Deadpool #3 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Rogê Antônio

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Greg & Tim Hildebrandt; Rob Liefeld; Matthew Waite

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 12, 2024

 

The Touch is a mystic cult of Kung Fu psychos obsessed with death. Their leader, Death Grip, gets a high from killing. So he sets his sights on a seemingly impossible target, the ever-lovin-and-regenerating Deadpool. How does Death Grip plan to kill the Merc With A Mouth? Let's leap into Deadpool #3 and find out!

 

Story

Deadpool thought he had scored an easy gig. He would hang out at Streaming Con, guard his client Derek, and sell a few signed headshots to help pay Taskmaster’s field tax. Instead, Crossbones blasts into the meeting hall, and unlike Deadpool, he’s shooting off more than his mouth. Crossbones gets Deadpool dead to rights, but no one counts on Ellie crashing the party.

 

Deadpool thought he’d stashed his daughter safely away in Arizona. But Ellie is determined to be his Pain In The Ass daughter. She spliced her foster mother’s SHIELD LMD hand with the cellphone Deadpool gave her and built a teleporter. His daughter distracts Crossbones, but Taskmaster, Princess, and Deadpool must now act to protect Ellie from Death Grip’s agent.

 

 

 

In Deadpool #3, Death Grip’s rival has something he wants. When Solem learns Death Grip's target, he gives the Muramasa Blade away with his blessing. Muramasa was a master swordsmith of feudal Japan who imbued his swords with magic. Death Grip won’t be bothered if Crossbones fails. Killing Deadpool would be the ultimate rush!

 

Despite Ellie's desire to learn what makes her dad tick, she presents Deadpool with a dilemma. She knows he is a mercenary, but he doesn't want her to watch him kill people. But sending Ellie back to Terry and Emily's home would accomplish nothing. Ellie would watch more New Toobe videos and find another way to return. Whether Deadpool likes it or not, he’s stuck with his daughter.

 

In Deadpool #3, the mirthful Merc realizes he must look over both of his daughters, even if they have a healing factor. Reeling from losing Valentine, Deadpool realizes he can't bury his longings in work. While Cody Ziglar packs his story with action, mysticism, and laughs, it’s all about family, friendship, and acceptance of others, regardless of their appearance or what they can do for you. 

 

 

 

Art

Rogê Antônio conveys the heat of battle as The Touch storm Solem’s palace. Bullets fly, feet kick, and a blast from Death Grip's hands reduces an opponent to a smoking skeleton. Death Grip covers his face with cloth and symbols and conjures a blue blast with his wrapped hands. The way the mask hangs over Death Grip’s nose and mouth evokes Davy Jones playing his organ aboard the Flying Dutchman. Crossbones’ assault on Streaming Con is equally explosive. Crossbones wields weapons with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscles, including a rifle evoking Jesse Ventura’s in Predator. Deadpool reacts to Crossbones’ intrusion on his firm’s first assignment with a half-page of stabby panels. Crossbones and Deadpool hurtle toward the ceiling in a vertical half-page. But Ellie's appearance stipples Crossbones with white and bathes him in blue and purple energy.

 

Guru-eFX lavishes a loaded palette of appealing colors on Rogê Antônio's art in Deadpool #3. Taskmaster's blue-and-gold shield looks good beside Princess' red fur and Derek's purple jacket, while Crossbones' explosives fill the meeting hall with glowing yellow smoke. Blue and purple rule The Touch's compound, while the gleaming red Muramasa Blade fills Death Grip's eyes with white light. All the trash and stains in Deadpool's gray and green corporate headquarters suggest where he should spend Derek's check. But the streak of light blue that crosses the rubble-filled storage closet shows what Deadpool values most.

 

Joe Sabino skewers dialogue balloons with black uppercase lettering in Deadpool #3. The Merc With A Mouth always speaks in yellow fields, while his canine daughter speaks white words into red balloons. The font size makes for easy reading, while the sound effects enliven battles, help us hear Death Grip's power, and remind us that even a child can wield surprise as an effective weapon. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Taskmaster adds expenses to his invoice, he protects Ellie, finds a connection between the girl and himself, and agrees to avenge Deadpool if The Touch silences the Merc With A Mouth. What strange magic does Deadpool's Human daughter wield in Deadpool #3?

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.