The Four Color Media Monitor: Marvel keeps up the confusion surrounding Cable

USA Today reports on another tie-in with the coming Avengers vs. X-Men crossover, called "X-Sanction" and it sure doesn't sound like they've cleared up any of the massive poor writing that developed around Cable over the past 2 decades. They begin by telling that:

Cable has had plenty of roles over the years in Marvel Comics: a soldier, a mercenary, a father, a straight man and a terrorist.

And the latter role isn't something we'd like to see a character we thought was conceived as a hero in. Big mistake.

Now he's about to become the Avengers' worst nightmare.

The futuristic warrior and member of the X-Men has come back in time yet again and is taking aim at Captain America, Iron Man, Red Hulk and the rest of Earth's mightiest heroes in Avengers: X-Sanction, a four-issue miniseries beginning today that leads directly into Marvel's big 2012 event, Avengers vs. X-Men.

Cable makes his presence known in the very first issue of the book (available in comic shops and digitally), which teams writer Jeph Loeb with artist partner Ed McGuinness. Something's going to happen to Cable's daughter, Hope Summers, and he has been tipped off that the Avengers are responsible. So he targets them one by one starting with their leader, Captain America.

It's a story about a father and what he's willing to do in order to protect his family, says Loeb, who's also Marvel's head of television. "There are lots of Easter eggs that will give you hints of this cataclysmic thing that is on the horizon. But by the same token, it is a story that is really driven by Cable and what he has learned in his journey through time."

So Hope is this muddled hero's daughter, just like Cable himself was either Jean Grey or Madelyne Pryor's son (I can't remember correctly which of those women is the actual mother, but then, his background spiraled into such confusion over the years thanks to their stable of hack writers, it probably doesn't make much difference). But while defending his family in itself is a noble motive, plotting the story as it is at the Avengers' expense is another. Thus, the premise they speak about does nothing to make the coming crossover any better.

Loeb has always viewed Cable (who first appeared in 1986's Uncanny X-Men No. 201) as the X-Men's Captain America: "He was a leader, a soldier, a man out of time, so in many ways he was not simply a guy with big guns and a lot of pouches," he says.

Unfortunately, he was a very badly written guy, and Rob Liefeld's design making him look like a giant heaving big firearms did little to improve upon the almost non-existent characterization. In the end, he was just one more hub in a whole wheel of spinoffs from X-Men meant more to make a quick buck than to tell a good story.

Loeb admittedly also holds a special place for Cable, since he was a primary character in Loeb's three years as the writer of X-Force beginning in 1995, his first foray in the mutant-laden X-verse.

He says he benefited from Cable's very vocal fan base back in the day, and Loeb wants to return Cable to the place he wants to see him as a fan of the character.

Unfortunately, not many Cable fans are left since just like for the rest of the MCU, even many X-Fans have lost interest, so Loeb, a long overrated writer by now, is likely to find very few who care to look, and with the weak reputation Loeb has earned over the years, not many are likely to trust in his ability to entertain them. Nor are they likely to be impressed by the idea of Cable fighting with the Avengers instead of alongside them.

Labels: Avengers, Captain America, crossoverloading, dreadful artists, dreadful writers, marvel comics, msm propaganda, X-Men

Cable is the shallowest Marvel character in history. He looks cool, and that's about it.

The long-suffering Moon Knight would be second. Two series that largely sucked, and a third that was occasionally good. He's just so dang cool, though. The kinda guy you'd want an action figure of.

Posted by Kookaburra | 5:01 PM

Wow, so much wrong with this that I don't even know where to start.

"Loeb has always viewed Cable (who first appeared in 1986's Uncanny X-Men No. 201) as the X-Men's Captain America: "He was a leader, a soldier, a man out of time, so in many ways he was not simply a guy with big guns and a lot of pouches," he says."

Loeb would be, IMHO, dead wrong. I was reading comics back then, as they continued their slide into terrible stories and sales stunts. That's EXACTLY who and what Cable was.

And really, you think the Avengers would cause the death of your adopted daughter -- so of COURSE you would set out to kill the Avengers, starting with the least-likely-to-kill-anyone Captain America.

I mean, waging war on the Avengers couldn't POSSIBLY cause the very thing you're seeking to avoid, could it?

Don't just talk to Captain America, and voice your concerns. It's not like he'd sit and listen or anything.

I get that Marvel's original claim to fame in the 60's was having their characters fight each other as part of some misunderstanding, but this is bad comedy.

Yup, no way attacking the Avengers could set the thing I am trying to avoid into motion, nosiree ...

To steal an old internet meme;

Marvel, I am dissapoint.

Take it and run

PS - would you beleive my word verification is "sellists"? Weren't they the guys who helped nearly kill comics in the 90's? :)

Posted by Earl Allison | 5:26 AM

Hey, dude, we cannot be perfect as Clark, but at least we're going Home to Heaven. Can't beat that. Just think: you and me can be ninja-like-warriors, fast-as-lightning, roaming the universe, defending the outcast from oppression. Forever!!! Meet me Upstairs, dude, and God blessa youse -Fr. Sarducci, ol SNL

Posted by -blessed holy socks, the non-perishable-zealot | 11:12 AM