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 #23 – Review

By Daniel Way (writer), Carlo Barberi (pencils), Juan Vlasco (inks), Marte Gracia (colors) and VC’s Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Deadpool heads to Las Vegas in order to avenge a badmouthing at the hands of a casino owner. After arriving though, he finds out (the hard way) that all of the Vegas casino owners have hired a mech-suited warrior called—wait for it—The House to protect them and their earnings. It turns out that The House is piloted by none other than Deadpool’s sometimes friend, sometimes enemy Weasel, and after a brief scuffle Deadpool decides to borrow Weasel’s backup set of armor and go to work with him.

What’s Good: Who kicked Daniel Way in the butt and finally woke him up? All us ‘Pool fans owe that person a huge thank you. True, Way’s Deadpool has consistently been the best written (and, if you ask me, the best take on the character) out of all the Deadpool books available, but this issue is head and shoulders above the bar he’s set for himself. I don’t know if it’s the freshness of a new Marvel ‘era’ in the Heroic Age, the inclusion of a character like Weasel (who has always served Deadpool well) or just that the entire concept of a casino themed Iron Monger-like powered suit is absurdly hilarious, but this issue just works on a level that very few Deadpool stories have worked for a long time.

The plot device that gets Deadpool to Las Vegas works perfectly, and is so quintessentially Deadpool. THIS is exactly how he needs to be written: funny, insane, absurd…but with the flip side of that coin being that he is quite dark, unstable and very, very dangerous. This is a Deadpool who I can buy not just as a schizophrenic clown, but also as one of the most skilled and most in-demand mercenaries working in the Marvel universe. This is a Deadpool I actually want to watch and root for. Even the little moments, like Deadpool escaping from Weasel’s Box with no foreshadowing or explanation, are pitch-perfect. I can understand some readers being bothered by Way glossing over a (fairly important) plot point like how Deadpool escaped, but to be it just reinforced the exact tone of absurdity and ridiculousness that both the character and the book needs.

Three cheers for bringing back Weasel, too. He’s always been a great foil/companion/punching bag for Deadpool, and it’s rather nice to see him get the upper hand (no pun intended) here for a while. Even better is having them working together again; I’m hoping it’s for more than just this arc. A character like this is exactly what Deadpool needs to be at his best, and Way seems to really like Weasel (and writes him very well) to boot. That’s a win for everyone involved. Also, can I just say that “Wildcard” is the single most perfect moniker Way could have come up with for ‘Pools mech-enforcer? Love it!