Unplug This Cable

When I first heard about the new monthly Cable and X-Force series, I thought: Good.  There's one title I don't have to worry about picking up.  Why?  Because Cable is a product of the awful 90s when comic books took a downward turn.  As are Domino and Dr. Nemesis.  Forge was interesting when he first came on the scene in the 1980s and romanced Storm, but then he, too, jumped on the 90s bandwagon.  No longer was it about storylines, character development, superpowers, or quality art.  It was all about misshapen, disproportionate men and women carrying weaponry.  It was about multiple issue covers, holograms, and foil-embossed covers.  In other words, anything to generate additional sales and not giving quality in return. 

However, (and you knew there had to be a "however"), when I heard that Salvador Larroca would be doing the artwork, I had to give it a shot.  He was amazing on Iron Man.  The detail that he puts into his art is astounding.  The characters look so real...and attractive.  To top it off, one of my favorite under-utilized characters -- Colossus -- was going to be on the team.  Colossus mixed with the Juggernaut = BAD.  Colossus mixed with Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat (or whatever name she goes by today) = GOOD.  Even though Kitty wasn't going to be a part of the team and they're not "together," I still wanted to see what was going to be done with Piotr Rasputin.  

Sadly, after reading the first four issues of the series, I'm disappointed.  The writer, Dennis Hopeless, provides no character development.  Instead, we're treated to some ridiculous storyline about aliens at a company.  Worse, Larroca's art doesn't seem up to par.  The art doesn't jump off the page like it did in Iron Man.  It lies there flat.  The cover art by Larroca is fantastic, but the interior art is disappointing.  

I think Cable and X-Force will soon be pulled from my Pull List.

We Will Be...Invincible

When Iron Man 2 came out in theaters last spring, I decided to flip through the Iron Man comic(s) currently published to see what was going on in the world of Iron Man.  I've never been a huge fan of the character, so I never read Iron Man regularly.  However, I did appreciate the fact that he was "real" and had personal problems such as alcohol abuse.  The closest I ever got to reading Iron Man regularly was when I was reading the Avengers and West Coast Avengers back in the 1980s. 

When I picked up the most current issue of Invincible Iron Man, I immediately noticed the impressive art.  It was incredibly lifelike.  I had never before heard of the artist, Salvador Larroca, but I was amazed at the realism on the pages.  Never had Tony Stark looked so three-dimensional to me.  He didn't have that creepy, mustached, middle-aged man look to him anymore.  He was younger, handsome, and sporting a goatee.  Even his blue eyes stood out against his dark hair.  

Invincible Iron Man #30

I bought issue #25 and brought it home to read.  Not only was the artwork something to behold, but the story (written by Matt Fraction) was fantastic, too.  It involved human interaction and personality clashes.  Fraction seems to be all about character development -- traits, flaws, strengths -- which is why I've stuck around for the past year now.  There's very little superheroing and a lot of character interaction.  In issue #30, Tony and Sasha Hammer play a game of cat and mouse with all kinds of sexual innuendos.  I've learned more about Tony Stark and his supporting cast in the past year than I would have if I had read Iron Man throughout the entire 1980s.  

As long as Fraction and Larroca are onboard for The Invincible Iron Man, so am I.