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You are here: Home / Featured / Cable Reading Order

Cable Reading Order

May 16, 2018 by Dave Leave a Comment

I have two rules to Cable. One, his gun has to be bigger than the smallest person in any room he’s in (at a minimum). Two, his stories need to involve enough confusing time travel that at least one reader goes cross-eyed.

That recipe for Marvel’s favorite son, Nathan Grey Summers, has proven successful since his late 80’s creation. For most readers, Cable marks the X-Men’s jump from the Chris Claremont driven years of the 80’s to the Image Comics crew (Rob Liefield, Jim Lee, etc) of the 1990s. More recently, Cable’s found new life as the straight man to Deadpool’s chaotic comedy, and as a father figure to the salvation of mutantkind.

No matter your preferred story type, below you’ll find a complete timeline and chronology for Cable comics. As always, let me know what you think in the comments, and enjoy the comics!

cable-x-force

Enter Cable and X-Force

Cable And The New Mutants TPB




Collects: The New Mutants Issues #86-94

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Cable’s official Marvel debut takes place with Louise Simonson writing New Mutants in the late 1980’s, and a young upstart named Rob Liefield on art.

Cable quickly becomes a fixture at the X-mansion, instructing the New Mutants and preparing them for the battles to come.

X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda

Collects (in order): Uncanny X-Men #270, X-Factor #60, New Mutants #95, Uncanny X-Men #271, X-Factor #61, New Mutants #96, Uncanny X-Men #272, X-Factor #62, New Mutants #97

In a lot of ways, X-tinction Agenda is the final X-event before Cable really becomes  90’s CABLE! complete with giant guns and rough and tumble X-Force crew at his command.

X-Force Omnibus, Vol. 1

Collects: New Mutants (1983) 98-100, Annual 7; X-Men Annual (1970) 15; X-Factor Annual 6; X-Force (1991) 1-15; Spider -Man (1990) 16; Cable: Blood & Metal 1-2; Material From New War – Riors Annual 1, X-Force Annual (1992) 1

Spiraling out of X-Tinction Agenda, Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza grow Cable in to the action packed military strategist we’ve come to know today.

Cable Classic – Volume 1

Collects:  New Mutants #87, Cable #1-4, Cable: Blood & Metal #1-2

Cable gets his first solo ongoing series, as we learn more about the time-traveling mutant, and his family tree. I’d recommend Cable: Blood & Metal as prelude issues to X-Cutioner’s Song.

X-Men: X-Cutioner’s Song 

Collects: Uncanny X-Men #294-297, X-Factor (1986) #84-86, X-Men (1991) #14-16, X-Force (1991) #16-18 And Stryfe’s Strike File

X-Cutioner’s Song is the definitive 90’s Cable event, diving deep into his connections to Cyclops, Jean Grey, Stryfe, and good old Apocalypse.

Cable Classic – Volume 2

Collects: Cable #5-14

X-Force: Assault On Graymalkin

Collects: New Warriors (1990) #31 And X-Force (1991) #19-25

X-Force: Toy Soldiers

Collects: X-Force (1991) 26-31, Annual 2; Nomad (1992) 20

X-Force: Child’s Play

Collects: X-Force (1991) 32-37, Annual 3; New Warriors (1990) 45-46

X-Force: Phalanx Covenant

Collects: X-Factor (1986) 106, X-Force (1991) 38-43, Excalibur (1988) 82

Cable Classic – Volume 3 

Collects: Cable (1993) #15-20 And Wolverine (1988) #85

These runs of X-Force and Cable will take you right up to the cusp of Legion Quest, and the X-Men’s alternate reality spectacular, Age of Apocalypse.

Age of Apocalypse, Onslaught, and X-Man

Age of Apocalypse

Collects: Age of Apocalypse event reading order.

In the Marvel Universe altering Age of Apocalypse, Cable is reimagined without the technovirus infestation, and allowed to fulfill his full potential as X-Man.

Cable and X-Force Classic – Volume 1 

Collects: Cable (1993) 21-28, X-Force (1991) 44-48

X-Man: The Man Who Fell to Earth

Collects:  X-Man 5-14, Excalibur (1988) 95, Cable (1993) 29-31

Following the conclusion of the Age of Apocalypse, X-Man transitions to Earth-616, resulting in dueling Cable personas in the Marvel Universe.

Cable & X-Force: Onslaught Rising

Collects: X-Force (1991) 49-56, Cable (1993) 29-31, X-Man 14, X-Force/Cable Annual ’95

Onslaught

Collects: Onslaught event reading order.

X-Man: Dance with the Devil 

Collects: X-Man 20-29, Annual ’96; Amazing Spider -Man (1963) 420

Cable: The Hellfire Hunt

Collects: Cable (1993) -1, 48-58; Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998; Machine Man & Bastion Annual 1998; Wolverine/Cable 1

X-Men: The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix

Collects: Adventures Of Cyclops & Phoenix 1-4, Askani’Son 1-4, X-Men: Phoenix 1-3, X-Men: Books Of Askani

Extremely relevant series of comics for Cable, with his lineage and backstory fleshed out in greater detail.

Cable: The Nemesis Contract

Collects: Cable (1993) 59-70, Annual ’99; X-Man 45-47

X-Men vs. Apocalypse Vol. 1: The Twelve

Collects: Uncanny X-Men #376-377, Cable #75-76, X-Men #96-97 & Wolverine #146-147

Another showdown between Cable, the X-Men and Apocalypse, as Marvel of the 90’s turns to a new millennium of comics.

X-Men Vs. Apocalypse – Volume 2: Ages of Apocalypse

Collects: X-51 #8, Uncanny X-Men #378 And Annual 1999, Cable #77, Wolverine #148, X-Men Unlimited #26, X-Men #98, And X-Men: The Search Of Cyclops #1-4

Cable: Revolution

Collects: Cable (1993) 79-96

Cable: Soldier X

Collects: Cable (1993) #97 to #107, Soldier X #1 to #12

Cable and Deadpool

Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection – Book 1

Collects: Cable & Deadpool #1-18

My personal favorite Cable series (and one of my favorite 100 Marvel stories), with Fabian Nicieza and Patrick Zircher perfectly solidifying the surprising comedy and buddy dynamics of Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth and Nathan Grey Summers.

This series is also particularly interesting for Cable, as his power set has never been so tremendous.

Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection – Book 2

Collects: Cable & Deadpool #19 to #35

Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection – Book 3

Collects: Cable & Deadpool #36-50, Deadpool/Gli: Summer Fun Spectacular

Cable in X-Men Messiah CompleX - Proud Father, Big Guns

Cable and The Mutant Messiah

X-Men: Messiah Complex

Collects: Messiah Complex event reading order.

2007’s Messiah CompleX crossover had major ramifications across the Marvel Universe, with Cable in particular adopting an entirely new direction in life.

Cable swoops in from the future to save the new mutant messiah following the events of House of M and X-Men: Decimation.

Cable – Volume 1: Messiah War

Collects: Cable #1-5

Following Messiah CompleX, Cable’s new ongoing series details his attempts to keep Hope safe, and prepare her for her role restoring mutantkind.

It’s an excellent an often underrated Marvel series from the late 2000’s by Duane Swierzycnski and Ariel Olivetti.

Cable – Volume 2: Waiting for the End of the World

Collects: Cable #6 to #10

X-Force/Cable: Messiah War

Collects: X-Men: The Times And Life Of Lucas Bishop #1-3, Cable #11-15, X-Force #14-16, X-Force/Cable: Messiah War One-Shot

Reading Order: X-Men: The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop #1-3, X-Men Messiah War One-Shot, Cable #13, X-Force #14, Cable #14, X-Force #15, Cable #15, X-Force #16

The events of Messiah CompleX reach another boiling point with the Messiah War crossover event.

Cable, Vol. 3: Stranded

Collects: Cable #16-21

Cable Vol. 4: Homecoming

Collects: Cable #21-25, X-Men Hope

X-Men: Second Coming

Collects: X-Men: Second Coming (2010) #1-2, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #523-525, New Mutants (2009) #12-14, X-Men: Legacy (2008) #235-237, X-Force (2008) #26-28

Everything Cable and Hope have done to date comes to a head in Second Coming, the end to Cable’s solo ongoing before the launch of Marvel NOW.

Marvel NOW Cable comics

Marvel Now Cable and X-Force

Avengers: X-Sanction

Collects: Avengers: X-Sanction 1-4

Leading into the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Cable attempts to prevent the cataclysmic showdown from coming to pass.

Cable and X-Force, Vol. 1: Wanted 

Collects: Cable And X-Force 1-5, Marvel Now! Point One (X-Force Story)

Cable forms a new X-Force in Marvel NOW, with old favorites like Domino and new X-Men associates like Hope and Dr. Nemesis.

Cable and X-Force Volume 2: Dead or Alive

Collects: Cable And X-Force 6-9

Cable and X-Force Volume 3: This Won’t End Well

Collects: Cable And X-Force 10-14

Cable and X-Force Volume 4: Vendettas

Collects: Cable And X-Force 15-19, Uncanny X-Force 16-17

X-Force Volume 1: Dirty/Tricks

Collects:  X-Force 1-6

X-Force Volume 2: Hide/Fear

Collects: X-Force 7-10, X-Men Legacy 300

X-Force Volume 3: Ends/Means

Collects: X-Force 11-15

Cable on the Uncanny Avengers

Cable Joins The Uncanny Avengers

Deadpool & Cable: Split Second

Collects: Deadpool & Cable: Split Second 1-3

Originally released as a digital Marvel infinite comic, Cable and Deadpool ride again!

Uncanny Avengers: Unity Vol. 1: Lost Future

Collects: Uncanny Avengers (2015) #1-6

Speaking of Cable and Deadpool together again, Cable transports to present day to save the Uncanny Avengers during All-New All-Different Marvel!

Uncanny Avengers: Unity Vol. 2: The Man Who Fell to Earth

Collects:  Uncanny Avengers 7-12

Uncanny Avengers: Unity Vol. 3: Civil War II

Collects: Uncanny Avengers 13-18

Part of the Civil War 2 reading order.

Uncanny Avengers: Unity Vol. 4: Red Skull

Collects: Uncanny Avengers 18-22

Cable Vol. 1: Conquest

Collects: Cable #1 to #6

Cable Vol. 2: The Newer Mutants

Collects: Cable #150 to #154

Cable Vol. 3: Past Fears

Collects: Cable #155 to #159

Filed Under: Featured, Marvel Characters Tagged With: Cable (comics)

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About Dave

Dave is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Comic Book Herald, and also the Boss of assigning himself fancy titles. He's a long-time comic book fan, and can be seen most evenings in Batman pajama pants. Contact Dave @comicbookherald on Twitter or via email at dave@comicbookherald.com.

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