Deadpool #25 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: I suppose that even Deadpool had to learn in some ways that violence doesn’t always solve every problems. Most, but not all of them.

The Review: There seems to be a more seasonal approach to comic book storytelling with the big two in the past few years. With new number ones getting released to indicate a change in volume, a change in paradigm or one in term of creators, many books now emphasize the ever-changing or evolving status quo of their very storylines.

Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn is very much in the same boat, yet does not seemingly boast about it more than it actually conclude a particular chapter and then moves on. With many of the subplots relative to certain characters and ideas introduced in the very first arc now done, this issue serves as a rather great conclusion to a certain analysis of the character and what he does great.

Where this issue does a lot of things right is with how Duggan and Posehn handle his relations with the other characters. He might have been a bit unsavory at times, yet how he departs from them, how he actually try to show he can change and make his life happier for their sake is a rather touching moment. With his evolution passing through his ordeals and through his various moments shared with them, the way he acts with Agent Adsit, Agent Preston, Michael and the others is a pretty touching element of the book.

Deadpool #24 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Agent Preston finally gets transferred out of Deadpool. The only thing she needs to do is get out of his head.

The Review: The more you read cape comics, the more you begin to learn to appreciate honest effort from any creative team. While it can be a hard task to differentiate those that actually care from those that only wants a paycheck, there are times when the work is clear-cut in its quality that it is immediately noticeable.

This issue of Deadpool is one of the latter, with both writers actually going around with plenty of elements firmly established from their run as well as previous ones to present not only a definitive version of the character, but one that has plenty of hidden depth to boot.

What Posehn and Duggan does impossibly right is making the character an actual person, one with regrets, feelings and genuine emotions that are both said and unsaid, leaving room for readers to interpret things as well as invest themselves in. With this issue being the culmination of several elements brought up since the first arc, the evolution on display here is superb, with all the horror, the thrills and the actions of Wade Wilson coming back to him, making him not only a sympathetic character, but also one that becomes genuinely likable in many respects. To transform this character from recurring and sometimes annoying joke to an actual person takes skill, which is very commendable for both writers.

Deadpool #23 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: I am *&/?$ tired of those (*$?%* Deadpool in my ($*$&% heli-carrier killing my (“*/&$ minions!

The Review: Deadpool is a character that had a particularly strange development as a character, both in-universe and out-of-universe. Starting up as a Deadstroke look-alike, he turned into something completely different after writer Joe Kelly cemented a whole new take on the character, turning him into something relatively unique by the time he had his own ongoing. In turn, this made him popular, which made him appear in many other series, receiving mini-series and other ongoing titles at the peak of his popularity, making him appear everywhere akin to popular characters like Batman, Spider-Man and Wolverine. However, while that was going on, not every portrayal of the character was actually decent or even close to what made the character popular to begin with, leaving him to be a rather unappreciated stain when he had been portrayed as a mix of comedy and misery that made him endearing and likable despite the kookiness of his actions and reactions.

Thankfully, it seems that both Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan do understand just what makes the character decent to begin with, with this issue being a splendid example of why. While this volume had its share of up and down, there is something inherently right in the way they handle the Merc with a Mouth that makes this series a delight for long-time fans.

An area where they excel here, in this particular issue, is the juxtaposition of humor and violence without sacrificing the effect of one over the other. In this issue, Wade Wilson deals with a heli-carrier full of henchmen and does so in a way that is brutal, yet also true to the character and to his development in this series. Through all of this, many of the characters reacts to the action, be it the minions themselves, agent Gorman, Coulson, Preston and Deadpool himself. Fine-tuning a balance between hyper-violence and jokes, both Posehn and Duggan adds a certain levity without diminishing the effects or either elements.

Deadpool #22 – Review

by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool needs to get to the man who has put a bounty on his head. Thankfully, he has help from some special agents…

The Review: Being purely objective and detached from anything is a difficult task. To try and let go of personal experiences and opinions is almost impossible, as it permeates the very being you are as well as your beliefs. Reviewing comics is something that is supposed to be done in a purely objective manner, which is what I try to do each time I open an issue and analyze it.

Lately, it had been a bit difficult for me to properly review Deadpool, for a very specific reason. The story arc The good, the bad and the ugly was something that no one really saw coming in terms of quality. It was a great arc that went ahead with a tone and some themes that were generally very surprising for a Deadpool story, being rather serious instead of silly on many occasions. Thus, it kind of made me analyze this series based on the merits of this arc more than the merits of a singular issue, which made the latest two issues a bit less-appreciated from my part.

Thankfully, both Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn went ahead and cranked the action and humor up a notch in this issue, proving that they can return to the previous tone of the series without throwing away what they wrote some issues prior. Overall, I’d say it’s an improvement, but there are still some little issues all along, like most comics out there.

Deadpool #21 – Review

by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Scott Koblish (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool now has a price on his head, courtesy of a branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. Guess who’s unhappy about it?

The Review: This book is problematic for me right now. While it had the tendencies to diverge from pretty good to rather forgettable, the very last arc proved that it could actually exceed in quality the range previously established. With The good, the bad and the ugly being over and setting for a better take on the Merc with a Mouth, this title now has to live up with the fact that it proved it can actually be excellent. Still, with the last issue being somewhat problematic, can the duo of writers provide a good tale featuring the regenerate degenerate?

They do provide the entertainment that is the bread and butter of this series in this issue, yet not in the grandest or most ridiculous of ways. While this issue doesn’t do anything bad per se, it does not do anything spectacular either, giving this issue which works quite well in the grand scheme of things, yet does not rise above the other issues of this series.

What it does right, still, is in how both Duggan and Posehn are able to spin the many plates of the general story in the series. The return of Dr. Strange, the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. did not pay Deadpool back in the zombie presidents affair, how agent Adsit is aware of Agent Preston and her situation and many other smaller threads are mentioned and updated here, providing for some nice touches for those who were following the series so far. With the story in itself being the natural evolution of several of those subplots, it’s nice to see that both writers do have a general direction for the title as it provides for plenty of opportunity for more shenanigans down the line.

Deadpool #19 – Review

by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool finally gets a chat with Butler as he wants to get answers about a great many things.

The Review: It’s always a nice thing to see a character get the respect he or she deserves. It’s never uncommon to see a certain creative team that doesn’t seem to ”get” a character, pushing for a divergent version that plays on some of the more popular themes while never really touching the others. While there are always many ways to interpret a character, there will always be some version that are more memorable and thus stay with the readers as a ”better” version.

Deadpool is perhaps one of those characters upon which many writers have pushed for one side more while never really focusing on the others, with some liking the humor and others being more in love with the mercenary aspect of the character. However, it seems that in this story and arguably in their whole run, both Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn have managed to bring back an ensemble look at this beloved character, with hints of Joe Kelly’s characterization for good measure.

With ”The good, the bad and the ugly”, they had actually done the hard job of selling to the readers a much more humane Wade Wilson and make him interesting beside the silly pop culture reference. In this story, we get to see him as a credible force, a human being, one capable of compassion, cruelty and many other emotions without resorting to cheap ploy or jokes, creating something much better in the process. This is not just a clown, but a person we are rooting for and this is not something every Deadpool comics can manage.

Deadpool #18 – Review

Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Cap, Wolverine and Deadpool infiltrates the main camp in order to save the family of the metahumans in custody of the North Korean government.

The Review: There is a lot to like when one looks at the current Deadpool ongoing. With a good balance between action, humor and some tiny bit of darkness, both Posehn and Duggan have captured a bit of the Joe Kelly era of the character, the most iconic of them all. However, with the current arc called The good, the bad and the ugly, both writers seemed to be able to surprise readers with a voluntary twist in how things are usually done with the characters, giving something different for the Merc with a Mouth.

While the previous issue wasn’t as great an example of where this arc succeeds at showing the many nuances of Deadpool as a character, this issue is a shining example of how the character can be efficiently handled. They do so by creating a crescendo of real horror, letting the super heroics fade away until the ending hits both the character and the readers like a gut punch. By letting the rather darker and much more miserable side of the character be on the page, they are able to put forward a more nuanced take on Wade Wilson that makes him more enjoyable to read. Duggan and Posehn treats the titular character like a three-dimensional being, which really do help this arc so far.

Both writers do also seem to make a better use of Captain America and Wolverine in this issue, showcasing their history and how it can be compared with Deadpool’s own. While Captain America is left on the side in terms of introspection, Wolverine is more present in this issue as Duggan and Posehn seems to understand how he works and how he sees himself. The interaction he has with Deadpool along with the mutated refugees are pretty well done, as they are able to show the compassion and the tragedy in a man that is quite intimate with violence and all that it entails.

Deadpool #17 – Review

Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: With Captain America and Wolverine now rescued, it’s time for them to get out of there, but not without causing a whole lot of damage before they go.

The Review: It was too good to be true. A Deadpool arc which features a more serious take on the character, focusing on his psyche and just how dark the character truly is could not keep the excellence forever. The psychological take on the character and the way his legacy was twisted up, despite his best attempts at not making it so was just too much for its own good, as the arrival of Captain America and Wolverine detracts from all of that.

Now, before I go too far in the negative intro to this review, I wouldn’t say that this is a bad comic. There are several aspects of the issue that were handled with obvious care and an obvious desire for fun, like the action. The big battle that Captain America, Wolverine, Deadpool and the captive of the meta human camp is actually filled with all the violence, gore and bombastic hyperbole of super heroic action that one could very much expect from a book featuring the Merc with a Mouth. The pacing is also well kept as there is enough variety in the action to allow it to be properly exciting throughout the issue.

What’s much less exciting is how the story and the whole take on Deadpool seems to return to utter goofiness. While the crazed take on Wade Wilson can be easily explained through the fact that this is the way he acts around those he respects in some weird way, it still feels a bit too fast as Poshen and Duggan abandon the introspective take on the character almost completely in favour of the action. The plot progression is also affected by all this, as this issue mostly revolves around the action and not on the direct conflict with Butler and the mystery of what he said to Deadpool. It’s a bit strange to say, yet it feels like the inclusion of Captain America and Wolverine, two popular characters, didn’t do much good in this particular story except provide more material for super hero action.

Deadpool #16 – Review

by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool and Agent Preston tries to go away from Butler’s hold as they discover the type of experiments he is doing in his camp.

The Review: It’s not always easy for writers and readers to accept a mood-change. Sometimes, a political book tries to incorporate a bit of action to pepper things up, to disastrous results. Other times, it can be the opposite, as a book change just a bit to let some new ideas flow into it, to freshen things up before it gets repetitive or simply stale.

The latter is what’s happening to Deadpool, who tells a story that is far more character-oriented, with a darker take on things than is usual for the Merc with a Mouth. Humor has always been a regular thing in the book featuring Wade Wilson, yet there is so much pop culture references and poop jokes that can be thrown at the readers before it gets rather tiring. Thankfully, both Posehn and Duggan understand this very well as they focus on some darker ideas, while providing just enough levity to satisfy some of the Deadpool fans.

The opening page actually sums this issue and the very recent take quite well, as Wade tries to cheer himself up, slicing a turkey as if it was a happy family reunion. However, as the page progress, it is revealed to be merely a figment that even his imagination doesn’t seem to accept. His humor is gone, revealed as his way of escape from all his pain and the uncertainty of his life. This take continues toward the issue, as Deadpool himself is unable to continue due to the reveals given to him by Butler himself. Not wishing to go on like this, Agent Preston takes over for him as their interaction and their reaction to what is happening cements the psychological Duggan and Posehn are trying to do.

Deadpool #15 – Review

by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool, after realizing that some people kept picking some of his body parts, decide that he’s had enough of it and try to get help.

The Review: With the constant humorous shenanigans involved within the adventures of the Merc with a mouth, it’s always easy to miss out a very precise point about Deadpool: he’s probably one of the more depressing characters in superhero comics. There may be jokes and he may be goofy at times, yet it’s hard to realize that the character, because of his constantly regenerating cancer cells, is in constant pain. Combine this with the fact that he does a job he feels make him worthless, receive no respect from anyone and always seem to get the only friends he gets in trouble because of his low sanity, which is caused by his aforementioned pain. With these facts known, a lot of what Deadpool does do seem to have some kind of cold logic behind them that allow the character to be much more than a simple clown that utter popular references and jokes all the time.

This issue, it seems, is particularly aware of that aspect of the character as the humor is kept a very low minimum with the writers focusing on the character and the story instead of the silliness here. With such a wild change to a series that had been based on comedy most of the time, does the issue still manage to have a modicum of quality?

Deadpool #11 – Review

By: Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Mike Hawthorne (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool tries to kill another person on Vetis list, who is a shapeshifter. While he does so, he encounters other super beings from New York, mainly from Daredevil’s corner.

The Review: Well, this escalated quickly. As the last issue was unfortunately lacking in the charm that had been established in the series so far by giving us less focus on the story, both writers did so once more in this issue. This time, however, a lot of the humor fall a little flat as the writers just don’t really take full advantage of each situation they are in, trying to rush through many characters and jokes possible without letting the reader settle into the humor or the situation.

That’s not to say all the jokes are bad here, as there are some comedy gems, like how Daredevil perceives Deadpool in a way that parodies Mark Waid take on the blind superhero or how Deadpool has to fight a man that misunderstand how the merc with a mouth interpret who he is chasing. There are some moments that genuinely made me laugh and that were both referential to other works or to the general spirit of today.

Deadpool #10 – Review

By: Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Mike Hawtorne (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: As Michael makes his way in hell, Deadpool teams-up with the Superior Spider-Man to take out the next person on Vetis list.

The Review: On the review of the latest issue of Deadpool, I had said that the duo of Posehn and Duggan had made something quite unusual for a comic featuring the Merc with a mouth. Indeed, they had toned down the humor significantly in order to make their plot progress in a faster pace as they explored the titular character a bit further than usual. It was unexpected, yet it did lead to a quality comic.

Here, though, their approach is the exact opposite, as the humor takes precedence to the plot in this issue featuring a team-up of some sort to Spider-Ock. While we do get some tidbits of progression in the story, the focus is clearly on the jokes even with all the action set up here. However, does that make this issue a bad comic?

Deadpool #9 – Review

By: Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Mike Hawtorne (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool tries his very best to help Michael as he has to deal with Vetis and the fact that he has to kill several people for him.

The Review: Color me surprised. I was not expecting so serious an issue of this title, one that had always managed to balance the funny and serious bits in a way that made sense with the titular character himself. We could always expect a good number of jokes during the more serious moments, which were not the most striking moment, to lower down some of the more dramatic tone of the story and the character itself.

Deadpool #8 – Review

By: Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writer), Mike Hawtorne (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool deals with Agent Preston presence in his mind as he needs to save Michael the necromancer from a deal he made with the devil.

The Review: This issue marks the beginning of the second arc for this title, along with a change in artist, as Tony Moore was only there for the six first issues. With the zombie presidents threat being gone along with that superstar artist, does it mean that this title is dropping in quality?

Deadpool #6 – Review

By: Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writers), Tony Moore (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool needs to bring the fight to the last presidents remaining to save America, but also to avenge agent Preston.

The Review: Color me impressed. If there was one title I was planning initially to completely skip in the Marvel Now! initiative, it was Deadpool.* Sure, there was Tony Moore on art, but there also was two unknown author bringing some kind of zombie president story that did not interest me in the slightest. Six issues later, I’d be hard pressed not to say how much I enjoy it. To me, this is one of the best take on Deadpool since a long time, for many reasons.

The first one is very simple: they treat him like a character. Handling the finale of the latest issue with panache, we can see that Deadpool is actually sad and angry about Preston’s death, the one agent of S.H.I.E.L.D who believed that he could do the job. Here, most of the action is motivated by his desire to honor what happened to her. Sure, it does not mean he stops the unending barrage of jokes, but there is a certain dramatic tension present here that is pleasant to read. There is more purpose here than money, both for the plot and the character, which gives us more of the Deadpool I grew up to love, the Kelly/Remender/Priest version that just wanted to belong, to be appreciated.

Deadpool #5 – Review

Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan (Writer), Tony Moore (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool needs to go in space to kill zombie Ronald Wilson Reagan who is planning to launch nukes on the entire Earth. Seems like sky was not the actual limit.

The Review: Well, this was a crazy issue. Enraged Russian chimps, a zombie Reagan, cultural references, jokes, gore, action scenes, Mexican food, magic and a whole lot of shenanigans, what’s not to like here?

Well, since this is a mostly humorous book, there can be flat jokes, which the series has unfortunately seen its share of. Here, however, there are a lot less of those, with some great gems that are quite hilarious (the first two pages alone are very funny indeed). There are some stinkers here, but overall, the humor has greatly improved.

What has improved, in an actually surprising way, would also be the plot as in the middle of the issue, the jokes takes a second seat as the story gets front and center, focusing on what is happening with the zombie presidents and how the relation between Deadpool, Agent Preston and Michael is now. This was something a bit unexpected and frankly, it was also more than welcome. A little dramatic twist here and there truly does help the book liven up a bit, showing that there is a character here under all those references and jokes.