CABLE #101 REVIEW

[Brandon Yates]

<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/cable-101.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/cable-101t.jpg" align=left alt="Cable #101"></a>Reviewer: Brandon Yates, nyphase@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: How Many Albanians Does It Take To Screw In A Lightbulb?

Cable takes steps against the brutal Serbian government, while the ethnic Albanians... "grow" some plans of their own.

Written by: David Tischman
Art by: Igor Kordey
Colored by: Chris Sotomayor
Lettered by: Comicraft
Edited by: Andrew Lis & Mark Powers
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas

After hearing nothing but good things about Cable I decided to use this issue as a jump-on point, since it’s the beginning of an all-new storyline based on the Serbian government’s “ethnic cleansing” atrocities against Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian minority. While horrifying reality and typical science fiction are an uncomfortable fit, I can already see this storyline shaping up to be a great read. This is my first exposure to the much talked about Igor Kordey, and I have to agree with his press - his style, though a tad sketchy in some spots, is comprised of intricate backgrounds and rough character-renderings, perfectly appropriate representation of the turmoil within. Unfortunately, this calm-before-the-storm issue moved too slowly for me, and I felt overwhelmingly submerged in character introductions and exposition.

Apparently, Cable is without his telepathic/telekinetic abilities for the time being which adds a new dynamic to his journey and further humanizes his situation as a lone man against a complicated set of obstacles: On the one hand, the Serbs are getting set to utilize an airborne virus capable of attacking persons with a specific, ethic DNA, while the ethnic Albanians are raising clones in test tubes in a secret underground facility (the latter unbeknownst to Cable).

David Tischman would not have been my first choice to revamp Cable but I’m pleasantly surprised by the direction he’s taking the character in these days. This is not the kind of story that has any place in X-Men continuity, making it an excellent choice for an audience that wants to read of a mutant hero without dealing with the baggage of the rest of the line (baggage, however, that is at an all-time creative high).

Through Kordey’s lucid visuals, Tischman briefly recaps the situation in Kosovo. Right on cue, Cable appears walking up a dirt road, stern and no-nonsense, dead-set to... uh, do something. I’m not quite clear on what that is yet because this Cable is very quiet and almost maddeningly mysterious. I don’t expect the mutant soldier to wisecrack or sling one-liners but I would have been thankful for more scenes in which we could get a good idea of who, exactly, his target is and why he chose this time to strike. The scenes where he does appear had my attention more firmly than any of the others, so it would seem ideal to expand his on-camera role.

My biggest gripe with this issue is that, while I can appreciate a complex supporting cast when done right, the reader of this issue will be hit with a barrage of potential allies and enemies in less time than it takes to name them. And, of course, the more we see of all these other characters, the less we see of Cable. I hope the pacing is taken down a notch, so I don’t get lost in the constant shuffle of perspectives.

This issue was a solid read and I expect it to improve by the next installment. This will probably be the first time I buy Cable for two consecutive months and believe me when I say it’s well worth it.

Art:
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Story:
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Overall:
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Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!

[JimalDP]

I started collecting Cable from #97 and thought it was great! Ive read other issues of cable in the past and thought of them one sided and very very boring! But with the new stories im hooked! Although i am a reborn fan of cable (died after he left the x-force in the early 90's) and will not stop collecting this new renovated cable series until they go back to the old style stories which i hate than ran through issues 1-96. Anyway keep Cable the way he is now and everyone will be happy!

[Plagioclase]

I've been opposed to the new Cable from the get-go. I'm a fan of world history as well as a fan of comic books, but somehow their synthesis here comes off to me as being profane.

I much prefer the old Cable, i.e. Casey's and Weinberg's runs. Tischman's writing confuses me to no end, and along with Kordey's art, I become totally lost. There are too many characters introduced too rapidly, with too difficult names to remember. I had hoped that, after giving up on the Shining Path arc, this new one would be easier to digest. But after this one issue, I'm back in the familiar position of having no clue as to what is going on. Also, it's interesting for me to note that I've continued to dislike Kordey's art in Cable, his regular title, but have oddly taken a liking to it over in New X-Men during his guest spot. That's a paradox I've been pondering for quite some time.

[charm]

When I first heard about the new direction Cable was taking, I was atad taken aback and surprised. I also thought that comics were not the right medium to review / discuss current world politics. However, I now feel quite strongly that Korday and Tischman have pulled this off very well. They've managed, quite successfully in my opinion, to get across the shades of grey in th world, although Cable himself does not necessarily reflect these shades of grey - I actually like this juxtaposition of a slightly tarnished world and what would appear to be an almost fascist personal outlook.

I'm enjoying the new arc, although I think it can be confusing. I think this is more to do with Tischman / Kordey's modus operandi ie short story arcs of 3-4 issues. When the Shing Arc is reviewed as a whole, I think it is a good story arc and I think the same will happen with the current story line.

Charm

[tyran80]

i'm still happy with Cable's new direction. Tischman, i believe, has pretty much gotten Cable's essence down with his more down to earth mutant soldier. Personally, i preferred 101 to 102, but that's just me, i guess.

A shame this is Tischman's last arc... i just hope Macan can keep to the literary standards of Weinberg and Tischman.