MARVEL TEAM-UP #19: A prelude to Kirkman's next storyarc on this poor-selling but terrific series, Cable goes back in time to 1991 to prevent Wolverine from dying before his time. Apparently he and Jubilee were off to steal a fragment of the cosmic cube from HYDRA, but alas the Mandarin shows up to fashion it into the "cosmic ring" that Ringmaster recently got hold of about ten or so issues ago. The title is appropriate because it really feels like a 1991 story, but done well. Naturally, Cable, Wolvie, and Jubes are little more than annoyances, but Wolverine survives so Cable can call it a pyric victory. Not as good, of course, as the LEGION OF LOSERS issues were, but still a whole lot better than I expected, since I almost can't stand Cable. We have yet another artist trucked in with Walker, who does rather well (although I will miss Medina). This next arc will introduce Kirkman's newest hero to the MU, and according to cover images, "Freedom Ring" looks to be a cross between Havok and Green Lantern, and if he has the cosmic ring, his "ability to alter reality" may make him a bit too much like Magician on Kirkman's other title, ULTIMATE X-MEN. Hopefully Kirkman can avoid repeating himself so much that both new characters suffer. Still, I was almost bracing for this issue and it turned out to be more fun than I expected. Stop weeping over SPIDER-GIRL and help MTU and THE THING enjoy 100 issues.
