Review: "Deadpool" #20

Admittedly, it's sort of difficult to write a review of Deadpool #20 after that excellent epilogue by writer Gerry Duggan himself. As he already goes into detail about the positive impact even unstable anti-heroes such as the Merc with a Mouth can have on people in need, I feel everything relevant has been said about this already. But the comic does something else as well...

As a one-shot where Deadpool takes a suicidal girl on a eventful night out to ultimately make her changer her mind, it's the comic's stripped-down nature that makes it stand out in comparison to the rather over-blown Deadpool instalments of late. Being left without any gadgets and teams to fall back on to, Duggan very impressively captures the helplessness, fragility but ultimately also humanity of both Deadpool and the unnamed girl. For the comic medium as a whole it shows that less is sometimes more, where putting our heroes in more grounded situations can ultimately lead to such great achievements as this one.

10/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Cyborg: Rebirth" #1 / "Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #3 / "Superman" #6

"Cyborg: Rebirth" #1: It's exactly what you'd want from a "Rebirth" title, with its concise Cyborg origin story and a premise that is able to set this series apart from its predecessors. One to have an eye on in the upcoming weeks.

8/10

"Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #3: Cullen Bunn and The Mercs For Money have, gladly, arrived at the same conclusion: Deadpool is better off without the Mercs, and vice versa. While there were some fun moments throughout the various series over the last year, undoubtedly the team-up has lost much of its chemistry and dynamic in recent outings. Go Deadpool, but go alone. 

6/10

"Superman" #6: First it's a large-scale fight (with, admittedly, some quite confusing art by Patrick Gleason), and then a pompous celebration of the return of Superman. It all feels a bit thin for one entire issue, as Gleason and Tomasi clearly seem to have run out of steam towards the end of the "Son of Superman" storyline.

8/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #2 / "Action Comics" #961 / "Darth Vader" #24

"Darth Vader" #24: It's a small glimpse of what this series could have been, if only Kieron Gillen had remotely made use of the potential a character like Darth Vader offers. Too little too late, even though this one here convinces.

7/10

"Action Comics" #961: This is still solid, even though one cannot help but feel that Jurgens has to get the story to some kind of conclusion soon (or shake things up, respectively) if he doesn't want to risk that the series becomes directionless.

7/10

"Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #2: If you didn't particularly like the first series, you should definitely give this one another try. Deadpool's better, the Mercs a lot deeper and more dynamic, and the cast of villains is highly compelling. 

8/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #1 / "Action Comics" #960 / "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #3

"Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #1: The reboot nobody really needed (yet) actually delivers the best "Mercs" comic so far, especially benefitting from a clear narrative outline.

8/10

"Action Comics" #960: Its art is too kitschy, but writer Dan Jurgens somehow manages to still keep the large-scale Superman vs. Doomsday fight interesting, finding twists and turns wherever he can. Wonder Woman kicks some serious ass here as well.

7/10

"Captain America: Steve Rogers" #3: Lighter in tone than the two previous issues, and not necessarily better for it. Next up is a "Civil War II" tie-in. Hopefully, Nick Spencer returns to form then.

6/10

Keepin' It 360: "Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #5

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money's first story line ends here, as we finally get a full backstory of the recorder robot and artist Salva Espin continues his dynamic art approach with some impressive big panels. Even though its conclusion is a bit effortless, the comic still convinces as a high-paced, colorful roller-coaster ride that will keep you entertained. 

6/10

Further Links:

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #4

Deadpool #12

Deadpool: Last Days of Magic #1

Review: "Deadpool: Last Days of Magic" #1

Deadpool: Last Days of Magic, a one-shot that ties in with the current story arc in the Doctor Strange comics, does a hell of a lot of things right. First and foremost, it's not mandatory at all to have read any of the previous chapters to get right into the action. And frankly, if you're a Deadpal that is solely interested in the "Merc with a Mouth", you don't even have to read any of the upcoming Doctor Strange comics that conclude the "Last Days of Magic" story line. This one works pretty well on its own. Saying this, writer Gerry Duggan does a solid job of providing enough exposition to never make new readers feel lost, giving constant updates on what has been going on in previous chapters.

While Deadpool himself was a bit of a hit-and-miss in recent issues of the main series, he is absolutely outstanding in this one. Duggan manages to capture him at his wisecracking best while also delving into his more emotional side as he explores the friendship with Michael Hawthorne, all resulting in a in a story that is tremendously fast-paced without ever losing its edge and can effortlessly switch between hilarious absurdity and some emotionally deeper themes. 

Artist Scott Koblish shines with his playful approach to all characters, while managing to stay within the narrow range of constantly being over-the-top, but never too absurd. His larger, crowded panels make quite an impression as well, as they are able to tell a lot without unnecessarily confusing. Guru-eFX's accentuated colors have become a trademark in Deadpool comics and perfectly enhance story and pencils here, too.

Deadpool: Last Days of Magic is a superbly entertaining affair from start to finish that not just relies on one single strength to make it stand out, but masters a whole array of different topics.

9/10

Further Links:

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #4
Deadpool #11
Deadpool: Masacre #1

Review: "Deadpool & The Mercs For Money" #4

You have to give the creative team behind Deadpool & The Mercs For Money a lot of credit for the work they've been doing over these four issues so far. A big part of it is their ability to make the comic flow smoothly and effortlessly on the surface when it's really their attention to small details that lays the groundwork here.

Writer Cullen Bunn's dialogues are spot-on, with humor that hardly ever feels forced or artificial, while artist Salva Espin's inks and Guru-eFX's colors are tremendously meticulous while never giving up their bright playfulness. The series' abundantly large cast of (sometimes too) similar characters has grown even more in this one, but we're at a point now where it's the abundance itself that forms a big part of the joke.

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money continues to play to its strengths while offering a lot more if you just look hard enough. And yes, some Spanish would definitely help as well.

8/10

Further Links:

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #3
Deadpool #11