Wednesday 1 October 2014

Deadpool #2 - Marvel Comics

DEADPOOL No. 2, January 2013
Tucked away in a corner of this comic’s competent though rather unexceptional cover by Geof Darrow and Peter Doherty are two printed words that rather nicely sum up the utterly insane gore fest which awaits the reader inside this book. These simple words are parental advisory, and this offering from the writing partnership of Brian Poshn and Gerry Duggan will undoubtedly have the ghosts of the 1954 Comics Magazine Association of America turning in their graves. Certainly it’s the first comic book in a long time which has caused me to cry ‘Urgh’ out loud in disgust at the horrific fate which has befallen the title's hero. Not that it actually seems to phase Deadpool, who simply continues to throw punches and kicks as his intestines flail and flop about from out of his perforated belly.
 
Gruesomeness aside however, this edition of “Deadpool” is extremely well written, as the “Merc with a Mouth” continues to throw about some terribly funny one-liners whilst battling the undead corpse of President Theodore Roosevelt in a zoo. References to George Lucas and his science fiction movie series “Star Wars” seem to be particularly popular this time around, although the elephant jokes towards the end of the comic are cringingly well-delivered too.
 
Needless to say all of this action and banter is superbly visualised by Tony Moore and colorist Val Staples. The fisticuffs between Wade Wilson and Roosevelt are captivating, and full of energy, and the pencil work on the menagerie of zoo animals gives the creatures a cartoony feel that seems highly appropriate for the tongue-in-cheek storyline. The zombie President duking it out with an enormous grizzly bear being the highlight in my mind.
 
Unfortunately Moore does not appear quite so good when pencilling a full-page panel. This slight weakness in his artistic skill can be seen both within the single page devoted to depicting an angry elephant skewering the anti-hero on one of its tusks, as well as the final panel of the issue when SHIELD calls upon Doctor Strange for help.
 
This edition also features one of the more bizarre recaps at the start of a comic book that I’ve ever seen, with a cute chibi Deadpool breaking the ‘fourth wall’ and speaking directly to the reader in order to provide an explanation as to what has happened in the story so far. How weird is that?

4 comments:

  1. I have one question that I've been itching to ask since you posted the first issue of "Kings Watch", When is Lothar going to turn up to complete the "Defenders of the Earth"? (oh and their kids?) (joke).

    Cheers Roger.

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  2. Ooops should have posted this in the post below. sorry

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  3. Roger, no worries. Lothar is actually in the comics right from the start. Indeed, if you go back and have a look at the first picture of my Issue One posting you'll see him leading the jungle expedition which encounters the dinosaur and The Phantom :-)

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  4. Indeed as a teaser for a future issue review of "Kings Watch" Mandrake's assistant/bodyguard becomes a super-hero in his own right and there isn't a kid in sight. But you'll have to wait a while for that one. However don't be too Grimm as you never know what I'll be posting a review of tomorrow :-)

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