Cable #15 Review: Everyone Wants Hope
Hey, everyone… Here is my first review for this week. I will probably be doing another four issues. So hunker down while I start with Cable. Hope you enjoy it.
Cable#15 (preview | thread)
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Pencilers: Ariel Olivetti
SPOILERS BELOW…
RECAP: The issue begins with a triumphant Stryfe reading the information he wants from Elixir’s head and then going after Hope. He now knows who she is and what she is capable of doing and he wants her for himself.
Domino guards Deadpool who has admitted to being a trap that was meant to kill them all. Laura and Vanisher discover the source of the power blocking their time travel and it is an old friend of Laura’s, Kiden.
We get a brief flash of Cable recovering before we find out that Kiden is also hooked into Stryfe’s mind. Deadpool relates what they are seeing, Hope trying to flee from Stryfe and being quickly captured.
Bishop awakes and tries to kill Cable. He only nicks him but the blood is enough to send a berserk, brain-damaged Wolverine on the attack. Bishop leaves them to fight, with Cable trying to reason with Logan. Bishop tries to attack Stryfe again and is easily stopped.
Next we cut to Archangel flying Apocalypse to his ship where the villain rearms and outfits himself for battle. Back with the infiltrators, Laura is stuck in a quandry, kill her friend or maybe die instead. Deadpool decides he can no longer serve Stryfe and sets out alone to try and be the hero.
The fight with Stryfe continues but is going badly. Cable leads the still blood berserk Wolverine to Stryfe. Wolverine manages to do enough damage to break Stryfe’s concentration and Cable shoots first Bishop and then his clone.
Stryfe uses Wolverine and specifically his claws as a weapon and stops the attack. Just as he is about to overcome Hope’s mind, he is blasted by Deadpool and falls off a ledge. He is not killed and pops back up tearing Deadpool in half and tossing the pieces over the side.
The issue ends with Laura deciding at literally the last second to unplug Kiden. It ends with an ominous sounding BEEP.
MY TAKE: This issue continues the strong ‘Messiah War’ story arc. Although I had my initial reservations, the issues have been consistently entertaining. Stryfe was never much of a top-tier villain but he works as a strong foil here. He is powerful enough to be believable defeating the team but not so much that he is impossible to overcome.
The plot is a bit convoluted with three separate groups and goals but everything is starting to come together for the finale. It was nice to get a bit more time with X-23 and Domino’s group. The plot twist with Kiden was surprising and actually rather poignant. I highly enjoyed getting to see Laura’s more human side for once.
I was glad that Deadpool got his moment of glory after the revelations of last issue. He has been a source of amusement and much needed humor for the series. His ending was fitting, going out with a quip. I was also glad to see Wolverine still getting to be involved after the self-lobotomy. In fact even blind and brain damaged, he was the most dangerous person in the entire issue. The rest of the cast was pretty forgettable although Bishop continues to slide deeper and deeper into obsession and madness.
The plot is a continuation of the simple premise, save the girl and get back home. But it has added extra dimensions and serves as a suitable backdrop for the action. And that is really what the series is about, it is a war after all. And everyone has gotten their moments of triumph and shown just how strong a group they can be. Cable in particular has gone beyond his soldier side from his own series and shown an impressive level of grit and power.
There are very few complaints with the issue. The art style is not really one I enjoy. It works okay for the issue, but the blocky and square style does not really give the characters a chance to shine. And some of the dialogue feels like it was lifted from Terminator 3. But those are both minor points.
In the end this was a very strong issue and I am highly looking forward to reading the conclusion where we will finally get to see the Apocalypse versus Stryfe showdown.
Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again later in the week.