Marvel NOW! Hopeless & Larocca Send CABLE & X-FORCE On the Run

Last week we ran a teaser labeled “Wanted”, promising a new ongoing from Dennis Hopeless and Salvador Larocca. One of you, quite astutely, suggested a concept involving a pairing of the black ops X-Force team with frequent fugitive Cable. As the context clue of ‘astutely’ from that last sentence suggests, that is just the scenario Marvel NOW! has planned for December.

Let’s assemble some slightly unusual suspects for Cable & X-Force, as announced on CBR this morning.

Exciting a prospect as an X-Force/Weekend at Bernie’s 2 mash-up might be, Cable will actually be emerging from his current coma in time for December’s debut. But he’ll hardly have a chance to rub the sleep from his eyes before he, Colossus, Domino, Forge and Doctor Nemesis end up on the run.

“Mad Max meets Steve McQueen as played by the T2 Terminator: That’s my take on Cable,” explains Hopeless. His model for the team is a classic bank robbing crew, replete with experts in individual aspects of field operations. They’re not a family and they’re constantly at odds with the laws. Hopeless also promises to explore Cable’s recent history, specifically his role as surrogate father to the mutant messiah Hope.

Crank up the Bon Jovi. Cable & X-Force are wanted commodities come December.

Comments

  1. Not digging Dr. Nemesis’s look, but this sounds pretty awesome. Definitely a team I would like to read. Not sure about the creative team, though. I’ve never read a Hopeless book or liked a Larocca one.

  2. thats my shit. hopeless is a new voice and larrocca art is always awesome

  3. I thought Forge was dead. When did that get reversed?

    • I’m not sure it did. I thought he became some kind of monster thing in one of Warren Ellis’ Astonishing X-Men arcs, but those always seemed “iffy” continuity-wise.

      I’m just glad he’ll be back. He feels like a character that’s never been used to his full potential. Being the “gear” guy on what is basically a heist team sounds like a great opportunity to fix that.

      I don’t care for the redesign on Dr. Nemesis, but I know better than to trust covers and promo art 100%, so it’s not a dealbreaker.

      As long as that $2.99 price point in the cover image is accurate, I’m totally on board with this.

  4. I’m gonna miss Uncanny X-Force.

  5. Am I the only one who thinks Cable’s arm looks heavy as hell. Then again one of his superpowers is the ability to lug around huge objects (usually monstrous guns)

  6. This lower tier Marvel books are losing me completely. It’s like the DCNu stuff where they announced Defalco and Liefield.

  7. Yeah, if this is really $2.99 and only once a month I might be onboard with this. I remember reading the Cable X-Force series in the ’90s and really liked it. There was a funny crossover with Spider-Man that involved the Juggernaut I remember, Lol. I’ve been pretty much out of touch as to what has been going on since the ’90s though. But I’m guessing they will catch me up.

    • I have to say too, does Domino look like a bad ass on that cover or what? Awesome.

    • Yeah, I’m all over anything with Domino in it, so this is a goer for me. I also like Forge, Cable and Dr Nemesis so I am set. Nearly ruined by Colossus, but I’m sure I will manage! Not familiar with Hopeless, but like Larocca’s lines, if not the way he has been coloured recently.

  8. I liked the Legion of Monsters mini that Hopeless wrote, so I’ll give this a whirl.

  9. Wish Warpath was on the team, but looks cool. So far this All New X-men and Deadpool are the only ones I might checkout.

  10. Good luck to this new team they have a hell of a run to follow. Ill give this a shot but man its gonna be hard to top Remender.

    • Do you feel like it has to try and top Remender’s Uncanny X-Force? Other than the X-Force name in the title, this sounds like an ENTIRELY different book.

    • Kinda comes with the territory, Remenders run is being hailed allready as one of the best X runs in a long time. While the premise and characters are different as long as its got that X force logo slapped on top it then naturally it will be comapared to the previous run.

    • I feel like Remender’s run gave X-Force some cache as a title for the first time in a while, to go from that to “mad max, steve mcqueen, T2” just kind of leaves me cold.

      and Larocca does not help. that may be just me though.

  11. Sooo….does this mean that Colossus has been un-Cyttorak’ed?

  12. Yeah, that is like all my favorite characters. I’m all over this.

  13. yay i might find x-force to be fun again listen i understand Remender love but the book couldnt grab me, to honest i feel like people forgot that its Craig Kyle Christopher Yost that started this black-ops team and put them where they were and it was fun but dark at the same time

    • I totally agree with you on this. Remender’s run is good and I have enjoyed it but I don’t think it’s great. I feel his run has been more hype then anything. And Kyle & Yost did start this version of X-force first. Remender just picked it up from them. I do think their run is better.

  14. That song has a horn in it!

  15. I thought Hope ripped the virus out of Cable in some issue in the past 5 months.

    • yup she did. his arm was never flesh since first being infected so Forge may of built him a new one. Plus hes wearing an eyepatch which is covering what was his techno organic eye.

  16. Farewell, Uncanny X-Force. I’m really gonna miss you. 😐

  17. anyone think Cable’s costume looks a bit like the mystery shadowy figure on this cover:
    http://i.newsarama.com/images/Avengers-1-Cap-Cover.jpg
    ?

    • I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Hickman said that it’s Eden Fesi (from Secret Warriors) on that Avengers cover.

      And given Dennis Hopeless’ plans for Cable and X-Force… I don’t think any of them will be joining the Avengers any time soon. 😉

  18. Dennis Hopeless’s “X-Men: Season One” was good, even if it didn’t reinvent the wheel. It’s nice that this is how you get new voices into a business filled with a lot of old guards.

  19. They should’ve put Hopeless on Generation Hope! Obviously, if I was in charge I’d make decisions based on possible wordplay…

  20. No interest in this…

    So far I’m dropping down to Indestructible Hulk, Uncanny Avengers, and Deadpool only.

  21. I don’t know why people are saying goodbye to Uncanny X-Force. There’s clearly going to be multiple X-Force titles, I think it’s been alluded to by Alonso and CA suggested as much in their writeup of this.

    • Because Uncanny X force is over after the current arc according to Remender. There is no allusion to multiple X force titles in this write up. Uncanny X force is morphing into Cable & X Force.Regardless of the number of X Force title, I believe people are really saying goodbye to Remender. His run on this series is already classic. It’s arguably one of the best X stories told in the last decade.

  22. They should give Dr. Nemesis his hat back, and then drop cable, domino, colossus and forge from the book. Then you’d have the greatest book ever, hands down. The doctor is in.

  23. What is up with Cable’s arm? Is there a plot-driven reason it extends past his knee? Or this just poor anatomy? Because it looks absurd.

    I like a lot of the characters on this team, so I may give it a shot. It depends on the remaining NOW! annoucements.

  24. So, can we start a pool on which Hollywood actors Larocca’s gonna use for these guys?

    • Well if Hopeless has any say in the matter, I’m guessing Cable will be an amalgam between Steve McQueen, Mel Gibson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In other words, the ugliest mutant ever.

  25. I don’t care for Cable but I love Forge, Colossus, and Dr. Nemesis so I guess I have to check it out.

  26. Hmmm… not a bad creative team, and the character choices aren’t bad. Hopeless has big shoes to fill, and frankly, I don’t think it’s worth the time. With everything else coming out, spending money on this isn’t really an option. After coming down from Uncanny, it seems like just another X-Force book. Never did like X-Force, mostly due to its cynical attitude and tendencies towards ultra-violence for the sake of it, which this is probably going to be. I’m just gonna end up boycotting anything with Cable in it. I know he’s improved as a character, but I look at him and his design and just want to puke. Just so 90s. And X-Force is just so 90s (aside from Uncanny and X-Statix).

  27. I’m down for another Cable book but those uniforms…..could be some of the worst team uniforms I’ve ever seen. Those colors just don’t work for me.

    Plus Larocca as artist is just not appealing for me. His work isn’t as appalling as Greg Land but he’s a damn close second for being the worst artist Marvel has.

  28. Really wish the X-men bleeding into the Avengers went both ways. I’d love to see someone like Wonder Man, Moon Knight or Black Knight on this team.

  29. This actually does look very cool to me, I’m on board.

    That said, from an interview I just read, couple things could go awray. Having The Uncanny Avengers as foes, I mean bottom line… then having skimishes with Captain America etc is just more AvX boringness that means nothing. It’s fun that they’re renegades, like Lorenzo Lamas, but actually having them fight Avengers more is just…. eh. Hopefully the book doesn’t focus too much on that.

    Also, having to follow continuity of that wacky X-Santion thing heh, but yeah potential for good stuff here. If the book is allowed to do it’s own thing. Darn Avengers.

  30. Does Colossus have something on his forehead?
    Think he’s going to be lobotomised like the unknown guy in the uncanny avengers preview?

  31. Not interested in this, I gotta say.

    Oh well, saves me some moolah!

  32. Dr. Nemesis’ new look could be very painful… For you!

    All I can think of when I see that line up is that he looks like movie Bain, but with a big mop of a wig on his bald head. And why does Marvel want to grind poor Collosus down so badly? First they turn him into Juggernaut, then they break up his relationship with Kitty, then he becomes a sociopathic Phoenix drone who attacks his own beloved sister (after sadistcally torturing Spider-Man no less!), and now he’s a fugitive from the law, forced to hang out with a team of misfits! So sad.

  33. I hate to shoot a title down without even trying it but everything about this sounds bad…its sad because X-Force was so amazing. Marvel Now! seems to be killing all the titles I love, I think if they cancel Wolverine and the X-Men I’ll be down to 0 marvel titles (and that’s from 8). At least DC finally gave me a few titles to be interested in…

  34. Ugh, looks like this is going to be $3.99 per issue and double shipping according to the December solicits. I think that’s going to have to eliminate me.

    • Yeah, me too. Not because of the double shipping as much as the $3.99 for 20 story pages. It’s just not a price-to-page ratio I want to support unless I well and truly can’t help myself (All-New X-Men, WATXM, Uncanny Avengers).

      Not that anyone would ever tell us, but I’m really curious what the process is for selecting a price point on a certain book. I’d think having an up and coming (but not well-known) writer like Dennis Hopeless on the book would pull this to $2.99 (so folks take a chance an unknown quantity), but maybe I’m underestimating the popularity of Larocca and/or Cable as a lead character.

    • Yeah, I would like to know that too. I’m currently getting Hawkeye, Daredevil and Scarlet Spider from Marvel, all $2.99 books. And I know Daredevil and Hawkeye are selling really well. So why are they $2.99, not sure. I just don’t like that they force us to buy a paper copy and a digital copy so we are forced to pay $3.99. Why can’t they do combo packs like DC does for $3.99? And still offer the paper version for $2.99. Yeah, I will still be getting All-New X-men and Uncanny Avengers also. At least UA is only once a month. I’m still going to try and squeeze in CATXF if I can, it sounds really cool. Maybe I can talk my Wife into giving me a raise in my comic book allowance. 😉