Posts Tagged ‘ Cable ’

UPDATED at the bottom of the page

Marvel has announced an announcement (I hate when they do that) – Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness will be collaborating on a mini which will be titled Somebody Reborn. Given the last few we’ve had – Captain America and Daredevil - this doesn’t necessarily mean that the star of the mini has to be currently dead; they could just be in need of a bit of a push exposure-wise or a new direction. I’m also assuming that just because the promo has five dashes, it doesn’t necessarily mean the character has five letters in their name.

Well, have I got some contenders for you (in no particular order)…

10. The Aquarian

Oh, okay, this is never going to happen. But Loeb and McGuinness on a Superman-analog who became a pacifist beardy hippy instead of a defender of the world? Tell me that doesn’t pique your creative juices flowing. And the book could always co-star the Aquarian’s good buddy the Thing to provide the requisite amount of smashing.

9. Woodgood

Not as out-there as you might imagine; Woodgod – a sentient genetic experiment who resembles a satyr -actually showed up briefly in the last McGuinness-penciled issue of Hulk. Recast Woodgod as a cosmic-level environmentalist and you’ve got a sure-fire hit. Maybe.

8. The Human Torch

It seems unlikely that Johnny Storm will return in any book that isn’t currently written by Jonathan Hickman, and isn’t Fantastic Four #600, but stranger things have happened – like Thunderbolt Ross becoming a Hulk, and yet inexplicably losing his mustache when he changes. Just saying.

7. Uncle Ben

Well okay, probably not. But just imagine how awesome a preachy old guy book could be. “Why, this wouldn’t have happened in my day…” He could shake his cane at those damn kids and everything.

6. Bucky/Nomad

Not the recently-deceased Jim Barnes, but the also-recently-deceased Rikki Barnes. Originally from the Heroes Reborn universe in the Loeb/Liefeld Captain America book, this plucky young lady was brought into the mainstream Marvel U by the same team, where she had a solo mini as Nomad and some backups, joined the short-lived Young Allies, and eventually died battling Onslaught once again. Right now, the Marvel Universe is Bucky-less, and with Captain America and Bucky editor Lauren Sankovitch’s recent ‘there’s more than one Bucky‘ comment, could Rikki make a return at the hands of one of her creators?

5. Dazzler

Sure, she’s getting some panel time in the X-Men books, and there was a Jim McCann-penned one-shot that was pretty good, but what Alison Blaire really needs is a big-name creative team – and what Marvel needs is more female-led books. This could put Dazzler back in the *ahem* spotlight…

4. Crimson Daffodil

‘Who?’ I hear you say – and well you might. The Crimson Daffodil was a minor rogue who showed up in a few issue of the Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger and – wait a minute… this isn’t a Loeb/McGuinness dream project. It’s mine. Sorry. I guess this doesn’t count…

4. Nova/Starlord (tied)

Sure, Nova and Starlord aren’t so much confirmed dead as trapped in what’s affectionately known as the cancerverse battling the mad god Thanos following the close of The Thanos Imperative, and that was published relatively recently, but I can see McGuinness going all-out on a space adventure. And besides, in spite of the Butch-and-Sundance freeze frame, these guys aren’t gone for good. Right?

3. Sabretooth

Victor Creed died at the pen of Jeph Loeb in the godawful (but very pretty) Evolution arc in Wolverine, so it’s only fitting that he gets first crack at bringing the psychopathic killer back. After all, all that nonsense about the Muramasa blade blocking healing factors can be rewritten as just really slowing them down, and we can just write off the Sabretooth in hell stuff as only a part of his spirit or a hallucination. And I actually think I wouldn’t mind to see McGuinness drawing Sabretooth cut loose. I’d actually be all for this.

2. Captain Marvel

Sure, his is one of those deaths that should never be reversed, but we used to say that about Bucky and that worked out pretty well. Following the fake-Skrull Captain Marvel, there was apparently a push towards getting former Marvel Boy and current Avenger the Protector into a book as a new Captain Marvel, but it fell through. Could the time be right for the true Mar-Vell to return?

1. Wasp

Janet Van Dyne’s death was an out of leftfield moment in Secret Invasion mainly because she’d barely been featured in the book before that moment, and she’s been constantly referred to as being kind-of-alive in another dimension in both Mighty Avengers and Avengers Academy, so the Wasp’s return wouldn’t be entirely unexpected and – like Dazzler and Bucky/Nomad – any book starring a woman front and center would be a good move.

So – you have any better ideas?

UPDATE: Duh. I missed off a character whose name has five letters, who’s been dead a while, who someone senior at Marvel mentioned there was a pitch in for, who fits Ed McGuinness’ bombastic art style, and who Jeph Loeb has history with – in fact he wrote one of my favorite ever issues of any book in this character’s series – so I’m adding another to the list.

0. Cable

Yeah, this makes more sense.

I was using www.stashmycomics.com last night – see, www.collectorz.com, that’s what you get when you won’t release a mac version of your comic collecting software and I need to transfer all the info from my PC! -and I came across Ladronn’s Cable run.

I’d forgotten how great a lot of these covers were – Ladronn seems to channel Kirby in places, especially when it comes to the perspective applied to characters jumping with their hands thrown forward.

See?

It’s a shame that, as great as the art was in these books, the stories – by James Robinson and Joe Casey – sometimes didn’t quite measure up. The late 90s were a dark time for a lot of Marvel’s mutant line, and poor old Nathan Summers was no exception.

Even so, for the art alone these books are worth picking up cheap. I don’t think they’ve ever been collected, so back issue bins at cons or ebay may be your best bet – I can’t imagine they go for much over a buck a book these days.

At this point I’m just rambling to break up the pretty pictures a bit, but you probably figured that out already.

But they are pretty, aren’t they?

I seem to recall Ladronn working on an Inhumans mini as well – that’s probably worth tracking down too. Hmm…there’s an idea…

Not sure what Ladronn is up to these days, but he should be doing more mainstream US comics work – if only because that’s probably the only way that I’m going to see his stuff!

Better late than never – and still ahead of this week’s releases, which is good.

Action Comics Annual #12 – A steaming pile of crap. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve read a worse comic in a long time. Where to begin? Perhaps the grating, omniscient third party narration? Perhaps the fact that their origins are contrived? Perhaps the fact that we may know their history but we don’t really know them? If you haven’t bought it, don’t.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #1 - The store I went to didn’t have it. I choose to take this as a sign that it is not destined to be a monthly pull of mine. Alternatively, I may pick it up this week.

Outsiders #19 – Not bad, not good, just forgettable. The good news is that it has Vandal Savage (who’s always fun, in spite of Morrison’s makeover) and it also has Ra’s Al Ghul. IN A BEAR HEAD-HAT.

Power Girl #2 – Aaand I’m out. Well, that was quick. I’ve been looking forward to this comic since it was announced over a year ago, but I’m done. Two issues in and I get half an issue dedicated to the origin of a villain I don’t care about? Not only that, but the book suffers from serious verbal diarrhea. It’s the opposite of decompressed storytelling – which is fine until you realise that you don’t really care about the story anyway.

Supergirl #42 – Solid issue, with Lois reliably under control mourning her sister’s (apparent) death. It’s funny, but for all the fuss about Supergirl being back on track (and it is), I kind of view this book as the home of the Superman supporting cast right now – Lois, Sam Lane, Lana, Cat Grant; they’re all here. And the book’s the better for it. Oh, and Jamal Igle’s art on here is fantastic. He and Sibal are really working well together.

All-New Savage She-Hulk #3 – A great fun little mini. I find myself liking this more and more, and having the original She-Hulk punch out the Sentry is icing on the cake. Although…who wants more tiny little Normans running around? Sure, Harry’s okay, but the two-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken weren’t enough? Although…would a Norman/Lyra mix still have his brillo pad hair?

Amazing Spider-Man Family #7 – A Roger Stern-penned Spidey tale is always a must, even if it is about Aunt May and Uncle Ben first getting together – but on the eve of May’s wedding, its a nice little retrospective. Throw in Spider-Girl (still entertaining) and Fred Hembeck’s l’il Peter Parker meeting the Brothers Voodoo, and you’ve got a nice little book.

Cable #15 – The whole Messiah War thing has basically become one big fight scene. Enjoyable fluff, but no depth to it.

Captain Britain And MI 13 #14 – I mentioned how much I liked this last week – but allow me to add this:
Heh.

Dark Reign Fantastic Four #4 – The more I read this book, the more concerned I am with Hickman taking the reigns of the regular title. Reed is back in ‘fix everything’ mode (which is the title of Hickman’s first arc), Ben, Sue and Johnny are supporting characters, and Franklin and Valeria are funny but kind of brattish – and they really shouldn’t be one of the main focuses of the book in my opinion. On the plus side, Norman Osborn is reliably crazy and the end of the issue promises a great smack-down which will, no doubt, not be delivered.

Invincible Iron Man #14 – Apparently I missed last issue which is why , but I’m all caught up now. Fraction handles this book much better than he does Uncanny X-Men. Focused, smart and funny, he’s on fire here, and Sal Larocca’s work is gorgeous. I’m a bit confused about Crimson Dynamo as I thought Dmitri was out of the suit, but that’s not enough to put me off.

Mighty Avengers #26 – Better than last issue, which isn’t saying much. I’m still not entirely on board but I want to see how this plays out. Honestly, though, the book needs a better art team than this.

Punisher #6 – Didn’t pick it up. So its been moved to the trade list!

War Of Kings Ascension #3 – This issue turned the spotlight on Chris Powell as opposed to Darkhawk and was the better for it. The art’s a lot less confusing without the two Darkhawks running around, and I feel like I’m getting to know the protagonist. And the book has finally dovetailed with War of Kings.

X-Men Legacy #225 – A decent enough wrap up to Xavier’s arc, but after a year and a half of him as the central star, I still don’t really care about him. So I suspect that the book’s failed, really, in spite of solid writing on Carey’s behalf. Nice art though.

Newsarama reports on a Variety story about Marvel creating a stable of writers for it’s movie projects, and drops a few hints about some potential future projects:

Gathering of scribes will help Marvel come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther, Cable, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Nighthawk and Vision.

Some interesting names there…and if I could play casting advocate for just one moment…

Black Panther‘s easy; he’s already doing the animated series, he’s tough as nails and he’s got the bearing to be regal while kicking your ass: Djimon Hounsou -

Cable needs an older actor who can do gritty – somehow, I don’t think Clint Eastwood would be available, but I’d settle for BSG‘s Michael Hogan:

Doctor Strange is a tough one. You need someone who can project authority, be otherworldly and have a nice line in dry humor. Or, you know, be Johnny Depp:

Iron Fist‘s another tough one. A caucasian martial arts star that can act? I’d stick with the guy who’s been linked to the role for the past seven years, Ray Park. And I’d shell out for acting lessons and a vocal coach.

Nighthawk‘s a little difficult. You want someone who can play a cocky young business man who aspires to being a hero. How about FNL‘s Scott Porter?

And finally, the Vision. Well, if you want someone to play wooden one name springs to mind instantly…

In the same spirit as yesterday’s Gotham MiniDude post…

little love for Marvel by ~duss005 on deviantART
I think Dustin Nguyen may have just jumped up my favorite artist list!

Constipation!

Relief!
Follow through!

I think I’ve figured Cable out. It’s not actually about Cable, it’s about how his story and baby-sitting mission affects other people. That explains why Cable’s not in too much, at least not as you’re used to him, which explains Farmer Cable…

…and Evil Dead Cable.

It may be rubbish, but for some reason I’m still enjoying it. I really have no defense.

So can I suggest Jean as a name? 

EW has a first look at some of the upcoming Marvel Ape variants – including a rather nifty Spider-Kong one:

Other variants include a Cable variant by Liefeld which apes (ho ho) the first appearance of the shoulder-padded mutant character and a couple of nice Kaare Andrews pieces.

Hey, remember all that brouhaha about the Heroes for Hire cover last year?

And remember that simply awesome new robot arm that Bishop’s sporting in the new Cable?

Wouldn’t it be even more awesome if you could take the robot arm and take the tentacles and somehow – somehow – make some kind of super-mega-awesomeness??

Well trust Marvel – ’cause they did!

Tentacles!

Choking!

Robot arms!

ROBOT TENTACLE ARM!

Ah, Marvel, I love you so.

As an aside, how funny is it that Forge keeps spare prosthetic arms framed on the wall?

What they don’t show you is that the next second Bishop topples over thanks to his ridiculously large bionic arm.

I mean why?

Why try to out-Cable Cable? Wasn’t Stryker enough?

Are bionic arms cool again? Did I miss a memo or a trip in a Delorean?

Rob Liefeld’s variant cover for the upcoming Cable #1 should silence a lot of his critics.

Not only does he showcase a newer, painted, style but Cable actually has feet.

And* although Rob’s trademark ‘big guns and shoulder pads’ look is present, he’s toned them down for this image.

Of course no doubt Rob’s critics will still point out some problems – the dodgy anatomy, the improbable position, the size of the baby, the bad perspective, the Liefeld-face, the ridiculously phallic guns – but what do they know, eh?**

*I am aware that I shouldn’t begin a sentence with ‘and’ but sometimes it just seems necessary.

**Joking aside, I do still stand by my irrational like of Rob Liefeld’s work. I have no reasonable explanation for it…

Okay, so a day later than planned but still…here we go! Some spoilers may happen if you haven’t read stuff yet…

52 #11 – Okay this is better! Batwoman makes a splash and we focus on two of the more interesting sub-plots (Renee & The Question and Ralph Dibny) rather than the dull ones. Good work, and enough to buy me in for another month.

Battle for Bludhaven #6 – this series was a mess, and this issue is no exception . BUT – two good things came out of this; Captain Atom seems now to be sealed in the old Monarch armor from Armageddon 2001 (he was originally supposed to be the villain there, but DC changed their mind at the last minute) and secondly, what lies beneath Bludhaven has sparked my interest – I mean, I thought this had been introduced into the DCU in the most recent Superboy series, but I’ll take it here instead…Command D!

Flash #2 – And we’re done. I’m sorry, but as much as I kinda like Bart, I have zero interest reading him as the Flash right now. Sorry guys, but this book just isn’t working for me. A pity, as I was on the first volume solidly since Mark Waid’s first run, but….see ya.

Justice League of America #0 – Alright, I liked this. More a book about the trinity than the JLA, this still worked well – and I dug the flash forwards – let’s see what the future might hold: Hal Jordan’s wedding – and Bruce and Diana are already hitched – maybe to each other? Luthor fighting the trinity over Connor’s death; Clark mourning Pa Kent – and sealing up the tunnel from his room to the edge of Smallville (hey, wasn’t that pre-Crisis Superboy’s tunnel? Interesting…); Diana giving up her immortality to be with her man (who isn’t Batman, so who knows?); the Trinity sundered – maybe permanently – following someone’s funeral; the discovery of a second Earth (so Earth-2 take three?); Batman finally dies in a similar way to the Dark Knight Returns? Wow. It’s a hell of a read and a great pre-cursor to the new title. Great stuff.

Manhunter #24 – So-so issue; if Dr Psycho has been on trial and is now apparently powerless OYL, why is he popping up all over the show (Wonder Woman and somewhere else I don’t remember). I’m glad the book is going to get to #30 but I’ll be surprised if it lasts past that…

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #20 – This is a nigh-perfect superhero book but it somehow leaves me a little bit empty sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sticking with it but I’m not quite feeling it at the moment.

Star Wars: Rebellion #4 – Its Star Wars. What’s not to like? Looks like the Tank sub-plot is drawing to a close…and I actually didn’t see that coming with Jorin Sol. Fun book. Although I wish Solo was in it.

Cable and Deadpool #30 – hee hee! Deadpool getting beat by Squirrel Girl! Cable meeting with Cap! And Daredevil….or is it?…with a really cute clue as to his real ID (unless its a fake out):
From Cable & Deadpool a few months back…

and from C&D #30:

Thanks to the guys over at CBR forums!

CIVIL WAR #3 – this is shaping up to be great, and neither the pro or anti sides are coming up smelling like roses; on the anti, Cap zaps Iron Man and on the pro, Iron Man beats Cap severely. Can’t anyone play nice. Best bit in the issue for me was not the return of Thor (although I’d like to know why he’s pro-reg!), but the great characterization of Hercules rushing to Cap’s defence (“Out of my way you filthy traitors!) Plus Cap has a ‘tache in his new secret ID!

CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #1 – the first bum note in CW for me. I didn’t like this much at all, but I’ll get it because I’m lame.

DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #6 – great end to a great series. I’ll be getting 5 if it carries on in this vein – Colleen and Misty have never been better!

SHE-HULK #8&9 – yes, Chris is posting me #8 first print but I decided to pick up the second print too – and I’m glad I did. Loved seeing Justice and Rage again, plus check-ins on the other warriors, and Shulkie’s marriage to John Jameson was really good fun. I also loved the dinner with Jolly Jonah, too – Slott really has a handle on comic book humor! And finally, I loved Pug’s wishful thinking – and I’m not entirely sure he’s wrong…

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #10 – Wow. In all the fuss over Amazing, I’m fairly sure this book is getting over looked a lot at the moment – and that’s a damn shame; PAD and Ringo have brought back Uncle Ben (not ‘our’ Ben, before you get your knickers in a twist!) and then added more twists – now we have Ben knocking about in the core reality, but its not even clear that its the Ben who was brought here from another reality – confused? Read the issue and you will be!

X-FACTOR #9 – A good week for PAD fans as X-Factor not only confront Quicksilver but also the Astonishing X-Men in a really, really good issue. Madrox’s face-down of Cyclops was classic, as is Madrox’s rescue of Aegis (a New Warrior I never liked from the second crappy series). Add to that X-Factor taking a stand against the registration act, and you’ve got one great issue.

UNCANNY X-MEN #476 – Ed Brubaker’s second ish continues on his strong start, as the team talk with Cyclops and steal a ship. And Warpath – like I said, a character I’ve always liked – is turning into a real star here. Plu, Billy Tan just keeps getting better!

It’s been a pretty strong week (and a big one) for me -but I’ve dropped Flash, Supergirl & LSH needs to pick up, and I’m dubious on the Uncle Sam etc series thanks to Bludhaven.

Time to go see if I can fit them somewhere…