Deadpool #13 – Review

Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn (Writers), Scott Koblish (Artist), Val Staples (Colorist)

The Story: Deadpool ”works” with Heroes for Hire in order to fight the White Man.

The Review: As we prepare for the next arc, we have the chance to read another ”inventory issue”, featuring a satirical look on a whole generation and age of comic. Like the issue making fun of the 80’s, this one give us a vision that is both filled with humor, yet also with an interesting point-of-view of how the era was in terms of comics and popular culture. With this issue focusing on the 70’s, there is a lot for the duo of writers to cover, however do they manage to strike gold like they did in issue 7?

In some minor ways, they don’t really give us a tale as complete and satisfying as the last ”inventory issue”, yet they do manage to cover a lot of ground on how comics in the seventies were written, complete with a plethora of in-jokes and fourth wall comments.

On the comedic front of things, a lot of what is presented here works rather well, as both Duggan and Posehn use a lot of the blacksploitation that was the butt of the joke and the common theme used in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire. Here though, they amp it up to eleven as a lot of the jokes involve racism, the comic code authority, the disco era along with what was popular in the 70’s. With jokes like Deadpimp, the way Iron Fist used his power, the enemy being literally called ”The White Man” and many more, it’s really a diverse selection of comedy gold we have here. However, there are some small weaknesses here and there on that front as some of the jokes are used perhaps too much, like how Luke Cage keeps denying Deadpool the satisfaction of being in his business, the joke about the name of the villain and the fact that some writers usually took way too much time describing how Iron Fist used his powers. It’s all fine, yet it lowers the effectiveness of these jokes in the process.

Deadpool #13 – Review

By Daniel Way (Writer), Shawn Crystal (Pencils & Inks), John Lucas (Inks), and Lee Loughridge (Colors)

The Story: After sinking a nuclear sub that he didn’t know was a sub, Deadpool buys a new boat with all the money he got as a result of the last arc. A new boat means that Deadpool needs a crew. It also means that Wade finally gets to live out his dream of being a pirate…

What’s Good: As expected, Daniel Way’s dry sense of humor and “just go for it” mentality makes Deadpool #13 one hell of a funny read. From the humorous set up to the repeated use of Hydra Bob’s name (“Damn it, Bob” or “Never ask me a question like that again, Bob”), nearly every page of the latest issue of Deadpool goes for a laugh either through a goofy situation or a line of dialogue. Now not only does the new Deadpool bring the funny, it also sets up a pretty entertaining story about Wade defending a resort island against real pirates. Sure it’s not the deepest or most epic plot, but there’s a whole lot of potential for stuff that could only happen in a pirate-themed Deadpool book. I like that.

What’s Not So Good: While Shawn Crystal’s artwork certainly gets the job done (it’s got a lot of personality and the right type of goofy flavor), it’s hard not to compare it to the work that had been done by Paco Medina and his team. Simply put, Paco Medina and his team made Deadpool one of the best looking comics on the stands. Without Medina and his crew working on the book, the Deadpool series loses part of what has made it kick so much ass for the majority of its current run.

Conclusion: Do you like Deadpool? Do you like Pirates? If you answered yes to one or both of those questions, then be sure to pick up the latest issue of Deadpool. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny