Rob Liefeld: New Avengelyne Comic at SDCC

 

Rob Liefeld is no stranger to comics. He's the all-star creator of Deadpool and Youngblood. And long before Battlestar Galactica returned to TV, his company Maximum Press published several follow-ups to the original series, including "Apollo's Journey," scripted by Apollo/Zarek actor Richard Hatch. 

Now, Rob Liefeld is returning to San Diego Comic-Con to celebrate the return of another of his characters to comics. Here's all the info:

 

ROB LIEFELD 

ANNOUNCES SAN DIEGO COMIC CON GIVEAWAY 

AND LAUNCHES NEW AVENGELYNE COMIC 

COMING THIS OCTOBER FROM IMAGE COMICS

 

Comic book Legend Rob Liefeld is returning to San Diego Comic Con for a panel and signings. All attendees of his ROBSERVATIONS LIVE panel on Thursday, July 23rd at 5 pm in room 7AB will receive a special gift comic book. 

In addition, Rob will preview his new  AVENGELYNE  comic with special edition covers ONLY available at San Diego Comic Con.  Rob has teamed up with fan-favorite artist Daniel Mainé for the upcoming series launch of Avengelyne. This iconic ’90s Liefeld creation will take center stage with an all-new beginning. It will launch in October from Image Comics in advance of the already-in-development film at Warner Bros.

The debut issue will also feature eye-popping variant covers by Diógenes Neves (Spider-Verse Unlimited Infinity Comics), Shannon Maer, Dan Lawlis, Andy Park (Avengelyne, Tomb Raider), and Ben Bradi.

"Avengelyne is all the way back! Finding a creative partner on par with Daniel Mainé was essential in creating these new adventures," said Liefeld. "Daniel is blowing me away, a perfect match for our Avengeing Angel! As with all my titles, I wait until the right talent manifests and I wouldn’t be doing this without Daniel, his work is certain to impress!”

Everyone’s favorite Avenging Angel is back! In Avengelyne, a Priest who is losing his faith is challenged by the emergence of a mysterious Angel. Avengelyne’s arrival invites the attention of Belisle, a wealthy demon lord as she is targeted by demonic forces seeking to turn her to their cause.

New readers and classic comics fans alike Youngblood, Spawn, and Vampirella won’t want to miss this all-new direction for one of Liefeld’s most beloved characters.

Avengelyne #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, October 7:

• Cover A by Mainé
• Cover B NSFW polybagged variant by Liefeld
• Cover C by Neves
• Cover D by Maer
• Cover E by Lawlis
• Cover F Legacy variant by Park
• Cover G by Bradi

 

Avengelyne will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

 

 

Thanks to Rob Liefeld for sharing this announcement with us. 

  

Youngblood Vol 3 #1 Cover Preview

 

Cover by Daniel Warren Johnson

Rob Liefeld took the world by storm when he launched his signature Image series Youngblood. Now, he's inviting readers back to the world he created thirty years ago. Here's all the info on his new Youngblood series:

 

ROB LIEFELD’S NEW YOUNGBLOOD UNLEASHES STAR-STUDDED COVER GALLERY THIS NOVEMBER

 

 

Rob Liefeld's self-published Youngblood #1 sold over $500,000 worth of copies. Now, comics titan Rob Liefeld (Deadpool) is back in the driver’s seat writing and drawing an all-new Youngblood—and he's bringing an all-star arsenal of comics’ top talents along for the ride. The upcoming Youngblood Vol. 3 #1 will feature eye-popping covers by Skottie Young (I Hate Fairyland), Daniel Warren Johnson (Transformers, Do A Powerbomb), Ryan Stegman (X-Men, Venom) Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Battle Beast) Kael Ngu (Venom), Erik Gist (UnDeadpool, Spawn), and Mark Spears (Monsters) and will launch this November from Image Comics. 

 

“These are the most in-demand, most popular, most celebrated names in the comics business and Old Man Liefeld could not be more grateful, more humbled that they delivered these spectacular Youngblood covers!” said Liefeld.

Liefeld ignited a collector firestorm earlier this year with the release of the highly sought-after, self published Youngblood Single Issues selling over $500,000 worth of copies—now The Blood is back and cranking the excitement into overdrive! In Youngblood Volume 3 #1, the team is summoned to a crisis in the Pacific as a mysterious vessel appears and a deadly nemesis is revealed. Readers won’t want to miss this bulletproof return to one of the most exciting series to ever hit the spinner-rack.

Liefeld will be at San Diego Comic-Con this week in full power mode. On Thursday he will headline the “Rob Liefeld: Youngblood 33rd Anniversary” panel at 5 p.m. in room 7AB. Fans can also find a very special SDCC Exclusive Youngblood #1 variant at the Image booth (#1915) next week and Liefeld will be signing at the Image booth on Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m. 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

Cover by Erik M Gist

 

 

Cover by Kael Ngu

 

 

Cover by Mark Spears

  

 

Cover by Ryan Stegman

Cover A by Rob Liefeld

Youngblood Volume 3 #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 5. Youngblood Volume 3 #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

 

 

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States, and is the #2 graphic novel publisher in America. It is the publisher of such award winning titles as, Spawn, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Saga, Monstress, Deadly Class, Chew, The Old Guard, I Kill Giants, Criminal, The Department of Truth, W0rldtr33, Geiger, Descender, Gideon Falls, It’s Lonely At The Centre of The Earth, Do A Power Bomb, and more. The company currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit: www.imagecomics.com.

 

 

Thanks to PAL Public Relations and Image Comics for sharing this cover reveal with us. 

All-New Giant-Size Youngblood #1 Preview

 

Comic fans owe Rob Liefeld a debt we can never repay. He helped bring X-Force and Deadpool to Marvel, and contributed to Image Comics' early success. He also helped revive interest in Battlestar Galactica, and gave Apollo actor Richard Hatch a start in his writing career. This year, he's bringing back one of his signature creations to San Diego Comic-Con with a special edition!

Here's all the info:

 

ROB LIEFELD RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO COMIC CON WITH EXCLUSIVE: GIANT-SIZE YOUNGBLOOD #1 SIGNINGS AND PANEL

Legendary comic book creator Rob Liefeld (creator of Deadpool, Youngblood) is set to make a major splash at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 with the debut of an all-new comic: Giant Size Youngblood #1. A Comic-Con exclusive, the 29-page special issue will be available in four limited-edition covers—each capped at just 100 copies—and will be distributed exclusively during Liefeld’s signings at Booth #5568.

First launched in 1992, Youngblood was the flagship title that helped launch Image Comics, redefining the comics industry by giving creators control over their own characters. Youngblood #1 was one of the highest-selling independent comics of all time and marked the beginning of a new era of creator-owned superheroes. 

 

Now, over 30 years later, Liefeld revisits the groundbreaking team with a bold new story that mixes nostalgia, innovation, and pure energy.

Like the classic it pays tribute to, Giant Size Youngblood unfolds on a mysterious island and brings together a mix of legacy heroes and all-new characters. This San Diego Comic-Con exclusive edition features four unique covers, each limited to 100 copies. A short pre-order window sold out quickly, but a limited number of copies will be available at the convention.

 

“Giant Size Youngblood is a comic I have wanted to make my entire life,” says Liefeld. “It’s my love letter to Giant Size X-Men #1, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. That comic is what made me fall in love with comic books, and I couldn’t let the moment pass without creating my own unique tribute.”

 

In addition to the launch, Liefeld will headline a special Comic-Con panel:

 

“Rob Liefeld ; Youngblood 33rd Anniversary"

Thursday, July 24 | 5:00 PM | Room 7AB
Join Liefeld and special guests for a high-energy celebration of Youngblood's legacy and future. The panel will explore the creation of the new Youngblood #1 (released April 16, 2025), the return of iconic characters like Shaft, Badrock, and Diehard, and Liefeld’s innovative direct-to-fan publishing model. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at the remastered collector’s editions and hear firsthand what’s next for the team that helped launch Image Comics more than three decades ago.

 

This appearance marks Liefeld’s 44th San Diego Comic-Con, cementing his status as a defining voice in the comics industry and a fan-favorite mainstay of the convention.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

  

 

Thanks to PAL Public Relations for sharing this preview with us.

Rob Liefeld Brings Youngblood Back To Image Comics

 

 

Seven years ago, I was visiting a comic shop in Los Angeles, California. While I looked through the short boxes looking for '80s and '90s indies, a father brought his son into the comic shop. "Can I help you find anything?" a member of staff asked. "I'm interested in the old stuff," the boy replied. "You know, from the '90s." 

As a fan of the '90s Image Superhero Universe, this comes as exciting news! Rock on, Rob Liefeld and Image! I can't wait for Youngblood to join Spawn, Savage Dragon, Witchblade, and the Darkness on the New Comic shelves!

ROB LIEFELD RETURNS TO YOUNGBLOOD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IMAGE COMICS FOR NEW MEDIA AND MERCH IN 2025

Comicbook Legend Liefeld announces new projects for his multi-million best-selling comic book Youngblood

 

Youngblood, the comic book that launched the Image Revolution and established Image Comics as a new force in comic book publishing, is returning with its creator, Rob Liefeld, at the helm. 

 

After seven years away from Youngblood, THE multi-million best-selling comic book, Liefeld is reunited with not only his most high-profile creator-owned characters but also with Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who first teamed with the prolific creator during the formation of Image Comics in April 1992. Rosenberg is CEO of Platinum Studios Inc., which manages Youngblood for the property’s owner, Rip Media Inc. 

 

Youngblood followed Liefeld’s break-out success at Marvel, where he created and established Deadpool, Cable, and X-Force as top-selling characters, reflecting his unique brand of graphic storytelling and dynamic character design. It smashed sales records, becoming the first independent non-Marvel, non-DC Comic title to chart at #1 and sell over one million copies. The original Youngblood miniseries sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and its publication history spans over 100 issues with featured contributions throughout its run from celebrated top comic talents such as Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead) Alan Moore (Watchmen, Supreme), and Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, The Kingsmen). 

 

For his part, Liefeld is eager to embrace the legacy of the comic, characters and company: “It’s so great that I can run into the comfort of characters that I created, that launched a movement. They carry such history. I love Youngblood so much. These characters are my absolute passion.” 

 

Rosenberg added: “Rob and I are a fantastic team, and I’m as excited now for Youngblood’s relaunch as I was in 1992 for its initial launch. The team’s awesome characters have not only been in their own Youngblood comics, but also appeared in more than 100 million comic publications worldwide, including crossovers with Marvel and other Image comics. I'm excited to bring them to audiences old and new with their original creator, Rob Liefeld.”

Rosenberg and Liefeld are combining to create new Youngblood media and merchandise, kicking off with a brand-new title written and illustrated by Liefeld himself, set to launch from Image Comics in 2025.

 

“As our company’s very first comic, Youngblood set the course not just for Image Comics, but for creator-owned comics, so we couldn’t be more thrilled that Rob is returning to his signature creation,” said Image Comics Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Eric Stephenson. “Rob’s vision for these characters and this concept is what originally attracted me to Image Comics way back in the 1990s, so it’s especially exciting that the series that started it all is finally coming home!”

 

Liefeld and Rosenberg promise more details in the weeks ahead, but initial plans include a Youngblood Vault Edition representing high resolution scans of the original art from the first Youngblood series in a deluxe oversized hardcover, as well as a Facsimile Edition of Youngblood #1 to mark the title’s 33rd anniversary in April 2025, both to be published by Image Comics.

 

 

The boy I mentioned at the beginning would be a teenager now. I can't help wonder how he might react to this news. 

 

Here's more info on the people involved in this exciting announcement!

 

About Rob Liefeld:

Rob Liefeld is a legend name in the comic book and entertainment business world. Scouted by the late Stan Lee and Marvel at age 16, Liefeld worked on several top Marvel titles helping the company’s stratospheric rise not just within the comics space but within the film and television business. His sales figures for X-Force #1 topped 5 million sales and still stands at the #2 selling comic book of all time. It was Liefeld’s own original titles and characters which garnered him the most acclaim with comic book fans, with his deconstructive audacious tone evident in such original titles as “Deadpool”, “Cable,” “X-Force,” “Youngblood,” and “Prophet” among his most revered work. 20th Century Fox film division greenlit his DEADPOOL film franchise in 2010 to great fanfare, releasing two movies starring Ryan Reynolds,  as the title character that has grossed over $1.5B globally in Box Office Revenue. A third movie, Deadpool and Wolverine, launched July 26th, 2024, from Walt Disney Studios and has broken all records and become the largest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. 

 

ABOUT PLATINUM STUDIOS

Platinum Studios, Inc. is a comic book-based entertainment company controlling a large independent library of comic book characters, which it develops for filmed entertainment, games, merchandise, and other media. Fourteen-time New York Times Best Seller creator Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is the Chairman and CEO. Productions include the number one box office film, “Cowboys & Aliens”, starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. Platinum Studios’ library includes characters that have appeared worldwide in both millions of comics and broadcast television, film, games, the internet, and more.

 

ABOUT SCOTT MITCHELL ROSENBERG

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg broke every sales and marketing record known to independent comic publishing, and led many successful comic spin-offs into toys, television, and feature films, including, via his Malibu Comics label, signing the billion-dollar live-action film and animated television phenomenon Men in Black with Sony Pictures, which includes four films, three seasons of animated programming and popular interactive ride at Universal Florida, still going after more than 20 years. Rosenberg was also the first line-wide digital comic publisher after innovatively adapting the Adobe Photoshop software for computer color production of comics.

 

 

Deadpool Creator Rob Liefeld's New Mutants #98 Original Pencils Hits Auction Block for $7.5 Million

 

 

As ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Slashes Box-Office Records, Heritage Auctions Offers Rob Liefeld’s Original Art Introducing The Merc With a Mouth.

Let’s f*****g go!

That’s the rallying cry heard throughout Deadpool & Wolverine, which became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever just days after its July 26 release. It’s also the perfect reaction to the news that Heritage Auctions is offering for sale the original artwork Rob Liefeld penciled and inked for the cover of New Mutants No. 98, which introduced Marvel Comics’ Merc With a Mouth.

The asking price: $7.5 million. If it sells, the cover of New Mutants No. 98 would become the single most valuable piece of original comic book art ever sold.

This marks the first time in nearly two decades that the historic cover has been offered for sale.

Its owner acquired the piece almost two decades ago and has received — and rebuffed — numerous offers ever since. But given the runaway success of Deadpool & Wolverine — already a $600-million-and-counting global smash hit pairing Ryan Reynolds with Hugh Jackman for a bloody, riotous romp through the Marvel Cinematic Universe — its owner approached Heritage about offering it for sale. Says the cover’s owner, “The time is right.”

“I’ve long admired — and coveted — this work, which I consider the most important piece of comic book art from the 1990s,” says Heritage Co-Chairman Jim Halperin. “I’m thrilled we’re now able to offer it to someone who, like me, admires Rob Liefeld and adores his Deadpool, who is among the most beloved characters in comics and, now, the MCU.”

Deadpool’s debut in New Mutants No. 98, alongside fan favorite Domino, was nothing short of a lightning strike that ignited fans’ attention and admiration like few characters before him. Marvel Comics once said the mail they received about Deadpool was the largest response to a character in years. In fact, two issues after his debut, Marvel ran the first of many fan letters celebrating his introduction:

“I love him. He looks cool, is obviously the best at what he does, and he has a great attitude. And he’s funny. He reminds me of Spidey, both visually and with his wisecracks. Deadpool is basically Spidey wielding instruments of death rather than webs. But it works!”

Did it ever: When Marvel tapped Liefeld for New Mutants, the title was “the dog of the line,” Liefeld told Comic Book Resources in 2016. All the other X-Men titles, including Wolverine, were massive hits, with the New Mutants teetering on the brink of extinction. Liefeld says Marvel told him to fill the title “with whatever energy, ideas and creativity you have, because we are going to turn the lights off, otherwise. This is kind of like the last chance.”

With writer Louise Simonson, Liefeld began creating new characters, including Cable, later played in Deadpool 2 by Josh Brolin, and killing off countless others. When Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza took over the title for its final few issues, they introduced an army of characters who survived long enough to make the film franchise, including Domino and Shatterstar.

Liefeld was just 23 when he took over New Mutants, and it came at just the right time: As he’s explained, his father was in the midst of a 20-year battle with cancer (which Liefeld says informed Deadpool’s backstory), and his parents were “broke.”

“New Mutants was my ticket,” he told CBR. “I needed to make that work. I told my friends during the time, I said, ‘Look, you are not going to see me for a while. They’ve given me what I want. I can write and draw my own book. They’ve rewarded me.’”

And, in turn, Liefeld rewarded readers with one hell of a Christmas gift when New Mutants No. 98 hit newsstands in December 1990. Deadpool shows up toward the book’s end to kill Cable at the behest of someone named Mr. Tolliver — who, it later turned out, was a mutant from the future (and Cable’s estranged son) masquerading as an illegal arms merchant. Deadpool was almost fully formed when he fired his first gun: He was a brash, quippy, seemingly indestructible killing machine. As such, “Deadpool was a hit with fans from the get-go,” Liefeld told Forbes in July.

Less than a year after his debut, Deadpool appeared on the cover of Liefeld and Nicieza’s X-Force No. 2 — and, soon after that, as an action figure, a video-game character and the star of his own titles ever since. Though Reynolds made his debut as Deadpool in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine – in which the Merc’s mouth was inexplicably sewn shut — the actor and character have been inseparable since 2016’s long-awaited Deadpool, which spawned a global franchise that has now eclipsed the $2-billion mark.

“Deadpool has never been more popular,” Halperin says. “And his popularity only continues to grow. I can’t think of a better time to offer Rob’s cover that introduced him to the world.”

 

Thanks to Paul at PAL Public Relations for sharing this news with us!

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. 

 

 

Deadpool #2 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Rogê Antônio

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke, Mark Brooks, Rob Liefeld & Declan Shalvey

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 8, 2024

 

Agent Gao offers Deadpool a spot in her new team, but he declines. Deadpool has been down that road before, but the chemistry was never right. Will Deadpool fare any better leading a team of mirthful money-making mercs? Let's leap into Deadpool #2 and find out!

 

Story

Deadpool excels at his work but wishes he was better at relationships. He thought he found love with Valentine, but as with his former teams, it didn't last. Wade left his daughter Ellie with Terry and Emily Preston so he wouldn’t screw up the father-daughter thing. Still, he’s got his symbiote-dog-daughter Princess. She loves him, so he’s not a total loser, right?

 

Lots of people define themselves by their work. Deadpool is starting to wonder if that’s all he’ll ever be good at. People may laugh at his jokes, but the ones he wants don't stick around. What if he used his superpower of making money for more than spending it on cool stuff he doesn’t need?

 

 

 

In Deadpool #2, the Merc With A Mouth nabs a secret lair. His corporate HQ may be worse for wear, but it's a place to hang his mask. Wade hires the Taskmaster away from Agent Gao, and Tasky brings Doug, his Guy In The Chair. Doug assesses their capabilities and suggests quiet, low-key assignments to increase their working capital. Then Deadpool spots a flashy gig that might raise his profile and nabs Team Deadpool’s first assignment.

 

While Deadpool tries to prove he can build something that'll last, his daughter plots to make his life more difficult. Ellie yearns to know more about her father and participate in his life. So, she increases her skillset and takes her first steps toward forging a more fulfilling relationship with her deadly-beater-upper dad.

 

 

 

Building his employee’s loyalty doesn't come quickly. Taskmaster insists he's a short-timer and only there for the money. Thankfully, Princess stands by Wade in Deadpool #2. She even offers him relationship advice in case Wade's inclined to listen. That’d be to his profit, as a team of villains that get high on The Most Dangerous Game have Deadpool in their sights.

 

What? Kill Deadpool even if they can get paid? How unCanadian!

 

 

 

Art

Rogê Antônio transports us to Eastern Europe, where Deadpool leaps with a dancer’s grace as he attacks a fortified compound. Princess bounds along, merrily chomping on the unnamed mercs. After the firefight and explosions, father and symbiote dog-daughter peer into the bunker in Deadpool #2 and find a limited-edition jacket with stylish bloodstain appeal. Score!

 

Former SHIELD agent Emily Preston may have an LMD's strength and agility, but that does not mean she excels at cooking without burning her android body. Yet Ellie barely notices her foster mother's travails as she spins the cell phone adorned with a Deadpool symbol. Later, Ellie goes to the garage, where she sits at the workbench and uses what she has to build something new. 

 

 

 

Guru-eFX makes us want to wear that blood-stained jacket in Deadpool #2. Beneath a starry sky, blue snow-covered mountains serve as the backdrop to a lively firefight while Deadpool and Princess glow deep red. Tracer fire streaks past them like TIE Fighters attacking the Millennium Falcon. "Don't get cocky, Deadpool!" 

 

After the bunker belches a gout of yellow and orange, Deadpool snaps a selfie surrounded by green-tinged smoke for his daughter. The Prestons' attire brings vibrant color to the family's neutral kitchen, while blues and grays fill Team Deadpool's new HQ, a reminder of how Wade secured the lease.

 

 

 

Joe Sabino's uppercase letters demand your attention from inside yellow, white, and red dialogue balloons. Their generous size ensures Cody Ziglar’s dialogue-driven story—bookended by fierce action--won’t tax readers’ eyes. A vibrant boom showcases the power of a grenade, a sizzle hints that Emily Preston should watch where she puts her hands, a bleep rewards Ellie’s first attempt at a new relationship with her dad, and a slamming fist indicates a client’s satisfaction with Team Deadpool.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While money can’t buy happiness, it can buy lots of cool stuff! In Deadpool #2, Wade Wilson decides to invest it in his future. But finding the right business partners could prove difficult with a death cult on his trail and a daughter who wants more from him than the occasional text or selfie.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Adam Kubert

Colorist: Frank Martin

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Adam Kubert & Frank Martin; Gabriele Dell’Otto; Inhyuk Lee; Rob Liefeld & Jay David Ramos; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 1, 2024

 

Wolverine has a job. It's not one he wants, but it's necessary. A cop wants to end a killing spree. So she calls on Wolverine. Can he catch the superpowered villain that makes mincemeat of his victims? Or will someone else get in his way? Let’s extend our claws, leap into Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1, and find out!

 

Story

Superheroes deal with morality. Hunters kill. Wolverine's cop friend doesn't want anyone else to die. So, she calls on the human weapon with adamantium claws to put down a predator. Unfortunately, someone else has found him first.

 

Like the cop, Vancouver’s endangered citizens wanted to end the killing spree. So the victim’s families put up a bounty. Wolverine knows what Deadpool does is necessary, but that doesn't mean he likes it. Nor does Logan like how Deadpool finds humor in the killing. People shouldn't enjoy killing. They should never joke about taking another person’s life.

 

But what is life? Wolverine muses on that in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1. Why even try to build anything significant? It’ll eventually end. Everything does. Dreams are just misfiring neurons, he concludes.

 

Joe Kelly portrays Wolverine and Deadpool as two brothers in arms. Their love/hate relationship binds them together and tears them apart. Yet in Kelly’s story, Wolverine does the tearing apart, while Deadpool tries to do a team-up. 

 

 

 

Only after they take down their adversary and Deadpool slips away does Wolverine realize what Wade said. But then it’s too late. Wade's gone, just like a dream or another crumbled monument.

 

So, another hunt begins. Logan tells himself he’s doing it to kill whoever created the mincemeat monster. But in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1, Logan’s also doing it because of what Wade said. And because he failed to respond before Deadpool slipped away.

 

Joe Kelly probes Wolverine’s conscience as Logan tracks “the world’s crappiest trail of breadcrumbs.” Wolverine may hate the jack@$$. Still, he’s got a responsibility to Deadpool, not to mention those Wade could endanger in his quest to become more like Wolverine.

 

 

Art

Wolverine leaps across the Vancouver skyline. He crouches beside a rooftop pool, gazing down at the street. After an explosion of concrete, water, and fire, he gazes up to see Deadpool trade his rocket launcher for a sword and a machine pistol. Wolverine ignores the torrent of bullets, leaping into the fray as Deadpool follows up with a flurry of throwing knives. Their opponent dissolves Deadpool's assault with a shield. Wolverine, he bats away.

 

Adam Kubert reveals Wolverine's competitive nature as he shoves Deadpool into harm's way while charging the City Of Glass slicer and dicer in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1. Kubert enhances the humor with Deadpool’s gestures, birthday greetings decorating the rocket launcher, and the way Deadpool leaps and lands on Wolverine’s shoulders. Yet as the living weapons watch paramedics load their opponent into an ambulance, Deadpool glances up at Wolverine, who refuses to return his gaze. Later, Logan sits at a bar and frowns at his drink. No girl clad in a hoodie sits beside him.

 

The sinking sun casts an orange glow over Vansterdam as Wolverine’s silhouette bounds across pink fields. Despite Deadpool’s sudden dislike for his footwear, his opponent’s boots shine brighter than the yellow in Wolverine’s suit. Yet nothing outshines the crazed killer's purple hooded shirt or the purple energy shields and tendrils he wields. 

 

 

Frank Martin adorns a bar mostly in yellow and brown, echoing Wolverine’s suit, even if Logan has changed into street clothes. Does the maple leaf on the wall and the bartender's long red beard remind Logan of Wade? Later, a red child's phone confirms Logan has found the right Skybnb, even if he didn’t arrive in time.

 

Joe Sabino casts Weapon X-worthy lowercase black letters into white and colored balloons and boxes. Whether it's lashes of sizzling electricity, barrages of gunfire, or the crash of shattered windows, Sabino enhances the energy propelling Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1 toward its heartrending conclusion. Yet the applause stretching like ribbons across the final pages reminds us why Logan has grown so disillusioned in Joe Kelly’s tragic tale.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Wolverine hunts monsters. But is Wolverine a hunter or a monster? It’s a question Logan can't avoid when Wade Wilson reminds him of the difference between them in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #1.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

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