Cable gets his a solo book again.
This first arc is both very important and also very well done. It picks up right from where we last saw Cable, at the end of the Messiah Complex with a baby strapped to his chest. With Cyclops’ help, he has traveled to the future to help protect the child until she can grow up and become the mutant messiah.
Cable is back in the dystopian wreckage of future New York City. I know, I know, it’s time travel which is usually confusing and annoying, but give it a sec. It’s good.
Cable gets attacked by Bishop. Note that this is the same Bishop that we all know–he tracked Cable through the timeline after he lost his arm (and got a metal one from Forge) in the aftermath of the last big X-event.
Apparently the process made his arms ridiculously large.
They fight a bit until the local “Turnpike Authority” show up and knock Bishop out. Apparently, their job is to arrest mutants. Cable takes the opportunity to escape. On the run, he meets the future version of Cannonball…
Everyone has big guns in this version of the future. (And just in case you’re concerned: I’m tagging this as a Cannonball appearance even though this is an alternate future version, i.e., a not-canon Cannonball. I’m tagging because this future vision fits in with past stories that have suggested Cannonball has a prominent place in the future, alongside Cable and the messiah)
There’s more fighting when Bishop finds them. Then there’s some largely irrelevant (but fun to read) stuff about this future timeline before Cable jumps even farther into the future to try to get away from Bishop.
This story is largely written in the style of a Punisher comic–complete with Ariel Olivetti on art. It’s a bit out-of-character for Cable to be running away so much. He’s usually a stand-and-fight badass. The need to protect the baby is an explanation, but, at least for me, not a super-convincing one. So Cable’s personality isn’t as well-crafted as I’d like, but the plot points are really good and the pacing is excellent.