Review: ‘Cable: Love & Chrome’ #1 Takes Nate Summers Back To His Roots

Cable is one of Marvel’s more enduring solo heroes, going through more incarnations and status quos than almost anyone else. In Cable: Love & Chrome, he goes back to his roots as a freedom fighter, with some unexpected twists along the way.

David Pepose, Mike Henderson, Arif Prianto and Joe Sabino get Cable back to the future.

Cable is still the timeline’s greatest protector, even after everything that happened on Krakoa in its last days. When one mission in particular goes wrong he finds himself in Salvation Bay, a time and place he’s not familiar with outside of the rampant spread of his own techno-organic virus. Soon Nathan Summers finds himself drawn into the conflict at the heart of Salvation Bay’s birth… and to the bold freedom fighter who saved his life and led him to her mission.

There’s something about Cable’s high octane, action-heavy adventures I’ve always loved. The status quo shift about a decade ago making him the timeline’s protector added to that, even if it was strange that Marvel treated it like it was always his thing. Cable is a soldier defending and protecting people he lives while trying to stop his future, but he was a bit aimless after that future was prevented.

Pepose combines all of that seamlessly. Nathan Charles Christopher Dayspring Ask’anison Summers is taking his actions to save the timeline for others, and doing what others can’t because he knows sometimes he needs to be brutal. That’s perfectly captured here- Cable feels old and grizzled, but there’s a sense of duty in Pepose’s dialogue. He’s heroic and noble, but also the right sort of morally grey that sometimes a soldier needs to be. But he still has fun, peppering the dialogue and narration with some tongue in cheek cliches and silly names, showing he’s not taking it TOO seriously.

The hook is fascinating, and it’s executed so well by the plot and art. After a great attention-grabbing opening sequence (like a Mad Max-infused Bond opener), Cable ends up in Salvation Bay. Pepose lays out the situation and rules for the world. Henderson and Prianto bring it to life. It starts with meeting Avery, the heroic commander Cable’s instantly drawn to, and builds from there, giving us more and more of this techno-organic infused world, teeming with life, detail and color.

Henderson opts for a slightly more sketchy style of linework to start the chaos of the story- it’s frenzied, dirty and violent, with chaotic figurework and layouts. Then he shifts into a style that’s closer to what we know him for once Cable reaches Salvation Bay- it’s clean and more ordered, which makes the corruption of the TO virus stand out more.

Prianto’s colors enhance and grow that. When Avery takes Cable out into the community, he makes the growing twilight feel real, with glowing lights, dimming sunlight, and a glow that you would only get as night started to embrace the world. When tech and weapons enter the picture, he makes them all unique and helps them stand out with little flashes of color and light.

Sabino takes a lot of information — dialogue and narration — and never makes it feel like too much. The best lettering compliments the story quietly, almost in the background. He takes every bit of the script and makes sure its at the forefront while not making it stand out and distract. He also does some great work with sound effects, especially in the opening fight. It’s a good example of lettering done right.

Cable: Love & Chrome #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.