By Marc Strom
Last month, the young mutant named Hope found herself separated in time from her mentor, landing by herself in a strange and alien future. Now, in CABLE #17 on August 5, writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Paul Gulacy pit Hope against Bishop in the greatest battle of her young life.
While things might not look so great for Hope, Swierczynski reminds that Cable has always tried to prepare her for a day like this.
"That's what a good soldier does: hopes for the best, plans for the worst-no pun intended" the writer explains. "Cable's been waiting for her mutant abilities to manifest themselves, but in the meantime, he's been teaching her about survival. And don't forget that children learn by imitation. She's picked up a lot of Cable's moves over the years simply by watching him."
The last few months have placed Hope in some grueling situations, with the events of "Messiah War" still fresh on her mind.
"Hope is seeing that there's a bigger world out there than just her and Nathan," Swierczynski suggests. "She's finally met some of the X-Men, who Cable has barely talked about. It's one thing to hear stories about your crazy relatives; it's another to meet them.
"And in the two-parter [in CABLE #11-12], Hope realized that she's not completely useless without Cable around. After all, she kind of saved him.
So this goes a long way to prepare her for the events in CABLE #16 and #17."
"Messiah War" did not, however, make Hope realize her importance to the future of mutantkind, something that Nathan would rather she find out on her own.
"One of Cable's goals from the beginning, even at the end of 'Messiah CompleX,' has been to let the girl discover things for herself, away from those who'd want to use/co-opt/kill her," Swierczynski says. "And I think he holds himself to the same standard; he doesn't want to prejudice her in any way."
But don't let Hope's small stature fool you; Cable's absence in her upcoming confrontation with Bishop hardly makes her helpless.
"You'll see Hope trying to emulate Cable while she's trying to survive, using [her] environment, picking strategic hiding places, searching for food," Swierczynski relates. "She's by no means a seasoned soldier, but she's also more battle-hardened than most Pinkberry-eatin', Jonas Brothers-listenin' pre-teens.
"Wow. Can't believe I made a Jonas Brothers reference in a Cable Q&A."
When Cable and Hope eventually reunite, however, Swierczynski reveals that their dynamic will begin to change as Hope continues to become her own person.
"Not to spoil anything, but after a certain time apart, Cable and Hope will disagree on their next best move," the writer hints. "Trust me, there's nothing more frustrating than a little whippersnapper telling you what's what. And likewise, nothing pisses off a young kid like some stick-in-the-mud old man thinkin'
he's calling the shots. It's the classic parent-child dilemma. You want them to be independent, but not
too independent, goddamnit."
Leaving off, Swierczynski offered a tease or two for what fans can expect from CABLE in the coming months:
"How about this: the next arc [reintroduces] some classic X-Men characters, ones I know and love from my own boyhood. Classic characters who have lots and lots of teeth."
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