In the aftermath of Extermination, the X-Men mourn for their fallen brother, Cable. But no one is taking it harder than his adopted daughter, Hope Summers. Will Hope be able to cope with the loss, or will she be led down a dark path that she won’t be able to return from? Only Jean Grey can save Hope from herself! Plus, celebrate the life of Nathan Summers with a story from his past by Chris Claremont!

Cable is dead, sort of, during the events of “Extermination” having been killed by his younger self. And, not surprising, “post event” (the last issue of Extermination hasn’t been released yet) we get an issue mourning the loss of the character. Broken into two stories, X-Men: The Exterminated is an ok follow up but lacks, something. Having read it, I walked away having just spent the 15 minutes of my time and instantly the comic was pretty forgettable. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not memorable in any way. There’s no revelation. There’s not even much emotion. It’s just a safe comic that feels like a box checked off more than anything.

The first story follows Hope and Jean Grey as they set off to close down Cables various hideouts. Hope of course has a mission of her own that’s very predictable. The two go back and forth about what Cable meant to Hope and the banter feels like it’s more about Hope’s absence from comics more than her time with Cable. There’s much left on the table such as Hope sort of being Jean Grey’s granddaughter in a way and where Hope has been. Jean shows little emotion in the mourning and Hope comes off a bit cold beyond the anger she shows at Bishop and Deadpool, two characters who have a lot of history with Cable as well. Out of it all, Deadpool is the one who delivers the most emotional bit laying his cards on the table in a way. Writers Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler seem to not shake the tree much in an way and the script is fairly predictable in its end. It’s a story that’s both emotionless and without much point beyond answering the question about what happened to all of Cable’s technology and weapons?

The art by Neil Edwards with color by David Ramos and lettering by Joe Sabino too is forgettable. Again, it’s not bad but much like the story itself nothing stands out. The settings are generic sci-fi. There’s a mention of Cable enjoying cyberpunk but what’s presented doesn’t feel much like that. The environments have the minimal detail at no point emphasizing how much there really is or at least how much could get out and do some damage.

The second story reflects on a bit after Cable, Nathan, is born where his parents head to Alaska for some relaxation. It rewrites some of the comic history but it’s interesting mostly for the return of classic X-Men scribe Chris Claremont. The story itself has its touching moments but again misses any real interest. What’s most fascinating is the perspective of the narrative of the story being told. Nothing said or shown is vital and it all feels like its been included because it deals with baby Cable and fits the first story’s theme of parents and their kids (on a couple of levels).

The art by Ramon Rosanas with color by Nolan Woodard and lettering by Joe Sabino is ok with a throwback quality to it all. The comic feels like it could have fit into the late 80s or early 90s as far as style and would have fit being a backup story then.

The comic as a whole is ok. It never feels like it really honors Cable and by the end you’re left with muttering “that’s it?”. Nothing is vital and again this feels more like a checking of the box than anything else. There isn’t some deep thought about who Cable is or his impact on X history, instead it’s a very surface level experience that lacks any real emotion or depth.

Story: Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Chris Claremont
Art: Neil Edwards, Ramon Rosanas
Color: Jay David Ramos, Nolan Woodard Lettering: Joe Sabino
Story: 6.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review