A fed's undercover mission in Hammerhead's Maggia is threatened with ruination by the reckless, insane maverick he's been patterned with -- Deadpool.
The Good
As a long time DP fan, it's fun to finally see the character put in a no-holds-barred situation like this. It feels like I'm finally seeing the character as he was meant to be, rather than in the toned-down safe zone he's been forced to play in. It's a smart move on Lapham's part to tell this story from the perspective of DP's reluctant "agent," because it gives a lot more weight to the merc with a mouth's wild card unpredictability. Actually, that narrative angle, grouped with DP's depiction as a slicing 'n dicing, irrational force of nature and Baker's sex, drugs and rock 'n roll style reminded me of the seminal Elektra: Assassin in a lot of good ways.
The Bad
Baker's wild, burlesque style perfectly fits the tone and mood of this comic, but I'm confused and a bit frustrated over how often he had the glow from the colors so often bleed over the linework. I know it's a stylistic choice, but it looks more like the result of a dodgy scan in execution, especially when put in comparison to the times when his rich inks are left unadulterated.
The Verdict - 4/5
I'm honestly shocked that it's taken this long for DP to finally get a mature reader's title. You figure that a foul-mouthed assassin named after the most morbid party game ever conceived would've entered the "adult's only" arena many years ago. While this isn't quite as much of a mind job as Elektra: Assassin, yet, it reminds me of what I liked about Punisher Max - - that is, this is a chance to see these characters as they would be in a closer semblance of reality, not as they have been depicted traditionally.
Great review. I was debating of breaking my "I hate DEADPOOL" run, because I love Baker's art so much and enjoy Lapham's writing quite a lot.
Your review may have sold me, I may pick this up or at least wait for the trade. As for Baker's art, I like it, but can see why it confused you. The manic energy from it helps keep me focused on the manic of the overall story he is telling. That is just me. When I saw the DP picture on his blog I thought I missed this comic. I will wait till next week to see if there is more left.
Hopefully this series can make more fans for Kyle Baker and David Lapham, both comic creators I think are highly underrated.
I was thinking about picking this up but the art was just mind gratingly ugly. I mean, that's my opinion, don't want to piss anybody off, but I seriously could not stand it. If it is as balls-to-the wall awesome as you say I might be able to get over it, but I think I'll wait to see how people feel about the next few issues before I give it a try myself.
I stopped reading all Deadpool titles awhile back because Marvel has really neutered the character. For years I've been saying "Give Deadpool a MAX series". Now that its here I'm kinda' over the idea. I'll check it out if I keep hearing good things.
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