Deadpool 2 is out on store shelves, the 2nd issue in the new series from Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Tony Moore. This team’s first issue was met with fairly mixed reviews, so how did their second outing fare?
First Thoughts of Deadpool #2?
First and foremost about this issue, before you even get it home, will be the price. In a world dominated by $3.99 comics (and a few $4.99 ones here and there for “special” issues) Deadpool #2, like #1, comes with a price tag of $2.99. While in the big picture this may be a small thing, it’s nice to have this greeting you right at the time of the purchase. It’s like getting a meal at a restaurant that was plated exceptionally well. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll taste good, but at least it’s starting things off on the right foot.
Deadpool #2 Summary
Now when we left off with old Wade, he had been shot in the back of the head by zombie Lincoln, in what was one of the few genuinely good jokes of issue #1. Issue #2 starts off with a dream sequence in which Wade is being fought over by a somewhat random selection of Marvel women. Thanks to that reliable healing factor, he soon wakes up and finds its’ time to get back to work. S.H.I.E.L.D. is starting to get nervous about the havoc these former leaders are causing, and luckily for them Deadpool meets and starts getting guidance from the ghost of Ben Franklin. After Deadpool is able to take out a zombie Roosevelt by impaling him with an elephant and electrocuting him (and the elephant), he and his S.H.I.E.L.D. contact decide to head out to someone who can help a bit more with paranormal issues, on Dr. Stephen Strange.
And Here’s The Review
This issue suffers from some of the same problems the first issue had. Namely, instead of a handful of really funny jokes that we’ve come to expect from the mouth of Wade, we get a non-stop stream of watered down material that seems like Posen and Duggan just wanted to see how many funny lines they could cram onto each page. The art is fairly well done, although Tony Moore has certainly proved himself before and he chooses a very vibrant color palette here. For the lower purchase price, this book would be worth the pickup for fans of Moore’s art in many cases.
Where this series has failed so far is somewhere a bit more subtle, but still very clear to fans of the character. When talk began of a Deadpool movie some time ago after the Wolverine movie, fans online were rabid about the fact that it needed to be rated R. It was bad enough that Wolverine had to be neutered, but to have Deadpool get diluted would be unthinkable. And this series, aside from the gore you get from Moore’s art, seems to be extremely PG. Not even a hard PG-13, and certainly not an R.
Remender’s Deadpool in the Uncanny X-Force series is one of the best writings of the character ever, and so with that still coming out it’s hard not to compare the two. And the new Deadpool series thus far just hasn’t cut it. There’s still hope, certainly, but if Posehn and Duggan are going to keep people buying this series, they need to return Deadpool to his roots. Start breaking the 4th wall, start killing indiscriminately, and for God’s sake don’t force the humor. Posehn is a terrific standup, so he should definitely know about letting humor flow organically, and hopefully soon we’ll see that here. Until then, this was just a middle of the road issue with not a whole ton going for it.
Grade: C-
Bill A.
I’ve been a fan of comics since I first tuned in to the X-Men cartoon on Saturday mornings and got hooked as a kid. I started my business in 2010, Geek Inc Comics, and have been selling both online and at shows all over the Midwest since then. My heart belongs to Marvel, but I’ll happily discuss any series, any artist, any movie, any time.
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