Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "The Punisher" #5 / "Justice League" #5 / "Deadpool v Gambit" #5

"The Punisher" #5: This is one big slaughter-fest, and it absolutely convinces with its pacing, grit and dialogue. Even Dillon's execution of blood and gore is more spot-on than in earlier issues. The best one so far!?

9/10

"Justice League" #5: That's it? A story that never felt comfortable with itself and never could produce a convincing premise, story, or set of antagonists, ends as you'd imagine: uninspired and overhasty. It's all not doom and gloom though, as the members of the Justice League have generally been portrayed very well by Hitch and Daniel throughout.

5/10

"Deadpool v Gambit" #5: It's over. Finally. This last issue perfectly exemplified what was wrong with the series all along: story, characters and references that constantly think themselves more clever than they really are. Ugh!

4/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Deadpool v Gambit" #4 / "Han Solo" #3 / "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #4

"Deadpool v Gambit" #4: Only picked that up again because both Marvel and DC hardly released anything that week. And yes, the moment Deadpool and Gambit do not even really appear in their own comic, we suddenly have a half-decent story at our hand, treating the inevitability of fate through the Scramblers backstory here. 

7/10

"Han Solo" #3: Fast, fun, entertaining and with a take on Han Solo that feels fresher than in any other of Marvel's "Star Wars" series.

8/10

"Captain America: Steve Rogers" #4: What does it have to do with "Civil War II" again? Never mind. It's solid, compelling and thoroughly narrated, but definitely has lost some of its magic from earlier issues.

7/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Green Arrow" #4 / "Deadpool v Gambit" #3 / "Deadpool" #16

"Green Arrow" #4: It's fast, light and fun, with Percy knowing not to overemphasize Oliver Queen's personal drama; and the art here is simply spectacular, as Ferreyra's makes every panel look like a small portrait. 

7/10

"Deadpool v Gambit" #3: It has one of the funniest fighting scenes you probably have read in a while, but unfortunately Acker and Blacker lose more and more control of the story they're telling, resulting in an utter narrative chaos.

5/10

"Deadpool" #16: It's campfire story time, as Solo recalls how he dressed up as Deadpool once. It's good fun, but also anybody's guess why this gets marketed as a "Civil War II" tie-in.

6/10

Review: "Deadpool v Gambit" #2

It's definitely a positive to see Deadpool being so "meta" again in a comic, something that was unfortunately missing from recent issues. And even though it's solid fun, with writers Acker and Blacker creatively justifying that their Deadpool story is less violence and more intrigue, it is let down considerably by its narrative execution. Constant jumps in time and holes in its story create a substantial lack in terms of coherence, denying the reader a more pleasant experience.

6/10

Furter Links:

Deadpool v Gambit #1

Keepin' It 360: "Deadpool v Gambit" #1

In the tradition of recent Deadpool writers Bunn and Duggan, Blacker/Acker (hihi!) offer a fun ride that even tries to top aforementioned's work. Admittedly, its avalanche of satirical pop culture and self-references sometimes lack cleverness, but the playful, vivid art and entertaining chemistry between the protagonists make for a convincing first issue.

7/10

Further Links:

Deadpool #14

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #5