Cable #14 Review: All Hope Lost?

Hi, folks…your friendly neighborhood Brian Knippenberg back again! Today we have on deck the next chapter in  our X-Force/Cable crossover! Without further ado…

Cable #14 coverCable #14 (preview | thread)
“Messiah War, Chapter 4”
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Art: Ariel Olivetti

We’ll be breaking this review down into a recap and then sum up with my thoughts. If you wish to avoid spoilers, then proceed to ‘Thoughts From A Human’s Point of View’.

SPOILERS BELOW…

WHO’S GOT A PLAN?: In chapter three, Stryfe had captured Warpath and Hope, whisking them off to his citadel. We open chapter 4 outside of Westchester as Cable & X-Force desperately try to come up with a plan of action. Cable’s greatest fear has come true and all he wants to do is barrel through Stryfe’s domain, take him out and bring back Hope alive. Wolverine, thinking rationally, tells him that would do nothing but get her killed.

SHE WAS MINE FIRST!: Back at the citadel, Warpath is tortured as Stryfe tries to divine the identity of Hope and what she means to Cable. Bishop fears that Stryfe is getting too close to knowing, which could ruin his own plan of killing her himself to “save the future”. He checks his weaponry to ensure it’s in working order for the right moment.

DING-DONG, DEATH CALLING!: In the Adirondacks, Archangel meets with Apocalypse, who is barely clinging to life. He assumes that the evil one wants to die by the hand of his former Horseman, but as Apocalypse cluches at Archangel’s throat, he seems to have other plans.

DON’T I KNOW YOU?: Within the citadel, Hope notices something familiar about Stryfe as he studies her. Just then, Stryfe falls in agony and drops the telekinetic bubble which held his captive. Bishop had launched a nanite bomb, which has temporarily distracted him. He then pulls his gun to finish off Hope only to have the bullet stopped in mid-air. Stryfe attacks Bishop, thinking that he was his target, until he sees the look in Bishop’s eyes and realizes that it was Hope he was after.

WHO’S GOT A SCORECARD?: Meanwhile…our heroes have split up into two groups, one to the citadel for the rescue, the other to deal with the time trap they are all caught in. Domino learns from the older version of Deadpool that the timeshield holding them is not a place or thing…but a person. Outside the citadel, Cable is seriously injured but continues to fight on with Wolverine as Elixer tries to heal him. Back in the mountains, Archangel breaks free and refuses to help restore Apocalypse, leaving his decrepit form behind.

DADDY ISSUES: We close our issue with Stryfe beginning to understand what Hope’s purpose must be, as she lifts off his helmet. She is surprised to see that it’s Cable (so she thinks) in disguise to rescue her from Bishop. Stryfe tells her that he’s here to rescue her from her false father.

THOUGHTS FROM A HUMAN’S POINT OF VIEW: Duane Swierczynski & Ariel Olivetti continue to keep the ball rolling with the Messiah War, but with this issue I felt it was not much more than padding to help stretch out the arc for the 7 issues or so issues it was solicited as. Great when read as part of a collection, but as an individual issue it lacked much of the forward momentum that it could have used, other than the villain and our heroes learning a little bit of info that they didn’t know prior. An adequate read, but not very compelling.

Feel free to let me know how this review strikes you…Do you like the recap? Is it unnecessary? Share your opinion (or your own review)!

0 0 votes
Article Rating

1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
14 years ago

I agree. The issue works better when read with the whole story. =(

1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x