Cable's Lasting Appeal

[Brian M.]

What is it about this character that makes his titles work?

Cable #1-107
Cable Annual '98, '99
Cable: Blood and Metal #1-2
Cable & Deadpool #1-present
Cable Minus 1 #1
Cable Second Genesis #1
Ghost Rider and Cable #1
New Mutants (Vol. 1) #87-100
Prophet Cable #1-2
Soldier X #1-12
Ultimate X-Men #75-80
Uncanny X-Men #381-391, Annual #14
Weapon X #6-13
Wolverine Cable Guts and Glory #1
X-Force (Vol. 1) #1-70
X-Force (Vol. 2) #1-6
X-Men (Vol. 2) #188-present

That's a lot of issues for a character who is from the future and has such a convulted past/future/whatever.

The bolded issues are the ones that really stick out. What is it about this character that works? why do his runs always last so long? 107 issue solo series, 50 issue run w/ Deadpool, I mean those aren't things to just brush off, those are multi-year runs. Now we see he's getting another ongoing...why do you think this is? Is it his connection w/ the Summers? His lasting history with the New Mutants and X-Men?

Why do you think he keeps getting books?

[Flâneur]

Because for most of his existence he's been a hardcore guy with a gun and an occasional tendency to blow shit up. Movies revolving around characters like that have been money mills for ages - perhaps because of the appeal to machismo, fascination with acts of power and violence, adrenaline from the simulated experience of danger and action etc.

Frankly I prefer the politicised messiah angle that he's had recently. *shrug*

[rwsmith]

Same reason Wolverine does. Because there's an inherent coolness or badassness that he exudes that makes a lot of fans interested in reading about him. Why did Arnold Schwargenegger movies dominate the box office for so many years? Why do people enjoy any action movie, TV show, book or video game for that matter?

Cable has a lasting popularity in spite of Marvel screwing him up with all of the time-traveling Summers baggage, and remains popular for the same reason Halo 3 will be the biggest video game release of all time. People enjoy the escape. It's a fantasy. And males in particular like to buck authority and wish they could act like Cable, Wolverine, Master Chief, etc., in tough situations. It's an "adolescent male power fantasy," as I've always heard it described, and IMO it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Some people just don't understand it because they're not geared the same way. They prefer Dazzler or Rogue to Wolverine. Nothing wrong with that. People are just different. What irriates me is that those same people (who always seem to be bitching about tolerance) seem to be the least tolerant of all when it comes to stuff they don't like.

That's my $.02 anyway.

[Canemacar]

THe armchair psychologist in me says that, given the escapist nature of superheroes, I'd say Cable's appeal for most people lies in the over-whelming masculinity inherent in the character (big guns, big shoulder-pads, big muscles, hard-ass attitude, etc). The typical comic book guy isn't exactly a pillar of manliness and sees Cable as a kind wish-fulfilment for that, allowing them to experience being a respected badass.

[rwsmith]

Or perhaps they identify with that kind of guy? Y'know, the ex-jock types who don't exactly identify with an insecure skinny guy like Cyclops or a jovial elf like Nightcrawler. At least in my case that's the way I see it. I'd be interested to find out the body and personality types of people who like certain characters, though.

[Nyssane]

I don't think Cable exudes manliness like Wolverine does. That's, in part, why I like Cable so much. He's a big, burly man yet he's not immune to sensitivity or actually showing his feelings. He has a level of badassness to him, but he's not forced to the point that Wolverine is. If Cable was in all the titles, I'm sure more people would hate him, too.

[Pro]

Y'know, the ex-jock types who don't exactly identify with an insecure skinny guy like Cyclops or a jovial elf like Nightcrawler. At least in my case that's the way I see it.

Really .. you shouldn't wear shoulder pads just because Cable does ..

[Nyssane]

Really .. you shouldn't wear shoulder pads just because Cable does ..

Ex-jocks don't read comics!!!

And I'll never understand you, rwsmith. I love Anaconda, yet I'm not a big, thick woman with scales. Or a muscular, black woman like Frenzy. Hell, I'm not a sexy pair of twins like the Kleinstock Brothers. OR FLAT LIKE FLATMAN. I don't relate to any of my favorite characters physically, so I guess I just don't see the point of trying to find someone that matches my body type (since really, all the male characters are brickhouses anyway with the rare exceptions of like... Nightcrawler and Iceman).

[Canemacar]

Or perhaps they identify with that kind of guy? Y'know, the ex-jock types who don't exactly identify with an insecure skinny guy like Cyclops or a jovial elf like Nightcrawler. At least in my case that's the way I see it.

Well I was looking more at the Liefeldian trends that dominated comics in the 90's. I'm sure there are people who would identify with the militaristic alpha male personality he has. People like things for all kinds of reasons.

I'd be interested to find out the body and personality types of people who like certain characters, though.

Seconded. I'm fascinated with psychology.

[rwsmith]

I don't think Cable exudes manliness like Wolverine does. That's, in part, why I like Cable so much. He's a big, burly man yet he's not immune to sensitivity or actually showing his feelings. He has a level of badassness to him, but he's not forced to the point that Wolverine is. If Cable was in all the titles, I'm sure more people would hate him, too.

Agreed on both fronts. Though Wolverine wasn't always so one-dimensional, which is why I liked the character. Now he's overexposed and kind of a caricature of all of his worst qualities most of the time.

I actually identify more with Cable these days. I'm a 6'2", 240 lb. ex-college football player with a law degree. I also have prematurely gray hair (I'm only 29 yet my hair is completely silver; see the "Cast me as an X-man" thread for pics if you want). Now that they seem to be downplaying the whole "messiah from the future" thing in favor of taking him back to basics, I'm excited about this character again.

Is there anything wrong with that? Liking a character becasue you identify with them? I don't think so, but perhaps others think differently. I've always been that way, though. When I was a kid and saw a cool movie, I wanted to be the lead character. I guess I never fully grew out of that. Probably why I'm still reading comic books at almost 30 years of age, huh?


And I'll never understand you, rwsmith. I love Anaconda, yet I'm not a big, thick woman with scales. Or a muscular, black woman like Frenzy. Hell, I'm not a sexy pair of twins like the Kleinstock Brothers. OR FLAT LIKE FLATMAN. I don't relate to any of my favorite characters physically, so I guess I just don't see the point of trying to find someone that matches my body type (since really, all the male characters are brickhouses anyway with the rare exceptions of like... Nightcrawler and Iceman).

What can I say? I guess I'm just weird like that. I like characters I can identify with. Doesn't mean I don't like other characters who are different than me too (i.e., Spider-man, Nightcrawler, Luke Cage, etc.), but I don't identify with them as much. I suppose I'm still just a big kid envisioning myself in the place of my favorite characters sometimes.

[Nyssane]

Is there anything wrong with that? Liking a character becasue you identify with them? I don't think so, but perhaps others think differently. I've always been that way, though. When I was a kid and saw a cool movie, I wanted to be the lead character. I guess I never fully grew out of that. Probably why I'm still reading comic books at almost 30 years of age, huh?

I don't think it's wrong to identify with characters, since I like a lot of gay characters.... actually, Flatman's the only ACTUAL gay character I like, but you know Prism backs that booty up for some of the Marauders. I just think it's weird to go so far as to want to identify PHYSICALLY. Common traits as race, sexuality, religion, and whatnot are totally normal, but it's baffling to me to like characters based on their physical appearance. I pity the overweight girls who read comics because they'd have no one, then. Fat men at least get Blob. Fat girls get, what... Pink Pearl?

[rwsmith]

Yeah, it's probably the same for minorities, but at least there seems to be more of them getting some spotlight (though they're mostly black and no other ethnicity).

[Nyssane]

Yeah, it's probably the same for minorities, but at least there seems to be more of them getting some spotlight (though they're mostly black and no other ethnicity).

Other Marvel comics, yes... but the X-World seem barren of black men. I mean, we have Storm... Frenzy and Tempo... Bliss... and Cecilia Reyes if you count limbo folks... yet no black men whatsoever! Bishop's in limbo, and he was really the only black X-Male to begin with.

[Pach!]

Other Marvel comics, yes... but the X-World seem barren of black men. I mean, we have Storm... Frenzy and Tempo... Bliss... and Cecilia Reyes if you count limbo folks... yet no black men whatsoever! Bishop's in limbo, and he was really the only black X-Male to begin with.

But Cecilia is hispanic! Like Tina!

[Nyssane]

But Cecilia is hispanic! Like Tina!

HEY... you're the one who coined black-hispanic/white-hispanic!

[Brett P]

Crazy old man with a gun. Devil only knows what the appeal is. :p

[Pach!]

HEY... you're the one who coined black-hispanic/white-hispanic!

LOL. But then you made me see the light!

STOP CONFUSING ME.

[Flâneur]

Personally I identify more with characters whose families have been shattered in someway or another and then rebuilt e.g Karma w. her siblings, Rachel's odd family situation, the Runaways etc. Which I suppose could be paralleled in that because of everything that's happened I can't identify with my parents directly and view other relationships as more fundamentally important. Other kinds of characters I generally enjoy generally aren't hand to hand combatants either which if you stretched things you could associate with my distaste for violence, though not neccesarily passive or weakness.
Fat girls get, what... Pink Pearl?
Big Bertha.:p

Other Marvel comics, yes... but the X-World seem barren of black men. I mean, we have Storm... Frenzy and Tempo... Bliss... and Cecilia Reyes if you count limbo folks... yet no black men whatsoever! Bishop's in limbo, and he was really the only black X-Male to begin with.
Synch? Shola? Washout? Prodigy? Tag? Sunspot?

[Nyssane]

Big Bertha.:p

Synch? Shola? Washout? Prodigy? Tag?

Big Bertha's not fat, though. She's a skinny super-model who turns into a fat woman. That's like counting Darwin or Nekra as black, even though their skin has changed... more like faux-black.

Synch? Dead.
Shola? Depowered.
Washout? Dead.
Prodigy? Depowered, but still around so that's good.
Tag? Dead.

Thus, the only one who currently appears in comics is Prodigy, while there are five or six black women currently appearing. ODD.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

I look up to Monet more than any Summers.

[Karl H]

Ex-jocks don't read comics!!!



I'm an ex-jock Nyssy! - well as much as we have them in the UK.

In terms of characterrs I like I'm very mood driven in the same way I am with movies. If I want to escape I'll watch a die-hard movie, play some Halo or indeed, read me some Moon Knight/ Wolverine/ Cable/ X-23 (note, never Punisher but that's a personal thing!

But if I'm feeling more cerbral I'll read me some Vertigo or some some Morrison or watch a movie like Atonement. If I'm feeling more emotional then I'll read some God Loves, Man Kills or watch a movie like Forrest Gump.

Why does Cable appeal. I guess its as Rws says, its the escapist element. Personally I am a bigger fan of Cable in the messiah role as I feel Marvel has enough characters who can fit into that kick-ass role. Trouble is I can see why they dropped the whole Messiah angle. I mean seriously is Cable a big enough character to justify that role in the MU as a whole - sales would sadly appear to indicate no? He probably wouldn't work as a movie franchise given his complicated history either. So Marvel has effectively taken the route of least resistance and taken him back to that role that sales wise would appear to be more popular weven if on a personal level I am disappointed.

[Novaya Havoc]

http://novayahavoc.blogspot.com/2007/09/why-cable-solo-series-is-not-fabulous.html

[Flâneur]

Big Bertha's not fat, though. She's a skinny super-model who turns into a fat woman. That's like counting Darwin or Nekra as black, even though their skin has changed... more like faux-black.

Synch? Dead.
Shola? Depowered.
Washout? Dead.
Prodigy? Depowered, but still around so that's good.
Tag? Dead.

Thus, the only one who currently appears in comics is Prodigy, while there are five or six black women currently appearing. ODD.
Don't forget Sunspot.

Frenzy, Tempo and Bliss are D-Listers, Cece is quite possibly dead and Storm, despite all the interesting aspects to her character is very much a modern colonialist's dream of a black woman. I don't think black women have that much X-representation. Admittedly Bishop has been a bit of a stereotype as well - a gun carrying aggressive black man so Storm isn't that bad in comparison but still...

[Nyssane]

Don't forget Sunspot.

Frenzy, Tempo and Bliss are D-Listers, Cece is quite possibly dead and Storm, despite all the interesting aspects to her character is very much a modern colonialist's dream of a black woman. I don't think black women have that much X-representation. Admittedly Bishop has been a bit of a stereotype as well - a gun carrying aggressive black man so Storm isn't that bad in comparison but still...

D-Listers or not, they're still being used currently while only one black male is being used.

Sunspot's not black.

Frenzy's C-List, not D.

[Flâneur]

D-Listers or not, they're still being used currently while only one black male is being used.

Sunspot's not black.

Frenzy's C-List, not D.

As cool as they are they'll stop being used for a while once the X-men move onto their next villian - remember how much of a gap they've had since they appeared? And Sunspot is as black as Cece. ;)

[maczero]

Sunspot's not black.
Eh... Sunspot gets a black pass from me. IIRC, Brazil has the largest population of people of African descent in the western hemisphere.

[Brian M.]

You know your kinda on to something rw, I fall into that ex-jock mentality, body type and such. Cables attitude is one of the reasons why I like him. Push aside his connection to Cyclops, the confidence he has about what he's doing is one of the traits that brings me to the character. CnD #25 is something I often cite for a great Cable issue. It's his dialogue with Cap that is a perfect example of the leadership, confidence and badassness that brings me to the character.

[Brian M.]

I look up to Monet more than any Summers.

Well naturally, since Money is stuck up and arrogant for no reason, it makes sense.

[rwsmith]

http://novayahavoc.blogspot.com/2007/09/why-cable-solo-series-is-not-fabulous.html

Yup. You got me pegged. I am a hardcore dude and I love the vagina. I really do.;)

There supposed to be something wrong with that?

And as for why there aren't more books about Siryn, Dazzler and Wasp doing "fabulous" things, well, it's simple supply and demand. There aren't enough female readers out there who would buy such a book. If they made one, though, I'd be happy for you instead of complaining about how Marvel is making yet another book that is not targeted at my specific tastes. That's just how I roll, I guess.

And somebody obviously likes Cable, otherwise they wouldn't keep making books with him in them.

Just my $.02 on your blog article.

[Brian M.]

Yup. You got me pegged. I am a hardcore dude and I love the vagina. I really do.;)

There supposed to be something wrong with that?

And as for why there aren't more books about Siryn, Dazzler and Wasp doing "fabulous" things, well, it's simple supply and demand. There aren't enough female readers out there who would buy such a book. If they made one, though, I'd be happy for you instead of complaining about how Marvel is making yet another book that is not targeted at my specific tastes. That's just how I roll, I guess.

And somebody obviously likes Cable, otherwise they wouldn't keep making books with him in them.

Just my $.02 on your blog article.

I like vagina. Does everything have to soft and sensitive?

[Nyssane]

Siryn and Wasp are far from fabulous.

[Maestro]

Was Cable's first solo title any good?

[Flâneur]

Personally, I think Weinberg was the best and most interesting part of the first series and the rest felt like dribble. Which got worse when it went all Soldier X-ish and only improved again in the next title, Cable & Deadpool. Someone with grittier more action based tastes would probably say the exact opposite so it depends what kind of person you are.

[Rick Summers]

Personally, I think Weinberg was the best and most interesting part of the first series

Amen to that!

[Siddon]

Was Cable's first solo title any good?

It was a different title every 20 issues, as for his appeal, it has more to do with the fact that he doesn't work in any title or team book. Dr. Who, Conan, Venom, Storm they all have the same amount of issues.

[Omega Alpha]

Frankly I prefer the politicised messiah angle that he's had recently. *shrug*

Me too. In the 90's, he seemed only the Punisher from the future and with powers. I like him as a guy trying to fix the world, and while good, walking the line between heroic and villainous.

[MartinRedmond]

Well naturally, since Money is stuck up and arrogant for no reason, it makes sense.

She isn't like that for no reason, she's perfect.

[Bic]

For those of you who have more closely followed Cable through all his permutations, has Cable always been so proactive in his approach to dealing with problems? What struck me about Cable in his C&D phase was that while most heroes seem to be content to wait around until the Shocker tries to rob a bank or something Cable was aggresively pursuing an agenda that would make the world a better place. Considering how reactionary most super hero actions tend to be it was no wonder he was making everyone nervous. Was a variation on this style of leadership present even during his shoulder pads and guns days? If so, it might explain what helps set him apart from the crowd.

[Flâneur]

He's always been far more proactive than the rest of the X, if anything he's mellowed of late.

[Pro]

Me too. In the 90's, he seemed only the Punisher from the future and with powers. I like him as a guy trying to fix the world, and while good, walking the line between heroic and villainous.

Agreed, that was his initial appeal. There was one scene in x-men, i don't recall exactly when but i think it was during the first genosha crisis, where Cable pointed out to the x-men that they weren't pro-active enough.
That's the Cable i like. He tried to stop evil before bad stuff happened because he knew what would happen if he didn't whereas the rest of the x-men waited for bad stuff to happen and responded to it after the fact.

[jarrod]

I can see how some might percieve it as his "bad-ass-ness", but I think that's falling genrally into the same trap most do with Wolverine. The real appeal in these characters is in their wisdom and confidence, it goes back to Claremont's honorable samuari characterization for Logan... a character who's always knows and does the "right thing" is just hugely appealing. Cable fits perfectly into that mold, even moreso than Logan imo.

[Diablito]

I like Cable as an X-Man, and Cable with Deadpool, but not Cable with nobody...

[Jack Flash]

I never really got Cable. he's alright, but we just never clicked. I liked him with Casey/Ladronn had his title. And I liked him mentoring Sam. But he's never been a favorite.

[Liberty Belle Fan]

He's just a cool character overall. Anytime you have a character from another timeline and/or universe show up it always appeals to me in some way. Not to mention, he was invincible in Marvel vs. Capcom 2!

[DHX]

cable was almost always in my team in MVC2

say anyone remember team, 'you're f~cked'? him ironman and megaman, triple team attack for the win.

[DaeJi]

I never liked Cable on his own, he was always better with either the X-Men or Deadpool. I also didn't like his whole thing Apocalypse.

[Accroître]

Bring Cable on! I loved his solo series... He looks a little older, so I'm guessing Marvel is going with a future older version. So he survived the explosion in X-Menn 200...if all that is true....

Or he's got another clone or it really is Stryfe...wouldn't that be wonderful!

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Well naturally, since Money is stuck up and arrogant for no reason, it makes sense.

Monet was born to be stuck up. It's her birthright. It comes natural since she's better than everyone else.

[samil87]

I guess the appeal is in the simplicity of his characte - a no nonsense anti-hero who doesn't answer to anybody.
I could be wrong, but I think for younger readers it probably is mostly "wow cool explosions!!!" and for some older people (well men) with jobs, mortgages etc (responsibilites is what I'm going for) the fact that he can do what he wants when he wants and not have to explain himself plus he has a big gun and the high adrenaline/testosterone combo makes escapism with Cable that much more fun ;)
I don't really like him and I have a preference for team books (groups rather than idividual characters tend to appeal to me) so I doubt I'll pick it up, but each to his own, as long as Marvel doesn't forget that some of us aren't in to that kind of thing and deserve comicy goodness too :D .

[kate-pryde]

A large part of Cable's appeal is his mission and the fact that he's pro-active about things. When he came in to New Mutants, he appealed to the audience that wanted the kids to grow up, stop having adults tell them what they couldn't do and go out there and fight.

For the most part the X-Men tend to sit back in their own little corner of the world and react to things. But Cable knows how bad it will be and knows it's up to him to change things. He's willing to do what needs to be done.

Cable could have been the generic big badass tough, but his personality was rounded out with a lot of heart and intelligence. His backstory and relationships with other characters gave him more depth and allowed him to become more than a 90s cliche with big guns and shoulder pads.

I agree that Weinberg did the best at really bringing out the best qualities in Cable, and bringing together all of the continuity into highly entertaining stories.

[Carencey]

Cable was cool as hell when he was introduced because he came in kicking butt and taking names.

I'm not certain about this change. Maybe it gets Cable out of babysitting Deadpool and running his own countries. But it's stupid how they killed Cable off then brought him back immediately. Why let people think he was dead in the first place?

But I suppose that Cable has adapted to what was going on in the X-Titles, and that's part of why he has lasted so long.

[cable guy]

Ex-jocks don't read comics!!!



Yeah they do.

Some do anyway.