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CABLE #103
"Victor, Viktoria"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: David Tischman
Artist: Igor Kordey
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editors: Andrew Lis
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
I want to like this book a lot more than I do, because for every bit of confusion or unnecessary bit of sex, there's an incredibly cool action sequence or an unusually politically-aware plot. However, Tischman continues to crowd the book with too many characters, which with an already complex plot makes for very difficult reading, and I can't decide whether these are stories that would read better in a trade paperback form or if they just need more room to breathe, period. At any rate, though sometimes overly complex, Cable remains as strong as it has ever been, and
definitely as beautiful to look at, as Igor Kordey delivers some of the most
unusual and intense visuals to be found in super-hero comics.
The opening sequence of this
issue is phenomenal, a perfect example of cinematic storytelling and action, as
Kordey really gives the scene the feel of a slow motion movie sequence. Though
Cable could easily have become just another soldier the way that Tischman and
Kordey have reinvented him, whenever he uses his powers, it's an impressive
display against the fairly realistic backdrop they have established. I'm
impressed with the way that Tischman has managed to keep super-heroic elements
of Cable, including his ability to teleport and his telekinesis, without making
them feel out of place in his new soldier of fortune style existence.
If nothing else, Tischman and
Kordey deserve credit for ambition. Very few comics would tackle the idea of
racial tension between the Macedonian people, and even fewer would pull it off
with any degree of sophistication. Despite the presence of outrageous
science-fiction elements, including cloning and genetically-targeted viruses,
the basic situation at the heart of this story is very much grounded in the
real. The hatred and history of these conflicts comes through in the
determination the characters show, and there's a sense of sadness and horror to
the whole thing, as it is all too clear that Cable won't be able to solve the
problems by the end.
This does threaten to rob the
story of some tension, except that while Cable can't remove the problem
entirely, he can fix it in small degrees by eliminating the most immediate
threats and by picking up another disciple for his philosophies. His recruit in
this story has been a less than subtle addition, one that we could see as soon
as the character met Cable, but I still appreciate that Tischman and Kordey have
given Cable a means of changing the world that doesn't involve blowing it up.
That is as radical as the notion of a globe-hopping, political book, if not
moreso.
As always, I feel that
Tischman and Kordey have overcomplicated an already complex plot, threatening to
lose readers. There are numerous characters in this series, all of whom have
some sort of shadowy motivation and past, and it gets to the point where the
reader needs a scorecard to keep up. The creators could serve to either pare
down the cast they introduce each issue or have them stick around longer, so
that readers can eventually figure out who they all are.
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