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: "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

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

Review: "Deadpool" #15

The "Civil War II" part here is actually the one that manages to convince least, as the "Mercs For Money" prove that they can even be fun(nier) without their masks. 

But the highlight here definitely has to be the epic "Deadpool vs. Black Panther" fight in the Triskelion, as the two battle it out over almost half the comic. Bawdy but never embarrassing, with a surprising chemistry and dynamic, it's Wade and T'Challa in the most unlikely brawl of "Civil War II". 

7/10

Further Links:

Deadpool #14

Deadpool v Gambit #1

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #5

Keepin' It 360: "Deadpool" #14

It's the inevitable Civil War II tie-in, featuring the "Mercs for Money", which surprisingly offers a more complete package than the standalone series did in its last issues. It's still funny and fast, but not as over-the-top, with less anarchist mayhem and more clear-cut ideas. We see a different, more nuanced depiction of the Mercs, and all for the better.

7/10

Further Links:

Deadpool #12

Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #5