Cover: José Ladrönn & Juan Vlasco

Cable #48

Nov 1997 · Marvel · 1.99 USD; 2.80 CAD

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“The Hellfire Hunt Part 1: Dirty Secrets”

★ 1st appearance — Irene Merryweather

About this Issue

Cable #48 is the first appearance of Irene Merryweather, a human journalist who became one of the most distinctive supporting characters in Cable's long publication history — an ordinary woman thrust into extraordinary circumstances, hired by Cable himself to serve as his personal chronicler. Her introduction fundamentally shifted the title's storytelling register, grounding the series' time-travel and mutant-conspiracy plots through the grounded, street-level perspective of a tabloid reporter chasing a story on Sebastian Shaw and the Hellfire Club. The issue also marks the debut of artist José Ladrönn on the series, whose Kirby-influenced visual style would define the book's aesthetic identity for the better part of two years and earn retrospective praise as some of the strongest draftsmanship in any Marvel title of the era. Merryweather's cultural reach extended beyond the page when the character received a live-action cameo in the 2018 film Deadpool 2, confirming her place as a recognizable figure in the Cable mythos.

writer James Robinson · artist José Ladrönn · inker Juan Vlasco · colorist Gloria Vasquez · letterer Richard Starkings · letterer Comicraft · letterer AD · cover José Ladrönn, Juan Vlasco

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VF/NM $2 GOOD $2 NM- $2.39 VERY FINE $2.5 Direct $2.58 VF+ $2.89 VG $2.9 FN $2.9

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History

Writer James Robinson and penciller José Ladrönn launched their collaborative run on Cable with this issue, kicking off the multi-part 'Hellfire Hunt' story arc beginning with part one, subtitled 'Dirty Secrets,' which went on sale September 3, 1997, with a November 1997 cover date. Robinson scripted the opening half of 'The Hellfire Hunt' before handing scripting duties to Joe Casey at issue #50; Ladrönn, however, remained on art through issue #70 of 1999, his Moebius- and Kirby-inflected style becoming the defining visual voice of that entire era of the book. The issue was edited by Mark Powers under editor-in-chief Bob Harras, with inking by Juan Vlasco, colors by Gloria Vasquez, and lettering by Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Albert Deschesne.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Irene Merryweather (Earth-616), created by writer James Robinson and penciller José Ladrönn.
The issue is the opening chapter — 'The Hellfire Hunt Part 1: Dirty Secrets' — of a multi-issue arc running through at least Cable #53, centered on the Hellfire Club and Sebastian Shaw.
Merryweather is introduced as a tabloid journalist at the Inquiring Eye who is assigned to investigate Sebastian Shaw; her investigation brings Hellfire Club mercenaries down on her, and Cable rescues her, then recruits her as his personal chronicler.
Sebastian Shaw (Black King) and a photo appearance of Madelyne Pryor (Black Rook) serve as the antagonistic focal points; Donald Pierce is mentioned as the one who orders the hit on Merryweather.
This issue marks the beginning of José Ladrönn's celebrated run on Cable — a Mexican artist whose influences include Moebius, Jack Kirby, and H.R. Giger, and who would remain on the title through 1999.
The full creative credits are: James Robinson (writer), José Ladrönn (penciller), Juan Vlasco (inker), Gloria Vasquez (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Albert Deschesne (letters), Mark Powers (editor), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief).
Content from this issue and the surrounding 'Hellfire Hunt' arc was later collected in the trade paperback Cable: The Hellfire Hunt (2017, Marvel).
Irene Merryweather went on to accumulate approximately 88 appearances across the Marvel Universe, eventually becoming Cable's chief of staff at Providence and later a lead character in the 2000 X-Men: Hellfire Club limited series; she also received a live-action cameo in Deadpool 2 (2018).