Deadpool #8 Review

 

Deadpool #8 Review

Writer: Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano

Artist: Rogê Antônio

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Derrick Chew; Ema Lupacchino & Dave McCaig; Cory Smith & Edgar Delgado

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Drew Baumgartner & Cy Pedro Beltran; Mark Basso; CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 13, 2024

 

Taskmaster wants to hack Chemocorp’s bank accounts, so he suggests they create a diversion so someone can slip inside. Instead, Ellie and Princess opt for a frontal assault on the Z-List shell company. "Taskzaddy" tries to talk "Cutie-Pool and Wagsly" into descending to the data center, but Princess pursues a familiar scent. Will Deadpool's symbiote-canine daughter ascend to a happy reunion? Or will Ellie and Princess discover someone more deadly than the robots on the ground floor? Let's leap into Deadpool #8 and find out!

 

Story

Taskmaster wanted to dig Deadpool & Daughters, LLC out of a financial hole. His plan was simple but elegant: slip in, steal the data, and leave without anyone noticing. But Ellie is angry. As she can't attack Deathgrip, Ellie hurts other villains. Instead, she discovers that robots guard Chemocorp. Energy weapons sprout from their hands, and they shoot lasers with their eyes. Still, at least one employee of the biochem research company is Human (even if the leaders of Orchis might disagree). Her name is Valentine Vuong, and hypodermic needles adorn her fingers.

 

Although it was likely foreordained, Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano reveal why Deadpool and Valentine parted ways in Deadpool #8. It’s a familiar story about juggling schedules and interests while making time for those we love. What surprises Ellie is how stoically Valentine takes the news of her former paramour's death. But then, Deadpool traded in death while Valentine experiments with life.

 

Wade Wilson may be dead, but his body doesn’t decay. He was killed by a man who swallowed a magic sword and returned from the dead. Ellie assumes that a combination of magic and science can heal her father. While Valentine echoes Taskmaster’s insistence that Alchemy isn’t real, this proto-science aided people for centuries and built the foundation for Valentine’s modern scientific methods. In Deadpool #8, Ellie wants Valentine to overcome her assumptions and try to save the mercenary who loved her so much that he stopped eating noodles.

 

 

 

Art

When Taskmaster pleads with Doug for good news, Doug offers him a graph. Old Skull-face is so depressed by their falling income that when the office rat claims a can from the kiddie pool cooling Wade's severed body, Taskmaster relinquishes the drink to cover his face. When a short Deadpool imposter attacks an evil scientist, and they halt with knives and needles poised at each other's throats, Ellie opts to resolve their differences with conversation rather than blood. Despite her appearance of calm, Valentine turns away when she learns of Wade’s death. Then she embraces Princess and scratches her snout.

 

Guru-eFX lavishes a loaded palette on Rogê Antônio’s art in Deadpool #8. While red, pink, and lavender dominate Valentine’s memories, greens and blues ground the fighting. Red lightsabers color their surroundings pink, and green eyes signal an overwhelming blast of yellow, orange, and red. Like Thanos, Valentine’s employer sports purple and yellow. The pink and lavender laser beams he fires prove more destructive than those of his robot employees.

 

White balloons feature uppercase black text, while Joe Sabino fills red ones with Princesses’ white dialogue. Words occasionally shrink and rarely grow bold, while Wade’s comments fill yellow balloons in Valentine’s story. Colorful sound effects help us hear wailing alarms, laser fire, clashing lightsabers, explosions, malfunctioning Terminators, and Princess' snapping tail, while enlarged dialogue accompanies a gout of oil. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Alchemy was a science written in codes and practiced in secret. In Deadpool #8, robots guard a biochem company, and Human employees who sign an NDA discover that leaving their employment (with the company's secrets) activates a termination clause.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Amazing Spider-Man #41 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: John Romita Jr.

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Simone Bianchi; Lorenzo Pastrovicchio; Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Dave McCaig; Pete Woods

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 3, 2024

 

The Beetle is on the Rose. Spider-Man and She-Hulk back Tombstone, but will they clash with Kingpin? And who does Typhoid Mary have the hots for? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #41 and find out!

 

Story

Janice Lincoln (The Beetle) clung to her father's bedside. Yet when Gang War erupted, she left the hospital to protect his territory. Janice disregarded his pleas and went after Diamondback to discover Richard Fisk (The Rose) got there first. The Rose wants to hurt Tombstone to redress his loss in their last battle. With gamma-mutated Digger by his side, can the Beetle take him down instead?

 

Amid this story of avarice and revenge, Amazing Spider-Man #41 also grapples with the changing of the guard. Old regimes inevitably give way to the next generation. The question isn't if youth will take over, but how. Richard Fisk tried to usurp his father before. Madame Masque ordered Shotgun to toss her father out an upper-story window. Janice treated her father kindly but took over his organization.

 

 

 

Tombstone seems resigned to his fate. He heard Wilson Fisk was coming, so Lonnie Lincoln waited in his apartment. Kingpin brings Typhoid Mary and Hellfire Club troopers. Tombstone wants the Rose to attack him, not his daughter. But Kingpin knows Richard will hurt Lonnie more by killing Janice. Kingpin supports his son's move by taking on Tombstone. But will Kingpin step aside and let Richard dominate the criminal underworld? And will other crime bosses respect the Rose if Kingpin kills his son's rival?

 

Art

Forced to support a villain, Peter Parker looks smaller than everyone surrounding him in Amazing Spider-Man #41. Typhoid Mary's amorous acts distract him. Like his friend Randy Robertson, Peter tried having a relationship with someone who didn’t share his values. He savored the thrill their opposing energies sparked. In Black Cat’s absence, does Kingpin’s gal hold any attraction for Peter? Sure, it’d be weird. But Peter's vulnerable.

 

 

 

Spider-Man prefers to capture villains rather than pound them. But there’s not enough room for Spidey to swing from the ceiling and thwip opponents amid a score of brawlers in Tombstone’s high-rise apartment. So, he concedes and pummels them instead.

 

John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna contrast fighting modes in this Gang War chapter. Madame Masque--a master strategist--waits to make her play. Spidey, She-Hulk, and even the Beetle fight but show restraint. Digger, Kingpin, and Tombstone go nuclear. There's a strange intimacy in Kingpin and Tombstone's confrontation. The aging crime bosses reveal a bond of respect in their expressions, actions, and words.

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz’s loaded palette adds a vibrant richness to each scene. The symmetry of the coloring also communicates. Black and purple adorn The Rose and The Beetle. Green dominates Digger and The Beetle's backups. Spidey's red-and-blue merges with a scrum of similarly colored Hellfire Club Troops. The troopers’ gold masks mirror that of Madame Masque. The yellow and orange haze surrounding Tombstone and Kingpin's double-page clash compliments the fires Typhoid Mary's swords ignite in Amazing Spider-Man #41.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black letters into white balloons. Tombstone’s tiny words hover in clouds, suggesting his weakened state. Others grunt tiny words as they trade blows. Yet emotions embolden fonts and color words. Sound effects accompany vicious battles. Beyond storms of bullets and crashing bodies, a ringing cell phone captures everyone's attention in Amazing Spider-Man #41.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing this essential chapter of the Gang War saga for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Crime lords battle for--and against--their ambitious offspring in Amazing Spider-Man #41.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Marvel Age #1000 Review: Sunday Dinner

 

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $9.99

Release Date: August 30, 2023

 

“Sunday Dinner”

 

Story

Aunt May wants to see more of Peter, so he's agreed to meet for dinner weekly with her and his closest friends. If only crime considered Peter's schedule! This week, the Lizard has stolen a device to stop reverting to Dr. Curt Connors. While poised to apprehend him, Peter receives texts from friends, family, and coworkers. Guess what they want to remind him of?

 

While set in modern times, Sunday Dinner spotlights a hero and villain from the early 1960s, the decade that birthed many of the Marvel characters we know and love today.

 

 

Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard) available at Amazon.com

 

 

Art

Aided by inker J. P. Mayer, writer Ryan Stegman pencils a high-adrenaline rooftop battle in Marvel Age #1000. The muscular Lizard channels Juggernaut but can’t barrel past Spider-Man. Inset panels show text messages and photos Peter sends mid-fight to keep J. J. Jameson happy. Direction lines enhance action without erasing backgrounds, and Peter's spider sense energizes the air. 

 

Aunt May looks older--and Mary Jane and Peter younger--than in the contemporary Amazing Spider-Man series. With Mayer’s inks providing so much darkness, Dave McCaig loads his palette with color—especially greens and blues—and highlights characters and their surroundings. McCaig gives depth and reality to this high-octane tale about supporting the people in our lives.

 

To preview this and other stories in Marvel Age #1000 see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Walking Dead Deluxe #68 Review

 

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artists: Dave McCaig & Charlie Adlard

Letterer: Rus Wooten

Cover Artists: Dave McCaig & David Finch

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 2, 2023

 

Rick and Abraham notice a stranger spying on the caravan. His name is Aaron. He says he's from a fortified community that needs workers. Should they accept his invitation? Let's stumble into The Walking Dead Deluxe #68 and find out!

 

Story

Whether or not Rick and Abraham can trust Aaron, the decision isn't up to them. The travelers are tired and hungry and yearn for the security their community offers. How long can they survive roaming the countryside in their vehicles?

 

There's a battle that'll please fans of zombie stories. But the heart of The Walking Dead Deluxe #68 involves how people react to strangers and how the entrance of a newcomer can change a group's dynamics. It's interesting to see how people make decisions regarding their future. As a Walking Dead newbie, I bonded with the characters and got what the group was going through. I enjoyed the mix of action and drama. It's relatable, involving, and doesn't need excessive gore or profanity to hook readers.

 

Art

The characters are realistic and sympathetic. Facial expression and stance differentiate the living from the zombies. The panels have a pleasing, hand-drawn appearance. Heavy inking doesn't obscure details. The art conveys motion well.

 

Night scenes show subdued colors: mostly blues, greens, and mauve. Zombies bleed green or brown. Daylight reveals lighter shades of the same. Despite being on the simpler side, I found the overall result pleasing.

 

The Walking Dead Deluxe #68 gives you a fair amount to read, and it all comes your way in white dialogue balloons. Black, uppercase letters are large, and the uniform size never shrinks. Inflection makes words bold. Shock momentarily increases text size and changes its color. Sound effects are vibrant and expressive.

 

Curious about The Walking Dead? Read the first issue at the Image website. It's free!

 

Final Thoughts

The Walking Dead Deluxe #68 is an attractive and appealing comic that's easy to follow and leaves you wanting more.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Read The Walking Dead #1 free at the Image website.