Cable, Vol. 4: Homecoming

Cable (2008)

by Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Illustrator), Lan Medina (Illustrator)

From the moment Cable jumped into the time stream with the infant "mutant messiah," he's had only one goal: keep Hope alive until she can choose her own destiny. But now, stranded on a planet in its death throes, eating fried rat on a stick for the millionth time, Hope turns to Cable and tells him she's ready to go home.
Thus begins Homecoming, the penultimate chapter in the X-Men saga that began with Messiah CompleX. It's not only zero hour for Cable and Hope, but also for the mutant hunting them, Lucas Bishop, who is rapidly running out of chances to save mutantkind and the world. Because if Hope does make it back to the present, everything changes for the X-Men.

Collecting: Cable 21-25

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Fiction, Superheroes, Comic Book

184 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 2010

About the author

Duane Swierczynski is an American crime writer who has written a number of non-fiction books, novels and also writes for comic books.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only do we get a very captivating and intriguing return to Earth and a culmination of Bishop's pursuit of Cable and Hope, we get a rare, very funny and on-point portrayal of Deadpool! For me, one of the best Cable runs of all-time! An 8 out of 12 fearsome Four Star jam!

2018 read

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

AAAHHHH!!! ARRRGGGHHH! MY EYES! MY EYES!

Sorry about that; the Rob Liefeld artwork in the back of this book took me by surprise... ugh...

The creative team are really trying to ramp up the tension of the will they/won't they get back to their own time angle in this volume but a lot of it feels more like killing time (pun intended) as Cable and Hope give Bishop the runaround through the timestream for four more issues. There's never any real doubt about the ultimate outcome, unfortunately.

The Deadpool & Cable issue that's tacked on the end of the main story was quite funny, though.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was dragging its feet by the end.

It's not even that the series is ever bad. It just feels like we're doing the same thing over and over again. It also doesn't help that Bishop is boring. He never gets the job done, of course, but he barely ever even comes close. He never feels like a threat. He's just kind of a shitty antagonist by the end. On top of that the story is recycled every volume.

Saying that the art is decent enough and the relationship with Cable and Hope is pretty great. The dad-daughter relationship works really well and you always feel that they truly care about each other throughout the series.

I just wish the series was better in the end but for Cable fans it is worth checking out. A great start, meh ending. A 2.5 out of 5.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cable, Hope, and Bishop finally crash land on Earth, then proceed to incrementally jump through time (and fight) until... well, I guess until it just ends? Bishop is defeated and Hope says "let's go see the X-Men." Cue: Second Coming. This Cable series was whole lot of nothing.

The best part of this volume was probably the one-shot Deadpool crossover that shows how Deadpool helped Cable when he was initially saving Hope from Alaska. Modestly humorous and 1000 times better art.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun, a few interesting twists, but this whole run of Cable feels like filler, meant to stretch out the storyline while the A-list X-Men writers geared up for the Second Coming storyline. Very little of this feels like meaningful work, or particularly insightful into the characters - nor does it advance the development of the characters in any emotionally moving way. It's like watching a few episodes of one of the Stargate series: fluffy, entertaining while it's on, completely forgettable after it's over. Compare that to a few episodes of Fringe or Firefly, where you know you participated in something *big*.

Deadpool issue was Deadpool-snarky-break-the-fourth-wall big fun as is true for every (decent) Deadpool story ever written.

Steve Dillon mini-stories were superfluous.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The finale of the great Cable solo book!

Picking up right where the last volume left off, Hope and Cable are heading to Earth, still being chased by the blood thirsty Bishop.

There's not much you can say in a review at this point that hasn't been said for all the other volumes. Solid writing and great fight scenes. Some reviewers have said that at this point Bishop chasing Hope and Cable had run it's course, but I didn't feel that reading this or any of the volumes.

What's so great about this series overall is how much variety you get. One volume is in space, another in the apocalyptical future. This volume shows points in time from the past even. Having all this variety constantly kept things fresh.

Like I said earlier, this book keeps up the solid writing. One of the complaints I had about the previous volume was the lack of interaction between Cable and Hope, as well as the weird narration format. This book rectified both those issues, returning to inner monologue and having the entire story focused on Cable and Hope.

There are so many great moments between the characters, especially the ending. I'm so glad I picked up this series despite my skepticism. Cable will definitely be one of my favourite characters going forward, same with Hope.

A great end to a great series!

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of the same as the rest of the series. Bishop is still chasing Cable and Hope around. The writers seemed to have some trouble with their math, though, because if you follow the series from the beginning, Hope should be about 13-15 but for some reason they really stress that she is 17 now. This was a pretty fun ride, but I am glad to see it over (maybe because I read all 25 issues in one sitting....). It's a 3 or 3.5 for me, but I gave it a four because the ending was heartfelt and sweet.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection treads water as Cable and Hope have to stay running around the future until the big crossover when they return. Unfortunately, rather than expand the cast, or add any truly interesting twists, the story gets very cyclical. It doesn't help that there is no real threat, since it was apparent from the beginning of the series that the two major characters would have to get back to the main universe at some point.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been nice for a strong close to what has been a slightly above average series but unfortunately, the ending fell a bit flat for me. Jumping around in time by this time has lost its novelty and while there are a lot of different time settings, nothing particularly interesting is done with them. And oh yeah, Bishop is still here doing the same Bishop stuff as he has done all series. His ending in this story is certainly the most satisfying part of it all. The art is inconsistent and a bit sketchier than the previous artists. Unfortunately, it was the weakest in the whole series which lends a rushed feel to this last volume. This isn't the ending I was hoping for but I do appreciate Cable as a character more which is what I hoped to get from reading this series so it was worth the time.

[boofykins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was it. I read Second Coming on a whim several months ago and was blown away. I decided to read every X-Title back from Messiah Complex all the way up to Second Coming again. I feel so informed on everything now, especially Cable and Hope and the whole Bishop story and I’m looking forward to reading Second Coming again. I haven’t had this much fun reading comics in YEARS. This was it. The penultimate culmination. Here’s to the second coming of Second Coming!

[Michael T. Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid conclusion to the Cable/Hope/Bishop story - unlike every other installment that locks the characters down in one or two time periods, this one has them skipping through time. While I wish a bit more could be explored in that regard, it's still a fun backdrop for the final fight.

Also, the Deadpool/Cable team-up story is great, and Swierczynski does an excellent job capturing the voice(s) Deadpool has in the Daniel Way comics.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still continuing my great x-read of 2017/2018 and I am WAY behind on reviews due to a move and limited down time. I will be updating everything I have read in the meantime with tiny (or nonexistent) reviews so I can catch up again...

Somehow I read this one *really* out of continuity order. Oops. Still good. Feels a bit sad knowing what happened in Second Coming.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

And we finally reach the inevitable and at times drawn out conclusion, time hopping alone the way. I was starting to get worn out just reading the pursuit, and that art shifted quite a lot, clearly this book wasn't a priority for the office, but it did provide backstory to Cable and his daughter's troubled mission. Onto Second Coming!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of Cable but I'm reading his line to diversify a little. This section was enjoyable and interesting.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing Hope use her powers for the first time was great. Even though I've read it before, I still wanted to cheer for her.

[Judith Groen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am kinda dissappointed in this one... It feels like a filler and the same thing happened over and over again. I enjoyed the first 2 volumes a lot, but the last two were a bore and very repetitive.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

So boring.

[vk chompooming · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story of a teenage Hope as she leaves the time stream and returns to her rightful timeline to go head-to-head with the current mutant menace and to take her place in the annals of the X-Men.

[Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great conclusion to the amazing Cable run. Nice introduction to Deadpool for me also (the past issue here and messiah war)
4 stars

[Fazun · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

It ends better than it started but this book was never great.

[Elh R' · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I love and hate this series. I love it because the atmosphere, the post-apocalyptic future, the art, the progression in the characters, specially Hope, is amazing. I hate it because it's mostly every time the same : time slidding, Bishop trying to chase Cable and Hope, Cable and Hope running, getting away, and Bishop trying to chase them again. So, it get a bit of repetitive, buuuut it somehow maintains the tension.

The art is a different topic. It start being super amazing, very realistic graphics, and goes in a progression to the worst. Actually, the #24 is plain awful, I completely disliked the art, it's a Big minus. Meanwhile, the #1 in the vol. 1 and all the first numbers the art is amazing.

I did like to give it a 3,5 stars, it's a good story, with the Messiah War and all, but it can become repetitive, and the art goes in a downward spiral from super-amazing to ultra-awful.

[Lissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but this is one of the least interesting series I've ever read. I liked the premise at first, mainly because I love the character of Cable and wanted to see more of him, but this was just blah. Every issue, there are bad guys after them (including, but not limited to, Bishop), and then they jump ahead to get away. And so what happens with the last few issues of this series? There are bad guys after them (including, but not limited to, Bishop), and they they jump to get away. Argh.

The only "good" thing about this trade was the Deadpool issue (#25), when Deadpool and Cable are finally reunited. Sure, it didn't have the flair and general awesomeness that Fabian Nicieza's series had, but it was decent enough.

Other than that, PASS. If you've read Cable up until this point, it's just more of the same.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5.

Ultimately, Swierczynski's Cable series has a lot in common with the Terminator movies. Unfortunately, it's not just plot points but also quality: the first two are really good, but the next two are pretty forgettable. This volume has some good moments, but the artwork is wildly inconsistent, changing every few pages in some cases. Plotwise, it's really just more of the same. There is a nice Issue 25, which does a little between-the-panels retcon with Deadpool, but other than that, this book just pretty much does exactly what the rest of the books have done. But it does bring it to an end, so I guess we can move on to the next thing.

[zxvasdf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bishop is relentless. Hope is antsy. Cable is determined.

Time is a battlefield as the three dance across eras in a protracted combat. Creative in terms of using the environment between different time eras as weapons. Hope finally gets to meet her destiny.

Then there is a short bit of comedic relief in which Deadpool and Cable babysit Hope just after Cable has rescued her from the hospital.

There is also a suggestion that Deadpool might be a hermaphrodite: he sports a camel toe in the page in which he goes out to purchase diapers.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bleak and depressing, this is almost a conclusion to the Cable stories. It turns out that living in the future isn't just sad, it's a bit boring as well. I hoped for some conclusion to the conflict with Bishop. But instead of killing him, his fate is left open-ended, so that he can show up again and provide conflict. I felt that this fight between Cable and Bishop was beaten to death (so to speak) over the 25 issues of this comic, but obviously the Marvel writers don't agree.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are good bits - the end story out of order with Hope and Cable just interacting. There are bad bits - pretty much if Deadpool is around, it is a bad bit - though it's actually pretty good for a story with Deadpool. But the rest of it is just okay - which for this series unfortunately means a kind of pointless duel between Cable and Bishop. And the end isn't even an end. Sigh. And they clearly can't keep track of how to draw Hope either.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I am a Cable fan and this book had some good points like when Cable has a borrowed time travel device that isn't exact so keeps bouncing back and forth between the future and the past as he gets closer to his destination. At the same time Bishop is being dragged back and forth with him and they are fighting throughout the different periods.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this whole series. I wish there would have been a little less Bishop in this volume though; half of the volume seemed to just be pages of them all time sliding and Bishop still right behind them.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Individual issues on marvel unlimited