Review: ‘Cable’ #3 Picks A Fight He May Not Win
by Tony Thornley
The Galadorian Spaceknights are a force to be reckoned with every time they show up. They haven’t ever encountered Cable though. However, things get complicated when another familiar face shows up in Cable #3.
Sometimes guest stars elevate a story. Sometimes they grind a plot to a halt. It’s just a matter of which this story does, thanks to Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto, Joe Sabino, and Tom Muller.
The Spaceknights have taken Cable and Esme Cuckoo hostage. Now Cable has to race against the clock to stop them from terraforming Earth into New Galador. Unfortunately his plan takes him to Staten Island and face-to-face with none other than the King of the Monsters- Deadpool!
After gaining some quick momentum in the first two issues of the series, this issue grinds the story to a halt. At first, it does seem somewhat promising, with Cable and Esme facing down the Spaceknights, but Nathan’s plan is fairly anticlimactic. The promise that there may be more to it is enough that it could pull things back around to being interesting. However, it doesn’t get there and actually gets worse when Deadpool enters the picture.
Duggan has written one of the few Deadpool runs that I would be willing to say I’ve enjoyed. We don’t see much of that version of Wade though. This version reverts to the motormouthed smart ass, who tells so many jokes per minute you miss the most offensive of the bunch (and trust me, they’re there – including one that borders on pedophilia). Really, the only moment in Deadpool’s appearance that works is when he’s trying to guess the name of the Cuckoo with Cable. I have no doubt that Duggan had the best of intentions here, but it just doesn’t work, and makes an otherwise solid issue fall flat.
The story isn’t all bad though. Duggan has a gift with dialogue, and the majority of the dialogue that doesn’t involve Deadpool is sharp, and funny. Sabino has a great knack for tweaking things like font size and bubbles to help the humor land as well. Meanwhile, the Order of the X threat continues to be extremely creepy, setting up some interesting conflict for the future.
The art remains incredible though. Noto makes Cable and Esme feel like a power couple, as they stride up to the Spaceknights. The action is always dynamic, even if it’s just Cable getting mad at Deadpool for stealing his older self’s body. His colors are great too, as he makes Deadpool’s throne room incredibly beige, which makes the characters interacting in it pop a lot more.
In the end, it’s a great looking issue that has some problems. I definitely think that it can improve back to what we saw in the first couple issues, but it doesn’t look like that might be possible with Wade Wilson involved.
Cable #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
RATING: 6/10
