Before Extermination and before X-Force…young Nathan Summers was a mutant messiah warrior fighting against an apocalyptic future. But he wasn’t supposed to arrive in our time until well into adulthood…so what happened?

Why did Kid Cable go on a mission to send back the original X-Men? Why did he kill his older self? Writer Ed Brisson reveals what lead up to his mission to right the timeline.

At the end of X-Force #4, Stryfe and his Mutant Liberation Army arrived to stop Kid Cable and this issue is the revelation of what got us to that point and the battle with X-Force in X-Force #5. It’s an interesting issue as it jumps around in time and with the reader’s possible knowledge of Stryfe, creates a whole new page for that character and Cable. Is everything as black and white, good and bad, as it seems? Brisson leaves us with some questions as far as that and it’s not as clear as to whether Stryfe is truly the bad guy here.

The art by Damian Couceiro with color by Jesus Aburtov and lettering by Cory Petit is good continuing the unique style of the series. There’s some interesting horror aspects thrown into the future aspect of the series as the time storm changes reality. It’s a solid emphasis on that confusion and the torture as characters blink out of existence or fuse together. It could maybe have been played up a bit more but as is, the tone of those scenes are set really well.

The issue is an interesting one as it gives us some of the “why” as far as Kid Cable’s mission but also leaves open some questions as to whether he’s truly in the right as far as it. It’s also nice that Brisson is delivering a new take on Stryfe as well as the two characters go together and it feels like too long since we’ve gotten a good take on the modern classic villain.

Story: Ed Brisson Art: Damian Couceiro
Color: Jesus Aburtov Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 7.85 Art: 7.85 Overall: 7.85 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review