Deadpool #14 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Rogê Antônio

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Pasqual Ferry & Chris Sotomayor; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 7, 2025

 

While Death Grip slaughters his followers to give them a gift, the Muramasa Blade cuts through his soul, slicing his consciousness to shreds. Each act leads him further down a path beyond death. Death Grip doesn’t know where it leads, but his army is growing.

 

Deadpool traded pain and wanton violence to see where Death Grip was squatting. He's brought Ellie, Princess, Taskmaster, and a godslaying sword to Death Grip's newest temple. Can Deadpool use the Harpē to kill a zombie leader possessed by dark magic? Let's grab our emotional support kunai, leap into Deadpool #14, and find out!

 

Story

This series began in pain and darkness. Valentine Vuong left Deadpool with eternal life and nothing to fill it with. Wade felt like a terrible father to his Carnage canine daughter. He couldn’t even complete his mission and kill Hēnry Lapontē, a tech guy, mad scientist, or mutant, as Death Grip got to Hēnry first. Agent Gao offered Deadpool a chance to belong to another family. Instead, Wade decided to form a team, hoping against hope that he could forge something more satisfying.

 

As Wade storms Death Grip's stronghold in Deadpool #14, he doesn't enter feeling like a failure. Princess has a human sister in Ellie. Taskmaster has stood by them, even if he never collected double or quadruple overtime. And back at the office, Doug waits, wishing he could help the people he cares about. Wade even receives a warm welcome from Death Grip, as Wade taught him how to transcend death.

 

As Cody Ziglar's story nears its zenith, Wade surprises Death Grip again. The blade Deadpool stole from Agent Gao teaches Death Grip that he doesn't know everything about the intersection of life and death. Death Grip's lessons have come at a price. He struggles to retain a hold on his consciousness as he fights. And while Wade has taught him what he wished to learn about death, Death Grip fails to discern what Wade values in his new life. 

 

 

 

Art

Rogê Antônio launches Deadpool #14 with Death Grip and his undead acolytes charging their guests. The fighting never slows from its running start, blowing through panels while Deadpool breaks the fourth wall and chides Princess to be careful what she eats. Explosive splash pages in Death Grip's temple juxtapose with Doug's quandary at headquarters. While the office rat proves as energetic as ever, it demonstrates quick thinking and loyalty in Deadpool #14.

 

Guru-eFX pits red mercenaries against green zombies in a purple temple crackling with blue-white energy. As Death Grip and his followers weave blue-white power with their hands, they suggest a link with Ellie's glowing portals. Taskmaster calls Death Grip a nerd as he presses a red button on a gaming controller. Deadpool's green office links with the zombie's robes, reminiscent of the decay he and Princess found when they established their enterprise. But the yellow light streaming from the upraised Harpē suggests the dawning of a new day for Deadpool & Daughters LLC.

 

White and yellow balloons feature uppercase black text, while Joe Sabino fills red ones with Princess's white dialogue. The Touch utter symbols and stutter explosive purple words. Words shrink for lowered or distant voices and grow bold for inflection. Sound effects help us hear Deadpool surprise Death Grip, the office rat make someone a plonker, and Death Grip multiplying his handiwork in Deadpool #14. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Wade has forged the connections that helped him value life again, Death Grip is letting go as he journeys toward transcendence. But a surprising development makes us question all we know about Death Grip and The Touch in Deadpool #14.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Deadpool Vs. Wolverine: Slash ‘Em Up #1 Review

 

Writer: Christos Gage

Artist: Alan Robinson

Colorist: Carlos Lopez

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Ron Lim & Israel Silva; Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove

Production Design: Carlos Lao

Digital Comics Specialist: Annie Cheng

Print Layout Production: Meghan O’Leary

Sr Manager Digital: Tim Smith 3

Editors: Drew Baumgartner, Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: March 19, 2025

 

When Deadpool enters Madri-Gen, guards greet the merc with a mouth at gunpoint. Deadpool apologizes for shattering their plate glass window. But he has a job to do. Deadpool won’t let locked doors or men in uniforms stand in his way of securing a paycheck.

 

Unfortunately for Wade, more than guards impede his march toward a five-star review. Wolverine also wants to steal the company's hot new product. As in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII, Wade and Logan pursue the same target. Neither will let the other get in his way. Who will claim the neurostimulator? And who will leave Madri-Gen empty-handed? Let's leap into Deadpool Vs. Wolverine Slash 'Em Up #1, and find out!

 

Story

While Deadpool doesn't want to disappoint his client, Wolverine's ambitions are more complicated. At least, they seem so. Logan believes he let a young man down a long time ago. Securing the neurostimulator for his former friend helps Logan feel like righting a wrong. But Logan’s memories of his time before he became Weapon X make Wade jealous. In Christos Gage’s story, Deadpool would give anything to reclaim memories of his youth.

 

This realization pits the two living weapons at odds. Yet it also unites them. While they hack and slash their way through Madri-Gen and each other, Wade and Logan debate the importance of memories. As they try to steal this device for their clients, both men realize that Deadpool could benefit most by using it. Yet lingering in the background of Deadpool Vs Wolverine Slash ‘Em Up #1 is a question.

 

Logan’s memories of torture and enslavement weigh him down. Peter Parker sacrificed his additional memories of Uncle Ben to return Spider-Boy to the Web Of Life And Destiny. Will reclaiming his past complete Deadpool or fill the aching void with dead weight?

 

Art

As Deadpool takes on young guns with attitude, Wolverine arrives to cross claws with swords. Amid the slashing, hacking, and impalements, the two living weapons entertain their opponents before killing them. Alan Robinson transforms the high-tech corporate world into a Dungeons And Dragons tournament in Deadpool Vs. Wolverine: Slash 'Em Up #1. As Wade and Logan follow in Indiana Jones’ footsteps, they battle beings from Dr Moreau’s laboratories at Omni Consumer Products.

 

Carlos Lopez applies a loaded palette to the heroes’ journey from the sleek, neutral floors and ceilings of desk-filled offices to subbasements filled with traps, pitfalls, and monstrosities. Vibrant colors fill backgrounds in closeups. Gunfire, laser beams, and explosions brighten this fast-paced action thriller. Yet nothing warms the pages of Deadpool Vs. Wolverine: Slash 'Em Up #1 as much as Deadpool's zest of life and how he shares others' pain.

 

Joe Sabino fills white and yellow dialogue balloons with uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Deadpool ensures that he and Wolverine receive headliner status with red 3D logos. The merc with a mouth also vocalizes every injury. Sound effects help us hear grunting ground troops, bouncing grenades, bonking heads, and wall-demolishing impacts. Who knew Mace wasn't a helpful hardware place? Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Some claim that memories are for losers who lead uninteresting lives. Many preach that it is not what you know but what you do that matters. Yet you cannot understand the worth of something until you have it. Wolverine prefers to shatter a mirror than look in it. But in Deadpool Vs Wolverine Slash 'Em Up #1, Wade Wilson wants to perceive the man he has become. And he can't do that without having something that may not be good for him.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Deadpool #13 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Rogê Antônio

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; David Baldeón & Jesus Aburtov; Jessica Fong (Ellie Deadpool); Sean “Cheeks” Galloway (April Pool’s Day)

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 2, 2025

 

Deadpool broke his code of not killing superheroes. In return, he got an adventure, battled new villains, and fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Spider-Man. Shift may not forgive Deadpool for shooting him. Still, Miles Morales called him Bro.

 

Now, Wade has a weapon that might solve his Death Grip problem. Ellie can teleport him to his appointment with Destiny but needs coordinates. Can Deadpool find Death Grip’s new lair? And how will the writers pay off Agent Gao's classic flash-bang? Let's grab our Hephaestus-forged weapons, leap into Deadpool #13, and find out!

 

Story

When you kill people for money and five-star reviews, it's easy to lose your moral compass. After taking a job from Agent Gao, Deadpool isn't judging anyone. Still, he wants to know who he can count on in an emergency, even if it’s only to stand on the sidelines. Wolverine isn’t squeamish about inflicting pain on his degenerate friend now and then. Still, Wolverine professes innocence with Wade's recent dance with death. When Wolverine gives him a lead, Deadpool postpones judgment day.

 

If Deadpool is a man on a mission, Solem luxuriates in his pleasure dome. Wolverine may have Adamantium bones, but Solem has indestructible alloy skin. The Arakkii mutant lives for pleasure. When Death Grip came calling, Solem gave him the Muramasa Blade. All the mutant asked for in return was to hear how Death Grip used it. But the leader of The Touch reneged on his bargain. So, in Deadpool #13, Solem offers to give the Merc With A Mouth Death Grip’s location. But this time, he won’t accept credit.

 

If Deadpool worries about not being around for Ellie, Death Grip grapples with who he has become. Death Grip was a cult leader who taught his followers to worship death. When he ingested the Muramasa Blade, Death Grip merged with death, allowing him to return from the afterlife and murder Deadpool. Death Grip has become a poster boy for Thanos in Cody Ziglar’s story. But when you are half dead and half alive, which part of you is in control? Are you even a person anymore?

 

Art

Rogê Antônio portrays The Touch running between blue columns. The green-robed priests stumble as white smoke separates bodies and appendages. A blue-green mist hangs in the forest as Deadpool visits Wolverine. Deadpool cloaks his red costume in a gray parka as the living weapons talk. A purple shadow underlines the link between Wolverine and Death Grip. Guru-eFX paints the briefing room blue as Doug presents a slide show to his Chief Financial Officer. The red, pink, and orange slide suggests Wade and Ellie belong more to Death Grip’s chaotic world than Taskmaster’s practical one.

 

Yellow smoke rises from bronze braziers that match the symbol dominating the wall. Solem sits amid gold-masked attendants and writhing flesh tones in Deadpool #13. The gold masks make it as hard for Solem to identify servants as for crime bosses to recognize Madame Masque. But the red cushions filling the pleasure dome suggest that Solem has more in common with Deadpool, Ellie, and Princess than any of them realize. 

 

White and yellow balloons feature uppercase black text, while Joe Sabino fills red ones with Princess's white dialogue. Magenta words in blue boxes represent Death Grip’s inner turmoil. Words shrink for lowered or distant voices and grow bold for inflection. Giant red words and musical notes promise that someone will get spanked. Sound effects help us hear Death Grip lose control, blades snap against Tron-like skin, and Deadpool proves he's a lumberjack (and he's okay) in Deadpool #13. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Ellie demonstrates she's growing up, Princess proves a capable strategist, their father falls in love, and Taskmaster bills Wade for quadruple overtime in  Deadpool #13.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Deadpool #12 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Rogé Antônio & GURU-eFX; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Production Designer: Sarah Spadaccini

Editors: Mark Basso, Tom Groneman, Cy Pedro Beltran, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 12, 2025

 

Deadpool needs weapons to murder the guy who killed him as revenge for slicing and dicing him into the heavenly home for mercs with mouths. When Agent Gao offers a high-paying job, Wade Wilson figures the world can survive with one fewer Spider-Man. But Ellie frowns on killing heroes who thwip responsibly. So, Deadpool & Daughter dispenses marvelous first aid after shooting Shift by mistake.

 

Now, Wade has a new plan. But can Wade hand Shift over to Agent Gao, grab the cash, and then rescue Miles' brother without Agent Gao sending Midas and Generic Gun Guy after him? Let's leap into Deadpool #12 and find out!

 

Story

Agent Gao is disillusioned. After Mayor Cage overturned Fisk’s Law and shut down her Cape Killers squad, Julia Gao refused to recognize the legality of self-appointed costume heroes. She offered Wade a position in her new anti-vigilante vigilante squad. Now, as she hides from her former police family, Agent Gao meets a stranger in a dark alley. He offers her a gift. She may not understand his reference to Miles’ relationship with Kwaku Anansi, but Agent Gao knows a helping hand when she sees one.

 

In Deadpool #12, Princess finds Miles' new suit hard on the canines. Brooklyn's Spider-Man bonded with Ellie through their Latin heritage and complex family dynamics. But that doesn’t mean Princess has to like the man who shorted out her sister’s shock-daggers and fried Ellie’s teleporting phone.

 

In Cody Ziglar's story, Agent Gao's recruits see through Deadpool's cunning plan and welcome him with fists of fury. Like Queen Victoria, Wade's relabeling fails to amuse Output. Midas reveals a superpower that would make a medieval alchemist drool. Wade has his back against a wall with the threat of Death Grip’s return. He is also at a romantic low point. After reuniting with Valentine Vuong, she walked out the door again. If only Midas wouldn't try to kill him! But then, murder runs in the family in Deadpool #12.

 

 

 

Art

Guru-eFX opens with a blue, purple, and pink assault from screaming squad cars. Clad in her blue jacket, Agent Gao leans against a red-brick wall with faded, peeling stucco. The vibrant yellow-and-orange graffiti adorning the wall evokes Miles’ adeptness with a bag of spray paints. A stranger wearing a grey coat and hat glows yellow when he withdraws a wicked weapon in the green alley.

 

Andrea Di Vito shows Midas and Output's excitement as Deadpool pulls Shift in a child's wagon. Shift’s bundled features evoke Deadpool’s appearance when Ellie, Task Daddy, and Doug strapped his severed sections into an office chair. Midas’ formfitting gold-and-white candy stick suit, her deftness with tonfas, and her yellow explosions make Deadpool go weak at the knees. Output, clad in red and blue, summons white-hot suns from his hands. As time-lapse photography struggles to capture Deadpool's attack, Shift's blurring left arm appears four times in one panel in Deadpool #12.

 

White balloons feature uppercase black text, while Joe Sabino fills red ones with Princess's white dialogue. Black words in green narrative boxes reveal Agent Gao’s thoughts. Words shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for inflection while Ellie’s thoughts fill pink narrative boxes. Colorful sound effects help us hear the Midas Touch, bones snapping, arcing energy, and thwipping, while Ellie’s reprimand in a spiky balloon makes Princess’s eyes and ears droop. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As the winds of alchemy and science breathe life into his rebirth, Wade Wilson seeks love and big guns in all the wrong places. So, after Ellie and Wade lose some of their healing factors, it doesn’t help that opponents get a level-up. Amid the humorous fighting and violent witticisms, Shift steals hearts (and perhaps minds) in Deadpool #12.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Deadpool #9 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano

Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke, Mitsuhiro Arita, Jessica Fong & Andy Park

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 18, 2024

 

Taskmaster struggles for jobs because clients want Wade Wilson on the case. But Deadpool's undecaying body is floating in the office kiddie pool with ice cubes and energy drinks. At least Ellie’s made a new friend at Chemocorp. Valentine Vuong promised to help Ellie use alchemy to summon Wade's soul from the great beyond. But will Valentine's boss release her from this subsidiary of (the undying) Beyond Corp? Let's leap into Deadpool #9 and find out!

 

Story

MODOK is mad. He expected to buy more loyalty from Valentine than this. Then again, most of his employees are androids, which doesn’t say much about his management skills. Still, MODOK paid for her services, and he expects Valentine to deliver. She is helping him perfect a cell regrowth formula that could dramatically change people's lives. His motives may be financial, but Valentine's products could benefit others. Still, that doesn't stop MODOK from trying to kill Valentine when she quits without giving him two weeks’ notice.

 

Valentine may have left Wade to pursue her interests, but she wants the best for her former lover. Ellie argued that her dad died from a mixture of magic and science. Perhaps Alchemy is pseudoscience. But Valentine has experience with magic and science. She knows that both fields work differently to achieve similar results. In Deadpool #9, Valentine wonders if she can combine her research at Chemocorp with Death Grip's mysticism to revivify Wade.

 

Taskmaster should be living the carefree life of a mercenary. Instead, Wade tied him down with a promotion and the responsibilities that came with it. He feels so overwhelmed that he can’t even win a stare-down with the office rat. As the financial ship sinks beneath his feet, what hits hardest is seeing Ellie injured. In Cody Ziglar and Alexis Quasarano’s story, discovering that MODOK overtaxed Ellie’s healing abilities is Taskmaster’s worst nightmare. Forget about his friend Wade. Who cares about poor client reviews? So what if they must sell the kiddie pool to buy ammunition for their next job? All that matters to Taskmaster is saving Ellie.

 

 

 

 

Art

As MODOK hovers over the smoking company van, Princess looks like she's melting from the villain's blast. MODOK sprouts instruments of death from his armor while Ellie leaps onto his back, digging into his armor with her shock daggers. A timelapse extends across two pages as Ellie avoids laser beams while somersaulting off his boxing glove. As she creates a lightning storm, he slices through her suit. But Ellie uses every skill that comes to hand to turn MODOK into a beetle blasted by a firestorm in Deadpool #9.

 

Guru-eFX lavishes a loaded palette on Andrea Di Vito’s art as gold and purple MODOK blasts through purple-blue air a la Hammerhead. Yellow and orange spark in a black inset circle, revealing the state of play in Ellie’s gray ribcage. Valentine covers Deadpool's daughter with her blue jacket. 

 

 

 

Later, when she and Princess bring Ellie to the green office, Taskmaster helps Valentine put the girl to rest on a green desk. The researcher's blue and white clothes link her with blue, white, and yellow Task Daddy. Then, the green desk becomes an altar, and a gray design fills the white floor.

 

White balloons feature uppercase black text, while Joe Sabino fills red ones with Princesses’ white dialogue. Words shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for inflection while Ellie’s thoughts fill pink narrative boxes. Colorful sound effects help us hear MODOK and Ellie's brutal battle, and white letters reveal twitching fingers as yellow dialogue balloons return in Deadpool #9. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Princess uses her body to shield her sister and Valentine from harm, Ellie discovers the limits of her healing factor. Still, her physical injuries are nothing compared to losing her dad. So, the girl makes a deal without waiting to hear what it will cost her in Deadpool #9.  

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

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.

Deadpool #7 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano

Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Amanda Conner & Edgar Delgado; Scott Koblish & Jesus Aburtov; Peach Momoko

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 2, 2024

 

Deadpool is dead. His body lies in the conference room. At least, all the bits that Death Grip lopped off are there. Deadpool always wanted to be the guy in the chair, but Deadpool & Daughters, LLC, needs someone to call the shots while their leader rests in pieces. Can Ellie and Princess assume all the field duties while Taskmaster ensures sufficient cash flow to keep the office rats in fresh water and throw the weekly pizza party? Let's leap into Deadpool #7 and find out!

 

Story

Ellie is acting out. She’s ignoring orders and violating Daddy's No Killing rule. But then, Daddy's not around anymore, and Task-Daddy’s laissez-faire management style during the Arseni Angeloff affair failed to impress her. Taskmaster understands Ellie's anger. But for him to stick around as the Interim CEO and CFO, Deadpool & Daughters, LLC needs income to purchase weapons and give them another shot at Death Grip. 

 

 

 

The entire concept of death comes under review in Deadpool #7. Wade Wilson may no longer breathe, but neither does his body decay. Ellie’s healing factor helps her recover from wounds that would kill others. Her recuperative abilities enhance her brain functions, making her a super student. Ellie learned how to teleport by watching internet videos. So now she's watching Agatha Harkness (or another purple-clad witch) on New Toobe in the hopes of resurrecting her father. Taskmaster warns Ellie against the dangers of obsessing over bringing the dead back to life. Ellie is young, so perhaps that explains her ignoring Mary Shelley's warnings. Besides, it's not as if Ellie can resurrect the dead responsibly like the Scarlet Witch. 

 

 

 

While people may compare Spider-Man with Deadpool, Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano’s story highlights the difference between heroes and antiheroes. Taskmaster isn’t sending Ellie and her symbiote canine sister to steal a briefcase from a villain. Instead, he proposes they steal money from a biotech research firm. Taskmaster implies that stealing from a shell company is okay, as people often create them to launder money, avoid taxes, or shield their activities from public scrutiny. Ellie and Princess embrace the idea enthusiastically. But then, teenagers are scary, right?

 

 

Art

Ellie charges fearlessly into the fray on a rooftop, taking down gun-toting baddies before hurtling down a fire escape. Andrea Di Vito captures the action with time-lapse photography until Ellie reaches the street in Deadpool #7. Ellie braves pistols, rifles, and a rocket launcher while confronting baddies who should clean up their language. But questioning a foul-mouthed villain proves unnecessary thanks to a grenade down the tank top and a tail-fling into the sky. It's not purple rain, but the red shower refreshes, nonetheless.

 

 

 

Princesses' pink tongue also renews Ellie's spirits as she texts her dead dad on a blue cellphone screen. Watching a purple-clad witch on her red phone also makes Ellie smile. But trouble brews when they teleport to a forest-green building illuminated by fern-green windows. Guru-eFX’s white lightning and rain streak the blue evening sky as red, black, and brown Ellie and magenta Princess prepare to ascend the steep grassy rise and enter Chemocorp.

 

 

 

Joe Sabino pulls out all the stops in Deadpool #7. Commentary appears in pink narrative boxes and white ones bordered with pink or blue-and-yellow. White balloons feature uppercase black text, while red ones feature Princesses’ distinctive white font. The dialogue rarely shrinks or grows bold, while yellow arrows highlight Deadpool’s daughters practicing restraint. Pink music notes suggest Ellie is taking her cues from Starlord and Baby Groot, and red letters remind us of Princess' canine nature. Colorful sound effects enhance workplace destruction and people firing laser beams with their eyes. But then, how else can one diffuse contentious office encounters? Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

After Daddy’s dismemberment and death, Ellie is killing time and people, Taskmaster sends juveniles to commit Grand Larceny, and Princess catches a scent that makes her happy in Deadpool #7.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Deadpool #6 Review

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; CF Villa & Marte Gracia; Paco Medina & Federico Blee

Designer: Carlos Lao

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 18, 2024

 

Deadpool defeated Death Grip, but it cost him an arm and a leg. Death Grip's Muramasa Blade nullified Deadpool’s healing factor. While Wade Wilson hopes his limbs will regrow, the rat in the water cooler has spawned a family, and Taskmaster wants to get paid. Can Ellie and Princess boost Wilson & Daughters LLC’s prospects while Wade regenerates? Or will they think Daddy heartless for asking them to bring home the bacon? Let's leap into Deadpool #6 and find out!

 

Story

Agent Gao invited Deadpool to join the Cape Killers, but Wade Wilson was tired of ignoring orders, not getting along with his teammates, and disrespecting leaders. Wade has become a surprisingly successful captain of industry and found a reliable lieutenant in Taskmaster. Not only has Princess stuck by Deadpool, but Ellie has proved a capable warrior. If he can regain his healing ability and get Doug to clean up the office, Wade will be 100% happy! Until then, he is the guy in the chair. It will give him time to contemplate his company's and family's futures.

 

First, Wilson & Daughters LLC must generate income to replace Taskmaster’s beautiful Bula and the accompanying arrow Ellie stole from Taskmaster. (So what if Taskmaster stole the arrow from Hawkeye?) With no clients throwing cash in his blotchy face, Wade wants to grab people's attention with a high-profile theft. How better to ring in Taskmaster's term as CEO than stealing from the Russian Mafia? 

 

Cody Ziglar thrusts the Wilson girls into the spotlight in Deadpool #6. After riding to Wade's rescue in Death Grip's temple, Task-Daddy teaches them what it means to be a rookie on a mercenary team. Ellie encourages Princess’ efforts at humor, enjoys using her new weapons, and endeavors to obey her dad’s ground rules. This job is all about helping Ellie gain battlefield confidence. Building a positive corporate image for Wilson & Daughters LLC is a bonus. But then, marketing is Deadpool’s new thing!

 

 

 

Art

Ellie cobbled together a combat suit when she and Princess rode to their daddy’s rescue. This issue, she is in awe of her new suit. Ellie doesn’t wear a Taskmaster shirt and gloves. Still, Task-Daddy bestows an emblem of his pride in Ellie’s achievement. Even the rat pauses to gaze up at her scarlet finery. Later, Ellie wishes she wasn't pulling rookie duty as she rests her face in her right hand and her left arm on Princess' snout. But as Taskmaster sucks down a soda, Ellie spies a mobster popping the top off a can. She launches into battle with a head kick, and Princess protects her with a spinning-tail shield. The Wilson sisters face someone wearing a blue mask with a white star, but he's not Captain America. And Ellie rides Princess The Big Red Symbiote Dog into battle again in Deadpool #6.

 

Guru-eFX lavishes a loaded palette of bright contrasting colors on Andrea Di Vito's scenes in the rubble-strewn office and the Russian mobster's headquarters. Pink highlights on Ellie's hair match her shirt, lips, and the ribbon on Wade's gift. Taskmaster's attractive blue is echoed on Ellie's shoulder and by the new jug in the water cooler. (Not all rats like sewer water). Backgrounds shine blue, turquoise, and green, while Ellie's new weapon illuminates everyone nearby in white-yellow energy.

 

Joe Sabino stabs white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with black and white uppercase lettering in Deadpool #6. The dialogue rarely shrinks, while one character’s snoozing and another’s humming are writ large. Colorful and energetic sound effects enliven a hand-to-paw celebration, bullets striking symbiote flesh and an enormous gun preparing to fire. Well, everyone needs to compensate for something! Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When Ellie-Bear and Princess undertake a mission, Deadpool discovers the unkindest cut of all in Deadpool #6.

 

Rating: 9.8/10

 

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