CABLE: LOVE AND CHROME #2 / Script by DAVID PEPOSE / Art by MIKE HENDERSON / Color Art by ARIF PRIANTO / Letters by VC’S JOE SABINO / Published by MARVEL COMICS

It is rare for me to review the second issue of a comic rather than the first. It is even rarer for me to review a Cable comic. In fact, a quick glance through my archives confirms this is the very first Cable series I’ve ever reviewed.

This is because, while I don’t hold Nathan Summers to be the epitome of Dark Age malaise like some, I’ve seen enough X-Men books where he had more pouches than personality to keep my distance. He likes guns. He hates Apocalypse. That’s about it, right?

Most of the time, yes. But Cable: Love and Chrome gives him far more.

The story starts out with Cable doing what he does, traveling through time and averting bad futures. However, his latest leap takes him to Salvation Bay on an Earth besieged by the same techno-organic virus that infected him. Their war becomes his and Cable finds himself falling for Avery, a Commander in the local resistance.

He knows the romance is doomed – partly because of his duty and partly because of Avery’s condition. (Not everyone has telekinesis to hold back their transformation into a machine.) Yet for the first time Cable has something to fight for beyond a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, he also has a new enemy, determined to destroy him and what happiness he has after Cable destroyed his timeline.

I admit I gave this series a shot because it was written by David Pepose, whose excellent work on Space Ghost I’ve enjoyed immensely. He does a fair job of giving Cable more emotional depth than I’ve seen in any previous X-Men story. Rest assured, however, that there’s plenty of action to go along with the romance.

I wish I could be as kind regarding the artwork. Mike Henderson is a great action artist, but some of his proportions and angle choices in the closeups look off. This results in some odd-looking profiles and 3/4 turn faces. The colors by Arif Prianto are well-chosen, however, and the lettering by VC’s Joe Sabino is solid.

Cable: Love and Chrome #2 surprised me in the most pleasant way. I can’t guarantee I’ll read any solo series with the character in the future, but I will be less likely to turn my nose up at it. If nothing else, this is a heck of a romantic comic heading into Valentine’s Day weekend.