Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Cable #7
Marvel Comics
Swierczynski & Olivetti

Cable finds a peaceful spot to live while Bishop is an idiot and gets captured in the present. This issue finally puts an end to the cat and mouse game of Cable running from Bishop and expands the cast of characters to help provide a more interesting story. The art is a better fit here then in the burned out building setting of the first six issues. This issue is a great opening to a new arc.

The recap page gives you all you could want and more. There really isn’t much to this premise as long as you don’t try to dissect the art of time travel. The issue opens with Bishop hanging out in the present and getting captured by Wolverine and X-Force. This part of the story is actually weakest of the entire comic. X-Force drops Bishop off at X headquarters for interrogation. His mechanical arm was also removed, which would have been a cool piece to this story that I’m sorry we didn’t get to see.

Cyclops and Bishop get no where in their argument so Cyclops brings in Emma. This part of the story is good but doesn’t make complete sense. So Bishop can fool Emma with fantasies but someone like Xavier can’t deceive Emma at all? Also, you would think if Bishop truly believes he can get Scott to see his side of things then wouldn’t he be more apt to explain why he wants to kill a kid and betray his teammates?

Off in the future we check in with Cable. Cable is married to a woman who looks a lot like the kid! The kid, still nameless, is now about three years old. Cable, appears to be a thinner, more muscular version of Santa Claus now that he sports a beard. Santa on steroids if you will. Cable grapples with his soldier instincts and temper tantrums. The man who traded in his guns for overalls lives in a wasteland oasis that is protected by a force field. The issue ends with a couple of warriors busting through the barrier.

A good comic for a couple of reasons. First, Cable is raising the kid and succeeding in giving the kid a normal existence. However, danger comes in other familiar forms, instead of just that same old wild Bishop. The second reason this comic is good is that Bishop gives a little insight into what he is doing. Why would he go back to the past? What is his strategy behind tracking down the baby? It’s an interesting little way to put Bishop back in the time period where people want him dead (or captured).

The art has its moments. The Ozzie and Harriet renderings might be the best. Cable is just such a mutilated man, it’s a nice transformation to make him look “normal”. Bishop looks horrendously ugly, which is what I hope the creative team is striving for.

The comic has some drawbacks to it. For one, how does Bishop find the proper time line that Cable sits in when he re-jumps into the stream? Bishop talks about time travel as being a building with infinite floors. Wouldn’t it really be infinite floors in infinite directions? Time travels makes the head hurt. Also, what is the end goal for the kid? Is she supposed to be returned to the present? It’s a bizarre thing to not know what Cable is really trying to achieve with this child.

I liked the comic. I can’t say it was great, but I enjoyed it. I guess I find some comedy in what Bishop is trying to do (and failing again and again). I also like that the other X-Men are trying to deal with one of their own being a traitor but not being 100% sure of their own beliefs. This issue is light on the time travel but long in some character interactions. I give this a pretty strong recommendation if you like this sort of a story.

4 out of 5 geek goggles