Broken Frontier

Cable’s war on the Avengers continues to be less than thrilling.

After two issues of the miniseries, the purpose of Jeph Loeb’s Avengers X-Sanction still remains unclear.  With three of the Avengers now incapacitated by the increasingly sick Cable, just how long will it take for Loeb to explain Cable’s actions, the fallout for the Avengers, and the destiny of Hope?

Avengers X-Sanction is heavily burdened by stale inner monologue that does little to explain the rogue Cable’s actions, but instead constantly rehashes vague ideas about Cable’s dedication to Hope, and the increasingly taxing techno-organic virus that plagues the hero.  Caught between Cable’s inner thoughts, moreover, is a rather boring fight scene between Tony Stark and the revealed Avengers antagonist.  As the two techno heroes square off, the battle dissolves into a back-and-forth brawl as each attempts to prove who is the true futurist, ultimately proving to be pointless and dull.

Avengers X-Sanction is not a complete lost cause, however.  Thanks to the saving grace of artist Ed McGuinness, the issue is quite a pleasure to look at.  Cable’s disease reads as another stale disorder, for example, but McGuinness turns it into an interesting infection by slowly showing it consume the vengeful hero.  Though not for lack of trying, McGuinness is unable to completely save the book.

The idea of Cable attacking the Avengers should be both enticing and exciting, yet Jeph Loeb’s reliance on over used inner monologue while simultaneously refusing to reveal any information quickly turns Avengers X-Sanction into a pointless comic.  Readers should consider waiting for the series to play out to decide if Avengers X-Sanction is worth their time or money, because thus far it surely has proven to be the opposite.