Issue(s): Deadpool #1, Deadpool #2, Deadpool #3, Deadpool #4
Cover Date: Aug-Nov 94
Title: "If looks could kill!" / "Luck of the Irish" / "Deadpool sandwich" / "Mano a mano"
Credits:
Mark Waid - Writer
Ian Churchill / Ian Churchill & Lee Weeks / Ian Churchill & Ken Lashley - Penciler
Jason Minor / Jason Minor, Bud LaRosa, & Bob McLeod / Bud LaRosa / Bud LaRosa, Tom Wegrzyn, W.C. Carani, & Philip Moy - Inker
Suzanne Gaffney - Editor

Review/plot:
This is Mark Waid's debut at Marvel. Waid was mostly associated with DC at this point, having been an editor and then a freelance writer. His Flash run had already been ongoing for over a year at the time that this miniseries was published. This is also a kind of debut for Ian Churchill. He'd done a small amount of fill-in or back-up work at Marvel, and covers, but this is his this first steady run. Unfortunately, like so much of Marvel's output at this time, a lot of help has to be brought in. That comes in the form of co-pencilers - Lee Weeks on issue #2 and Ken Lashley on #3-4 (the exact breakdown isn't given) - and an ever increasing number of inkers (W.C. Carani & Philip Moy "assist" the other two inkers on issue #4).

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-

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - first Dr. Killebrew

Chronological Placement Considerations: Weeks pass between Black Tom's breakout and the first scene in this issue with Deadpool.

References:

• Deadpool cites his run-in with Black Tom and Juggernaut in the previous Deadpool #1-2 as the reason why Tom is after him, but it's really because of Deadpool's healing factor.
  
• When Juggernaut issues his "Nothing stops the Juggernaut" tagline, Deadpool corrects him, saying that the X-Men, the Hulk, and Spider-Man have all stopped the Juggernaut. The first two are too general to count as references, but Deadpool is specific about Spider-Man, saying that he's stopped him "twice". The first time was in Amazing Spider-Man #229-230 and the second was in Marvel Team-Up #150.
  
• Oh, alright: the Hulk has only fought the Juggernaut twice too, in Hulk #172 and much more recently in Hulk #402-404. I mention this because sometimes you get the impression that the Hulk and Juggernaut had fought a lot, but it really wasn't true at this point.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A