Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
What’s better than two Cables? Two Cables written by comics’ most prolific Cable writer, Fabian Nicieza!
Next month, the X-Men launch their final battle against Orchis. But Nathan Summers may have his hands full with an entirely different threat — as well as his younger self — when Cable #1 kicks off January 17, 2024. Read on to learn what you can expect from an X-Men legend’s return to writing everybody’s favorite Askani’son, straight from Fabian himself!
Fabian Nicieza at New York Comic Con 2019
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Fabian! It’s been great to see you playing in the Krakoan sandbox off and on over the past few years. How did the chance to shepherd not one but two Cables through the end of this age in Cable come about?
Fabian Nicieza: The way things usually come about now for me when it comes to comic book work. I get a call from an editor, in this case the inimitable Krakoan Gardner, Jordan D. White, and he says something very simple and succinct. A few years ago, he said, “Juggernaut.” And I was like a Stormtrooper being manipulated by Obi-Wan. I said, “Yes.”
This time, he said, “Cable.” Now, my first instinct when I get the opportunity to write the old lug is to always say, “YES!” but in this case, I said, “You don’t want a retro-continuity past story, do you?”
Jordan said, “Nope, it’s set in the present continuity during the Fall of X!”
And I said, “But if it’s coming out in the winter, shouldn’t it be the Winter of X?”
And Jordan said, “That’s enough of that.”
And here we are.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: For Cable fans new and old, what’s your elevator pitch for this mini-series?
Fabian: What would you do if you had to ignore saving mutantkind now because you had to save mutants, humans, Inhumans — the entire species — from a greater threat decades in the future?
And what if you had to do that while dragging a teenage version of yourself along for the ride?
AIPT: Well, let’s talk about the dynamic between the two Nathans. X-Fan Ethan Small wanted to know what you think the similarities and differences between “Kid” and “Adult” Cable are. Ethan was also wondering if young Nate has changed or grown up at all since we last saw him in Gerry Duggan’s Cable series.
Fabian: I had no real knowledge of Young Nate when I was offered the book, Ethan. I knew there was a Young Nate, which didn’t thrill me much, and I knew Gerry and Phil Noto had done a series with him, but I hadn’t read it until I was prepping for this limited series.
From the very first issue though, Gerry and Phil hooked me on the younger version. I found him annoyingly adorable, completely relatable, and beneath the insecurity and the bluster, Young Nate had the necessary underlying DNA that ALL things Cable should have: a foundation of sadness and failure.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
I know, it doesn’t sound great, but they are the key ingredients to making Cable a great character who strives to be a great hero. There, I’m giving it away for all future writers to do a better job writing him than I do! Hah! I’m an idiot!
I think Young Nate is still nervous, sarcastic, insecure and he is also still reckless, adventurous, and bold, but when he is in the shadow of his adult self, it has to be a bit daunting. He views Cable the way all teenagers view adults with the impatience of someone trying to teach a dog how to program a remote control.
But the real interesting part for me is how much of a “there I will go but for the grace of me” is in Young Nate and how much it will hurt their mission if he doesn’t agree with Cable’s choices.
AIPT: X-Fan Jack Raow said you’ve written more Cable than anyone on the planet. What do you personally love about the character?
Fabian: First of all, let me slip Jack $5 for folding that true nugget into his question. I tend to point it out myself with no shortage of hubris, but I look better when the reader does it for me.
As for writing Nathan Dayspring Askani’son Gesundheit, what I love about him most is the perpetual spark of hope that drives him when so much of his life has been hopeless. The sheer will it takes for him to get up after he’s been knocked down, much less the effort it takes for him to make it through any given day, both physically and psychologically.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
I love his sense of humor, which is dry and casually arrogant.
I love his insecurity and how his loneliness fuels so much of what he does without him even realizing it.
I have written him a lot, so I have thought about him a lot, and in 35 years of doing this, he is still one of my favorite Marvel characters to write.
AIPT: In your mini-series, the Cables aren’t just dealing with Orchis but the Neocracy. What can you tell us about this new threat?
Fabian: The Neocracy is a threat that Cable has seen in multiple future timelines that he decides has to be nipped in the bud now. It is not even remotely a clear threat to our present, but he knows it could irrevocably alter the human race in the future.
AIPT: Grey Gargoyle in Cable #2 is certainly an unexpected adversary for the Cables. Should we expect any other surprise appearances — or perhaps characters from your past Cable stories — in this mini-series?
Fabian: Yes.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
I’m not giving you any more than that since the cliffhanger for #1 has been spoiled by the solicit for #2, BUT… I will say…
… as with the Juggernaut limited series – when I get to write long-established characters for more than a one-off issue or short story now, I always like to play with the fun toys in the Marvel sandbox. That means characters both known to the X-titles and mainstream Marvel Universe characters like the Grey Gargoyle.
And, of course, I also like to dig my own pet favorites out of the Fabian-verse where they’ve usually been buried under sand, so you’ll get a few of those, too. Including a character I hadn’t realized hasn’t been seen in a book since I last wrote them!
AIPT: It’s been fun to see you gushing over your artistic collaborators on social media with each new Cable preview image. What can you share about artist Scot Eaton and the rest of the creative team’s work on this mini-series?
Fabian: Well, I gush because it’s gush-worthy work! Lauren Amaro, who is too kind a human being to be an editor, but also, oddly, incredibly gleeful when it comes to reading scenes with body-horror in them, put together an A+ team.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics and ComicBook.com
Scot is just a crackling good, high-energy, expert storyteller, who knows how to draw big characters in high-action and small moments alike. He draws Cable with the necessary gravitas the character should have: age, burden, wisdom, sadness, all of that in one big shoulder-pad-wearing package.
Cam Smith has been a great inker for decades now, since he worked on X-Men over Andy Kubert when I was writing it! Victor Nava, who is sharing the inking load is someone I wasn’t familiar with, but his ink lines are strong and confident, adding to Scot’s pencils.
Javier Tartaglia – I’m not sure if he prefers to go by JavaT – is the rarity in today’s age of color art: he’s so good and smart about his choices that I can’t whine about how much I hate current color theory in comic books because his work shuts me up!
And rounding out the team is Virtual Calligraphy’s Joe Sabino, who has had the misfortune of lettering my scripts as often as I’ve had the fortune of having him do it!
With old X-friend Whilce Portacio doing our main covers, I just think it’s a creative package the character deserves!
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: It was mentioned earlier in this interview, but you’ve written Cable… a lot! Is there a particular Cable story you wrote that you’re especially proud of?
Fabian: I’m rarely particularly proud of anything I do, and for good reason, obviously, but if I had to pick one it would probably be Cable & Deadpool #25 which guest-starred Captain America and really gave me a chance to show how I view the character.
Framing him against the context of Cap and having Cap ultimately respect and look up to him by realizing that he is looking at a mirror image of himself in many ways was fun to do.
It also let me write one of my favorite lines of my career for Cable, which the Marvel Database site has as their pull quote for the issue. When he is explaining why he is the way he is and does the things he does, Cable says to Cap, “And you understand order and discipline, honor and principle… but you’re a Captain… and I’ve been a Four-Star General, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a President, and a Pope all rolled into one.”
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Time for one of those classic comic book questions no one should ever ask… but we’re going to ask anyway! X-Fan Cooper asked, “How old do you think Cable and Kid Cable are now? (If possible, please also tell us how old Deadpool is!)” Do you have the answers Cooper seeks, Fabian?
Fabian: I always pegged Cable in his early to mid-fifties but he has enough wear and tear on him to be a thousand!
I read and am writing Young Nate as 15-16 years old.
I always wrote Deadpool as being in his mid-to-late thirties when I started out, so by now I imagine, even taking “Marvel time” into account, he’s aged up to late thirties/very early forties.
AIPT: Finally, beyond writing all the Cables, what else are you working on right now or have available that readers should know about and check out?
Fabian: From Marvel I have a really fun one-shot Giant-Size Fantastic Four issue coming out in February that introduces an iconic old Marvel slogan realized in a flesh-and-blood manner!
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
My first Image book debuts this summer, co-written with Kurt Busiek and drawn by Stephen Mooney, Free Agents, is about a group of young interdimensional soldiers who have fought a massive war for their entire lives and now find themselves stranded on Earth with no war to fight.
And my first two novels from PenguinPutnam are on sale in bookstores or fine digital outlets. Suburban Dicks was nominated for an Edgar Award in 2022 by the Mystery Writers of America as “Best First Novel by an American Author” and the sequel, The Self-Made Widow came out last year.
Sarcastic suburban murder mysteries that only had one operating rule when I decided to write them: No flights, no tights, no fights – but they are a lot of fun with interesting, complicated lead characters.
I’m working on my third novel now but it’s too early to talk about! Maybe I’ll let you know more when we discuss the sequel to the current Cables limited series (he said winking and nudging Marvel to get a clue)!
AIPT: You read it here first, Marvel — Fabian’s ready to go! But on that note, thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday, Fabian!
Remember, X-Fans, Cable #1 goes on sale January 17, 2024, so be sure to reserve a copy.
Before we wrap, here are a few eXclusive preview images from upcoming X-Men comics — including an early look at Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, courtesy of X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Speaking of Jordan, he’ll be back next Monday for our annual, end-of-year chat — his last as the X-Men’s editorial leader! I’ll also reveal the results of the 2023 X-Men Monday Survey.
Did I mention the last Monday of December is also Christmas? Let’s hope you’ve all been good comic book fans this year… you know, respectful of your fellow fans’ opinions, not harassing creators over their handling of fictional characters, or creating hate-baiting YouTube videos because comics aren’t exactly like they were when you were 10 years old. You wouldn’t want Santa to withhold all those 2024 X-details, would you?
Anyway, until next time, X-Fans, stay exceptional!
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