PLOT: When S.H.I.E.L.D. stiffs Deadpool on a bill, you can bet that they’re going to regret it! Deadpool declares a one-man war on the world peacekeeping agency. But even as the maniacal merc pursues his revenge, S.H.I.E.L.D. discovers someone has been betraying them – and it seems to be Agent Preston! Deadpool takes his fight to the Helicarrier, intent on getting his money one way or another – and comes face-to-face with Agent Phil Coulson! Too bad COulson’s a Cap fan. Plus: Take another trip back to Deadpool’s stories past as the Merc with a Mouth wreaks havoc on a cosmic level! Collects Deadpool #20-25.
REVIEW: For those who haven’t had a chance to dig into the Marvel NOW!, you’re not really missing much in my opinion. However, one character that was rebooted in the new franchise set is actually doing better than it ever was. That character is Deadpool, the trash-talking, sword-sticking, and ass-kicking antihero that was completely butchered in the making of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Brian Posehn, whom you may be familiar with (mail guy in Just Shoot Me! & gets shot in the head in The Devil’s Rejects) was tasked with writing the character in the new Marvel NOW! I am a big fan of Posehn’s comedy whether it be him doing stand up as himself, or showing up in a movie for a small cameo or part. As excited I was to see what he had come up with, I also had this bad feeling that Brian just wasn’t going to be able to cut it. It’s not often people like that succeed in the comics industry, and Kevin Smith is about the only example of celebrity writing great comics that I can think of. I may be inexperienced, so there could be some out there I’m unaware of, but now I for sure have two writers that have totally made their titles respectively. I think this run of Posehn’s on Deadpool, will go down as one of the great runs in the modern era, as he just knocks the character out of the park and does so well with the book. The review is obviously for this volume, but I would really suggest that you start at the beginning and work your way up. It’s not necessary for story or continuity, but it’s just that damn good and I’d hate for you to miss out on the earlier books (the first of which is outstandingly hilarious).
Deadpool is obviously meant to be somewhat funny, but it’s an adult comic so it tackles adult themes and uses adult imagery to convey the story. What I love about this title is that it is unapologetic and very relevant to pop culture and world issues. With an author like Brian Posehn, most are probably looking to find heavy metal and horror jokes, mixed in with some dick and fart humor. That’s where you would be absolutely wrong, as the style of humor in these books are smarter than you would think. One of the cool things I noticed in this fourth volume is that Posehn has taken a lot of liberties to please himself, others, and fans of his work, one of those liberties being that there is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. named Scott Adsit. Most of you may recognize the name from 30 Rock title credits, as he played Pete Hornberger in the show, but he’s also starred in a lot of other things. Posehn throws in a dead lookalike of Adsit’s as an agent and somehow a lot of the story revolves around him. It’s ultimately a joke, but it’s not so far a joke that it’s bad and causes the story to suffer. Posehn even manages to throw in the fabled Aristocrats joke here in the book with Deadpool, which was just a surreal moment of realizing genius in a writer, and it’s sad Posehn does not get credit for being any sort of remarkable comedic talent. That’s what I love about this title though, is that no matter how absurd the jokes are and how random Deadpool’s comments are, the story always remains on a pretty straightforward track. Also, keep an eye out for the cover on Deadpool #23, as it is completely awesome. This is one of very few that I read on a regular basis, and laugh out loud at. If you like Deadpool, Brian Posehn, or just general awesomeness, I highly recommend you pick up Marvel NOW!’s Deadpool. If you don’t, Pooly may find you at your doorstep one day.
RATED : ( R )
STORY : ( 8 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 10 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )
PLOT: Space and time collide! The arrival of the original X-Men in the present sent shock waves through the Marvel Universe, but we’ve only seen the effects on Earth – until now! When an alien race discovers that Jean Grey – once (or perhaps future) host of the destructive Phoenix Force – is back on Earth, they decide to hold her accountable for the genocide committed by Dark Phoenix! Now, it’s up to the spacefaring Guardians of the Galaxy to help the All-New X-Men save Jean from twisted intergalactic justice. A surprise ally from one character’s past arrives to help, but is that enough against the most powerful army in the universe? You won’t want to miss the first encounter between two of Marvel’s biggest franchies! Collects Guardians of the Galaxy (2013) #11-13 & All-New X-Men #22-24.
REVIEW: In anticipation of the new Guardians of the Galaxy film, I am brushing up on some literature to more fully enjoy the movie when it comes out. Inevitably, this crossover was born of surge in popularity for the upcoming movie, but it came at the right time for both titles. As I’ve said above, I’m not a huge fan of too many of the titles in Marvel NOW!, but Guardians of the Galaxy is one of them. It’s being written by Brian Michael Bendis whose name has been behind too many projects to count (Ultimate Spider-Man being my personal favorite). What it benefits from with Bendis is the ability for writing a good story that is taken seriously, but the characters still maintain their humanity and sense of humor. The laughs are a plenty but not overwhelming. It’s what I’ve always liked best about Bendis at his best, and thus far in the title he’s been great. So in comes the crossover, and Jean Grey is a wanted criminal by the Shi’ar empire and eventually captured. They are set to try her of all her crimes when she was possessed by the Phoenix force, but she doesn’t quite agree with their judgements.
This book was so much better than I thought it would be. I am not a fan of any of the new X-Men titles for Marvel NOW!, even though most of them showed great promise in the beginning. In the beginning of the book, the setup is told from the Guardians point of view, and then the X-Men. The team from the All-New X-Men is consisted of Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Jean Grey, Kitty Pryde, and Iceman. When Jean Grey is taken by the Shi’ar, Cyclops is tormented by the results and struggles with his own problems while Jean Grey is prepared for her trials. Bendis is able to blend these characters so well in this story because he writes All-New X-Men as well as the Guardians title for NOW! which again reinforces my earlier statement. This is definitely one of the best crossover titles I’ve read in the modern era of Marvel, but it may not be saying too much in terms of my history. However, this comic would give me hope that if ever one day movie studios could get along, there are plenty of great stories to tell that involve both the ragtag group of heroes in the Guardians of the Galaxy, and also the time-travelling All-New X-Men.
RATED : ( PG-13 )
STORY : ( 9 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 7 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )
