Cable is a child of the 90’s comic scene if ever there was one. The issues of that decade were full of MORE: More guns, more muscles, more pockets, more buckles, more padding, more straps. Everything was X-TREME!!! (“x” replaced “ex” because that was also considered X-TREME!!!) back then. He is, of course, the brainchild of Mr. 90’s himself, Rob Liefeld, the guy comic nerds love to hate. However, it was his work was the reason that New Mutants finally gained an audience after a long period of low sales.
In March of 1990, Liefeld introduced Cable as the new mentor of the team. A “man of action” who could act as the opposite of Xavier (the Mutants old teacher), Cable was decked out in metal and spikes and straps and leather. He carried around guns that massed more than he did, and had no qualms about hurting people who got in his way.
Later, after Liefeld had left Marvel, many more layers were added on to Cable. He was a hard ass because that was what was required to survive in the future where he grew up. He had deep seated abandonment issues and was older than his father (Cyclops of the X-Men) because of all the time hopping he did. Though he was something of a loner, he had deep feelings for certain people like Domino, his ship’s computer (named The Professor), and Cannonball. He had long standing history with Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Deadpool, Apocalypse and a bevy of other characters.
And he also had an evil twin, but that's a long story.
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| Cover of Cable vol. 2, #1 (March 2008). Art by Ariel Olivetti. |
That brings us to about where I left off collecting comics. This version of Cable is based on the events after 2008’s Messiah Complex, where Cable becomes the guardian of the first mutant born after the events of House of M and Decimation where most of Earth’s existing mutants lost their powers. Because he believes the infant, Hope Summers, is fated to be the savior of mankind (and mutantkind) he takes her into the future to escape those hunting her.
This figure, part of the Marvel Universe toy line and included in Wave 13 (April 2011). There were 2 versions of the figure, one with the mutant messiah, Hope, attached to Cable’s chest, and one without. Unfortunately, in the Philippines we got the one without.
Both figures include a futuristic pistol, a large assault rifle, and a spear, but the regular version (the one with the baby) also includes a second chest plate, one that doesn’t have the baby attached.
WHAT. THE. FUCK. HASBRO?
Why would they bother to create a “variant” whose only variation is the removal of one of the accessories? That is what’s happened here. The regular release allows you the option to change between Cable with Hope and hopeless Cable, the variant does not. Everything else is the same. Seriously.
That however is my only real problem with this figure, because most everything else is fucking awesome.
One: except for a few oversights, the sculpting on the figure is great. The head in particular is superb. He’s got that grumpy old man look down pat. It’s such a great look for the character, and an immense improvement on the odd anatomy of the early Liefeld designs. I wish that the marvel movie figures had this much character in their expression (I’m looking at you, 6” movie Thor!)
His body is nice, too. He’s obviously muscular, while not being muscle-bound. One of the other great things about the way the figure is made is that all the straps and accoutrements of his costume are separate pieces. Like Juggernaut, the body looks to be made for possible re-purposing down the line. Remove his harness, the holster, the knee pads, the belt, and replace his arms and head and you've got a generic male body that stands slightly taller than the other figures in the line.
Speaking of that, he is slightly taller than the rest, but it's not really in scale. I think Cable's pushing 7' from what I remember and this one isn't that big. If he was, he'd tower above the figures like Juggernaut as well as Wolverine. For me, as long as he's slightly taller than my Jim Lee Cyclops, I'm good.
The spear is probably my favorite weapon. It's taller than he is and looks like something he fashioned from stuff lying around in some future past. It also reminds me of the Books of Askani or The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix.
But this also brings me to a sore point in the way he's made. I can't understand the fact that this is an entirely new figure, yet his hands aren't made to hold his weapons. If you want him to use this spear, you need to have him hold it two handed or rest it's butt on the ground. His grip is far too loose to hold on.
Neither can he hold the other weapons he comes with perfectly. As far as I know, these are both new guns that haven't come with any other figure, but they're sculpted in such a way that he still looks a bit awkward holding them: like his eye line wouldn't line up correctly. This is mainly due to the way his hands are posed, like c-clamps sticking out from his forearm.
I really wish Hasbro would start some cross pollination between their teams and get their G.I. Joe folks to school their Marvel Universe people on how an action figure should hold a gun.
Ultimately, though, it's a small thing. The fact that the guns can be stored on his person gives me enough of the happies to allow me to overlook that hiccup in the toys design. The pistol goes into the working holster on his thigh and the rifle plugs into a small, oddly-shaped peg on the back of his harness. You can also slide the spear into those straps if you want so he can walk around hands-free.
Articulation is just as good here as in the Jim Lee Cyclops. He's got a swivel-hinge neck, swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinge elbows, swivel wrists, a swivel-hinge mid-torso joint, a swivel waist, ball-jointed hips (similar to the G.I. Joe hip construction), swivel thigh joints, double-hinged knees, swivels at his boot tops, and an off-set swivel-hinge ankle.
Damn.
It's actually a little too much articulation as I could have done with out the boot tops and the waist joint. He can get a little finicky during posing because of the overabundance of joints, but damned if it doesn't look great.
Personally, I wanted to give him some Liefeld-esque weapons so I bought a few of the Astroboy Metro City Soldiers from the Jazware line a few years ago and ganked their guns. Perfect fit!
Honestly, I couldn't have been happier with Wave 13 of the Marvel Universe line. I got the Jim Lee Cyclops, Gladiator, Apocalypse, a Wolverine that wasn't half bad, plus this figure. I think it will be a long time before I run into a set of figures that was this good.
If you find this figure for anything near it's suggested retail price (Php 500 or about $11.50 US) here in the Philippines, I'd suggest you pick it up. Even if you end up not liking it, chances are you can still sell it at a profit.
Speaking of that, he is slightly taller than the rest, but it's not really in scale. I think Cable's pushing 7' from what I remember and this one isn't that big. If he was, he'd tower above the figures like Juggernaut as well as Wolverine. For me, as long as he's slightly taller than my Jim Lee Cyclops, I'm good.
The spear is probably my favorite weapon. It's taller than he is and looks like something he fashioned from stuff lying around in some future past. It also reminds me of the Books of Askani or The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix.
But this also brings me to a sore point in the way he's made. I can't understand the fact that this is an entirely new figure, yet his hands aren't made to hold his weapons. If you want him to use this spear, you need to have him hold it two handed or rest it's butt on the ground. His grip is far too loose to hold on.
Neither can he hold the other weapons he comes with perfectly. As far as I know, these are both new guns that haven't come with any other figure, but they're sculpted in such a way that he still looks a bit awkward holding them: like his eye line wouldn't line up correctly. This is mainly due to the way his hands are posed, like c-clamps sticking out from his forearm.
I really wish Hasbro would start some cross pollination between their teams and get their G.I. Joe folks to school their Marvel Universe people on how an action figure should hold a gun.
Ultimately, though, it's a small thing. The fact that the guns can be stored on his person gives me enough of the happies to allow me to overlook that hiccup in the toys design. The pistol goes into the working holster on his thigh and the rifle plugs into a small, oddly-shaped peg on the back of his harness. You can also slide the spear into those straps if you want so he can walk around hands-free.
Articulation is just as good here as in the Jim Lee Cyclops. He's got a swivel-hinge neck, swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinge elbows, swivel wrists, a swivel-hinge mid-torso joint, a swivel waist, ball-jointed hips (similar to the G.I. Joe hip construction), swivel thigh joints, double-hinged knees, swivels at his boot tops, and an off-set swivel-hinge ankle.
Damn.
It's actually a little too much articulation as I could have done with out the boot tops and the waist joint. He can get a little finicky during posing because of the overabundance of joints, but damned if it doesn't look great.
Personally, I wanted to give him some Liefeld-esque weapons so I bought a few of the Astroboy Metro City Soldiers from the Jazware line a few years ago and ganked their guns. Perfect fit!
Honestly, I couldn't have been happier with Wave 13 of the Marvel Universe line. I got the Jim Lee Cyclops, Gladiator, Apocalypse, a Wolverine that wasn't half bad, plus this figure. I think it will be a long time before I run into a set of figures that was this good.
If you find this figure for anything near it's suggested retail price (Php 500 or about $11.50 US) here in the Philippines, I'd suggest you pick it up. Even if you end up not liking it, chances are you can still sell it at a profit.
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