed to be. The narration says that she caused one of the attackers' motorcycle to implode, but doesn’t explain the red energy balls that she uses against the thugs.

Review: Well, at least things actually happen in this issue. It’s the issue before the crossover, so Loeb takes the time to at least partially conclude a storyline that’s been around since the start of his run. The Weisman Institute storyline has always been annoyingly vague, and the resolution here doesn’t make things much clearer. Apparently, Siryn’s repressed memories of the institute are revived because Gamesmaster is bored with this game and wants to entice her into coming back. That’s never outright said, but Siryn considers the theory on the last page, and I guess it’s as good a reason as any. All of the previous clues have pointed towards Jeremy Stevens as the Gamesmaster in disguise, or at least someone possessed by him. Now, it’s revealed that Dr. Weisman is actually the one possessed by Gamesmaster, which makes all of the previous hints seem like pointless misdirection. And since Jeremy was also under Gamesmaster’s influence, I’m not sure what real difference it makes. How exactly Siryn determines that Weisman is the host for Gamesmaster isn’t clear at all. The idea might be that because Weisman almost seems to be daring her to kill Jeremy, Siryn was able to conclude that this was all a test. In any case, the execution is needlessly vague. And did Gamesmaster really go through all of this effort and create such an elaborate plan just to see if he could trick Siryn into killing a kid? As for the last-page Shatterstar reveal…yeah. Since this issue doesn’t go into any details, I guess I’ll have to wait until the actual “Origin of Shatterstar” issues to really comment. I’m definitely not looking forward to this (I can’t imagine how much fun writing the issue summaries is going to be).

Even if the main story is unsatisfying, the alternating scenes with Warpath and Risque are enjoyable. Loeb does seem to have a handle of Warpath’s character, continuing with Nicieza’s interpretation that he’s inhibited by his own insecurities. Casting the playful, sexually open Risque as a counterpart to the unattanable Siryn, who refuses to acknowledge Warpath’s feelings, is a good move. I also like the twist that the clichéd mutant in trouble isn’t a mutant at all, and he’s probably just as prejudiced against them as his attackers are. Risque’s offhand comments that mutants should stick with their own kind is a realistic treatment of the type of bigotry that mutants themselves would probably exhibit. It’s more nuanced than just making her some type of terrorist or outright villain, which is usually how these things play out.

CABLE #34 – August 1996

Loose Cannons
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Cable regains consciousness and senses the approach of another enemy. Soon, he’s confronted by the Hulk, who is under Onslaught’s mental command. The two battle, as Cable tries to psionically undo Onslaught’s brainwashing. Probing the Hulk’s mind causes his body to revert to its grey form, but Onslaught’s influence remains. The Hulk drops a building on Cable, but Storm arrives and stops him from finishing Cable off. Storm attempts CPR on Cable, and eventually revives him with a small bolt of lightning. Cable attempts one last telepathic assault on the Hulk, which only manages to revert him to his mindless, savage form. As Ozymandias records the events, Apocalypse declares that Cable’s death will lead to the dawn of his era.

Review: This is an all-action issue that doesn’t really impact the Onslaught crossover or any of Cable’s ongoing storylines. It’s not explicitly stated in the issue, but I assume the idea is that Cable’s telepathic powers are one of the few threats to Onslaught, so he’s responded by sending the Hulk after him. That’s a reasonable setup, but it makes me wonder why Onslaught doesn’t just brainwash all of the Marvel superheroes and just get them out of his way. This is Churchill’s strongest issue so far, as the giant images and big fights suit his exaggerated style. Some of his human faces still need work (his likeness of what I assume is actor Andre Braugher is rather distracting), but he handles the action very well and I like his interpretation of the various Hulk incarnations. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of large panels and splash pages throughout the issue, which just emphasize how thin the plot is. One ongoing subplot is incrementally advanced, as Loeb uses the old “one potential love interest has to perform mouth-to-mouth on another” cliché with Storm and Cable. The narrative captions ask if Storm feels “something more” than respect for Cable during the scene, while Loeb implies that Storm reminds Cable of his late wife. I’m not sure why Marvel went in this direction, outside of the fact that Storm was rarely given anything to do during this period, and perhaps Loeb wanted a spoiler in the Cable/Domino relationship. It never went anywhere, so reading this in retrospect is just a reminder of another dropped storyline. Overall, this is a big dumb action issue, but it’s okay as far as those things go.

LINK: Mike Sterling recently pulled this issue out, perhaps at random, and gave it a review.

CABLE #33 – July 1996

Never Is a Very Short Time
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Cable visits Beast regarding his inability to control his techno-organic virus, but he can’t give him any immediate answers. He talks to Storm, who wants him to telepathically search her mind for any information regarding her encounter with Onslaught’s herald, Post. Cable can’t pick up any specific memories, but feels a familiar “telepathic echo” in her memories. Domino interrupts, telling Cable about the explosion of Blaquesmith’s frigate. Cable travels to Maryland to investigate. While searching the ship, he feels the same presence from Storm’s memory is nearby. He flashes back to his past as a mercenary, when he teamed up with G. W. Bridge to rescue his friend, Tremain, from one of the Mandarin’s experiments. With Tremain near death, Cable was forced to give him a blood transfusion, not knowing how his techno-organic virus would affect him. In the present, Cable is suddenly attacked by Post, who he now knows is Tremain. During the course of the fight, Cable begins to deduce Onslaught’s identity. Post can’t bring himself to finish Cable, but he leaves him to die.

Production Notes: Rick Leonardi is also credited as an artist, but all of the pages look like Ian Churchill to me (the GCD lists this as a mistake). This is also the month that the paper quality is reduced across the X-line (even though most of the X-titles’ newsstand editions dropped the slick paper a year earlier) and the Bullpen Bulletins returns to replace the mutant-specific X-Facts page.

Continuity Notes: Mandarin, or at least a hologram of him, is experimenting on Tremain so that he can learn the secrets behind the mutant X-gene. As far as I can tell, this is Tremain’s first appearance. For some reason, I seemed to recall that this issue established that Post was actually one of Cable’s fellow future soldiers, Tetherblood, and not an entirely new character, but I was wrong.

This story takes place explicitly after the Storm miniseries, yet she still has her old hairstyle and uniform. This isn’t the only time that happens during this era.

Cable deduces Onslaught's identity by thinking of who would put him in a weakened condition, remove Blaquesmith from the picture, and know about Tremain. Cable never outright says who Onslaught is, though, as that revelation is being saved for this month's X-Men.

The Dark Beast, who is still impersonating the Beast, is thrilled to have a copy of Cable’s DNA and a techno-organic virus sample. I don’t think this went anywhere.

During the flashback, Cable uses his telepathic powers to talk to Tremain. Since this takes place years before X-Force was formed, this seems to contradict the ending of the “Child’s Play” crossover (New Warriors #46), which had Cable shocked to learn that he could use telepathy. I assume that by this point Marvel had decided that Cable always had his telepathy. One No-Prize solution to the New Warriors issue could be that Cable was just shocked to learn that he could still use telepathy, considering that most of his telekinesis had to be used to keep his techno-organic virus in check. However, that doesn’t exactly work, since Cable would’ve still had the virus in the flashback, and his telepathic skills clearly aren’t being inhibited.

Review: This is another issue dedicated to building up Onslaught, so there’s not an awful lot I can say that the previous reviews haven’t covered. Like many of the other stories leading in to the crossover, it’s not particularly enjoyable in its own right, and without a big payoff during the Onslaught event, it seems even weaker upon reflection. The big revelation in this issue is that the mysterious Post is actually Tremain, who is yet another undefined character from Cable’s past. Loeb effectively gets the idea across that we’re supposed to care because Cable does, but revealing that one mystery character is actually a new mystery character we knew nothing about just feels cheap. The flashback’s characterization of Cable as an idealist who thinks one man can make a difference seems at odds with the cold-blooded Cable from the earlier issues of X-Force and the other flashbacks to his mercenary days. Instead of making a statement about Cable’s character, it feels like something out of an ‘80s action movie. Churchill’s art manages to handle the big fight scenes pretty well, so at least there’s some energy brought into the rather bland issue. The final splash page of a broken Cable, who’s realized Onslaught’s identity but is unable to warn the X-Men, does help to build up tension for the upcoming storyline, even if the rest of the issue is a weak promo for the crossover.

CABLE #32 – June 1996

Venting
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (breakdowns), Scott Hanna (finishes), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Graphic Color Works (colors)

Summary: After leaving Tyler’s funeral in Kentucky, Cable and Domino return to Camp Hayden to investigate the Sentinel research facility that was penetrated by Onslaught. They encounter hundreds of Nimrod prototypes while Domino tries to talk to Cable about his son’s death. She wonders if Wolverine had no choice but to kill Tyler (a.k.a. Genesis), just as she was forced to kill Grizzly. Cable, who has resorted to using armory after his battle with X-Man drained his powers, refuses to discuss his feelings. They find a computer chip from the surveillance videos that they hope will reveal when Onslaught infiltrated the base, but it’s been magnetized. Cable finally gives in to his anger and begins shooting up the base, declaring that he’ll stop Onslaught before he can harm any innocents like Tyler. They leave the base, as Post watches. Elsewhere, a voice tells Blaquesmith that he can’t allow him to help Cable in the coming days. Blaquesmith’s ship suddenly explodes.

Continuity Notes: According to the narrative captions, Cannonball offered Cable a burial place for Tyler near his home in Kentucky (Wolverine killed him in issue #100 of his series). Cable refers to Tyler as an “innocent” because he was brainwashed by Stryfe and never recovered. Whether or not Tyler is Cable’s biological son is still vague. Domino questions why Cable won’t talk about his death, “even though you promised his mother -- Jenskot -- you’d look after the boy?” I don't think this is the first time it’s been hinted that Tyler was his stepson, or adopted son.

It’s inferred again that Onslaught was the one who broke into Blaquesmith’s home and stole his files on Cable. And I’ll again point out that this makes no sense given the later revelation of Onslaught’s identity, and that the culprit was heavily implied to be the X-Cutioner at the time.

Review: I guess if Cable’s son was going to be killed off in Wolverine, it should’ve been brought up in Cable, too. Instead of devoting a quiet issue to mourning Tyler’s loss, Loeb creates an issue-long fight scene that basically gives Cable and Domino something to do as Cable acts gruff and distant. That’s probably a more appropriate route to take, as Tyler has always been nothing more than a ranting lunatic, so giving him a memorial issue would’ve been a hard sell. Loeb does a capable job with Cable and Domino’s characterizations, even if he’s already done this type of story with the characters before. Connecting Wolverine’s slaying of Tyler to Domino’s forced execution of Grizzly isn’t a bad idea, and it makes the inclusion of a Wolverine storyline feel more organic. Cable’s catharsis at the end of the issue is very predictable and doesn’t exactly convey the emotions it’s supposed to (partly because the art doesn’t even show what he’s supposed to be shooting at). The weak ending emphasizes how much of a time-killer the issue really is. I like the fact that there’s an attempt to show the impact of Tyler’s death on Cable, but there’s really nothing else going on in the issue. It’s another case of the Onslaught storyline becoming an excuse for vaguely defined missions that end quickly and don’t actually answer any questions. The art is presumably a rush job, as Scott Hanna moves from inker to finisher. Rather than going for a sketchy, unfinished look, he buries the entire issue in black. Since Cable and Domino are supposed to be breaking into a secret government facility at night, it’s at least appropriate for the story, and it seems to mesh pretty well with Churchill’s artwork.

X-FORCE #55 – June 1996

Without A Net
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Adam Pollina (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Outside of the SHIELD helicarrier, Meltdown launches a series of timebombs. X-Force splits up and enters through the openings. They search the base for Cyclops, who has been detained by Bastion for an alleged assassination attempt on Senator Kelly. After defeating a series of Life Model Decoy soldiers and automated defenses, the team finally breaks into Cyclops’ cell. They’re suddenly flanked by dozens of SHIELD agents, led by Cable’s former ally, G. W. Bridge. Cable telekinetically removes Cyclops’ visor and guides his optic blasts to take out the agents. He then punches Bridge in the face and leaves with Cyclops. Phoenix rescues the team in the Blackbird and flies away. Meanwhile in Florida, Warpath wonders if he should’ve abandoned the team to spend time with Risque. When he stands to kiss her, he reveals a giant tattoo of a bird on his back.

Continuity Notes: This issue continues directly from Uncanny X-Men #333, which had Cyclops meeting Senator Kelly in a home that was bombed by Graydon Creed. What exactly happened to Senator Kelly isn’t revealed.

When Meltdown searches for information on SHIELD’s computers, she’s shocked to learn that Sabretooth isn’t dead. He was believed dead at the end of the Sabretooth Special.

Review: For some reason, we have an entire issue of X-Force dedicated to resolving a plotline from this month’s Uncanny. One of the characters even questions why X-Force, and not the X-Men, are on this mission, but no answer is given (in fact, Domino essentially tells Siryn to shut up when she asks the question). I remember being deeply confused by this issue when I first read it, since I didn’t even remember Cyclops getting captured in the first place. Looking back, I guess it could be inferred from Uncanny X-Men #333 that Creed’s men abducted him, but all we really see is Cyclops leaping from an explosion. He wasn’t shown to be injured, and there was no on-panel abduction, so it still feels like jumpy storytelling. The plot just seems like an excuse to kill an issue, even though Loeb still tries to work in some brief character moments as the team infiltrates the helicarrier. None of the ongoing arcs are advanced, though, so the characters just end up reiterating what their current predicament is supposed to be (a trick Loeb’s done in previous issues). None of this is poorly done, as Pollina’s art sells the action and Loeb gives the cast just enough characterization to have them stand out from one another, but it still feels like filler.

CABLE #31 – May 1996

…There is a Reaction!
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Graphic Color Works (colors)

Summary: Blaquesmith charges up his walking stick and prepares to kill X-Man. X-Man responds to the blast with a force of psionic energy, which weakens him and causes Blaquesmith to disappear. During the fight, psi-sensitives around the world, such as Holocaust, Psylocke, Phoenix, and Xavier have violent reactions to X-Man’s release of energy. Cable tries to reason with X-Man, but he refuses to give up. When Cable pushes X-Man’s powers to their limit, he falls unconscious. Blaquesmith reappears from his time-shift and tries again to convince Cable to kill him. Cable refuses and draws upon his last reserves of power to talk to X-Man telepathically. X-Man finally trusts him and allows Cable to repair the mental damage he sustained in the battle. Blaquesmith takes Cable away, as his techno-organic virus begins to grow again. Cable, who deduced that Blaquesmith’s method to kill X-Man was also his failsafe to kill him if he ever grew too powerful, tells him that too many dark secrets have emerged. Meanwhile, Post receives telepathic orders from Onslaught to kill Cable.

Review: Well, it’s another issue that relies on X-Man behaving irrationally to work, but it does at least have some redeeming elements. Revealing that Blaquesmith was more than a mentor to Cable, he was also supposed to be his assassin if things went wrong, is interesting. Realistically, if these characters were as powerful as the stories claim, there likely would be a terminal failsafe in place. The conflict between Cable and Blaquesmith works pretty well, as Cable sees himself in X-Man and Blaquesmith just sees a dangerous time anomaly that must be stopped. This is actually a case where X-Man’s psychotic behavior can work in the story’s favor, as Blaquesmith does have a legitimate argument to make. X-Man is apparently unable to respond to reason, and he presents a threat to the entire planet, so killing him could be just as a defensible as killing a rabid dog. Unfortunately, Blaquesmith disappears for most of the issue, leaving us with more scenes of X-Man’s powers exploding while he pointlessly fights Cable, so the argument doesn’t get enough play. So if you didn’t get enough large panels and splash pages of Cable and X-Man fighting in the last two chapters, I guess you’re in luck.

Mapping the Mission
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Eric Battle (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary: Blaquesmith continues to recap Cable’s history, explaining his conflicts with Stryfe and Tyler. He concludes by detailing his fight with X-Man, which might’ve placed Cable’s life in jeopardy.

Continuity Notes: Blaquesmith now says that he knows who stole his data on Cable in issue #21. He also says that he has a “disturbing conclusion as to his machinations, which we have all fallen prey to”. It seems like the thief is being retconned into being Onslaught, even though issue #21 heavily implied it was the X-Cutioner. This raises the same question X-Men #50 did…why would Onslaught go through all of this trouble to get information he already has access to?

Review: This is the second part of the back-up origin story. Oddly enough, it spends as much time recapping the main story in this issue as it does anything else. It also segues into more vague hints about an upcoming menace, which means it’s easily dismissed as more Onslaught nonsense.

CABLE #30 – April 1996

For Every Action…
Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas & Malibu’s Hues (colors)

Summary: Eight hundred years in the past, a time-displaced Dane Whitman (the Avengers’ Black Knight), takes a group of crusaders to a “wicked” tomb in the Swiss Alps. In the present, Exodus returns to the tomb to recuperate. Nearby, Cable flies overhead, searching for X-Man. He’s suddenly assaulted with X-Man’s memories. Below, X-Man and Threnody travel through the snowstorm. X-Man is suddenly overcome with memories of Cable’s childhood. Cable follows their trail, and discovers that Blaquesmith has been secretly following him. X-Man leads Threnody inside Cable’s Swiss cabin, claiming that he feels psychically drawn to it. Cable enters, and tries to explain to X-Man that coexisting so close together is hurting both of them. Suspicious, X-Man lashes out against him. He sees Cable’s face and realizes that they are the same person, but he refuses to stop his attack. Blaquesmith enters, and the presence of another telepath makes X-Man even angrier. When Cable tries to calm him down, X-Man’s powers explode, destroying the cabin. Later, as X-Man awakens in the snow, he’s greeted by Exodus.

Continuity Notes: Exodus is presumably recovering from his fight with Holocaust, from X-Men #42 and #43. According to the narration, the tomb is where “a portion of the power that created him remains.” I’ve heard some people claim before that placing the Black Knight eight hundred years ago is a continuity error, but I’m not familiar enough with his character to really know. Uncanny X-Men #307 revealed that Black Knight recognized Exodus from somewhere, so at least some of this story must’ve been worked out in advance.

Review: If X-Man hadn’t already reached the point of self-parody as a character, surely this issue would’ve put him over the top. Like every other X-Man story, we see him reacting irrationally and lashing out in anger at people who aren’t threatening him, as the story climaxes with his powers exploding. Didn’t anyone at Marvel notice that the same thing happens in every X-Man story? I guess this one is supposed to be a bigger deal since he’s meeting his counterpart from this reality, but that certainly doesn’t make the story less predictable. It’s almost as if Jeph Loeb had an X-Man drinking game worked out in his head, and he felt an obligation to make sure all of the standard X-Man plot elements made it into each story. Adding Exodus and Black Knight does at least create the potential for something interesting to happen later, but so far it’s all setup. The rest of the story consists of a lot of large images of Cable and X-Man wandering in the snow, which strangely enough limits the amount of space that’s used for the later fight scene between the pair. X-Man’s powers exploding just get a large panel, instead of the standard full splash page, which is surely a shame. This isn't very engaging on its own merits, but the knowledge that X-Man is behaving in exactly the same irrational manner he always does almost makes it comically bad.

Mapping the Mission

Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Eric Battle (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary: Blaquesmith recaps Cable’s life, from the time of his birth to his childhood in the future, to his return to this timeline as a mercenary.

Review: This is just a partial recap of Cable’s origin (at three pages, it actually pushes this issue’s page count to twenty-three pages). The art’s atrocious, but I did appreciate this backup at the time since I had lost track of the various aspects of Cable’s heavily retconned past when this issue was released. It’s interesting that even a backup story that tries to piece together Cable’s past has no explanation for why exactly he was working as a mercenary before he mentored the New Mutants. The idea that Cable came to this time to train the new External, Cannonball, is also skipped over, which amuses me.