Joe Casey Comics: Cable #66

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's run on Cable. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

The biggest flaw with this comic is that the cover does not include a quote that Blaquesmith says in the issue as the primary text:

FOR THE WORLD TO LIVE... NEW YORK CITY MUST PERISH!

Putting that on the cover would have made this issue.

Nonetheless, this is a good issue, kicking off the three-part "Sign of the End Times: Total Chaos in Three Parts" where Apocalypse's Harbinger returns to destroy New York with only Cable and some Avengers standing in his way.

The Harbinger is a really interesting villain as his power is his ability to evolve to any attack, situation or environment. Put simply, he can't be defeated. That really builds the tension in the first two issues of this story because you have no idea how he's going to be taken down. That will cause some problems in the third part, but, for now, it makes for some great comics.

One of the big elements of this story (the entire arc) is Cable and Stacey's relationship as she deals with the knowledge that he could be out dying right now--and he doesn't think about her at all because he's got a job to do. Stacey is someone Casey comes back to again and again in this arc to hammer home the consequences of Cable's attempts to create life for himself.

There's also the continuing tension between destiny and free will as Ozymandis shows Blaquesmith the prophecy that says the only way to stop Apocalypse is to allow New York to be destroyed. Of course, this being a superhero comics, no dice, Ancient Egyptian King.

The Avengers (in this case, Captain America, Iron Man, Wonder Man and Vision) only appear at the end of the issue, but, again, work with Cable's larger goal of integrating Cable into the Marvel universe.

Next issue, things get worse and my favourite Avenger shows up.