Cable #21

Jul 1995 · Marvel · 1.95 USD; 2.75 CAD

📊 ~29,094 copies sold its debut month

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“...Our Regularly Scheduled Program...”

★ 1st appearance — Blaquesmith

About this Issue

Cable #21 marks the true beginning of the Jeph Loeb era on the title — the first post-Age of Apocalypse issue that relaunched the series with a stable creative direction after years of revolving creative teams. Prior to Loeb's arrival, no writer-and-penciller pairing had lasted more than three consecutive issues on the book; issue #21 opened the sustained run that finally gave Cable a coherent, ongoing narrative identity. The issue also serves as the opening chapter of a story arc that introduced Blaquesmith as Cable's Askani-born mentor and presented the first full redesign of Warpath's costume, two changes that would define how both characters were portrayed for the remainder of the decade. Collected as the anchor issue of the Cable & X-Force Classic Vol. 1 trade paperback, it remains the definitive entry point into the Loeb years.

writer Jeph Loeb · artist Arnie Jorgensen · inker Mark Pennington · colorist Mike Thomas · colorist Digital Chameleon · letterer Richard Starkings · letterer Comicraft · cover Ian Churchill, Mark Pennington

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VF/NM $1 VF $1.99 NM- $2.39 MINT $2.65 VF $2.89 MINT $2.99 VF $3.25 VF/NM $3.97

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History

Jeph Loeb had begun his tenure on Cable with issue #20, but that issue was effectively isolated by Marvel's line-wide Age of Apocalypse event, which paused the main 616-continuity Cable series. Issue #21, released May 9, 1995 with a July 1995 cover date, was therefore the real first chapter of Loeb's uninterrupted run — with interior pencils by Arnie Jorgenson (the regular penciller Ian Churchill provided the cover), inker Mark Pennington, colorist Michael Thomas, and letterer Richard Starkings, all under editor-in-chief Bob Harras. The issue picks up directly from the X-Men: Prime one-shot that re-established the 616 X-line after Age of Apocalypse, threading Cable's book back into the shared continuity and setting the stage for X-Force's relocation to the X-Mansion.

Trivia · 8 facts

Written by Jeph Loeb with interior pencils by Arnie Jorgenson, cover pencils by Ian Churchill, inks by Mark Pennington, colors by Michael Thomas, and lettering by Richard Starkings; published May 9, 1995 (cover-dated July 1995).
First issue of the sustained Loeb run following the Age of Apocalypse gap — #21 is where Loeb's uninterrupted narrative begins, making it the functional launch point of his era on the series.
Prior to Loeb and Churchill, no creative team had completed more than three consecutive issues on Cable's ongoing series; their run from #20–35 was the first instance of real creative stability the title had experienced.
Story titled '...Our Regularly Scheduled Program...' — Cable and Domino survey the wreckage of Murderworld (X-Force's former headquarters, destroyed by Arcade), then respond to a telepathic distress call from Blaquesmith, establishing him as Cable's Askani mentor in ongoing continuity.
First appearance of Warpath's redesigned costume — a new look for James Proudstar that carried forward through the team's move to the X-Mansion.
Continues directly from the X-Men: Prime one-shot (1995) and leads into X-Force #44, making it a key bridge issue within the post-Age of Apocalypse X-line reading order.
Caliban is depicted joining X-Force as a team member in this issue, formalizing his status on the squad.
Collected in the Cable & X-Force Classic Vol. 1 trade paperback (digital edition), which assembles Cable #21–28 alongside X-Force #44–48 — the only collected edition that includes this issue.