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Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1

5

Captain America and Deadpool team-up to make sure A.I.M. doesn't clone Wolverine.

The Good

Wolverine is dead. No, seriously, he's dead. Well, for now at least. Two of his buddies, Captain America and Deadpool (yes, they've technically become friends despite all of the fights), want to make sure no one ruins the memory of Logan. The guy lived a dark and violent life, but in his final moments, he was at peace and embraced the end. He wouldn't want some HYDRA or A.I.M. goon getting their hands on his DNA and making a new Wolverine, so his two friends have joined forces to save the day. It's worth noting this is a way more satisfying read if you've read the DEADPOOL story The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and DEATH OF WOLVERINE. If you haven't read those, go fix that mistake as soon as possible.

The team-up between Deadpool and Captain America Steve Rogers is hugely entertaining. It's no secret that Gerry Duggan is great at writing comedy and this issue's proof of that. Having Steve unknowingly reference Avengers while discussing other movies with Wade was brilliant. What follows has more than a few remarks and moments that'll make you burst into laughter. Deadpool's "disguise" and the goon's reaction? Hysterical. The dynamic between the two heroes is excellent and I really hope Duggan finds a way to include Rogers at some point over in Wade's ongoing series. It would be especially interesting now that AXIS has changed the Merc with a Mouth.

Duggan adds some good displays of emotion without making it feel heavy-handed or forced. There's no over-the-top reactions or drama that stems out of nowhere; these are down to Earth conversations as Steve and Wade go on a mission and reflect on their buddy. If the mission had nothing to do with Wolverine, it would obviously seem all kinds of random. But that's clearly not the case, so the conversations come off as feeling legitimate and they're well-written. Whether it's joking around or talking about times they had with Wolverine, this brief bonding experiencing is a good one.

I would love to see artist Scott Kolins and colorist Veronica Gandini collaborate on one of DEADPOOL's future arcs. It draws some parallels to Mike Hawthorne's work, yet instead of feeling slightly animated at times, it has a heavier emphasis on adding more lines for additional detail. Just like many other talented art teams, they're able to make Deadpool look both lovably silly and frighteningly badass; it's a nice balance. The background may vanish from time to time, but the focus on bringing the locations to life (when they're present, obviously), strong character work, and immersive angles more than makes up for this. Duggan gave them an awesome script and they did a terrific job selling all of the memorable bits.

Let's talk about that ending. Deadpool now has "Patch's" DNA and he's not quite sure what to do. The handling of the scene is great and had me totally absorbed, but part of me feels like this is happening way too soon. We all know Wolverine will come back in due time, but it seems pretty sudden to already tease his return, you know? Duggan's teased plot points well in advance before, so it wouldn't surprise me if this isn't forgotten and comes up way down the road. Now I'm left wondering if we'll see Zenpool's take on what to do with the DNA...

The Bad

I understand why they want to obtain Wolverine's DNA, but I think it's odd this is the only mission on their radar. Prior to Logan's death, the dude was in a lot of brawls -- many of which injured him. Even in DEATH OF WOLVERINE, he found himself in multiple fights. So, it just seems a little weird to seemingly imply the case is closed after retrieving that one item. "But they might not know about the other samples!" With their resources, it's a little tough to believe they don't have more information/resources, right?

The Verdict

DEATH OF WOLVERINE: DEADPOOL AND CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 is a great issue. It's consistently funny and does an effective job making these two open up and talk about Wolverine. It may not make you laugh out loud with every single joke and it may not make you need to grab a tissue for the emotional beats, but it's definitely worth the cover price ($4.99!) and it doesn't feel like they're blatantly cashing in on Wolverine's demise. If you've read The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and DEATH OF WOLVERINE, that'll make this one-shot adventure even more satisfying.