Deadpool, the merc with a mouth and a sizable fan base, has been given the Marvel NOW treatment of having a completely new creative team; a team which has kept the book going for nine issues now, with no end currently in sight. As we all know, something does not have to be good for it to sell well, so does Deadpool have the quality to match the quantity? Find out, after the jump.
DEADPOOL #9
Story: Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan
Art: Mike Hawthorne
Colors: Val Staples
Lettering: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover: Arthur Adams, Peter Steigerwald
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Deadpool: Stuff! Things! All matter of events have transpired. Among them, Deadpool was hired by S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop an army of undead presidents, which he eventually did, but not before getting Agent Preston’s soul stuck inside his body. Now he has to kill a number of schlubs who were granted powers by selling their souls to a demon, or else the demon will kill the one man who might be able to get Agent Preston out!
FUN & FUNNY
Deadpool is a very difficult character to do right. He requires a balance of seriousness, goofiness, and crazy that, when done incorrectly, can fall into the realm of “random” humor that is often looked down upon in earlier Deadpool runs. In Uncanny X-Force Deadpool has been portrayed more on the serious side, portrayed as a psychopath with a few, unbreakable, morales. This current series has managed to strike a great balance between the two, a balance that is exemplified in this issue. We get a few jokes, some good and some so bad they become great, and we see Deadpool’s moralistic side. He actually regrets killing someone and expresses melancholy for being forced to do so. This issue also manages to keep up the whacky interplay between Deadpool, the spirit of Agent Preston, the ghost of Ben Franklin, and the Necromancer Michael that gives the series so much charm. The audience get teased with hints at Deadpool’s tortured past, and an almost-promise that it will be explored further on down the line, which is a promise that I personally cannot pass up, and will be reading this book until it occurs.
GOOD LOOKING
The art as a whole is good, but nothing particularly special at first glance. All the little details in it, however, really add to the experience. The facial expressions on every character manage to perfectly convey what the characters are feeling, without ever needing to hog the attention of an entire panel. The panels themselves are laid out really well, and have slight border changes that reflect the events happening all while enhancing them. It’s these kinds of things that bump a book up from good to great.
BOTTOM LINE: PICK IT UP
If you have been reading Deadpool this far, then you really have no reason to drop the book now. If you haven’t been reading this run on Deadpool then what the hell is wrong with you?
[rating: 4.5/5]DID YOU READ THIS ISSUE? RATE IT!
Reader Rating
[ratings]
2 Comments
I collected the Zombie President run. Some good stuff, but overall it just didn’t click with me. Thought about giving it another shot but I think the fact that they are keeping Franklin’s ghost around will discourage me a bit longer.
Still as a Deadpool fan, I’ll give it another shot before too long.
Oh, come on!
I’ve just read #1 and I was searching for some relief around the web… and I find that Franklin’s ghost is still around?
They ditched the voices in the head and trade them in for a historical character’s “ghost”? This is bad on so many levels… I cannot believe all the good reviews that acclaimed the first issue, when half of the joke in that issue are copied straight from Daniel’s books!
And badly portrayed to…