Cable #1
Cable #1 (Semic S.A., août 1994) is the French-language debut of Nathan Summers' first solo ongoing series, bringing to francophone readers what was one of Marvel's most commercially driven character launches of the early 1990s — a solo spotlight on the time-displaced mutant soldier who had defined the tone and aesthetic of X-Force. The original Marvel issue it reprints delivered the first in-continuity origin story structured around Cable himself, grounding years of murky backstory established across New Mutants and X-Force into a coherent mythological framework built around the far-future world of Earth-4935 and the Clan Chosen. It is also a significant first-appearances issue, introducing Sinsear, Jenskot, Tetherblood, Silo, Dawnsilk, General Haight, and the Flatliners in a single oversized package. For European collectors, the Semic S.A. edition represents the gateway through which French audiences encountered this corner of the X-Men universe during the peak of 1990s mutant-mania.
In "Ricochets," the first issue of the Cable series from 1994, Kane finds himself stranded in a future ruled by the enigmatic Askani leader, piecing together the truth about this mysterious figure. When Cable returns to the Clan Chosen, he reveals they must destroy a time displacement machine hidden in Niagara Falls—just as Kane clings to the hope that the device might still get him home. Written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Art Thibert, with inks by Thibert, Trevor Scott, Dan Panosian, Danny Miki, and Al Milgrom, and colored by Marie Javins, the issue's cover by Art Thibert captures the tension of a world caught between timelines.
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The original Marvel issue — written by Fabian Nicieza with pencils, inks, and cover by Art Thibert — was cover-dated May 1993 and edited by Bob Harras under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, arriving at the height of Marvel's strategy of spinning fan-favorite supporting characters from the X-titles into their own ongoing series. The French edition, published by Semic S.A. in August 1994, was part of a licensed reprint program that Semic — the successor to the historic Éditions Lug, which had been publishing French Marvel translations since 1969 — had operated for decades; by 1994, Lug had been fully absorbed into the Semic brand, and the company was issuing translated editions of high-profile Marvel launches across its line. The French Cable series ran 21 issues from August 1994 through December 1996, making this first issue the anchor of a substantial French-language run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Semic S.A. (France) in August 1994 as a licensed French-language reprint of Marvel's Cable #1 (cover date May 1993, released March 1993).
- Original issue written by Fabian Nicieza, with pencils, inks, and cover art by Art Thibert; inked by Art Thibert, Trevor Scott, Dan Panosian, Danny Miki, and Al Milgrom; colored by Marie Javins; lettered by Chris Eliopoulos.
- Story titled 'Rocks and Waves'; presents Cable's in-continuity origin story set on the future world of Earth-4935, structured around his life with the Clan Chosen before his return to the present.
- First appearances of: Sinsear, Jenskot (who dies in the same issue), Tetherblood, Silo, Dawnsilk, Eleven, Hope, General Haight, and the Flatliners.
- First full appearance of the Clan Chosen as a team unit in their own native timeline setting.
- The original Marvel edition featured a gold foil-embossed wraparound cover; a variant with gold foil highlights and a white logo also exists.
- The French Semic S.A. Cable series ran for 21 issues total, from August 1994 through December 1996.
- The original story has been reprinted internationally — in Finland (Ryhmä-X #4/1995), Italy (Marvel Miniserie #19, 1995), Brazil (Superaventuras Marvel #166), the Netherlands (Cable, Juniorpress, 1994), and Poland (X-Men, TM-Semic, 1996) — and collected in the Deadpool & X-Force Omnibus (Marvel, 2017) and X-Force Epic Collection #3: Assault on Graymalkin (2023).
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Cable #1 (1993)
Reprinted in Spécial Strange #93 (1994), Nova #199 (1994)
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