As I gear up for my latest crack at trying to land a gig working on Deadpool (wish me luck), let's take a look at the new Deadpool book on the block...
Fear Itself: Deadpool #1 (of 3) Review:
Tying in to Marvel's current big crossover event, though you don't need to be following Fear Itself to get this, Wade Wilson's latest mini-series is written by newcomer to the Merc with a Mouth, Christopher Hastings (Dr. McNinja) and illustrated by regular Deadpool contributors Bong Dazo & Joe Pimentel.
This is fun. It kicks off with a nice Juggernaut joke (stemming from the page below), and it had me from there.
Deadpool's latest wheeze is installing supervillain-proof home security systems; only, they're not magical-hammer-wielding-supervillain-proof, so thanks to the Fear Itself event (in which various heavy hitters deemed 'The Chosen' have been awarded these power-augmenting weapons), his scheme is quickly blown apart, and his work-boys bail for a gig in New Mexico.
However, as they're making their exit, a mysterious wolf-man (reporting to an unseen master) blows their van up with a rocket launcher, scattering its contents--including a hammer: smacking Deadpool upside his skull and giving him and the voices in his head an idea...
"If 'A-rated' villain plus 'A-rated' hammer make 'A++' unbeatable villain... then 'F-rated' hammer plus..."
Forgetting all about the workmen (who survived the blast), Wade goes into his supervillain database in search of a sucker he can dupe into his new scheme--and hits 'F-list' gold in the shape of über-moron Walrus!
Wade decorates his hammer to make it look enchanted, tracks down Walrus to the monster trucks track he works at (where he's about to carry out a ridiculously over-elaborate plan to steal one of the drivers' wallets), and then drops the hammer in his path from overhead--strapped with explosives to make its 'falling from the heavens' effect convincing.
From there, super-chump Walrus tries out the hammer in idiotically impractical ways--but isn't sold on the idea that this (pimped-up but actually normal) hammer enhances his abilities.
So Deadpool steps in--in the shoddily put together guise of The Spectre of Mass Destruction--to convince Walrus of the hammer's power and complete his plan: to send the supervillain to New Mexico to wreak hammer-enhanced-havoc, so Wade can then waltz in and save its people from him--at a price.
But there's a twist.
The art team of Bong Dazo & Joe Pimentel do a nice job on this, Deadpool's first new series since Deadpool MAX, bringing the same comical style they instilled the Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth series with (and that they're also bringing to the current Hulk arc in the Deadpool ongoing).
Newcomer Chris Hastings writes Wade well (with the voices in his head even more schizo and fragmented than usual, here) and hits the right tone to carry the book through its comical plot, with some nice gags strewn throughout and Walrus fitting the schmuck-shaped hole Wade was looking to fill well; one of my favorite moments in the book is Walrus's demented power-trip monologue where he fantasizes about taking on Spider-Man with his magic hammer: "I could be like, 'Hey Spider-Man! Hey, don't take my hammer away!' And he'd be all, 'Yes I Will! I'm so clever! Thwip thwip thwip!' Then I'd let him web the hammer, and pull it out of my hands. But he'd just
whip it into his stupid unfunny spider-face. And it would be magic, and blow up his head!"
I'm looking forward to more of this comedy double act in the two issues to come. ;)
