Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Cable #11
Marvel Comics
Swiervznski, McKelvie, Guru eFX & Olivetti

Cable and the Messiah child, Hope, continue their fight to survive somewhere in the future. This issue may be the weakest in the series. For the most part, there is little action and the comic centers around the pair trying to find a habitable place to live. Between Cable’s broken time machine and his reduced mutant powers their options are limited. The comic has some interesting interaction between the two, but because the kid is aging so quickly it’s hard to see real development. The switch in artists in the middle of the story is jarring. For the most part, this issue feels like it’s a filler issue waiting for the crossover with X-Force.

The issue opens with Cable and Hope somewhere in the future trying to hide from the bug-human hybrids. They found some other human survivors and are trying to fight off the hoards of insects. Hope has aged and is now seven. Cable and his human buddies have a disagreement on how to handle the bugs and Cable flees into the future with Hope.

After the time jump we switch artists. Cable finds that his band of buddies basically nuked the bugs and everything else in the world. Unable to find food or water (or other people) Cable and Hope continue to walk and then time jump trying to find life. Along the way the narration switches between Cable and Hope. The issue ends with Cable and Hope finding the world worse and worse the more they jump forward.

Hope is portrayed very immaturely in this issue. Sure, she’s seven, but her mispronouncing words and acting silly isn’t connecting with the visuals. She is depicted, literally, as an adult who is just significantly shorter than Cable. The mismatch is to the point that I question the dialogue, but then have to remind myself of her age. It’s an awkward mix.

The shift in art is too much to handle in this issue. The shading, the coloring, the size differences and even the facial expressions are so different it’s night and day. Alone, the styles would be fine, but thrown into the same book isn’t a terrific idea.

This comic is setting up what’s to come in the crossover. However, the comic should tell an interesting story in of itself. It doesn’t really do that. Instead, it rushes through a bad decision by the remnants of the human race and then has some dialogue between Cable and Hope. This issue could turn out to be interesting if, say, we find out that Hope’s mutation is to steal other mutant’s powers and kill them. As an individual issue this one is weak.

2 out of 5 geek goggles