Deadpool #5 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Jan Bazaldua & Israel Silva; Sergio Dávila & Ceci De La Cruz; Yasmine Putri; Annie Wu

Designer: Carlos Lao

Editors: MR Daniel & Drew Baumgartner; Ellie Pyle & Mark Basso; CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 21, 2024

 

Deadpool wants to protect his Human daughter. Ellie insists on being part of his life. Taskmaster continually gripes about his expenses, yet he sticks around when Deadpool blows his office renovation budget on a rooftop sauna. Princess, Deadpool's alien wolf symbiote daughter, and Doug, who keeps the office humming, are also valued members of his family. But when Taskmaster and Deadpool storm a death cult’s temple, their leader makes Deadpool fear for his life. Can Death Grip nullify Deadpool’s healing ability? And if Deadpool dies, who will care for the rat in the office water cooler? Let's leap into Deadpool #5 and find out!

 

Story

Death Grip’s desire to master his fighting skills made him hunger for supremacy. Now Death Grip worships death, and Deadpool is the ultimate prize. Deadpool's healing ability makes it impossible to kill him. But what if Death Grip could remove it? He has everything a cult leader could want: a temple, subservient followers, and the ability to kill anyone who displeases him without repercussions. But none of that matters as long as someone lives who he can't kill.

 

Ellie enjoys her life with the Prestons but yearns to reconnect with her dad. She’s a whip-smart girl with a healing ability like her father’s and doesn't need protection like a fragile decoration. Ellie can use SHIELD technology to teleport anywhere. If Deadpool sends her away, she will only return. Ellie passed Taskmaster’s combat and physical training tests with flying colors. She wants to go on field missions and won’t charge Deadpool for expenses. Yet when Death Grip invites Deadpool to his temple, Deadpool and Taskmaster leave on the down low. In Deadpool #5, Ellie and Princess are of one mind. Deadpool’s daughters are not interested in Daddy Day Care. They’re going to be part of the team!

 

 

 

If superheroes kill villains, are they still the good guys? Or does taking a life make them antiheroes? Cody Ziglar's story wrestles with what it means to take someone's life. Deadpool has bought enough shiny toys to know everything comes at a price. He is proud of Ellie's accomplishments. He is glad that cancer doesn't accompany her healing abilities. But the mercenary business involves taking lives. Like the blemishes covering his body and the burned taste buds that prevent him from enjoying his food, killing another person devours part of one's soul. Deadpool uses humor to push away the darkness and prevent him from becoming like Death Grip. But not taking things seriously also has a cost. Deadpool has paid the price for killing others and wants to save Ellie from footing that bill. But will Ellie let him?

 

 

Art

Blood streams from Deadpool’s chest as he pushes himself off the floor in Deadpool #5. Death Grip’s magical hands blast a pillar and send Deadpool flying. Deadpool tosses smoke grenades to let him get within sword reach. Death Grip uses magic to hang Deadpool upside down at eye level but doesn’t pull off Deadpool’s mask to steal Mary Jane’s special kiss. Princess stalks the office and looms like King Kong after knocking down an office door. After reading a note filled with hearts, Ellie frowns.

 

Guru-eFX’s bright palette imbues Andrea Di Vito’s taught action and character moments with ambiance and contrast. Death Grip’s white energy radiates a blue glow in the purple temple. Overhead lights allow characters to shine and cast shadows amid the green textured walls and the littered, grimy floor of Deadpool’s green office. Stippled pale red on ivory enlivens an otherwise blank background as Elie rolls up her pink shirt sleeves. Yellow, orange, and pink fill the sky as Deadpool #5 reaches its deadly end.

 

 

 

Joe Sabino stabs white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with black and white uppercase lettering. The font shrinks for lowered voices, emboldens for inflection, and swells for increased volume. Death Grip's spells appear as purple symbols in blue dialogue balloons and as white symbols against the purple temple walls. Colorful and energetic sound effects enliven Deadpool and Death Grip's deathmatch, enhance Taskmaster's holy war against priests, and help us understand why an arrow bears a smiley face. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Deadpool finds strength in being the Family Guy when Death Grip goes Godzilla. Ellie cries, "Hi ho, Silver," Taskmaster gets a promotion, and Deadpool gives Princess carte blanche to eat bad guys (because they’re so yummy) in Deadpool #5.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

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

Deadpool #4 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Pencilers: Rogê Antônio & Eric Gapstur

Inkers: Jonas Trindade & Eric Gapstur

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Jan Bazaldua & Federico Blee; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 3, 2024

 

Ellie wants to be a partner in her dad’s business venture. Deadpool’s new mercenary team already acts like a family, even if Doug lacks superpowers, Taskmaster wants extra pay for fieldwork, and Wade's symbiote alien-canine daughter Princess wants to eat negative reviewers. (Ouch!) At least the rat in the water cooler seems content. Will Ellie emulate the rat? Or, like Kirk's little rascals on Sigma Iotia II, will Ellie demand a piece of the action? Let's leap into Deadpool #4 and find out!

 

Story

Deadpool’s life is dangerous. If Ellie won’t return to Terry and Emily's home in Arizona, Taskmaster insists Wade’s Human daughter learn to protect herself. Ellie works hard in Taskmaster’s lessons, but success doesn’t come easy. Still, faster than Harry Potter turned the tables on Professor Snape during their Occlumency lessons, Ellie surprises Taskmaster. Blame it on her hyperactive neurons!

 

Deadpool is proud of his Human daughter. She can learn to protect herself, and her super-healing ability insulates her from danger. But that doesn't mean he wants her to seek it out. Nor does he want her to go around killing people. Ellie sought him out because she wanted to participate in his life. So, in Deadpool #4, the Merc With A Mouth wonders how to shield his Human daughter from danger while encouraging her interests and nurturing her abilities.

 

 

 

Cody Ziglar doesn't let Deadpool dwell on his problems for long. Instead, he offers Wade Wilson a new one. Everyone loves a party, but Deadpool isn't wild about Death Grip's invitation. Sure, he'd like to stop the psychotic martial artist from hurling convention wreckers like Crossbones at him. Still, who can resist a rematch?

 

Deadpool #4 is a descent into brutality. Taskmaster's method of training Ellie involves seeing what he can break. Death Grip took the Muramasa blade from Solem, but instead of wielding it, the master of magic and martial arts became a sword-swallower. Now, a sword forged from the dark portions of the Human soul inhabits the leader of a death cult. Can the leader of The Touch kill the unkillable Deadpool? Or will the joke be on Death Grip?

 

 

Art

Rogê Antônio, Jonas Trindade, and Eric Gapstur pool their talents to portray Team Deadpool’s homelife. Princess looks on as Ellie battles sword-wielding Taskmaster in a boxing ring. A multiple exposure shot reveals when Tasky’s lessons hit home, and Ellie forces Taskmaster to drop his beverage can. Yet her vulnerability shows when she sits before her father at the dinner table.

 

Guru-eFX lavishes a loaded palette of appealing colors on the action and drama in Deadpool #4. As Deadpool and Taskmaster watch the fighting projected on the big screen, a shot from behind colors the two men light blue against an inked background. The sores covering Wade’s head blend with his costume, even when red hearts cover his eyes. A nearly Black and White invitation leads to gray-robed warriors in a pink and lavender lobby. Orange surrounds Wade’s head, a blue-white glow suffuses Taskmaster’s beloved weapon, and the background turns Deep Purple as Deadpool and Tasky reenact their version of Thor and Loki’s Get Help. Honestly! Who’d be a Soldier Of Fortune?

 

Joe Sabino stabs white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with black uppercase lettering in Deadpool #4. The font shrinks for lowered voices, emboldens for inflection, and swells for increased volume. Sound effects help us hear Taskmaster emulate Captain America, Ellie slams into a corner post, and gunfire rings out in The Touch's temple. A scream accompanies a panel of the inflamed pain centers of Deadpool's brain. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

When Death Grip offers Deadpool a deal he can’t refuse, the Merc With A Mouth discovers pain like he's never experienced and feels an emotion he's not used to in Deadpool #4.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

 

 

Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Adam Kubert

Colorist: Frank Martin

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Adam Kubert & Frank Martin; Jan Bazaldua & Edgar Delgado; Salvador Larroca & GURU-eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 12, 2024

 

Someone monkeyed with a man and created Wither. Wolverine wants to know who gave him superpowers that propelled him on an insane murder spree. Wolverine thinks Deadpool knows. But Deadpool’s left town. Wolverine tracks his frenemy to Russia, where he discovers that Deadpool isn’t himself anymore. He’s let the monsters who created Wither experiment on him. Can Wolverine cure Deadpool of his madness? Or will Deadpool forever be known as Wade Wilson The 3rd? Let’s extend our claws, leap into Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2, and find out!

 

Story

Wade has money. His abilities and antics grant him notoriety. His body heals injuries but can’t cure his cancer-ridden appearance. His looks drive people away. The way he draws solace in diversion, ditto. A man named Delta asks, “What if I could help you achieve your potential?” Wade agrees, but he fears change. So, he left “the world’s crappiest trail of breadcrumbs” for Wolverine to follow. Wolverine’s intrusion interrupts Delta’s experiment. So Delta asks Greta to teleport Deadpool (or WWIII) and Wolverine into the wilderness and transforms a sprint into a marathon. Like Queen Victoria, Delta's investors are not amused.

 

In Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2, Deadpool wasn't happy, but neither was Wolverine. Perhaps neither man can find fulfillment, given the lives they lead. But Wolverine finds purpose as he tends to WWIII. His selfless sacrifice demonstrates the difference between the two men. Wade tried to buy a meaningful life. But some things can't be given or purchased. Joe Kelly's punishing story puts science in the crosshairs. It asks questions. Can man improve on nature? Are we happiest when we work at our maximum potential? Or are we happiest when we can sit quietly and be one with nature and those around us? It's a divide as wide as the gulf between the Blue Wave and MAGA, and the story tackles presumptions associated with social and economic status.

 

Ultimately, Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2 is a tragedy. Science tried to give both men a new lease on life. Yet all it did was forge effective killing machines. There's a term associated with doing the same thing again and expecting different results. And that word is not sanity. But then, Delta’s earlier experiment produced Wither.

 

 

 

Art

Like Deadpool, Adam Kubert seeks a change in orientation. So Kubert turns the pages sideways to force readers to adapt or die. Or he works across two pages, taking readers on wide-screen narrative journeys. Drones follow this experiment, even when the participants travel from Delta's compound to a land far, far away. Spectators watch the gladiators fight and endure the elements as silhouettes standing before a Drive-In Movie Screen, not the comparatively diminutive high-def replacements in your local multiplex viewing room. Greta stands apart from the onlookers with her punk attire, green hair, and tattooed skin. Her black lips are small and delicate, even when covered with a burst bubble of gum. But when she opens her mouth, it hinges wide like a snake’s in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2.

 

Frank Martin demonstrates Greta’s power as disembodied pink lips that dwarf characters. Like Delta's affluent patrons, she eats people and spits them out. Pink and purple dominate pages as the colors portray the new power surging through Wade Wilson The 3^rd. The colors form smoke, rays of light, or tiny rectangles that hover around regenerating limbs. But the rectangles swarming around Delta are as fascinating as his purple veins. Is Delta a construct in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2? Can he even know himself if he's addicted to constantly changing circumstances?

 

Joe Sabino casts Weapon X-worthy lowercase black letters into white and colored balloons and boxes. Sound effects help us hear Greta’s teleportation and heighten fight scenes. Yet the red letters that accompany coughing pull on the heartstrings. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Delta entertains wealthy clients by experimenting on unhappy people. Like Doctor Moreau, he seeks to improve on the base model. But what will shape Wade Wilson's destiny more in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #2? Wolverine’s pity or the impatience of Delta’s clients?

 

Rating 8.6/10

 

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

Amazing Spider-Man #32 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Artist: Patrick Gleason

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Morry Hollowell; Jan Bazaldua & Jesus Aburtov; Patrick Gleason & Marcio Menyz; Adam Kubert & Brad Anderson; Giada Perissinotto; Elizabeth Torque

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 23, 2023

 

Peter Parker’s friend Randy tried to marry Janice Lincoln. But the lovebirds' wedding plans got smashed by an attack that left Tombstone injured and much of his criminal organization dead. Can Peter and her friend Michele help Randy and Janice tie the knot? Let’s fwip into Amazing Spider-Man #32 and find out!

 

 

 

 

Story

Just like Randy and Janice, recent events have torn apart Peter’s web of significant relationships. Mary Jane’s lost to him, as is Felicia Hardy. Even though he’s dubious about Randy’s future as Tombstone’s son-in-law, he cares for his friend. He meets Michele for dinner, hoping they can find a way to rekindle Randy and Janice’s belief that love will conquer all.

 

Peter is also concerned about his boss in Amazing Spider-Man #32. The Sin-Eater removed Norman Osborn's sins, but recent events—Kamala Khan's death and Doctor Octopus' attack—could push anyone to the breaking point. Even if Peter doesn’t trust him with Aunt May, he likes the man Norman’s becoming and wants to be there for him.

 

 

 

 

Unbeknownst to Peter, an evil force regenerated the Goblin Queen. She works now to expel the sins the Beyond Corporation gave her. Who will she give them to? Who better than their original host: Norman Osborn?

 

Perhaps the staff at the Ravencroft Institute should have chucked her body in the furnace after all!

 

 

 

Art

Arcane symbols mix with primitive weaponry in Amazing Spider-Man #32. Fire surrounds figures cloaked in darkness. Images of insects and animals contrast with elegant surroundings, suggesting occult ceremonies among the privileged classes. A dagger pierces a portrait of Norman Osborn on the wall behind a dark-haired woman. Beside her stands a muscular hunter clutching a spear.

 

Peter and Michele look made for each other as they discuss their friends' problems. Shock overtakes his smooth face as glaring differences become apparent. While hers is slower to transform, the meal ends with both diners frowning.

 

 

 

 

Yellow and orange surround the Goblin Queen's red skin as she and the hunter ready their attack. Peter passes green, pink, purple, and blue graffiti as he walks along New York City streets in Amazing Spider-Man #32. Yellow streetlighting imbues a statue with a ghostly aspect and casts all else in lavender. Interior lighting colors Norman’s lab blue until an attack slathers Oscorp’s halls and rooms in red.

 

 

 

 

The hunter’s thoughts appear as lowercase black letters in orange narrative boxes. Yet orange letters in black narrative boxes also feel like they belong to him rather than the Goblin Queen. Spoken dialogue appears as uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons, while large white letters help us hear mechanical sounds. All that changes when intruders enter Oscorp. Peter's distress colors his shout, swelling his utterance to epic proportions.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Amazing Spider-Man #32 showcases Peter’s concern for his friends, casts the identity of the Goblin Queen’s partner in doubt, and leaves us wondering why the red-skinned woman seeks revenge. How much of Ashley Kafka remains and hates the villain she's become?

 

9.4/10

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