What’s Covered?
X-Force Volume 2 # 1 - 6, Cable and Deadpool # 7 - 14, X-Force: Shatterstar # 1
Roster Watch
Synopsis
Cable & Deadpool # 7 - 10: Passion of the Cable
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils - Patrick Zircher
We start with another assassin named “The Cat” beating the shit out of Deadpool. However, DP steals a device from the Cat that can stop Cable. But it never stays in one place and eventually the X-Men steal the Cable killing device from DP.
Meanwhile, Cable is single-handedly forcing world peace with his elevated powers (which he got at the end of the last arc). Cable crashes an international leaders meeting and tells them that they better give up all weapons or he’ll force them. Now, he even has disciples!
Shield and X-Men both preparing in case they need to take him out. GW Bridge puts together a new Six pack. The Six pack run into C but only issue a warning.
DP kind of joins the X-Men and he’s hilarious. Hitting on Emma. Asking for a badge. It's great. Lol, DP wears a Marvel Girl outfit. With a thong!
XM + DP head to Providence, the floating sanctuary in the sky created by Cable. In a shocking twist, DP betrays the XM because he believes in Cable. Cable even converted most of the 6 pack.
Scott and Nate have a tough, heart to heart chat. Nate says he’s dying but wants to do something great first. Later, Cable and the Cat take out cyclops together.
The Silver Surfer comes to fight Cable and it's a pretty epic battle. Cable says:
“The only way to make people people see the potential of a unified future what’s the unify them against the common goal even if that meant against me! And if I died, saving them, then my sacrifice, their guilt, would serve as the catalyst to keeping them together.”
Deadpool continued delivering the one liners:
“ That fight lasted as long as Deathlok’s last comic.”
Deadpool helps Cable lobotomizes himself to save the world.
My Thoughts
Cable has always had a bit of a messiah complex, but this arc takes it to the extreme. I would almost dismiss this as some upstart writer who misunderstood Cable, but Fabian Nicieza is basically a co-creator of the character. He is one of the few people who knows who Cable was intended to be, so this means that Nicieza (and Leifeld) probably always assumed Cable's ego to be so large that it could create a problem.
The whole idea that he was going to force peace by making the world come together to defeat him is stolen straight out of Watchmen. There is a lot of copying in fiction, and especially in comics, but this seemed a little too blatant to me.
I loved the point of Cable having a heart to heart with his dad, then beating his ass later. Whenever these two can slow down and have a good chat I slow down and pour over every word.
Deadpool is fricken hilarious, which means that Nicieza is fricken hilarious. I'm gonna have a hard time not reading his series moving forward.
Cable & Deadpool # 11-12: Thirty Pieces
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils - Patrick Zircher
This is a two part story focused on Deadpool's mission to save restore Cable. Awww, DP truly respects him. DP is fighting MODOK and AIM to get something that can help Cable. DP gets help from “The Fixer.” DP eventually fights his doppelganger, Agent X. The fixer is trying to put a techno organic baby (don't ask) into Cable To heal him.
While Cable is out of commission, Domino and the 6 pack are pulled inside Cable’s subconscious. Things are really goofy in there.
Deadpool and the fixer are able to cure Cable. That didn't last long, but his name is in the title so I guess he can't be out of commission for too long. That did somewhat cheapen the prior story arc, however Cable is now left with diminished powers, which will have a big impact on the next series we cover, X-Force Volume 2. (And it forces him to use big guns again).
Cable & Deadpool # 13 - 14: A Murder in Paradise
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils - Patrick Zircher
A terrorist is murdered in Providence, and Deadpool is on the case as a detective. However, he eventually realizes that it was him who killed him and he can't remember doing it. Prester John is hunting DP (I liked to Prester John's Wiki page because I had never heard of him, but apparently he's an Avengers character). However, Cable, who is the head honcho at Providence, stops John from attacking DP. Cable is going off to stop the Skornn, which takes us to X-Force Volume 2.
X-Force V2: Class Reunion
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Pencils & Plot - Rob Leifeld
Cable is known as "The Traveler" in the distant past. I'm really confused about why he was hanging out in the distant past, so don't ask. What we do know is that he is fighting a giant mutant eating creature called the Skornn, who will be the primary antagonist for this short X-Force resurgence.
Later, maybe present day, C and Domimo are fighting The Helix, who are futuristic ninjas hell bent on awakening the Skornn.
C and Dom go pick up Shatterstar who is training with ninja monks. Warpath, Meltdown, and Sunspot are on hand as well to track down the Skornn, but first they pick up a distress call from Sam. Warpath mentions that him and Sunspot have duties still to X Corp, which is a nice attempt at trying to connect what's happening here to larger continuity.
Meanwhile, John Spectre shows up from the future looking for the savior, Cannonball.
Spectre tells of the future when Cable pushed for war against the Skornn, which left his father dead. Spectre is able to convince Cannonball in his vision and Sam attacks Cable when he shows up.
Sam takes Spectre’s side and attacks Cable. He is very, very mad that Cable lied to him so much. Says he doesn’t need a father figure. C uses his telepathy to get Sam to put his blast down while he punches him, and I thought was a pretty inventive use of powers.
Roberto sees that C hurt Sam and refuses to be a part of it. Only Domino, Warpath, Tabby, and Shatty go with Cable to continue hunting the Skornn.
Wolverine (Leifeld loves drawing Wolverine) breaks into a facility to free Caliban and runs into XF doing the same. The administrator (human in power suit) wants to partner with mutants to stop the Skornn, however he also wants to kill mutants. This administrator seems very random and he is put down just as quick as he is introduced.
The Administratior is killed by Stryfe who is with…
Forearm
Cannonball
Thumbelina
John Spectre
Sunspot
Zero
The Imperial Guard is mobilizing to confront the Skornn too. I'm pretty sure Leifeld just wanted an excuse to draw Gladiator. Skornn is eating teenage mutants in a pretty messed up scene. Eating mutants is how he grows (in size and power).
Stryfe isn’t the real Stryfe. Offering peace. It’s a future Domino, however Cable makes everyone else forget that it’s not really Stryfe.
The Thing and Human Torch are fighting the Skornn. Another larger Marvel Universe reference! All of the heroes fight the Skornn to no avail. Cable sacrifices himself (second time in this blog) to teleport the Skornn away.
My thoughts
First of all, I just love X-Force and Leifeld. There's a part of me who knows this isn't great storytelling, but I just really don't care. I grew up on X-Force. 10 year old me fell hard for this art and badass storytelling, so 40 year old me still can't enough of it. Sorry, I'm not sorry.
Skornn is a pretty generic monstrous villain. He wasn't the greatest villain, but I'm glad they didn't recycle a villain we are tired of and attempted to make this a story with high stakes.
I love when a writer just shits all over a story that was once retconned. I mentioned previously that Claremont didn't bother explaining why Magma is from Nova Roma again, he just went for it, blatantly ignorning the retcon that she was a brainwashed British chick. I see the same thing happening here. Later X-Force writers tried to walk back the fact that Sam was immortal, but Nicieza and Leifeld are just like "Nah, I said he's an External, so he's an External!." I appreciate that to tell you the truth. I also love stories about immortals (Love Highlander, The Old guard, Apocalypse) so I'm here for this.
Sam is very mad about Cable lying to him so much throughout X-Force. I find this very interesting. Once again, Leifeld and Nicieza are the original Cable and X-Force creators. So if they are making a story out of Sam not forgiving him for lying, then they must really think Cable isn't to be trusted. It makes me think that they may have intended for Cable to never be much more than anti-hero but future writers softened him a little bit. I am fascinated to see how they keep writing him.
X-Force: Shatterstar
Creatives: Rob Liefeld, Brandon Thomas Marat Mychaels
This 4 part Shatterstar Limited Series is a direct continuation of X-Force Volume 2, however it's presented as a prequel.
At first, Shatterstar is fighting for money in Madripoor. Spiral (concealed) asks Shatty to kill Dominicus Pierce and take the Five Fingers of Annihilation (sword).
However, Shatty ends up partnering with Pierce as he realizes Spiral welcomes the Skornn. Pierce and Shatty try to attack Spiral, but it’s a trap. Three sisters attack, killing one of Pierce’s men. Pierce is dropped into an endless limbo (poor guy). Spiral escapes, Shatty teleported elsewhere and finds Cable.
Shatty is teleported to an alternate earth where Spiral had entered years before him.
Cable leads a band of freedom fighters whose numbers are dwindling. Spiral is the queen, and she goes by the name Apocalypse, where she uses the five fingers of annihilation to reign as an evil queen.
Shatterstar, alternate Cable, and others storm the compound to save Roberto DaCosta (who is literally shown having sex with Spiral). Pierce defected to Spiral after falling for a long time Shatty and his allies defeat Spiral and her servants, who have been there for 3 years. Cable kills Pierce as he's falling by buring him to death with a giant Lockheed. (This poor Pierce guy spent way too much time falling).
My thoughts
This story was better than I was expecting. My one gripe is that there is too much telling instead of showing. Way too many people are commenting on how great of a fighter Shatterstar is and that he can't be beaten. First, we get it! Second, Shatterstar has been a secondary character for a long time, so it seems like overkill for him all the sudden to be the best fighter in the multiverse, but I'll let it go.
My Rating- 10/10
I'm a sucker for X-Force.
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