Editor's Note: Cable #13 arrives in stores tomorrow, April 1.

Plot: We find out how Deadpool lived to such a ripe old age, plus we get some background info on Stryfe.

Comments: Since this book spun out of the "Messiah Complex" crossover, I've had a love-hate relationship with it. I've really enjoyed the post-apocalyptic feel of the book, as well as Ariel Olivetti's art. The second of which has really grown on me. It has helped define the feeling of this book, and that is a sign of a job well done. Unfortunately, the pacing of the book has left much to be desired at times. While I can't deny that it has been fun to see Cable's hopeless journey forward in time, as well as his parenting of Hope, the pacing is a little frustrating, especially since it sucks the life out of this "Messiah War" crossover.

Last week, the prologue issue started out so promisingly, but sadly that issue's cliffhanger is more or less wasted, and it looks like the action will really begin next time in X-Force #14. A cliffhanger naturally leaves the reader wanting more, and when you don't get more, you generally feel cheated, and that's what happens here. Don't get me wrong, there are some good things here. It's priceless to see Cable grudgingly admit that Deadpool is making sense, and at the same time see Wolverine's puzzlement over the fact. I'm a pretty big Deadpool fan and find his interaction with both Cable and X-Force hilarious, but the unfortunate truth is this comic's title is Cable (not Deadpool) and also, more importantly, this issue just isn't very a very filling read.

While, it's neat to see how a half-rotting Deadpool made it to this point in time, and he is relevant within the context of his relationship to Cable (although this issue doesn't really get that across), the truth is that it detracts too much from any forward movement. And it just isn't enough meat on this story's bones. Additionally, the scenes between Stryfe and Bishop, while necessary in getting the reader up to speed, also suck the life out of the story's pacing. That's the thing really; there is so much flashing back in this issue that nothing truly happens. Some of it is absolutely necessary, like the parts about Stryfe, especially since some readers, like me, know very little about him, but the stuff about Deadpool seemed good only for eating space. I love Deadpool, but in this context, no matter how funny he was at times, it's just not rewarding enough to make me ignore the fact that this issue goes nowhere. In both instances really, no matter how necessary, it seems like this should have been dealt with in the prologue, because here it just seems like filler to me.

Final Word: There's some fun stuff here, especially if you like Deadpool, but really the stakes aren't raised any higher, and this issue doesn't advance things much further than the prologue already did.

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