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Deadpool #1-4Issue(s): Deadpool #1, Deadpool #2, Deadpool #3, Deadpool #4 Review/plot: This is Deadpool's second miniseries. He's obviously become very popular and had also been appearing as a guest star in various books (Avengers, Secret Defenders, and Silver Sable in addition to the X-books). That won't translate into an ongoing series until 1997, though. Remarkable and uncharacteristic restraint from Marvel. Black Tom has served as a kind of antagonist for Deadpool since X-Force #4, and that means that the Juggernaut is also an antagonist. I like Juggernaut, but he's a real mismatch for Deadpool. There's something to be said for Deadpool surviving a single encounter with the Juggernaut along the lines of Spider-Man's classic battle in Amazing Spider-Man #229-230. But to have the characters fight repeatedly elevates Deadpool beyond the "really good assassin" class that he's nominally in. Since Deadpool will eventually become a pure comedy character i guess it's not really a problem, but at the moment he's still being treated as a serious character that happens to be really quippy. The Black Tom connection spreads even further in this story, bringing in his extended family: Banshee and Siryn. In fact, one of the major threads in this story relates more to Banshee's history than Deadpool's (although frankly it's not an interesting addition to either character's backstory). The story introduces a Dr. Killebrew. Killebrew is working on a cure for Black Tom. He's said to be working under Federal auspices, but he's in a dingy dungeon guarded by editor Suzanne Gaffney and Rob Liefeld. ![]() ![]() It's said that Sean Cassidey pulled strings to bring Killebrew in. Speaking of feeling disconnected from X-Force, we just had a story in X-Force #31 about Black Tom surrendering himself to the authorities. Yes, it's true that Juggernaut said that he could spring Tom at any time, but i didn't realize he meant right away. ![]() Juggernaut seems unaware that Black Tom is being cured (despite that being a reason for agreeing to turn him in in the X-Force issue). Tom is in a feeble state, but he manages to tell Juggernaut to bring Killebrew along. "Weeks" later, we see Deadpool in a bar with fresh bandages on his face, bragging about a fight with Wolverine. ![]() As far as i know, Wolverine and Deadpool haven't met on panel yet (shockingly). Not sure if the bandages are meant to indicate that they've fought recently, but it wouldn't be surprising to learn that they have a Secret History. Deadpool is attacked by mercs at the bar. ![]() But he's rescued by Banshee. ![]() Speaking of Secret Histories, Deadpool and Banshee know each other. Banshee's brought Siryn with him. Deadpool is instantly smitten. ![]() The mercenaries were sent by Black Tom. Banshee was hoping to let some of them get away so they'd lead him back to Tom, but Siryn didn't know that (good father/daughter communication!) so she knocked them all out. So Banshee leaves Deadpool with Siryn and goes to Interpol for intel. Another merc attacks while Banshee is away. ![]() I enjoy the dialogue. Deadpool kills the merc, but not before his hand is cut off. And unfortunately it's not growing back (and the art seems unwilling to really show it). ![]() Banshee's contact at Interpol is a guy named Danny Peyer. Back when Banshee was still working for Interpol, they went on a mission together going up against a mobster named Almadovar, who was a rival of another crime syndicate run by Amahl Farouk (the Shadow King). The bust went bad and Banshee was almost killed, but he was rescued by Deadpool. It's implied that the failure of that job is what caused Banshee to leave Interpol, and it's also prevented Peyer from moving up in the ranks. So when Banshee goes to Peyer for information and lets slip that he's working with Deadpool again, we see Peyer thinking about revenge. Meanwhile, Deadpool's hand eventually regenerates, but his healing factor is clearly working at a much slower pace than usual. It turns out that Killebrew was involved in Deadpool's origin, and he thinks that the healing factor will be key to Black Tom's recovery. Tom has learned that Siryn is with Deadpool and he doesn't want her harmed. But another fight breaks out between Deadpool & Siryn and Black Tom's seemingly endless supply of uniformed mercenaries. The Juggernaut joins the fight as well, and while i said that this series is mostly played straight, that doesn't meant that the fight can't wind up taking place in a ginsu knife factory. ![]() ![]() Literally Bugs Bunny stuff. ![]() ![]() Deadpool and Siryn flee right into an ambush set by Peyer. Peyer's decades-old grievance is uninteresting and as a threat he barely registers while Deadpool is fleeing from a molten Juggernaut. The good news is that the Juggernaut barges right into Peyer's attack, basically allowing us to ignore it for now. ![]() When Siryn hears that Deadpool is needed for Tom's cure, she hesitates... ![]() ...but she does decide to help Deadpool. So they escape. But one of Tom's mercs retrieves Deadpool's discarded old hand (Tom still kills his grunt for leaving the field of battle, making me seriously question how he's recruited all these guys.) Banshee has dumbly been sitting in Peyer's office waiting for Peyer to return with intel on Black Tom. But, bored, he thumbs around in Peyer's desk and finds the file on Tom, leading him to wonder where Peyer went. He then learns from Peyer's assistant that Peyer is off leading an attack force. Peyer catches up with Deadpool and Siryn again. Deadpool unsurprisingly gets the better of Peyer. Banshee shows up in time to catch Peyer (Deadpool threw him off a building) and then yell at him. Meanwhile, Deadpool and Siryn continue to get closer; Deadpool tells her his real name (Wade). At the same time, Killebrew grafts Deadpool's hand onto Black Tom's arm. ![]() Deadpool, Siryn, and Banshee raid Black Tom's base. Deadpool finds Killebrew. ![]() He tries to get Killebrew to restore his healing factor, but he has to go help Siryn and Banshee when they get in trouble instead. ![]() Unfortunately, unbelievably, freaking Peyer shows up again during the fight. ![]() But Deadpool convinces Peyer to go after Black Tom instead. Deadpool nonetheless knocks Peyer out when he turns his back. Then Juggernaut attacks again. Deadpool continues with his usual joke but suddenly freaks out when Juggernaut pulls the mask off. ![]() And that's because he doesn't want Siryn to see him. ![]() But Siryn gets over her initial shock. ![]() They then go after Black Tom (Siryn having knocked Juggernaut into the ocean). Tom is complaining to Killebrew because Deadpool's hand has stabilized his condition but it's now taking over. Deadpool holds back on killing Black Tom for Siryn. Then Juggernaut returns, but Deadpool holds Killebrew hostage and convinces Juggernaut to let the scientist finish curing Tom. ![]() ![]() Deadpool hangs on to Killebrew after it's over. Deadpool and Siryn split amicably, but without any romance. ![]() The series ends with Peyer still insisting that he's a part of the plot, but this is the last we'll see of him. ![]() This miniseries feels 'smaller' than the last one. It definitely covers less physical space. That one was a world-spanning quest where Deadpool fought several adversaries. This one is entirely focused on Black Tom and it feels like Deadpool and Siryn are just sitting on a roof for most of it. But Mark Waid makes up for it with the dialogue. On Christopher Priest's (mostly defunct) blog, he writes about his brief run on Deadpool and how he had trouble writing the character until he realized that he was writing Bugs Bunny. I bring that up just because of how explicit the Bugs Bunny references are in this series. Waid definitely had come to the same conclusion (for all i know, Priest's revelation came after reading this series). The series generally tries to take itself more seriously than a Warner Brothers cartoon - even the scene in the cleever factory isn't done as a comedy routine - but the quips are fun, and the disbelief over Deadpool's continued survival against the Juggernaut is helped by the fact that we're not supposed to be taking it all too seriously. On the other hand, while i'm not shipping a Deadpool/Siryn romance, their scenes together help highlight Deadpool's human and tragic side. The plot could have benefited from being a little more ambitious - maybe by swapping the completely unwelcome Peyer with something more interesting - but this is generally a decent mini. Quality Rating: B- Chronological Placement Considerations: Weeks pass between Black Tom's breakout and the first scene in this issue with Deadpool. References:
Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A
CommentsOne thing bothered me about the flashback- the dialogue implies that it took place before Siryn was born. Because Deadpool was talking in his "yellow captions" voice and refers to his "mottled flesh". So this is presumably after he underwent the operation that gave him his powers. But Deadpool underwent the operation that gave him his powers at the same time Garrison Kane got his bionics, which was a relatively short time ago. (Cable: Blood and Metal 2 refers to Garrison losing his limbs "6 years ago". ) No way is Garrison old enough to have been a teenager when Siryn was a baby. Posted by: Michael | December 18, 2017 1:26 PM Curious that Juggernaut was established from his first appearance as the step-brother of Professor Xavier and that his motivation was to get his revenge on his sibling. However, this was completely forgotten after the silver age. Even in the few appearances Juggernaut had in Uncanny X-Men (after the debut of the new team in 1976), I don’t recall anyone, including himself, mentioning his ties to Xavier. Like no one cares Posted by: Lecen | December 18, 2017 11:12 PM Is Black Tom's mutant power the ability to gloat with all that saliva in his mouth? Posted by: Jonathon | December 19, 2017 12:27 AM Lecen: You're right for the most part, but X-Men #12 showed that Pre-Juggernaut Cain Marko was already a jerk and a bully, so more criminal motivations aren't terribly out-of-character. Posted by: mikrolik | December 19, 2017 7:14 PM Always liked Churchill's stuff. He was on Cable at the same time as the Kuberts were on X-Men and Wolverine and Joe Mad had Uncanny - all artists I liked at the time. Posted by: Dave77 | January 15, 2018 8:47 PM Comments are now closed. |
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