It felt appropriate for a “Retro Friday” review to check out a comic featuring Marvel’s time-traveling mutant Cable! Cable Vol. 1 #4 stems from 1993 and holy crap does it feel like a product of the time meeting all of the stereotypes of the comics from the time and living up to all that was bad during the time period.

I recognize that I come into the story four issues in so the story arc is well under way, but that’s part of the point of this column, not everything is going to be first issues.

The story involves Cable trying to find the Six Pack and eventually X-Force but first he has to fight G.W. Bridge who thinks is a sell-out for working with SHIELD. There’s also Kane making coffee and watching the fist fight.Then there’s Six Pack featuring Grizzly, Hammer, and Domino, plus there’s Copycat (remember her as fake Domino?) who are looking for Cable and X-Force.

Then there’s Six Pack featuring Grizzly, Hammer, and Domino, plus there’s Copycat (remember her as fake Domino?) who are looking for Cable and X-Force.There’s also this guy named Sinsear that I don’t remember at all being all villain in his secret base.

There’s also this guy named Sinsear that I don’t remember at all being all villain in his secret base.Eventually Cable catches up with the Wild Pack and Hammer attacks Cable for injuring him in the past. It’s the usual hero fighting hero before they team-up story.

Eventually, Cable catches up with the Wild Pack and Hammer attacks Cable for injuring him in the past. It’s the usual hero fighting hero before they team-up story.

Written by Fabian Nicieza, with Art Thibert, Rob Liefeld, Jim Reddington, Bill Wylie, and Scott Koblish all on art, Bart Sears provides the cover, Al Milgrom does inks, Marie Javins and Michael Thomas are colourists and Chris Eliopoulos is the letter. I think fewer people put a man in space than put this comic on the shelves.

From stunted dialogue to a choppy narrative I re-read this comic utterly baffled that I loved the comic when I was younger. What was I thinking that I enjoyed it? But, it also explains how I read so many comics so quickly back then if this is what they were all like. The action sequences are by the numbers laughable, such as Kane getting coffee for Cable and Bridge as the two men fight. There’s the by the numbers hero fights hero before coming to his senses. A bad guy disappears. Another bad guy looms in a secret base. I almost want to dig out the rest of the comics in this story arc to bask in the horribleness of it all.

The best part of the comic? The trading card still inside it in perfect condition and when I saw it the existence of them came rushing back to me… ah memories. There’s also some retro ads that are amazing like an X-Men/Pizza Hut tie-in (have it!) and a Stridex tie-in (have it too!).

This was “of the time,” I’ll go with that. At the time, it was so cool (ah 14 year old me), but today, holy crap is it bad. Laughable dialogue, inconsistent art (Cable’s hair!!!), and predictable sequences all abound. It’s x-treme and with pouches galore! We’re past this as an industry and reading this, so happy we’ve come to our senses.

Story: Fabian Nicieza Art: Art Thibert, Rob Liefeld, Jim Reddington, Bill Wylie, and Scott Koblish Inks: Al Milgrom Colors: Marie Javins and Michael Thomas
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos Cover: Bart Sears
Story: 2 Art: 3 Overall: 2.5 Recommendation: Pass