Nathan Summers The Askani’son: Cable Appreciation Thread 2022

[cable guy]

Custom early 90s (X-Tinction Agenda era) Cable that I had commissioned…

Attachment 126512 Attachment 126513 Attachment 126514

I think he came out pretty awesome! That big boi Warpath not included.

He's really awesome!

[Tobei Miyake]

I believe this take on Nathan Summers was largely rejected by the readers, but I absolutely loved it.

David Tischman and Igor Kordey started it with CABLE #97, and Darko Macan and Igor Kordey continued that interpretation with SOLDIER X.



Here's what David Tischman wrote in the letter page of CABLE #97:

Cable reads the newspaper every day. He watches the news. He knows the real threat to the future doesn't come from super-villains. If there's going to be an apocalypse, it's more than likely going to start in some obscure corner of the planet, where racial, social or religious issues push world leaders onto opposite sides. And all the super heroes in the world won't be able to stop it.

So Cable's making changes. Because he knows he's right.

Peru. Macedonia. China. Ireland. Palestine. Cable's going to be there.

But ending today's threat doesn't stop tomorrow's problem. Cable's smart enough to know that, too. The situation still exists. So he's leaving something behind.

The teachings of the Askani -- the philosophy that helped him survive the future -- a way to be proactive and live your life in ways that push your potential.

He's teaching this philosophy to the people he meets. As their numbers grow -- in pockets around the world -- that's when he'll start to see real change. Only then can he be sure that the future's safe.

His name is Nathan Summers -- the man called Cable. A link from the past to the future. He believes in himself and in his mission. Cable's ready to do something about it.

Are you?

-David Tischman, 2001

CABLE is going to become much more of a real world, geo-political book. Cable is a guy who believes that the war between man and mutant has already begun and that only he can stop it. To that end, he's going to be traveling around the globe, inserting himself into current political hotspots, and forcing himself into those conflicts. I think this book is different than most books on the market right now.

We will be using politics as a backdrop, but good stories are always good stories, wherever they take place. I think that this is just an aspect of Cable that has not yet been explored.

When you strip everything away, the only thing Cable knows how to do is be a soldier. He believes in his principles, he has seen the bad side of the future, and he's desperately trying to make sure that doesn't happen. He's a solider who has made the decision that he needs to be proactive. He makes his own rules, and this is a book where the ends justify the means.

-David Tischman, 2001

I've been a news junkie since the Tiananmen Square protests in China in '89, so a real world, geo-political X-Book was right on point.

This also came out around 9/11, so it was very of it's time.

Again, I don't think this take was that popular, but I loved it. And this take specifically ranks Nathan Summers into my top three favorite X-Men.

1. Professor X; the HOUSE OF X version
2. Ororo Munroe; the UNCANNY X-MEN #186 version
3. Nathan Summers; the SOLDIER X version

If there were to ever be a Disney+ "Soldier X" show, I would probably faint.

EDIT:

Rounding out my top five favorite X-Men:

Rachel Summers; the UNCANNY X-MEN #188 version at number #4, and Quentin Quire (RIP?) at number #5.

[Jackraow21]

You know, I didn't love the take on Nathan's character at the time, but since then have bought the oversized hardcover and re-read it a couple of times and now it ranks up there with the Casey/Ladronn run on Cable as some of the most defining work in his history IMO. It really hit home with its more grounded, gritty take on a time-displaced soldier who is looking for new purpose now that his primary mission since birth is over. And it still had plenty of sci-fi in it, but it was just more of a real world political thriller at the same time. Even the art, which I did not appreciate at the time (similar to Ladronn's), is superb when viewed through the lens of my adult eyes.

I'd love to see a modernized take on this by a talented creative team, perhaps when the Askani'son returns to Earth from his time in outer space and on the red planet. The geopolitical landscape of the Krakoan era would be fascinating to explore in a book like this too, making Cable kind of a one-man force for good in a world that hates and fears him... or something like that.

And, yeah, a Disney+ "Soldier X" show would be great IMO. Not sure that name will stick for the character, as it's too generic and he's gone by Cable for too long. But I think if it was just the name of the show, and it pertained to the SHIELD file on him or something like that it would work. Going back to his first appearance in this era and some of the mysterious $#!t he and his Six Pack band of mercenaries got up to, and then how he became at one point even a wanted terrorist. Stuff like that would be awesome to explore. And just imagine Josh Brolin being the lead too!

[Uncanny X-Man]

I'm loving this Cable by Kenneth Rocafort.



https://twitter.com/Mitografia/statu...WoAcK5dn78NZ5A

[Uncanny X-Man]

You know, I didn't love the take on Nathan's character at the time, but since then have bought the oversized hardcover and re-read it a couple of times and now it ranks up there with the Casey/Ladronn run on Cable as some of the most defining work in his history IMO. It really hit home with its more grounded, gritty take on a time-displaced soldier who is looking for new purpose now that his primary mission since birth is over. And it still had plenty of sci-fi in it, but it was just more of a real world political thriller at the same time. Even the art, which I did not appreciate at the time (similar to Ladronn's), is superb when viewed through the lens of my adult eyes.

I'd love to see a modernized take on this by a talented creative team, perhaps when the Askani'son returns to Earth from his time in outer space and on the red planet. The geopolitical landscape of the Krakoan era would be fascinating to explore in a book like this too, making Cable kind of a one-man force for good in a world that hates and fears him... or something like that.

And, yeah, a Disney+ "Soldier X" show would be great IMO. Not sure that name will stick for the character, as it's too generic and he's gone by Cable for too long. But I think if it was just the name of the show, and it pertained to the SHIELD file on him or something like that it would work. Going back to his first appearance in this era and some of the mysterious $#!t he and his Six Pack band of mercenaries got up to, and then how he became at one point even a wanted terrorist. Stuff like that would be awesome to explore. And just imagine Josh Brolin being the lead too!

I'm on exactly the same boat here, I didn't really enjoy Soldier X at the time it came out as I was growing increasingly annoyed at Joe Quesada's approach to strip the X-books of everything that made them successful up to that point and just go for the "realistic" and gritty approach. But reading it again years later I found myself enjoying it: the settings, the script, Nathan's characterisation, the excellent art by Igor Kordey doing his best work all worked well for me and made me wish we could have something similar with the Askani'son nowadays.

[cable guy]

I did not like Soldier X at the time either, but I never gave it a second chance. Maybe I'll have to.

[cable guy]

I'm loving this Cable by Kenneth Rocafort.



https://twitter.com/Mitografia/statu...WoAcK5dn78NZ5A

Pretty damn cool!

[markdienekes]

I'm on exactly the same boat here, I didn't really enjoy Soldier X at the time it came out as I was growing increasingly annoyed at Joe Quesada's approach to strip the X-books of everything that made them successful up to that point and just go for the "realistic" and gritty approach. But reading it again years later I found myself enjoying it: the settings, the script, Nathan's characterisation, the excellent art by Igor Kordey doing his best work all worked well for me and made me wish we could have something similar with the Askani'son nowadays.

David Tischman and Igor Kordey did good work with Cable, though I didn't think so particularly at the time, even wrote in a strongly worded letter about the title sounding like a low budget action movie (which they obviously used for the title of the one of the issues later (number 6 I believe), which I thought was hilarious. I think at the time I didn't like the change, but I grew to really like the art and the storylines. It is a pity they didn't get to do the whole story idea line they had planned for it. Igor's covers were spectacular.

[Jackraow21]

I'm loving this Cable by Kenneth Rocafort.



https://twitter.com/Mitografia/statu...WoAcK5dn78NZ5A

That is excellent. Wouldn’t mind seeing this guy pen a Cable monthly… perhaps a Soldier X redux?

Call it “Cable: Soldier X” and let’s make it a geopolitical thriller, but perhaps even spanning two worlds (Earth and Mars/Planet Arakko). It opens with Nathan as commander of S.W.O.R.D., after having defeated and deposed Abigail Brand for her treachery in X-men Red. So he’s dealing with Earth politics and agencies like NASA and the U.N., as well as space politics and the Great Ring of Arakko, and we open with G.W. Bridge and Nick Fury, Maria Hill and others doing a debrief for the President about who this Commander Nathan Summers is… detailing his murky history in this era, back when he was doing wetworks off-book stuff for the government as a mercenary and running with Six Pack, going through the rumors and stories they’ve heard of his upbringing in an apocalyptic future timeline that will never come to pass (thanks to his actions here in the present and defeating En Sabah Nur years ago), why they view him as dangerous and even getting into some history in terms of why he was branded a terrorist and hunted by Department K in the first place. Stuff like that would be fun.

Bring back Weapon P.R.I.M.E., which was a joint venture between Department K and SHIELD, and some old friends like Blaquesmith, Grizzly, Domino and Irene Merryweather. Give us some moments with Hope, his daughter, and maybe Bishop too showing that they’ve patched things up since the old Cable series that turned Lucas into a villain. Could be a really cool mini series or ongoing with the right creative team IMO.

I did not like Soldier X at the time either, but I never gave it a second chance. Maybe I'll have to.

I definitely think it’s worth a second chance. Upon re-reading it recently I really appreciated it more for what it tried to do with the character, making him a more serious and grounded player in the Marvel U.

[Tobei Miyake]

Yeah, Soldier X came to me because 1) I'm just into that kind of thing and love that kind of stuff anyway; the X-Men concept mixed with the real world. And 2) just trying to think of ways Kevin Feige is going to bring the X-Men into the MCU.

I'm thinking, will he bring them in like gangbusters, or kind of slowly bring them in.

If he goes gangbusters, then anything is on the table.

If he slowly brings them in though, then a Solider X kind of thing might work.

They can even grab the splash page from SOLDIER X #1 to promote it.

And bring in Nathan Summers and X-Men kind of ideas in kind of a stealth way.

Maybe do something like: "There's reports coming out of the Gaza Strip of some philosopher soldier spouting this "Askani" thing. He says he's a mutant, whatever that is, and that he's from the future and his name is Nathan Summers." And maybe Professor X overhears this and turns and looks at a young Scott Summers, and maybe Magneto learns of this too.

Solider X as a concept didn't really work in the comics, but the movie or MCU audience is a different audience. So it may have a chance there. And the movies will take parts of one thing and mix it with others, and add some of their own.

Kevin Feige will do what he wants to do though.

EDIT:

And this would be more of a Disney+ idea than something in a movie.

[K7P5V]

Bring back Weapon P.R.I.M.E., which was a joint venture between Department K and SHIELD, and some old friends like Blaquesmith, Grizzly, Domino and Irene Merryweather.

Agreed. It's been too long, but Irene Merryweather needs to be brought back (ASAP):

[cable guy]

Agreed. It's been too long, but Irene Merryweather needs to be brought back (ASAP):

I would love to see Irene come back to the pages of a Cable book.

But I think Deadpool actually killed her in the Despicable Deadpool run.

Obviously there are ways to bring her back either way.

[Jackraow21]

Made a custom ”Techno Viral Mastery Cable” from X-men Red…

9FF7AC67-EBDD-4607-BC75-A54A18D407E5.jpg 6C9B51FB-5A3F-44D1-BD33-8716E44A70DB.jpg

… complete with a substitute clawed hand…

6CFBC9EE-E0B3-4579-A4BB-04EE3B2A409D.jpg

… not too bad if I do say so myself.

[cable guy]

Made a custom ”Techno Viral Mastery Cable” from X-men Red…

9FF7AC67-EBDD-4607-BC75-A54A18D407E5.jpg 6C9B51FB-5A3F-44D1-BD33-8716E44A70DB.jpg

… complete with a substitute clawed hand…

6CFBC9EE-E0B3-4579-A4BB-04EE3B2A409D.jpg

… not too bad if I do say so myself.

Looks like the real deal! Great job man!

[jwatson]

What the what? I think cable fans may be a bit shocked by the last page of marauders# 9. and i don't know if it's by the book or what but amazon keeps switching between the views and maraduers is a perfect example of a platform butchering art that was alive on the page and text too.