REVIEW: Cable and X-Force #5

Cable and his team have prevented the release of a terrible virus, saving humans, mutants and the future. Unfortunately, only they know the truth. The rest of the world thinks they are mutant terrorists. On the run from the government and the Avengers, they hide out in Mexico. Can Cable and X-Force clear their names before it is too late or, is there something more sinister over the horizon?

CABLE AND X-FORCE #5
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Cable and X-Force: Cable has been haunted by bad visions of the future. When he sees a deadly virus about to be released from an Eat-More meat factory, Cable assembles a team of mutant experts to prevent this terrible outcome. However, they are too late to save the factory workers, who have become infected by the virus. With no alternative, Cable and his team kill all the infected workers. Confronted by the Avengers and seen as terrorists, Cable and X-Force escape, leaving behind Hope, Cable’s adopted daughter.

X-FORCE ON THE RUN

Dennis Hopeless’s new issue of Cable and X-Force deals with the aftermath of their previous mission. On the run from the authorities, the team settles in Mexico. Since the beginning of this series, Cable and X-Force has been an action packed comic, filled with adventures and flashbacks. However, the writing changes dramatically with issue five. The comic switches between three viewpoints. The first is Cable, who sneaks back into the United States to explain his actions to Hope. When he returns to Mexico, he becomes plagued with another vision. It is very ambiguous, and does not add to the nail-biting plot since the reader does not know what they are seeing. From what I can tell, it may be a tie-in to Age of Ultron. Also, there are no clues to where his visions originate, adding to the frustration. Meanwhile, Domino and Colossus are in Tampico, attempting to drink and sleep their guilt away. Colossus, who was undercover in the factory before the virus outbreak, expresses his guilt over killing his fellow workers. However, since we did not see much of Colossus while in the factory, his emotions feel hollow. As the most reluctant member on Cable’s team, Colossus has not warmed up to X-Force’s hard-hitting style. The character placement is awkward so far. Finally, Forge and Dr. Nemesis compete to get the high score in an arcade video game. After Dr. Nemesis wins, Forge suggests a different kind of competition: his gorilla mecha versus Dr Nemesis’s giant scorpion. This is the highlight of the issue. Dr. Nemesis plays the role of sarcastic superhero very well, following the footsteps of Spiderman and Deadpool. He is a great addition to a dark and serious team.

SUPERHEROES OF ROB LIEFELD

Salvador Larroca continues to make Rob Liefeld proud with his depictions of Cable and X-Force. Although I was never a big fan of Liefeld’s superheroes, Larroca does his best to make these characters seem plausible in the real world. Like in previous issues, the artist builds great giant-scale scenery. The gorilla mecha and giant scorpion battle was incredibly epic. The colors are also done really well. The shadows, inks and liquid colors are similar to modern video game cel-shading. Salvador Larroca does not experiment with the medium in this comic but does an adequate job with the art.

BOTTOM LINE: NOTHING HAPPENS

Unfortunately, after several issues of explosive action, this issue is disappointing. Nothing happens to advance the plot and definitely nothing worth the four bucks. The concept of the heroes viewed as villains is a great concept and it seems this was just a setup story for a new arc. However, since Cable’s new vision is so vague, you cannot tell what is going on. I hope future issues will share the same momentum they had when the series started. For now, things have slowed down. Cable And X-Force #5 earns 2 out of 5 stars.

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