snaps: Cable #23

... Cable and Hope find an old friend in 2044, and find even more enemies. in the middle of it all, they take a stroll through Central Park.

not the thing to say for a white-haired middle-aged man traveling with a young girl still in her teens.


i think Emma Frost would like this spunky brat. after she gets past the red hair.


this is what they mean when they say you need it like a hole in your head.


who says women are bad drivers? oh, wait ...


you better hope its going to be concluded next issue, because we're goddamn tired of time travel.

snaps: Cable #22

... where we've been doing this time hopping for the past year. man, even the fans are tired. good thing the end of this Messiah trilogy is around the corner. so anyway, Hope Summers - now a smoking hot young woman - confronts her longtime (thousands of years in hers, though maybe only 12 months in comic fans' lives) tormentor Lucas Bishop (one thing that gets my goat is the turning of Bishop into a prime grade AAA asshole, though the storyline wouldn't work if he's not the antagonist, given his background and history). yeah, they do talk, but forget about the diplomacy, they just declare that they hate each other and the chase is on once again.

white woman standing over black man - a bit heavy-handed, don't you think?


Bishop screams his anguish when he learns they cut off his beautiful dreads.


1940 Al Pratt would kick the shit out of you, Rockslide.


yes, he was played by Mel Gibson then.


and that's why Bishop can't have any meaningful relationships.

oh yeah? go get FIOS then!

the silliest X-Man of all time is apparently, Cable. [via bamkapow!]

drive-by readings 021409

Cable #11 "Wasteland Blues" Duane Swierczynski Ariel Olivetti Jamie McKelvie GuruFx Joe Caramagna

This series gets more depressing as we go along. Cable's broken time machine can only keep jumping into the future, and that future progressively gets bleaker and bleaker. seriously, i needed to eat some chocolate after reading this. or play some Viva Pinata. anyway, Hope (the baby now grown up a bit) deserves a lot better than piggybacking with Nathan (and without chocolate!) to the future that contradicts her name (i'm sure Duane has a plan. right, Duane?). she also deserves not to be drawn like a seven year old with an adult head. thankfully, Jamie McKelvie restores some order in that regard.

Wolverine/Power Pack #4 (of 4) "Alex Power: Master Ninja" Marc Sumerak Gurihiru Dave Sharpe

the Power family mosey over to Japan, because Alex has been chosen to be contestant on a Japanese gameshow "Ninja Master". talk about exciting. and silly. of course, since the title of this book says so, they end up running conveniently into Wolverine (again), who's - guess what - fighting ninjas. the battle provides Wolverine to dispense ol' grampa wisdom to the kids, which in turn Alex uses to win the Ninja Master competition. at least in the eyes of his family. always a fun read, i hope there'll be more Power Packs coming our way soon.

Adventure Comics #0 "The Legion of Super Heroes"/"Origins and Omens" Otto Binder Al Plastino Geoff Johns Francis Manapul Swands Brian Buccellato

reprinting the now-classic (and also somewhat corny) Adventure Comics #247, where Superboy first meets the Legion, the rebooted series, ostensibly starring the Legion of Super Heroes, leads off with a #0 and contains a backup story by DC superwriter Geoff Johns. in the former, Superboy is recruited by the Legion and made to pass a series of tests. take note that they went back to the past to recruit him and he travelled back with them. they should loan Cable a time machine! so, back to future: Superboy only fails because there were other emergencies that delayed him, and thus he's rejected and subjected to jokes. it turns out they were just joshing him and he actually made the cut. this tells us that in the future, jerks will still abound and won't be eliminated in the evolving gene pool. of course, i was more interested in the backup story, where Luthor uses Brainiac to get out of prison. operating with that assumption proves disastrous, as Brainiac has other plans and forces Luthor to work for him. oh, and did i mention a dead Super -being might be involved?

buggy

cliffhanger of the week!


its always a cliffhanger to have man-sized roaches chasing you at the end of the show.

eeewww. this is almost as nasty as The Exterminators.

-----
Cable #8

express yourself ...

... courtesy of Cable and Deadpool.



i think 'pool is the hippest of all Marvel characters. even the Young Avengers and Runaways look up to Wade Wilson (or whatever his real name is).




we should all start screaming "oath!! oath!!" in the upcoming PC-fetishized future.

-----
Deadpool #2
Cable #75

operation talibannihilation

breaking news!

leaked papers from the US Department of Defense show the secret weapon being readied the military to be deployed in Afghanistan and Pakistan in one big sweeping operation this coming fall. with the November presidential elections on the horizon, and the Republican bets having a credibility crisis, it is thought that a resounding and symbolic victory in the war against terror is the last remaining card the conservatives have to play to keep the White House in Republican hands.

the exact price tag of this secret weapon is yet unknown. however, upon the success of the deployment of this weapon, US allies who would like to purchase it would be qualified for employee discounts.


you're next, Ahmadinejad.

drink all the Johnny Walkers you want, Kim Jong-Il.

you have been warned, Putin. Sarah Palin can bomb your house from her place.

-----
from Wolverine vol.1 #85

cliffhanger of the week #20

#5 - Dream On, Dream Away

someone's trying to use the Justice League's Big Three thru their dreams and its already the second issue and we barely have a clue why. except one of them's named Enigma. whooopee.

Trinity #2 (DC)
Kurt Busiek/Mark Bagley/Art Thibert/Pete Pantazis/Pat Brosseau/cover: Carlos Pacheco

#4 - Children Say

Nightwing is about to kick some bird ass (no, not Robin's) - the Society of the Golden Eagle have birthed their last baby. actually, the cliffhanger here is ... guess who just escaped Arkham? (that prison is as secure as a Windows PC)

Nightwing #145 (DC)
Peter Tomasi/Rags Morales/Michael Bair/Nathan Eyring/Sal Cipriano

#3 - Hand in Hand

the Punisher is now finally classified as a terrorist. looks like Jigsaw's frame is working. SHIELD is gunning for him of course, and also the Hand (yeah those ninjas), who already made him an offer he may not refuse.

Punisher War Journal #20 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Rick Remender/Howard Chaykin/Edgar Delgado/Joe Caramagna

#2 - Invasion USA

let's get this straight - the Mighty Avengers have taken down the time-tossed Invaders minus Subby who conveniently escaped. of course, these WW2 heroes (especially Cap) are a little strung out. but why are the New Avengers still talking like its still the Civil War? oh well, let another round of Avenger vs. Avenger begin. by the way, the shot below is as incorrect as can be. there's no subway entrance with that view of the Brooklyn Bridge. shame on you, Steve Sadowski.

Avengers/Invaders #2 (Marvel)
Alex Ross/Jim Krueger/Steve Sadowski/inLight Studios/Todd Klein

#1 - Running Man. Not.

Cannonball just bit the dust, and Cable has the opportunity to run again. but no, nope, uh-uh, not this time. bring it on, Bishop.

Cable #4 (Marvel)
Duane Swierczynski/Ariel Olivetti/Joe Caramagna

cliffhanger of the week #15

#6 - Slowburn

three issues in and we still haven't resolved anything except Cable and Bishop are like cockroaches - they're both pretty hard to kill. it's only in this list because of a mysterious figure bursting in on a helpless stranded Cable. it sure looks like Cyclops but he has two eyes. i swear to God, Lone Wolf and Cub wasn't this grating.

Cable #3 (Marvel)
Duane Swierczynski/Ariel Olivetti/Joe Caramagna

#5 - Blatant Invasion

okay, this would have worked better with Alex Ross doing the artwork. seriously. i'll forgive the gimmick of bringing back Captain America to torture Tony Stark further. but if you were going to do such a 12 issue storyline, you better make it worth our while. the Ross/Krueger team has always been successful, but i don't know if the Stephen Sadowski art is going to be worthy of the story. and yes, torturing Tony is always interesting.

Avengers/Invaders #1 (Marvel/Dynamite)
Alex Ross/Jim Krueger/Steve Sadowski/inLight Studios/Todd Klein

#4 - Child's Play

Cyclops starts training the young X-Men how to take down their former teachers. except we still don't know why Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma and Dani have formed a "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" (snicker). this better not be a dream. or a scam to "let them kids grow up". wait, i think that's what this is.

Young X-Men #2 (Marvel)
Marc Guggenheim/Yanick Paquette/Ray Snyder/Rob Schwager/Dave Sharpe/cover: Terry/Rachel Dodson

#3 - Generation Next

taking advantage of the cash register-busting movie, Marvel rolls out another Iron Man title (i wonder how long this'll last), and puts hot writer Matt Fraction in the driver's seat. in a tangential arc off the movie itself, Obadiah's son Ezekiel is gunning for Tony, with better tools and simpler goals: worldwide chaos and revenge. Tony might want to have a drink before this is all over.

Invincible Iron Man #1 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Salvador Larroca/Frank D'Armata/Stephane Peru/Chris Eliopoulos

#2 - In the Army Now

Nick Fury is back, baby! and we get more of the backstory of what he's been doing all this time. with Secret War's Daisy Johnson as his proxy, he recruits a bunch of seeming misfits to combat the Skrull infestation. is this the new Skrull Kill Krew? and i've been transported back to my DD days as Alex Maleev (Alex Maleev!) weaves another gorgeous tapestry.

Mighty Avengers #13 (Marvel)
Brian Bendis/Alex Maleev/Matt Hollingsworth/Dave Lanphear/cover: Marko Djurdjevic

#1 - Taking Names

back to being a space cop, Nova is dispatched to help evacuate a planet currently being the $5 buffet special for Galactus. he has also has to contend with an evil psychotic entity preying on the panicking citizens. to top it off, Nova wants to get Galactus' attention, but the Silver Surfer is playing the uncooperative bouncer. oboy.

Nova #13 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Wellinton Alves/Scott Hanna/Guru eFX/Cory Petit/cover: Alex Maleev

cliffhanger of the week #11

#5 - You Happy Puppet

oh-hoh! do we smell flirting in the air? Bruce Wayne gets a little too cozy with Zatanna, and you know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. but too bad the playboy gets hostaged by the idiotic puppet known as Scarface and gets shot. yeah, yeah, yeah.

Detective Comics #843 (DC)
Paul Dini/Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs/John Kalisz/Steve Wands

#4 - Electric Youth

if you have a new generation of X-Men, how else should they prove their cred except by beating up the generation before them? i'm not sure how this works out but apparently the former New Mutants are now part of the Hellfire Club. outstanding.

Young X-Men #1 (Marvel)
Marc Guggenheim/Yanick Paquette/Ray Snyder/Rob Schwager/Dave Sharpe

#3 - Sliders

the standoff between Cable and Bishop still continues, and most of this issue explains how Bishop followed Cable, even with no right arm. you know what, ever since the X-traitor was unveiled, and he became a sort of mutant detective, Lucas Bishop seemed to become less and less interesting. he's here now, it doesn't matter if this mutant baby produces his apocalyptic future. i wanna know why he's not right in the head. i think its all these time-travel jaunts.

Cable #2 (Marvel)
Dwayne Swierczynski/Ariel Olivetti/Joe Caramagna

#2 - Corrupt Absolutely

just when you think its over, they pull you back in!! Mary Marvel, stupid as she can be, takes the power back that Darkseid gives her. as in just accepts it. easy as pie. with no third or fourth thoughts. this is why kids get pregnant early these days.

Countdown #4 (DC)
Paul Dini/Sean McKeever/Jamal Igle/Keith Champagne/Tom Chu/Travis Lanham

#1 - They're Goddamn Everywhere!

was there ever any doubt? at this rate, all Secret Invasion-related issues will hold the top cliffhanger spot every month. its like Rick Astley in his heyday. hey, was Astley a Skrull? i think he is. with all this Rickrolling shit, he's making a comeback without making it look like one.

Secret Invasion #1 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/Leinil Francis Yu/Mark Morales/Laura Martin/Chris Eliopoulos

cliffhanger of the week #7

counting down the best (i.e., the ones i read) cliffhangers of the week.

#5 - Technobattle

after screwing us with last month's cliffhanger - no mutant got shot - i'm demoting this to #5, and its even here only because the damn Purifiers, advised by the resurrected Nimrod-class Bastion sentinel, opt to dig up Warlock's pappy, the Magus. did they want to down the blood and gore by having techno-organic innards shredded instead? tsk. pussies.

X-Force #2 (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/Clayton Crain/Cory Petit


#4 - Hippies, Gangsters and Muties, Oh My!

we still have to solve the mystery of why the heck San Francisco is devolving back into the Age of Aquarius, but at the moment we have the old school trio of Logan, Peter and Kurt getting into a bar brawl deep in the heart of Russia, thus attracting the attention of secret organizations which even Putin doesn't know about. i'm not sure where this is going, but {deep sigh} - In Bru We Trust.

Uncanny X-Men #496 (Marvel)
Ed Brubaker/Mike Choi/Sonia Oback/Joe Caramagna


#3 - Ralph Macchio Must Die!

yes, that's the long-lost Ray Palmer's solution to all of this - kill the Karate Kid now or else infect the world and die. whatever the Cobra Kai couldn't do, i guess the DC heroes can.

Countdown to Final Crisis #8 (DC)
Paul Dini/Justin Gray/Jimmy Palmiotti/Carlos Magno/Rodney Ramos/Tom Chu/Travis Lanham


#2 - Lethal Weapons

three things: Laira goes on trial and gets kicked off the Corps, that event triggers the 2nd Law saying lethal force is now enabled for ALL enemies of the Corps, and Laira's passion for justice ends up in making her a Red Lantern. yowza!

Green Lantern #28 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Mike McKone/Andy Lanning/Mario Alquiza/Norm Rapmund/Jo Smith/Rob Leigh


#1 - You're Always A Day Away!

i'm not even sure why i'm putting this #1. oh that's right - its the righteous Olivetti art, which i haven't seen much since The Last Avengers Story. Cable the solo series was relaunched owing to Cable/Deadpool getting the axe and readers want to know what the hell's up with this baby-kidnapping thing from X-Men's Messiah CompleX. of course, Bishop isn't too far behind. two men from the future fighting in the future. i don't even wanna know what the ramifications are.

Cable #1 (Marvel)
Duane Swierczynski/Ariel Olivetti/Joe Caramagna