X-Force (1st series) #1

Issue Date: 
August 1991
Story Title: 
A Force To Be Reckoned With
Staff: 

Rob Liefeld (plot, penciler, inker), Fabian Nicieza (scripter), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Brad Vancatas (color art), Bob Harras (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

X-Force goes on their first mission. They attack the MLF at their headquarters in Antarctica. X-Force gives the MLF a good beat-down, but they escape. Not before Stryfe sets the base to self-destruct. Meanwhile, Gideon expresses his pleasure with Sunspot’s progress in the business world. Bridge shows up to inspect the ruins of the old MLF headquarters. He finds evidence that Cable was there. Back at X-Force’s headquarters Sam and Cable have a discussion about the previous battle. Domino comes in and we learn that there’s more to Cable then meets the eye.
In New York Gideon and Roberto thought they were going to a normal business merger, but instead are met by Black Tom. Nick Fury and Bridge talk about the Cable situation. Bridge makes the call to bring in a dangerous man to take Cable down.

Full Summary: 

(Antarctica: June 4th)

X-Force’s first mission takes them to the Mutant Liberation Front’s (MLF) headquarters in Antarctica. They land their aircraft and Cable gives them a quick debriefing. They charge into the base and are quickly met by MLF grunt soldiers. X-Force handles them with ease. Forearm, Kamikaze, Wildside and Reaper enter the fray. Shatterstar engages Reaper in battle and slices off his left hand with one of his swords. He decides to let Reaper live and knocks him unconscious.
Meanwhile, Forearm has Cable in a bear hug. Warpath comes up from behind and levels him, setting Cable free. Cable gets up and reiterates the need to find Stryfe. Elsewhere, Stryfe and Thumbelina are together. Stryfe tells Thumbelina to contact Zero and have him teleport the remaining MLF members to a safer location. He then sets a self-destruct sequence to go off in 10 minutes.
Back at the main event, Feral and Wildside are trading hits. Feral eventually knocks him out and breaks his jaw at the same time.
The building starts to shake. Zero teleports Wildside away while the team is distracted. Stryfe appears ahead and Cable starts shooting at him. Zero teleports Stryfe away too. Domino takes out a newly awakened Forearm before he can sneak up on Cable. Cable gathers from all the shaking that Stryfe must have set up a self-destruct sequence and so he bodyslides everyone out of there and onto the ship. Cable’s pretty mad that Stryfe got away again.
(Manhattan: Gideon's penthouse June 5th 8:34 A.M.)

Gideon and Sunspot are honing their skills against a few robots. Gideon tells Roberto that he is happy with his progress in the world of business. Their next step together is the Jankos stock buyout.
(Antarctica: 10:56 A.M.)

Commander Bridge and a S.H.I.E.L.D. team are inspecting the blown-up remains of the MLF base. G.W. finds some armament he recognizes as Cable’s. He decides that Cable and his X-Force team need to be brought down.
(Adirondack Mountains: 2:26 P.M.)

X-Force has taken over Larry Trask’s old Sentinel Base as their own. Cable’s working on the team’s jet when Cannonball tries to have a heart-to-heart. He wants to know why Cable let the MLF get away. Cable tells him that he didn’t want to further endanger the members of the team.
This prompts Cannonball to ask about Tyler, Cable’s supposed son. Cable tells Sam that Tyler wasn’t his biological son, but was very close to him nonetheless. Eventually Tyler joined the MLF and was killed during a terrorist operation. Cable explains that this is one of the many reasons he wants Stryfe dead.
Domino comes in and Sam leaves to go work out. Cable uses his telekinetic powers to move some tools around. Domino reprimands him for using his powers carelessly. She tells him that eventually he has to stop being secretive with the team.
(Manhattan, World Trade Center: 2:59 P.M.)

Gideon and Roberto are at the Jankos stock buyout. Arianna Jankos does not want to sell her stock and has hired Black Tom to make sure that it doesn’t happen. He plans to hold Gideon and Roberto hostage while extorting money from them. This way, Arianna won’t lose her shares.
(Laurentian Mountains, Quebec: June 6 7:22 P.M.)

Bridge is riding in a helicopter when Nick Fury calls him. Bridge gives him the story and Fury tells him to bring Cable in. G.W. contacts the Comm Center and tells them to patch him through to General Clarke of the Canadian military. He wants Department K brought in on this. He wants Weapon X!

Characters Involved: 

Boom-Boom, Cable, Cannonball, Copycat, Feral, Shatterstar, Warpath (all X-Force)
Sunspot (former New Mutant)

Commander G.W. Bridge, Nick Fury (SHIELD)

Arianna Jankos, business woman

Forearm, Kamikaze, Reaper, Stryfe, Thumbeline, Wildside, Zero (all MLF)
Black Tom Cassidy

Gideon

In a flashback:

Cable

Tyler

Story Notes: 

Cable’s Files on various characters are inserted in the final pages of this issue. The characters listed in order are: Deadpool, Feral, Shatterstar and G.W. Bridge.

Tyler turns up shortly after in X-Force #5, but takes the name Tolliver, a businessman who sends Cable on various missions. His true identity is revealed in Cable #6. Afterwards calls himself Genesis and becomes the leader of the Dark Riders. He is eventually killed by Wolverine in Wolverine (2nd series) #100

Issue Information: 

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