Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Cable King Size Spectacular #1
Marvel Comics
Swierczynski & Lashley

I have bounced back and forth on this series. This issue was excellent. It didn’t change the setting much from the first arc, but there something clever about the story telling that made me enjoy this issue as much as any other Cable issue thus far. The angle of the story is that Bishop is narrating, but the reason I liked the story was that it bounced around the time line and showed how Cable is laying traps for Bishop but springing some on himself at the same time.

The issue begins with Bishop trying to figure out where Cable is in the time stream. He finds clues (and false ones) in various places, but his real success is talking with a specific character. While this is all going on Cable and the baby are wandering around in the future. The kid, still nameless, looks to be about a year old now and is talking some baby talk. They get themselves into some trouble of the native kind.

Bishop continues to track and eventually figures out he’s being played by the informant he found. Bishop pieces together some of the evidence and makes some interesting assumptions and eventually finds Cable. The ending provides a twist to the plot and a terrific stroke of irony with the appearance of Bishop.

The comic is thick and expensive but I read through with great interest and gaining enthusiasm. For some reason, Bishop seems to give better narration than Cable. Maybe because Cable is just trying to survive while Bishop is doing some hunting. At any rate, this issue had a great vibe and pace to it that previous issues seemed to have missed.

The artwork was outstanding in many places. However, it also provided some confusing sequences. For instance, when Cable is attacked by a creature, it appears his arm was ripped off, but in the next panel he’s still got it. Other parts had me confused with what was happening to Bishop. Was he absorbing energy? Expelling energy? The art provided pockets of confusion. However, the generally depictions of Cable and Bishop were exactly what I would want to see. Also, the settings, page after page, were probably the best yet. There are only so many ways you can display a burned out world, but this comic pulls off ways that are stunning. The comic had excellent settings.

This issue reinvigorated my desire to follow this series. Another positive about this comic is that it is also new reader friendly. Basically, this issue helps set the stage for what this series is all about. Bishop is trying to find the baby who is guarded by Cable. It’s a simple concept but this issue helps prove out that it might not be as finite an idea as it seemed in the first arc. I highly recommend this issue to anyone who likes X-Men, detective work or dystopian futures. It’s a solid comic.

4.5 out of 5 geek goggles