Cable Math & Maps: Collected Issue Counting and Future Omnibus Mapping

Welcome to a post comprehensively mapping Cable – from his 1990 debut in the pages of New Mutants to present day!

This is the second pilot of my “Math & Maps,” series where we dissect how every issue from a character or title has been collected and then figure out the best way to add it to our shelves in omnibus editions. Last time, we tackled X-Factor Mapping. This time, we’re looking at Mapping Cable – Nathan Dayspring Gray Summers – based on my recently-updated Guide to Cable.

Are you ready to map?!

To get started with our Cable Math & Maps, let’s look at the current collection standings for all of Cable’s series. This only includes series where he is a title star, but not series like X-Force (1991) and Cable & X-Force (2016) where he’s the leader in a team book.

Note that Cable: Blood & Metal (1992) #1-2 are collected in the X-Force Epic Collection line, but Cable does not have his own line.

How does that break down across every Cable series from 2012 to present? What am I even counting? And, how can it all fit onto our bookshelves in a set of tidy hardcovers? Read on to find out! And, when you’re done, be sure to leave a comment to let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this in the future.

Cable Math: How much of Cable has been collected?

First, let’s establish the ground rules. Here are all of the series included in this analysis and mapping, and their current collection standings as reflected in the recent update to my Guide to Cable

* Though published later, this fits prior to Cable’s debut.
† This Ghost Rider team-up was collected as a single issue in the 90s, but never re-collected.
‡ While Cable’s present day arc ends in Extermination (2018), it wouldn’t make sense to collect it along with Cable – it’s really the epilogue to X-Men Blue (2017)

I’d say Cable is doing pretty well for a character whose Classic paperback line stalled after three collection, who has no Epic line, and who has only a single solo oversize hardcover!

However, that breakdown doesn’t tell the full story of mapping Cable’s collected editions, because so many issues of his 1993 solo series are incidentally collected in other X-Men Omnibuses rather than his own line! Also, he has a very awkward few-issue gap in the middle of his solo series that feels unlikely to be plugged with a random collection now that we’re into a world of Epic Collections dominating the paperback reprint landscape.

With Marvel moving towards giving each character or title its own inclusive Omnibus line without needing to puzzle together different books from different places, what would it look an omnibus map look like for Cable?

Cable Maps: Mapping Cable in Omnibus Collections

Mapping Cable’s Early History in Omnibus

The entirety of history of Cable’s youth in the farflung future has already been collected in full in X-Men: The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (2014 paperback, ISBN 978-0785188339 / digital). It’s a 352 page book that comprehensively tracks his future youth from before he arrives in the future up until he comes of age (and presumably travels back to the past as Teen Cable to pick up from Exterminated in 2008).

The question is: Does it make sense to map this disparate set of issues into Omnibus… and what do we pair it with?

I think Marvel’s existing collection line answers that question.

Right now, Blood & Metal (1992) #1-2 and Cable (1993) #1-20 are mapped into the X-Force omnibus line across three different books –  X-Force Omnibus, Vol. 1 (2013 oversized hardcover, ISBN 978-0785165958), Deadpool & X-Force Omnibus (2017 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302908300), and Cable & X-Force Omnibus (2019 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302917777).

If Marvel was going to kick off a Cable Omnibus line, would they really expect everyone to pick up those three books to gather 22 Cable issues? I don’t think so. I think they’d merge Cable’s early history in with those 22 issues, plus a selection of key New Mutants and X-Force issues. That way, fans with the existing omnibuses could skip it – but, half of it is content not available elsewhere in oversize format.

Cable, Vol. 1: Blood & Metal Omnibus – 45 issues, or 52 effective issues

• Collects 1 issue from Uncanny X-Men (1963) #201
• Collects subplot pages (1 effective issue) from X-Factor (1986) showing the developments of Nathan’s powers and abduction in #65-68.
• Collects 12 issues from X-Men: Phoenix (1999) #1-3, Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1994) #1-4, Askani’son (1996) #1-4, and X-Men: Books of Askani (1995) #1. [We could leave out the Phoenix mini, since it doesn’t actually include Cable]
• Collects 1 issue (3 effective issues, at 51 pages), Wolverine/Cable (1999) OGN [The Wolverine Epic Collection convention is to collect OGNs at their date of release, but given all of the later Cable material that fits into his pre-history I think this could be an exception)
• Collects 6 issues (7 effective issues) of New Mutants (1988) #87, 98-100, & X-Force (1991) #1 and a flashback tale in #8
• Collects 8 issues (4 effective issues) of Cable’s team-up with Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #90-97
• Collects 2 issues (4 effective issues – both are double-length) from Cable: Blood & Metal (1992) #1-2
• Collects 21 issues (24 effective issues, #1 and the Covenant issues are double-length) of Cable (1993) #1-20 & Wolverine (1988) #85 (a Phalanx Covenant crossover)
• Could optionally include Cable (1993) #-1, which fits after the Wolverine/Cable OGN but before New Mutants #87.

Mapping Cable (1993) #1-107, -1, & Annuals in Omnibus

To figure out the mapping of Cable’s 1993 series, we need to produce two different versions: one mapping that starts from #21, accounting for the prior omnibuses and/or the early omnibus above AND one mapping that simply starts from scratch without his early material.

Both maps should end with issue #96, since we have the Soldier X hardcover on the other side collecting from #97 to the end of the series.

First, here is the mapping that includes the Vol. 1 omnibus we defined above.

Cable, Vol. 1 – 45 issues, or 52 effective issues
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #201, subplot pages from X-Factor (1986), X-Men: Phoenix (1999) #1-3, Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1994) #1-4, Askani’son (1996) #1-4, and X-Men: Books of Askani (1995) #1, Wolverine/Cable (1999) OGN,  New Mutants (1988) #87 & 98-100, X-Force (1991) #1 & 8, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #90-97, Cable: Blood & Metal (1992) #1-2, Cable (1993) #1-20, and Wolverine (1988) #85.

Cable, Vol. 2 – 42 issues, or 48 effective issues
Collects Cable (1993) #21-54, X-Man (1995) #14 & 30, Incredible Hulk (1968) #444, X-Force/Cable Annual 1995 & 1997, Cable/X-Force Annual 1996, Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998, Machine Man & Bastion Annual 1998.

Cable, Vol. 3 – 47 issues, or 49 effective issues
Collects Cable (1993) #54-96, -1, Annual 1999, Uncanny X-Men #388, & Bishop the Last X-Man #16, X-Men (199) #108

Cable: Soldier X (2018 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302913984 / digital)
Collects Cable (1993) #97-107 and Soldier X (2002) #1-12

Gosh, that maps so nicely… do we really need to mess with it?

Well, okay. If you insist. Here’s the mapping that starts from the start. Sorta. I still think we have to include a handful of New Mutants and X-Force issues to set the scene.

Cable, Vol. 1 – 47 issues, or 50 effective issues
Collects New Mutants (1988) #87, X-Force (1991) #1 & 8, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #90-97, Cable: Blood & Metal (1992) #1-2, Cable (1993) #1-31, Wolverine (1988) #85, X-Man (1995) #14, and X-Force/Cable Annual 1995.

Cable, Vol. 2 –  33 issues, or 37 effective issues
Collects Cable (1993) #32-58, X-Man (1995) #30, Incredible Hulk (1968) #444, Cable/X-Force Annual 1996, X-Force/Cable Annual 1997, Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998, Machine Man & Bastion Annual 1998.

Cable, Vol. 3 – 44 issues, 47 effective issues
Collects Cable (1993) #59-96, -1, Annual 1999, and Wolverine/Cable (1999) OGN, Uncanny X-Men #388, & Bishop the Last X-Man #16, X-Men (199) #108

Cable: Soldier X (2018 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302913984 / digital)
Collects Cable (1993) #97-107 and Soldier X (2002) #1-12

We could slightly balance lengths of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by cutting Vol. 1 at issue #28. That would move #29-31 and X-Man #14 into the next book – However, I think it’s wise to err on the longer side on Vol. 1, since it would be duplicating so much material at its core. There has to be a reason to want to double-dip!

Mapping Soldier X (2002) in Omnibus

This has already been done for us by Marvel, and I can’t imagine a reason to re-do it!

Cable: Soldier X (2018 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302913984 / digital)
Collects Cable (1993) #97-107 and Soldier X (2002) #1-12

Mapping Cable & Deadpool (2004) in Omnibus

Wild to think that back in 2004 Cable was the big name draw to this series, eh? This is already perfectly mapped, and it’s being reprinted this year!

Deadpool & Cable Omnibus
(2014 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785192763 / 2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302949921)
Includes Deadpool / Great Lakes Initiative: Summer Fun Spectacular and and material from Deadpool (2012) #27.

Mapping Cable (2008) in Omnibus

After Cable’s lengthy 1993 series, mapping this series into one omnibus is much less challenging – especially since it has already been collected into a pair of Complete Collectio!

Cable & Hope Omnibus – 36 issues
Collects Cable (2008) #1-25, King-Size Cable #1, X-Men: The Times & Life Of Lucas Bishop #1-3, X-Men: Future History – The Messiah War Sourcebook, X-Force/Cable: Messiah War #1, X-Force (2008) #14-16, X-Men: Hope (2010) #1, and Deadpool & Cable #26.

While issue #26 doesn’t really feature Cable at all, it acts as an epilogue to this period and his involvement in Messiah Complex.

For a while some folks were pushing to also include all of X-Force (2008) with this book, but it just doesn’t make any sense. X-Force happens in the present day and launches a ton of additional narrative threads resolved in Necrosha and Second Coming, while the Cable series is a single self-contained sprint.

Mapping Marvel Now’s Cable & X-Force (2012) & the X-Force (2014) in Omnibus

This might be a bold-yet-controversial take, but I think the way to do this is just shove all three Marvel Now X-Force books into one damn omnibus and call it a day.

X-Force & Cable: Vendettas – 53 issues
Collects Cable and X-Force (2012) #1-19, Uncanny X-Force (2013) #1-17, X-Force (2014) #1-15, and material from Marvel Now! Point One (2012) #1 and X-Men Legacy #300.

I know, I know… all of you mapping purists are about to come for my head, screaming, “MARVEL WOULD NEVER DO THAT SORT OF THING.”

Hear me out: There’s no other coherent way to collect any of these three series into oversize format without simply collecting one at a time, and none of them are substantial enough for their own omnibus. While this isn’t likely to happen, it actually should happen.

Cable and X-Force was mostly about Cable’s future premonitions and Hope’s post-AvX status, and both threads continued to Spurrier’s 2014 X-Force. Meanwhile. Uncanny X-Force was largely focused on Psylocke and Fantomex, which also continued to Spurrier’s 2014 title! It also focused rehabilitating Bishop, which is plot-relevant to Cable and Hope. And, the two series crossed over at their conclusion!

Really, all three of these series go together and you cannot convince me otherwise. You could either map the opening chunks of the first two separately or intersperse them in a clever reading order leading up to their crossover.

Mapping Cable (2017) in Omnibus

Mapping this brief Cable series offers a conundrum. Would Marvel ever really throw these 15 issues across three disconnected arcs into an oversize hardcover? Honestly, even if Cable crests in popularity, it seems unlikely. But, if we gang up everything from this period – including the 2018 X-Force series, it makes a single, satisfying, time-spanning narrative!

Cable & X-Force: ResurrXion Omnibus – 33 issues
Collects Cable (2017) #1-5 & 150-159, material from X-Men: Prime (2017) #1, Cable/Deadpool (2018) Annual 1, Extermination (2018) #1-5, X-Men: The Exterminated (2018) #1, and X-Force (2018) #1-10.

The more I think about it, the more this seems like a really satisfying book! It opens with Brisson’s initial 2017 arc of Cable being a time cop, has a soft middle of the Thompson/Nadler Hope-focused arc, then has a younger Cable time-copping his older self in Extermination, and finishes with Brisson’s X-Force series – which doesn’t have anywhere else to fit

Mapping Cable (2020) in Omnibus

Once again, I think this is already mapped perfectly and can’t be recollected any better. While Teen Cable did appear in Fallen Angels prior to his series, it doesn’t make any sense to try to fit them together.

#1-4 & 7-12: by Gerry Duggan (2022 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302933968)

#5-6: X of Swords (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302927172 / 2022 paperback, ISBN 978-1302929978/ digital)
Collects X of Swords (2020) Creation, Stasis, & Destruction, X-Men (2019) #12-15, Excalibur (2019) #(12?)13-15, Marauders (2019) #13-15, X-Force (2020) #13-14, New Mutants (2019) #13, Wolverine (2020) #6-7, Cable (2020) #5-6, Hellions (2020) #5-6, X-Factor (2020) #4

Ta-da! We’re done mapping all of Cable!

Would you go all-in on these six omnibus volumes? Which version of Volume 1 do you prefer? And, do you want to see more “Math & Maps” posts like this one in the future? Sound off in the comments below!