Deadpool #51 Review

Having completed my 4-part Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death, I'm currently working on my next thing to showcase that I've got the skillz to write the Merc with a Mouth... Meanwhile, let's see what's going on in his book, in Deadpool #51: Part 2 of DEAD.

And if you weren't able to get hold of a copy of Deadpool #50, the recap page in Deadpool #51 tells you everything you missed from the issue--and more!


Writer Daniel Way is pulling threads together here; for one: revealed at the end of Deadpool #50, the guy with the serum that killed Evil Deadpool is stone-hard-skinned albino super-villain Tombstone--whom Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool was responsible for incarcerating back in the day.


Tombstone's had a scientist concoct a serum that can beat Deadpool's supercharged healing factor and kill him. There are only two samples of this serum, though (with one already having been used on Evilpool).

Deadpool doesn't know Tombstone's got the serum, so he's set about smoking out whoever has by manipulating various players--his team-mates X-Force (of whom Wolverine is a member), The Kingpin, and Wolverine's son Daken--setting them against each other. The only one (including us) that's--seemingly--fully in on Wade's 'game of Chess' is his sidekick Hydra Bob, who's too dim (or sane) to understand it.


With them having narrowed down Evil Deadpool's potential snipers to a list of two, we catch up with X-Force as they're paying one of these a visit--just as The Kingpin's right-hand woman Typhoid Mary and his ninja The Hand are, too--but they're all too late as Daken's already been there, offed that; Daken part of another thread Daniel Way's pulling together for this arc, Way having made his debut writing Deadpool in a Wolverine story arc that also featured Daken, and set up his antagonism towards Wade.

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With neither X-Force nor The Kingpin's people party to Daken's actions, it's X-Force versus Typhoid and The Hand--with the building they're in erupting in flames thanks to Typhoid's telekinetic firestorm--before Wolverine and Typhoid dramatically exit the burning building, followed by The Hand and Wolvey's team-mates making their separate exits.


With the businesses housed in the building all rumored to be owned by The Kingpin, the media jumps on the theory that what just happened was part of an erupting gang war. All part of Deadpool's plan; as--it would seem--was Daken beating his team-mates and The Kingpin's crew to the punch. Knowing Daken and his agenda as well as he does, Wolverine realizes that his son was responsible for killing the sniper X-Force sought before they got there and, seeing a news report about the blaze on TV, Wolvey initially reacts violently to Deadpool having started a gang war (another nice use of Logan's claws, following last issue's slashing-change-out-of-a-payphone). But Wolvey calms down when Wade explains it's all a smokescreen so the team can set about finding the remaining suspect-sniper.

Meanwhile, Tombstone is visited by/visits some of the other 'pieces' in Wade's game, and, attempting to retrieve the remaining death-serum, finds he may be out of his depth as Daken continues to make his presence felt.


Ale Garza & Sean Parsons do a nice job as guest-artists--filling in for the regular art team of Carlo Barberi & Walden Wong--aided by excellent colorist Dommo Amara. Storywise, a weakness in the plot is found in the ending: defying logic on the part of Tombstone when related to the beginning. The issue is short on humor for a Deadpool book--as was the first chapter of 'Dead'--the impetus here being on Wade's machinations picking up speed as writer Daniel Way brings us a fast-paced issue with multiple characters being played by the Merc with a Mouth.

With 'Dead' a 5-part arc, I hope it won't be too long before we get past everyone being played and get to the meat of the matter--Deadpool trying to get himself killed so he can be with lady Death--but with us not being fully privy to Wade's schemes, right now, we're just along for the ride.

Deadpool #50 Review

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Congratulations to Mike Workman on winning the Deadpool/Death Caption Contest I've been holding here in the run-up to DEAD!

Mike, your little yellow & white boxes of craziness are now immortalized here and at my Deadpool Crew Facebook Group!

So here we are at Part 1 of the much-anticipated, much talked about DEAD arc--which comes with the tagline 'Watch him Croak'...


For some time now, Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth, has had a death wish. After changing direction from badass merc to wannabe superhero and back and flying to outer space where he saved some planets, but felt alone and missed the pat on the back he would have gotten from friends--Deadpool returned home, only to be met by all his friends trying to kill him--and for a brief moment, succeeding.

But his supercharged healing factor kicked in and brought him back to life. However, in that brief moment, he was reunited with the love of his life, the female emobodiment of Death--and realized (or deluded himself into believing) that this was what his friends wanted for him. That this was what he wanted. To feel Death's embrace forever.

Since then, he's been on a mission to beat his healing factor and get himself killed for good, but has only wound up getting himself put in the nut house, thereupon meeting fellow fruitcake Dr. Ella Whitby--who was obsessed with him and had his old discarded body parts, lost in battles, in her freezer. Disgusted at this, Wade chucked the parts in the dumpster--but they thawed and formed the sentient Evil Deadpool... and Deadpool and Evil Deadpool went head-to-head--before 'Evil' was taken down by a sniper dart. And died.

Which brings us to now.


Deadpool wants what he had. He wants to find that sniper and get a dose of what killed Evil Deadpool. But with 'every cop in the world out to get him,' drawing attention to himself isn't gonna be the way to go as it'll only end up with him put away again--where he can't reach the serum. He's gonna have to 'use pawns to do it.' And so Deadpool begins putting the pieces in place for his own inimitable 'Game of Chess.'

'The Horse Heads.'

Telling them the serum nullifies mutations and hiding his true motivations from them, Deadpool convinces his X-Force team-mates that The Kingpin has it and gets them to help him try and find the sniper The Kingpin 'hired,' that took out Evil Deadpool, believing this to be the smarter way to go than aiming directly at The Kingpin, as he'd quickly cover his tracks.

Deadpool also meets up with Wolverine's son Daken...

'The Shooter.'

...and invites Daken to accompany him on the search for the serum (Daken, also possessing a super-charged healing factor, having a vested interest)--and then kill him with it. But Daken turns down the offer, believing it too good to be true.

Meanwhile, Wade sends his sometime sidekick Hydra Bob...

'The Wheelbarrow.'

...to visit The Kingpin, asking for the big guy's help in finding the serum. Bemused by this, The Kingpin's tolerance for Bob rapidly erodes before he forcefully shows him the door and sets his right-hand woman Typhoid Mary (who had a 'thing' with Wade in the past)--together with his Ninja lackeys The Hand--about finding the serum for his own gain.

'The One That Goes Diagonally.'

All this plus an inventive use of Wolverine's claws to get change for a payphone, double-crossing, and some intrigue involving a 'Baby's First...' book that begins and ends Deadpool #50--and you have a solid, extra-sized set-up issue for the 'Dead' arc. We're not privy to exactly what Wade's trying to pull off here, and though we don't have the full picture, there's also a piece in Deadpool's chess game that he isn't aware of--a 'Wildcard' introduced at the end of the book.

Returning art team Carlo Barberi & Walden Wong deliver some of their best work yet, aided by excellent new colorist Dommo.

There's been much talk about this hyped-up arc, which seems as though it may be writer Daniel Way's swansong on the volume of Deadpool that he's been with since the start. Way's also revealed that this mysterious serum that the Merc is searching for dates back to the start. A signature of Way's run on Deadpool has been the Merc 'playing' people and things not being as they appear; this looks set to be the grandest example of such yet--and one with the highest of stakes--the life of Deadpool himself.

I'm intrigued to see where this is gonna go...

DEADPOOL #50 Preview

Here's a 4-page Preview of Deadpool #50: 'DEAD' Part 1...


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The Deadpool/Death Caption Contest is open 'til Tuesday, you can check out all four episodes of my unofficial 'Dead' prequel Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death below--and join me back here on Wednesday for my Deadpool #50 Review!

Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death #4

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Awww... Wade does love her, after all. And he reckons he's found a way to beat his healing factor and be with her...

You can check out my Deadpool #50 Review - 'Dead' Part 1 here - the story where we're going to "Watch him Croak"?!?

Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death #2 + 'Dead' Preview art!

Well the first installment of Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death went down well on the Deadpool fanpages, with one of the Facebook ones saying, "Pretty awesome stuff," among the great comments it received. Here's the next one for your Pool-o-Vision pleasure...

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Btw, if you'd like to check out the Deadpool fanpages on Facebook, here're links to a whole mess of 'em:

Deadpool "THE PLACE TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH DEADPOOL!"
Deadpool "Welcome, be sure to check out the links page for great Deadpool sites."
Deadpool "DEADPOOL!!! 24/7, 365 DAYS A YEAR, NON-STOP DEADPOOL!!!"
Deadpool (runs 'Fan of the Week' and ting.)
Deadpool Rockz "I Like Guns..."
And my own Deadpool Crew Group which has lots of active members, posting about all kinds of Deadpool shizzle.


Now, as we continue to countdown to Deadpool #50's landmark 'Dead' arc--for which Marvel have now released the tagline "Watch him Croak"--here's some tasty-looking Carlo Barberi & Walden Wong Preview Art from it:




[UPDATE:] You can now find the next Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death plus a Daniel Way interview here!

Bootleg Deadpool Hearts Death

After trying to get himself killed for much of last year--and failing, due to his supercharged healing factor--what's billed as "the biggest change in Deadpool’s life" kicks off in February's Deadpool #50, the first part of the 'Dead' story arc--where it appears Deadpool may finally have come up with a plan that can get him killed, so he can be with the love of his life, the female embodiment of Death.

Whether he dies or not, assuming 'Dead' doesn't mean the end of Wade Wilson, the Merc with a Mouth, some of you will know that I've been gunning to work on Deadpool for awhile, and this year I'm going to be making some big moves to try and pull that off.

As part of that, and having a little fun with the 'Dead' teasers along the way, I bring you my Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death. Tune in every Wednesday in the run up to 'Dead''s release for Deadpool 'n' Death shenanigans, with words by me! :)

BIG DEADPOOL PREVIEW

(Gold Town: 'A Whole Other Thing' from Pandemonium Spotlight #2. Right click then 'Open' to read up close).

As I continue to make moves to showcase to Marvel that I can write the Merc with a Mouth-- sending them my latest, in which white boy wannabe-gangsta Pete the Pimp goes to Gold Town in Twilight Star Productions' Pandemonium Spotlight #2, and working on my major Top Secret comic (sneak peak below this post and plenty more to come), which will be my biggest and best shot yet--there're big things happening for Deadpool in his ongoing book, with major story arc 'Dead' looming. Let's get up to speed and take a look at what's coming up for everyone's favorite wise-crackin' psychotic...

For any that haven't been following the Deadpool ongoing series: After taking down Numero Uno intergalactic merc Macho Gomez and stealing his spacecraft, Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool jetted off into outer space and took Gomez's mantle as the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter... But, disheartened by the non-reaction to this, "In space, no one can hear you win," Deadpool returned home to Earth--only to be confronted by the surviving Gomez and a bunch of Wade's supposed friends, who proceeded to try and kill him. And succeeded. Temporarily. And in that moment, Wade was reunited with the love of his life, the embodiment of Death--and realized this was what he wanted from his friends--to be reunited with her. To be dead.

And then Deadpool's super-healing factor kicked in.

Brought back to life, Wade embarked on an unhinged mission to annoy the hell out of The Hulk, believing 'Ol Green Skin the only one with enough muscle to smoosh him out of existence for good--and he succeeded--kind of.

The Hulk smashed him, but knew his healing factor would bring him back, and realizing the mental state Wade was in (bad--even for Deadpool), the Hulk's alter ego Bruce Banner had his cousin, lawyer Jennifer Walters a.k.a. She-Hulk fix it for Wade to be committed to Crossmore Institution for the criminally insane, in Britain.

There, Wade was helped by shrink Dr. Ella Whitby... helped to escape, that is--as Whitby was nuttier than Wade, crazy in love with him, offing people in Deadpool's name--and had even collected dismembered parts of Wade that he'd lost over time in battle and regenerated--stored in her freezer!

Heartbroken at the revelation that Deadpool was in love with someone else, the unhinged Whitby killed herself--and Wade, disgusted at his 'frozen bits', dumped them... following which, they merged to form Evil Deadpool. Which brings us to now.

Both 'good' Deadpool and Evil Deadpool are headed separately for New York city in a 5-part story arc beginning in Deadpool #45. "[With Deadpool,] every bad turn was always voluntary. He always had a choice. Either turn back or turn into it and he always took the wrong path. I don't think he intentionally did it, but I think that kind of informs his morality as it stands now," says Deadpool writer Daniel Way in an interview with Comic Book Resources. Way continues, "Evil Deadpool was born in a dumpster. He has no background and is not attached to anything. He's got some short term memories. There's no childhood there. He's never experienced love. He's never experienced loss. He's basically what Deadpool would be if he had never been one of us."

Way has been doing 'big picture'/'pieces of the puzzle' work on the book, and speaking in interviews with Comic Book Resources and Newsarama recently, has revealed that Deadpool has by no means given up on his quest for death--and that the Evil Deadpool arc will provide Deadpool with his 'Krytonite;' something that goes back to the origins of the character. Something that will actually kill him.

The first issue alone of 'Dead' (Deadpool #50) will see the return of the Kingpin, Typhoid Mary and The Hand--tying into Joe Kelly's run on the previous Deadpool series--plus Wade's team-mates X-Force--as well as the return of regular Deadpool artist Carlo Barberi. But ahead of this issue, following the Evil Deadpool arc, we have Deadpool #49.1: 'Deadpool: The Musical,' which brings back some other old 'friends' and promises to bring readers up to speed ahead of 'Dead.'

I'm invested in what Way's bringing to the character, and looking forward to all of this stuff, 'Dead' in particular, though not sure what to expect from this much-teased arc--a feeling that is clearly deliberate on the part of Marvel and Way, as speaking with Newsarama, he says, "A lot of readers have become jaded with the whole, 'In this issue...a hero will fall' thing, and I don’t blame them. I’m one of them. That’s why 'Dead' is what it is; and it’s nothing like what you think it’ll be. Bluntly, I don’t think readers can prepare for this one."