CABLE #95
"Countdown, Part Three: Eternity Waits!"
Neutral (4/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Robert Weinberg
Pencils: Michael Ryan
Inks: "Pertzborn" & Harry Candelario
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
I'll give Weinberg one thing... he writes an accessible script. I found I was brought up to speed quite quickly in the middle of this story of secret societies and government conspiracies. Unfortunately, what Weinberg leaves out are characters I can really care about. Though the story is told capably, both verbally and visually, there's nothing inherently human with which to connect.
While G.W. Bridge and Henry Peter Gyrich uncover a plan for a simple yet explosive coup d'etat, Cable and Phoenix launch an all-out assault on the stronghold of the Dark Sisterhood and its leader, Finality. It comes down to a hand-to-hand battle between Cable and Finality, as the pair's psionic powers are too evenly matched.
There are a few awkward panel-to-panel transitions, but Ryan's art tells the story clearly and capably (though he presents the title character occasionally as far too young). His stuff here is much cleaner than I remember it on past efforts, so either he's meshed better with these two inkers, or he's developed considerably. Still, while there's a greater sense of individual style to be found in his work, Ryan's art doesn't really grab me.
I just checked my files and realized something mildly interesting (to me, anyway) -- this is the first issue of Cable I've reviewed in six years of writing "Critiques on Infinite Earths". Weinberg does an excellent job of bringing new readers up to speed, not only on the plotlines but on the central characters as well. Mind you, a little more exposition regarding Rachel Summers, AKA Phoenix, couldn't have hurt.
The political aspect of the plot definitely piqued my interest, but it's wrapped up quite quickly, basically leaving us only with two elements in the book: Cable planning his assault on the baddies' base of operations, and a rather long but run-of-the-mill fight scene.
If anyone -- Weinberg, forthcoming writer David Tischman, whomever -- is going to salvage this character and make his adventures interesting, some radical changes will be needed. Warren Ellis and Steven Grant proved it was a smart move when they tinkered with title character of X-Man. I'd like to see an equally pronounced shift in Cable.
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