Cable & The X-Force #4 Review and Avengers Arena #4 Review by Randy Young
Cable & The X-Force #4 Review
We get a double helping of Dennis Hopeless this week, so I thought I’d review both books together. These are two books that I enjoy but they didn’t start off that way. I was greatly looking forward to Cable & X-Force and really hesitant with Avengers Arena. When they came out I enjoyed the latter much more than the former. However, with issue 4 of both books coming out this week, I really had a positive view of both books.
Cable & X-Force has suffered somewhat with Hopeless using a very decompressed storytelling. Some writers can do this well. Hopeless has some success but comes up short otherwise. This issue finally lets readers see what the “crime” is that Cable and his group commit that will lead them down the path of being wanted terrorists. This story could’ve been told in two issues but instead we had a jumbled mix of flashbacks and slow present day plots unfolding. While this was the best issue of the series so far, I’m still left scratching my head as to some of the finer details of this issue. When/how/where did Domino deal with the trucks that I thought had left the factory? How did Dr. Nemesis get his hat back that he was complaining about losing? Why does Cable call Forge Scratch? These were minor details that really didn’t detract from the story so I wasn’t really that annoyed by these questions. What isn’t winning me over with the story is Salvador Larroca’s art. I was briefly able to tolerate it in Invincible Iron Man, but it just isn’t working for me on this title. Now that we have the setup out of the way, I’m hoping this title kicks into high gear and we get to see where Cable and his X-Force can possibly go from here.
Avengers Arena #4 Review
Hopeless’s other book out this week was Avengers Arena. This book has been fun from the beginning. This issue is also the first book that doesn’t use tons of flashback to tell the story and I’m happy to see that. Hopeless writes the younger characters well. The feelings of these characters in the situation they are facing seem very real. The issue focuses on the Runaways and students from the Avengers Academy. I liked the idea that these kids would form a group and look out for each other but Hopeless had other ideas and they are intriguing. The last few pages are a shocker sure to upset some and make others happy. The real star of this issue though was Alessandro Vitti’s art (previously seen in Secret Warriors). His style and storytelling made this issue. I like the mystery of this unseen attacker but feel they might be too powerful to have taken out the characters they have as easily as they have. While I have that little nagging thought, it doesn’t take away from me eagerly wanting to read the next issue.
I highly recommend you check these books out, Avengers Arena in particular. You can’t go wrong with either one.
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