Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #11 – Review

By Victor Gischler (writer), Bong Dazo (pencils), Leonardo Ito (inks), Matt Milla (colors) and Jeff Eckleberry (letters)

The Story: Deadpool and company continue to run around the zombieverse, searching for a way out. Spoiler alert: they haven’t found one yet.

What’s Good: The more I read this book, the more I’m growing to enjoy the art. Dazo is doing an absolutely fantastic job with a script that (in the hands of a less talented artist) wouldn’t lend itself to great panels. Dazo’s are consistently good though, and a huge tip of my hat goes to both him and colorist Matt Milla for their downright beautiful work on the (many) fires and explosions; everything from the overall look to the shadows they cast are just pretty, and a lot of fun to look at. (The panel of ‘Pool shish-kabobing Zombie Firebird is just incredible—I would have loved to see that as a full splash page. Just awesome.)

The zombie enemies are particularly good in this issue, and more interesting than they’ve been for…well, most of this series, really. Zombie Iceman and Zombie Firebird are quite threatening, and both project a real sense of danger even while engaging in banter and (admittedly pretty bad) quips.

What’s Not So Good: Gischler’s writing continues to shoot for the absolute lowest common denominator. I don’t necessarily mean that as an insult, mind you; puns and intentionally bad dialog have their place, and if ANY Marvel character were made to make use of such humor it would be Gischler’s Deadpool. I can’t help but feel it’s far, far too overused in this series though. I would excuse the whole thing as being intended for much younger readers who might be more entertained by that sort of writing than I am, but the parental advisory warning on the cover rather precludes that assumption.

Deadpool Team-Up #893 – Review

By Rob Williams (writer), Matteo Scalera (art), Matt Wilson (colors), Jeff Eckleberry (letters)

The Story: Deadpool is contracted to retrieve equipment from a defunct lair of a super villain called the Slaymaster. He’s not the only one after this technology of course, and a rival descends on the hideout to claim the Slaymaster’s mantle just as Deadpool arrives. Fortunately for our Merc (or maybe not), Captain Britain charges onto the scene to help confront this new menace.

What’s Good: Well, Williams has listened to my ranting at least a little bit: ‘Pool and his guest star actually spend a pretty significant amount of time interacting with each other, which is a positive development for this series. (Of course, the majority of that time is spent with transposed personalities, but…baby steps I suppose.)

Scalera’s art fits this issue surprisingly well. The script is quite absurd, but the quick, frantic drawings match the high-intensity nature of both the plot and the quips. Despite this, Scalera almost never loses track of important visual details, and none of the characters or panels seem overly rushed or incomplete. That’s a very good thing, and a credit to the artist.

Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #10 – Review

By Victor Gischler (writer), Bong Dazo (pencils), Leonardo Ito (inks), Matt Milla (colors) and Jeff Eckleberry (letters)

The Story: Deadpool and company come up with a clever ruse that allows them to escape both the A.I.M. agents on their tail and the nasty infestation of mutant zombies. Since ‘Pool is the mastermind behind it all, of course, nothing goes according to plan.

What’s Good: I am an unashamedly writing-first kind of reader. If an author can sell me on the way he constructs his dialogue, or the way she crafts her story, I will enjoy the comic. I say this so you understand just how much I enjoyed the artwork of this book to bring it up first. Dazo hasn’t particularly stood out for me before, but he really tears down the house in this issue. The set pieces are wonderful, the characters are a ton of fun to watch, and the action is kinetic and exciting. This is the first time in quite a while I’ve found myself more compelled to turn the page to see what would happen next than to read what would happen. Special credit also needs to go to Matt Milla’s beautiful colors (the explosions and gun battles in particular are very, very nice.) His bold coloring and lively palette add a ton of life to these illustrations.

Deadpool Team-Up #894

By Ivan Brandon (writer), Sanford Greene (art), Nathan Massengill, John Rauch (colors) and Jeff Eckleberry (letters)

The Story: Our favorite Mouthy Merc is hired to kill famous vigilante Frank Castle— the Punisher— in order to avenge the death of an innocent man killed in Punisher’s crossfire. Deadpool gets far, far more than he bargained for when he follows Punisher’s trail down into the sewer and discovers that his prey is already dead, but still moving about. And worse yet, it has friends…

What’s Good: What can we say about our poor, overused Deadpool? He can be written, drawn and utilized in any number of ways, and that leaves him wide open for abuse and mischaracterization. Fortunately, things don’t go so badly for him here. Although none of his lines or antics are particularly good, they aren’t awful by any stretch, and will almost certainly give you a chuckle or two. Sadly, when it comes to these Deadpool spinoffs, that seems to be about the best one can hope for.

The story itself is actually one of the most creative ones that this series has seen so far. The problems Deadpool has to solve are interesting, and the trouble he gets himself into is (at least mildly) unexpected. Greene does a great job bringing this madcap story to life, and his take on Frankencastle’s monster posse are the highlight of the book. It’s a lot of fun just to look at the different designs and poses he has for them. His more human-centric art doesn’t fare quite as well— Deadpool’s proportions, especially his head, seem rather off and inconsistent, and the panels are often over-cluttered. Still, it gets the job done and tells the story effectively enough.

The Marvelous Land Of Oz #1 – Review

by Eric Shanower (writer), Skottie Young (art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (color), Jeff Eckleberry (letters)

The Story: New character Tip takes center stage as we return to the fantastic Land of Oz. The mischievous Tip has lived with old witch Mombi for as long as he can remember, but when she tires of his presence, the boy decides to take flight with magical new friend Jack Pumpkinhead!

What’s Good: Marvel’s adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a highlight of their publishing output earlier this year.  I’d never read any of the original novels by Baum and my knowledge of the world stretched only as far as the 1939 MGM film version had taught me.  However, once I’d finished the miniseries I found myself wanting to seek out the original novels so that I could find out what was next for these characters and the (forgive the pun) wonderful world they lived in.  I decided against it, though, if only to not spoil the next installment in Marvel’s Oz series.  My patience was not in vain if this first issue is any indication of the enjoyment to be had.

Shanower does a superb job adapting the work here.  I’m not entirely sure how much credit to give him, as I get the feeling that he’s not straying far from the source material in his re-telling.  In particular, the dialogue spoken by the characters has the feel of being taken directly from the novel.  Whatever the case may be, the writer deserves credit for making it work in comic book form.  Making a story meant for one medium work in a different one is no easy feat, but Shanower makes it look and sound that way.  Specifically, he knows when to indulge in narration and when to let the art tell the story.  He never forgets that this is a comic book he’s writing and the story benefits from his economical use of that narrative device.

Skottie Young is truly doing the work of his career with the Oz series.  I know that is a phrase that gets overused a lot when trying to heap praise on artists for a particular work, but it’s distinctly apt here.  Young’s enthusiasm for the material shines through in every panel.  Take one look at his Scarecrow or his Jack Pumpkinhead and tell me that his interpretations won’t become the definitive version of these characters whenever you next picture them.  His cartoony pencils have a rough, sketchy nature to them that makes the visuals work in a way that gives them a sense of movement.  His vision of Oz’s landscapes and denizens contains a slightly skewed, exaggerated element to it that, I’d imagine, is exactly how a child would see the world.  I can imagine no other artist better suited to bringing Baum’s vision to life than Skottie Young.  ‘Nuff said.

Two more creators who really make this issue, and the entire Oz series, work so well are colorist Beaulieu and letterer Eckleberry.  Beaulieu’s colors heighten the entire experience and help each page come to life.  He makes Young’s artwork sing in ways that it wouldn’t otherwise.  The man can also do no wrong when working with sunsets.  The scene where Jack, Tip and Mombi talk as dusk fills the sky is one of the most beautiful panels ever in a comic book.  Eckleberry’s lettering deserves credit for adding to Young’s pencils as well.  A good letterer will be sure that their work meshes with their artist’s style, and that is the case here.  Making the caption boxes and word balloons slightly uneven, mirroring Young’s sketchy, askew art-style, is a smart decision that shows that Eckleberry knows what he’s doing.

What’s Not So Good: I’ll admit, as much as I enjoyed the change of pace presented here by introducing an entirely new cast, I miss the iconic foursome of the first Oz installment.  There was a mythic quality that was present whenever Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion were shown making their way down the Yellow Brick Road.  Perhaps it’s nostalgia.  Whatever the reason, I’m not sure Tip and company have quite captured my interest yet.  We’ll see.

Conclusion: Whether you’re an adult or child, this comic book is a must-have.  Young and Shanower manage to make you remember fondly what it’s like to be young and have an unknown, fantastic world laid out before you.  And if you can’t remember, they certainly make you wish you that could.

Grade: A

-Joe Lopez

 

Wolverine: Chop Shop #1 – Review

By Mike Benson (writer), Roland Boschi (pencils), Dan Brown (colors), Jeff Eckleberry (letters), Tomer Hanuka (cover)

The Story: After an evening of drinking, Logan gets picked up by a beautiful woman who takes him back to her place. After the festivities conclude, Wolverine wakes up hung-over and short a few organs. Realizing he was harvested for parts, Logan sets out for his revenge.

What’s Good: Even though this story is weak, Wolverine’s dialogue is written pretty well. Benson surprisingly finds a way to make the X-man shine through his narration.

What’s Not So Good: I know this is a one-shot, so it’s not supposed to fit in any particular continuity, but this is a bit too unconnected for me. Wolverine getting picked up, and hacked for organs is whatever, but seriously how can anyone not know who this guy is? He’s been involved in every global event for the last like, 40 years. It just asks too much of the reader. To make things worse, the organ-stealers are regular guys which kills the drama. Had it been a super-villain, some anti-mutant group, or someone trying to study his healing factor, sure I can buy that. All of which make more sense than a random hookup gone wrong. The backgrounds are another source of frustration. Half of them are dull, the others are just splashes of color to accentuate Wolverine’s rage. That’s something we should get from the words.

Conclusion: Logan’s narration and some decent art aren’t enough to save this bland story. This is a perfect argument for Wolverine’s over-saturation in comics. Just because an idea with him comes up doesn’t mean it needs to be published, Marvel! And clearly it doesn’t guarantee that it’ll be good. Save your cash folks.

Grade D-

– Ben Berger