The first issue of Cable: Love and Chrome left Nathan Summers in a future where the disease he’d been fighting his entire life, the Techno-Organic Virus, took over the world. It also introduced a potential new romantic interest for him in the form of Avery Rider, who led a resistance meant to fight against the terror of an organization called the Prime Conclave. Cable: Love and Chrome #2 speeds things up significantly, both in terms of Cable’s attraction to Avery, and the threat the Techno-Organic Virus poses to both of them.
It’s the romance angle that’s the most interesting part of the book. From the very first page, it’s clear that Cable and Avery are into each other. They trade flirtatious barbs. They work together like a well-oiled machine in battle; every fight scene has artist Mike Henderson showcasing their moves as part of a beautiful, brutal ballet of combat. But the moment of truth comes when they butt heads over Avery being in the field, since the virus is continuing to spread across her body. Suffice it to say, one thing leads to another.
It’s in these moments that David Pepose’s script shines. Avery may be facing the end of her life, but she’s willing to stand and fight for as long as she can. Likewise, Cable has lost too many people close to him over the years, so it’s only natural that his more protective instincts would kick in. In highlighting how their shared experience has shaped these characters, Pepose delivers a story that’s action-packed at one turn and deeply romantic at another.
Marvel
It’s also a story that takes a turn for the scary, especially when Cable and Avery lead a raiding party on one of the Prime Conclave’s facilities. Said facility happens to be guarded by two techno-organic beings named Issac and Ishmael. Henderson clearly was watching Akira when designing these two; they’re horrific masses of flesh and metal that stretch out to engulf Cable or turn his own telekinesis against him, resulting in a horrific panel where his metal arm starts pulling itself apart.
But this leads to another great fight scene, and some great use of color work from Arif Prianto. Prianto tosses bursts of bright blue across the page whenever Cable fires one of his guns or uses his telekinetic abilities; in contrast, the giant axe Avery uses crackles with bright red lightning. Prianto’s use of color extends to both the backgrounds, whether it’s the sweltering desert terrain or the cold towers of steel that make up Salvation Bay, and the lettering – especially when Cable uses his telepathy, which happens to be the same red as Avery’s axe. (More proof these two were meant to be.)
Cable: Love and Chrome #2 firmly leans into the “love” part of the equation, delivering a comic that’s part time-crossed romance and part cyberpunk rebellion. As far as Valentine’s Day goes, you’d be hard pressed to find a comic that fits the holiday spirit more than this one.
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