|
CABLE #98
Recommended (8/10)
|
Marvel Comics
"The Sound of the Arena"
Writer: Darko Macan
Artist: Igor Kordey
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editors: Andrew Lis
"Jay Leno & Spider-Man: One Night Only! (Don't Forget to Tip Your Waitress), Part Two"
Writer: Ron Zimmerman
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
This issue marks writer Darko Macan's debut as the title's new regular writer, and it's a promising start. He maintains a continuity of plot and atmosphere with David Tischman's run, but he also provides a clear jumping-on point for new readers or those of us who lost touch with it for a little while. And Kordey's art remains strong; he stands out as one of Marvel's greatest creative assets in 2002.
As Cable continues his travels in South America, his powers are out of control, more potent than ever now that he's cured of the Legacy Virus. He encounters a young boy, a telekinetic mutant like himself, who tells him of an underground "enteraintment" venue. It's the Arena, where mutants battle one another to the death for the amusement and profit of humans. Cable is determined to put an end to it, but the unexpected gets in the way.
Macan's take on the title character is a humanizing one. He knows that a mutant cyborg soldier from a post-apocalyptic future is far from the kind of character that a reader can relate to. But a young man named Nathan who loves to swim, who looks out for kids in trouble? That's someone the reader can understand. Macan is looking at the character as two parts of a whole: one is the super-soldier from the future, but the other is an innocent boy who relishes life.
That dichotomy of character is mirrored in the visuals. Kordey's art is gritty and dark and mature, capturing the intensity and harsh side of the world in which Cable exists. But there's a soft, human quality to the art as well. Kordey captures Xande's youth, innocence and naivete just as adeptly as the metahuman madness that goes on in the Arena. Sotomayor's colors reinforce the realistic quality of Kordey's work as well. His colors are nuanced and subtle, not gaudy.
Though originally conceived as more of a visual element in Marvel's world of mutants, standing out as a creature of style over substance, Tischman and now Macan have focused on the human side of an inhuman figure. Macan's initial contribution to the character isn't as political as what Tishcman delivered, but the title continues to boast the same cosmopolitan flair and down-to-earth elements that makes the book worth reading.
Leno: We're only two short chapters into this backup story, and it's already grating on my nerves. A clunky, overly verbose script, silly story concept and confusing, exaggerated artwork all add up to make this Spider-Man/Jay Leno team-up one of the most irksome and weak products Marvel has delivered in years.
Note: Since the backup story appears in several of this week's Marvel Comics releases, it does not factor into the rating for this review.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
