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Matthew (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Joseph Cable is a character in DC Comics
series Swamp Thing
, who died and was later resurrected as Dream's raven in Neil Gaiman
's rendition of The Sandman.
He encountered the Doom Patrol
during this time (in the 1977 Showcase
series).
Eventually, Cable's mind was damaged, leading to him gaining the ability to alter reality itself. He eventually married Abigail Arcane
, a longtime friend to Swamp Thing and niece to Anton Arcane
, a ruthless man who wanted Swamp Thing's secrets so he could become immortal. Their marriage eventually deteriorated, leading to Matthew's abuse of his power in the form of obscene sexual acts, such as using his powers to create decaying forms to arouse and please him, all the while straining his marriage. Matthew only seemed to be able to access his power while stressed or intoxicated.
After a fight with Abigail that culminates in her leaving on foot to find the Swamp Thing, Matthew has an attack of conscience and drives after her. Having been drinking heavily, he ends up crashing his car, mortally wounding himself. A huge unnatural fly landing by him said it would revive him, and he agrees allowing it to crawl down his throat. In reality, Anton, who had since died and gone to hell, finds a way out by way of Cable. He possesses the fly and then Cable's body and with it gains Cable's godlike power. Eventually Matthew manages to send Arcane back to hell, but at the cost of the effects of the car-crash catching up with him, and only after Arcane had molested Abby. (The plot point, incidentally, that resulted in DC dropping the Comics Code seal on Swamp Thing for good, adding instead the words "Sophisticated Suspense" across the top) Still possessing enough power to repair one body and not wanting to live, he manages to bring Abby back to life (though her soul would still have to be rescued from Hell by the Swamp Thing, who succeeds in doing so). Apologizing to "Alec", he then fell into the coma
he would remain in for the duration of his mortal life.
This life is cut short by a corrupt hospital administration harvesting several of his more expendable organs. Abigail takes mercy on Matt and destroys the machinery, ending his life.
revived him to a form of life as his raven
. It may be influenced by the Hungarian king Hunyadi Matthias, as his symbol was also a raven. This is more true than Matthew first suspected, stating in Sandman #40 "I suppose I figured I'd be a man in a raven's body. Nope, it don't work like that. I'm a raven." He lives with Eve in Dream's domain. His purpose—and the purpose of any of the Ravens that Morpheus has had previously—is somewhat questionable. Morpheus seems to keep the Ravens around out of some sort of unspoken need for companionship. The Ravens are created by Morpheus, offering the position to people who died, usually while dreaming, and released them from service if they so wished.
Matthew is irreverent and somewhat crude, having a questionable life behind him. However, he served Dream loyally by providing advice and occasionally going on missions for him. His loyalty extended so far that when Morpheus was slain, he at first was going to seek release from service to Daniel, who had taken Morpheus's place as Dream. He eventually decided to stay on as Daniel's Raven.
In The Dreaming
series Matthew plays a more important role and was often teamed with the Corinthian
. He died twice more during the series, once as a result of being tricked by the Coyote
, and for a final time by an accidental shot from Lucien during a fight with Echo and Eblis O'Shaughnessy. He came back briefly to tell Daniel not to let Lucien blame himself.
Notable predecessors as the Raven are Lucien, who was the first Raven, and Aristeas
of Marmora
who, centuries later, returned to his life as a man for a year. Disturbingly, when Delirium tried to recall the other of Dream's ravens she had seen, she mentioned 'Eleven and a Half'. Other predecessors who are mentioned are Jessamy, Francois, Jehuda, Vivien, Ming-Ti, Dechtire, and Hatshepsut
. After Matthew's death Daniel enlisted Tethys
, a deep-sea creature who had dreamed of the surface world, to serve him as a white raven.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
, who died and was later resurrected as Dream's raven in Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's rendition of The Sandman.
Swamp Thing/Doom Patrol
Matthew Cable was a government agent who thought Swamp Thing killed Alec Holland. For years, Swamp Thing believed himself to be Holland, and eventually revealed to Cable that he was "Alec", which led Cable to let him go.He encountered the Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
during this time (in the 1977 Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
series).
Eventually, Cable's mind was damaged, leading to him gaining the ability to alter reality itself. He eventually married Abigail Arcane
Abby Holland (comics)
Abigail "Abby" Arcane Cable Holland is a fictional comic book character in the DC Comics Universe. She is the wife and partner of the Swamp Thing and is the mother of Tefé Holland. Holland possesses natural shining white hair, the color of fresh snow, with two overlapping black streaks of hair...
, a longtime friend to Swamp Thing and niece to Anton Arcane
Anton Arcane
Anton Arcane is a DC Comics villain who first appeared in Swamp Thing vol. 1 #2, and was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.-Fictional character biography:...
, a ruthless man who wanted Swamp Thing's secrets so he could become immortal. Their marriage eventually deteriorated, leading to Matthew's abuse of his power in the form of obscene sexual acts, such as using his powers to create decaying forms to arouse and please him, all the while straining his marriage. Matthew only seemed to be able to access his power while stressed or intoxicated.
After a fight with Abigail that culminates in her leaving on foot to find the Swamp Thing, Matthew has an attack of conscience and drives after her. Having been drinking heavily, he ends up crashing his car, mortally wounding himself. A huge unnatural fly landing by him said it would revive him, and he agrees allowing it to crawl down his throat. In reality, Anton, who had since died and gone to hell, finds a way out by way of Cable. He possesses the fly and then Cable's body and with it gains Cable's godlike power. Eventually Matthew manages to send Arcane back to hell, but at the cost of the effects of the car-crash catching up with him, and only after Arcane had molested Abby. (The plot point, incidentally, that resulted in DC dropping the Comics Code seal on Swamp Thing for good, adding instead the words "Sophisticated Suspense" across the top) Still possessing enough power to repair one body and not wanting to live, he manages to bring Abby back to life (though her soul would still have to be rescued from Hell by the Swamp Thing, who succeeds in doing so). Apologizing to "Alec", he then fell into the coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
he would remain in for the duration of his mortal life.
This life is cut short by a corrupt hospital administration harvesting several of his more expendable organs. Abigail takes mercy on Matt and destroys the machinery, ending his life.
Sandman
Since Matthew technically died while in the Dreaming in Swamp Thing #84, Morpheus/Dream of the EndlessEndless (comics)
The Endless are a group of beings who embody powerful forces or aspects of the universe in the DC comic book series The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. They have existed since the dawn of time and are thought to be among the most powerful beings in the universe...
revived him to a form of life as his raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
. It may be influenced by the Hungarian king Hunyadi Matthias, as his symbol was also a raven. This is more true than Matthew first suspected, stating in Sandman #40 "I suppose I figured I'd be a man in a raven's body. Nope, it don't work like that. I'm a raven." He lives with Eve in Dream's domain. His purpose—and the purpose of any of the Ravens that Morpheus has had previously—is somewhat questionable. Morpheus seems to keep the Ravens around out of some sort of unspoken need for companionship. The Ravens are created by Morpheus, offering the position to people who died, usually while dreaming, and released them from service if they so wished.
Matthew is irreverent and somewhat crude, having a questionable life behind him. However, he served Dream loyally by providing advice and occasionally going on missions for him. His loyalty extended so far that when Morpheus was slain, he at first was going to seek release from service to Daniel, who had taken Morpheus's place as Dream. He eventually decided to stay on as Daniel's Raven.
In The Dreaming
The Dreaming (comics)
The Dreaming is a fictional place, a comic book location published by DC Comics. The Dreaming first appeared in the Sandman vol. 2 #1, , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. The Dreaming is the domain of Dream of the Endless....
series Matthew plays a more important role and was often teamed with the Corinthian
Corinthian (comics)
The Corinthian is a fictional character in Neil Gaiman's comic book series The Sandman. He can first be seen in The Sandman #10 , which is part of the second story arc, The Doll's House. The Corinthian is a nightmare created by Dream, who destroys him in the same collection for going rogue and...
. He died twice more during the series, once as a result of being tricked by the Coyote
Coyote (mythology)
Coyote is a mythological character common to many Native American cultures, based on the coyote animal. This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, a tail and claws...
, and for a final time by an accidental shot from Lucien during a fight with Echo and Eblis O'Shaughnessy. He came back briefly to tell Daniel not to let Lucien blame himself.
Other ravens
The lettering of all ravens' speech is messy at the edges, and so are the speech bubbles, perhaps indicating a gravelly voice.Notable predecessors as the Raven are Lucien, who was the first Raven, and Aristeas
Aristeas
Aristeas was a semi-legendary Greek poet and miracle-worker, a native of Proconnesus in Asia Minor, active ca. 7th century BCE. In book IV of The Histories, Herodotus reports...
of Marmora
Marmora
-Places:Canada*Marmora, Ontario, a community in Hastings County*Marmora and Lake, Ontario, a township in Hastings CountyGreece*Marmora, Greece, a village in Cyclades Prefecture, South AegeanItaly*Marmora, Piedmont, a comune in the Province of Cuneo...
who, centuries later, returned to his life as a man for a year. Disturbingly, when Delirium tried to recall the other of Dream's ravens she had seen, she mentioned 'Eleven and a Half'. Other predecessors who are mentioned are Jessamy, Francois, Jehuda, Vivien, Ming-Ti, Dechtire, and Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies;1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
. After Matthew's death Daniel enlisted Tethys
Tethys (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Tethys , daughter of Uranus and Gaia was an archaic Titaness and aquatic sea goddess, invoked in classical Greek poetry but not venerated in cult. Tethys was both sister and wife of Oceanus...
, a deep-sea creature who had dreamed of the surface world, to serve him as a white raven.
External links
- Roots of the Swamp Thing - An extremely detailed timeline chronicling all the events of Swamp Thing, Hellblazer and related titles in chronological order, covering the life of Matthew Cable.