By Duane Swierczynski (Writer) and Ariel Olivetti (Artist)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: At best, the Messiah War crossover has been disappointing. At worst, it’s been a complete waste of time and money. I wonder if the final chapters can make a difference?
The Story: Deadpool, X-23, Vanisher, and Domino find the source of the interference that’s disrupting the time-travel devices. Meanwhile, Cable, Bishop, and the rest of X-Force try to stop Stryfe from capturing Hope. Also, Angel helps Apocalypse do something that may cause everyone to pay a price…
What’s Good: The very best thing about Cable #15 is that it brings the Messiah War one step closer to a conclusion. I know that that’s not exactly high praise, but the sooner Cable and X-Force can get back to business, the better. The only other positive thing about the sixth chapter of the Messiah War is that Ariel Olivetti’s style actually works quite well for a handful of scenes.
What’s Not So Good: Man…where do I begin? I guess it’d be best to start by saying that Cable #15 might be the worst Messiah War chapter yet. It fails in some way at every level…
The storyline disappoints because the two big plot twists introduced in Cable #15 are strange and frustrating. One of them makes X-23 act completely out of character. The other twist seems like a desperate “WTF!?” moment tossed in just to…you know what? I actually have no idea what the creative team was going for with it.
Duane Swierczynski’s writing makes reading Cable #15 a chore. What’s odd though, is that the writing isn’t actually all that bad. The problem is that Swierczynski seems far more intent on hammering out plot points than actually entertaining the reader. Simply put, a little personality would have gone a long way.
Despite what I said in the “What’s Good” section, the visuals by Ariel Olivetti are truly awful for most of the book. They are inconsistent (Why does Cable look 20+ years younger at times?), awkward (Why is Wolverine’s head so tiny?), ugly (I swear that Olivetti uses the Vanisher reference for every female character), and surprisingly static (some sense of motion would be wonderful). Even fans of Olivetti’s style will have a tough time defending the artwork in the latest issue of Cable.
Conclusion: The penultimate chapter of the Messiah War does nothing to improve the crossover event. Buy it at your risk…
Grade: D-
-Kyle Posluszny
Filed under: Other Tagged: | Apocalypse, Ariel Olivetti, Bishop, Cable, Cable #15 Review, comic reviews, Deadpool, Duane Swierczynski, Elixir, Kyle Posluszny, Marvel Comics, Messiah War, Messiah WAr Chapter 6 review, Stryfe, Vanisher, WCBR, Weekly Comic Book Review, weeklycomicbookreview.com, Wolverine, X-23, X-Force
Thanks for the comment!
While I (obviously) disagree with you in a lot of ways, I’m happy to see that people are enjoying the ’90s inspired story. Thinking back on the issue, I guess I did like the Deadpool stuff, I just find that the character seems to be in the crossover strictly for either exposition or comic relief (and to sell more books).
I’m happy to be a part of the W.C.B.R. team. We do our best to provide our readers with the most honest reviews possible.
Feel free to comment whenever you’d like and be sure to keep an eye out for the launch of our official forums!
Thanks again for the comment.
-Kyle Posluszny
Wow, I thought this was a really, amazingly cool issue.
The Good:
Deadpool and Stryfe were fantastically written. Deadpool’s lines were hilarious and smart. Also, his character was well portrayed and the writer showed his good side winning over his conscience and him for the first time ever doing the right thing in total clarity. Woo!!
As for Stryfe, although evil, he has principles, he knows what he is doing most of the time, and appreciates the value of strength. Plus, he is ridiculously well prepared to handle any situation because he is mega powerful. Stryfe is an example of how Cable might be (and how he has been in the Cable/Deadpool series) without the T-O holding his energies hostage.
I would like to see Stryfe and Cable unite to kick Apoc’s En Sabah Nooric ass in the conclusion to this arc.
Thanks for providing this forum for comic book appreciation.
The Bad:
Cable and Wolverine were a bit weakly developed but it was okay and not really so bad considering the focus was on Deadpool’s conscience awakening, revealing something about Hope, and demonstrating the power of Stryfe (not strife). I am so happy to see Stryfe rule. I think bad guys turning good is a better idea than making good guys better. Hope Stryfe becomes good one day.
Some graphic violence a bit shocking.