Era #6, Part 6: Cable - Blood and Metal

Grade: B

I am finally getting to this title! I said I would do it Era #5 as part of the Origin of Cable section, but I later realized that the origin of Cable was really the Askani alternate reality. After reading both of these issues as part of Alt 4935, I realized that this arc was only tangentially part of that Askani alternate reality. The driving storyline should be read right before the X-Cutioner's Song, and since the X-Cutioner's Song is next on the docket, it is finally time to take a look at Cable's first limited series.

This two part tale tells two interwoven stories. The first is a recounting of a past Six Pack mission where we learn much more about the origin of the rift between Cable and his former teammates. The second pits one of Cable against Kane, one of his younger proteges from the Wild Pack (who change their name to the Six Pack here) as they uncover the truth behind Stryfe.

[3-Stars] 1 - "Blood and Metal (Part 1)" Stryfe's Mutant Liberation Front (MLF) are raiding museums around the world for artifacts that appear associated with Apocalypse throughout history. Cable makes several attempts to stop them. Commander Bridge recruits Kane to help bring Cable in. We learn more about the members of Wild Pack in flashback sequences to earlier missions.

[3-Stars] 2 - "Blood and Metal (Part 2)" Now that Kane realizes that Stryfe and Cable may not actually be the same person, he reluctantly agrees to help Cable track Stryfe and the MLF down. They believe that the next artifact in danger is with the Japanese crime family, Clan Yashida. They work with Silver Samurai to set a trap. Flashback sequences reveal the Six Pack's final mission and how it permanently damaged two members of the team, Kane and Hammer, and create a grudge between the mercenaries and their leader.