DEADPOOL #1-#4

DEADPOOL #1 – August 1994

If Looks Could Kill!

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Jason Minor (inks), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Juggernaut breaks Black Tom out of a prison hospital, taking Dr. Killebrew, the specialist sent to treat Tom, with him. Weeks later, Deadpool is drinking in a bar when a group of armed men attacks him. Deadpool’s healing powers don’t respond as fast as usual, but he’s still able to defend himself until the mercenaries use a freezing device against him. Banshee suddenly appears, using his sonic powers to free Deadpool. They team up against the mercenaries, but Banshee lets one of them go free. Siryn enters and stops the fleeing mercenary, unaware of her father’s plan to trail him and find Black Tom. Deadpool explains to the pair that Black Tom must want him dead after their previous run-in. Siryn agrees to stay with Deadpool while Banshee contacts his Interpol sources. One of the armed men re-appears and has a sword fight with Deadpool. Deadpool guts the man, but not before his own hand is cut off. Deadpool expects his hand to grow back, but instead he passes out.

Continuity Notes

This issue establishes that Banshee and Deadpool have a history together. Deadpool says that Banshee owes him for the “Farouk affair”. This is also the first time Deadpool and Siryn meet, which sets up an unrequited romance that continued in X-Force and the Deadpool regular series.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

Deadpool stabs someone through the stomach, and then realizes that his hand has been chopped off.

I Love the ‘90s

Deadpool remarks that he’s “too much Nancy, not enough Tonya”. Other outdated pop culture references in this issue include references to L. A. Law’s cancelation, the David Copperfield/Claudia Schiffer romance, and Phil Donahue’s old talk show.

Review

I guess the first Deadpool mini was pretty successful, since he gets a second shot before even Gambit or Sabretooth do. This is an early Marvel job from Mark Waid (maybe his first ever?), even though he was already building his profile at DC. Deadpool doesn’t seem like an ideal fit for a Silver Age revivalist like Waid, but his ability to write non-stop, snappy dialogue suits the character, and it’s probably a major reason why he was chosen for the job. The plot is mainly just setting up the story while leaving room open for some action scenes. The dialogue is usually clever, but I wouldn’t say any of it is laugh-out-loud funny. Ian Churchill continues with his McFarlane-influenced style, which alternates between “tolerable” and “boy, that’s some screwed up anatomy”.

DEADPOOL #2 – September 1994

Luck of the Irish

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Lee Weeks (pencilers), Minor/McLeod/LaRosa (inkers), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Banshee flashes back to his first meeting with Deadpool. Banshee and fellow Interpol agent Daniel Peyer attempt to arrest a mobster named Almadovar, but Deadpool suddenly appears and kills him. Deadpool tells Banshee that Almadover was about to shoot him, so Banshee owes him his life. In the present, Banshee meets with Peyer, asking for any information Interpol has on Black Tom. Peyer still believes that Deadpool’s interference ruined his career at Interpol. Meanwhile, Black Tom is distressed to learn that Siryn has gotten involved. He orders his men to remove Siryn from the battle and make sure she isn’t harmed. Convinced that Deadpool is the key to curing him of his viral condition, Tom sends Juggernaut to kidnap him. Back in New York, Deadpool wakes up to discover that his hand still hasn’t regenerated. He concentrates and forces his hand to finally grow back. Tom’s men reappear and try to take Siryn away from the battle before Juggernaut arrives, but Deadpool stops them. When Juggernaut does appear, Siryn and Deadpool try to stop him by leading him to a knife manufacturing plant, where they drop blades and molten liquid on him. Their plan doesn’t work, and as they run from Juggernaut, they’re confronted by Peyer and dozens of armed men.

Continuity Note

The flashback establishes that one of Almadovar’s gangland rivals out to kill him is Amahl Farouk. Farouk was an identity of the Shadow King for years. This is presumably the “Farouk affair” referenced last issue, but since Farouk isn’t directly involved with any of this, Almadovar is, it’s odd that Deadpool would have called it that. Maybe Amahl Farouk was originally supposed to play a larger role and someone changed their mind in-between issues.

Review

The plot doesn’t advance an awful lot, but it’s still pretty enjoyable. Just like the first Deadpool miniseries, the story sidesteps Deadpool’s role as a criminal by casting him as the target of another villain. The first mini didn’t introduce the idea that Deadpool might be capable of reforming until the final issue, and so far this series hasn’t gotten into that area at all. Waid has a firm handle on the main characters, and does a nice job with Black Tom’s relationships with Siryn and Juggernaut. He also emphasizes Banshee’s concern for Tom, which is consistent with his previous appearances. Keeping the characterizations and relationships consistent helps to make this feel more like an actual story and not just a shameless exploitation of the X-brand. Lee Weeks draws the opening flashback, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I preferred Churchill to Weeks when I first bought this comic. In my defense, Weeks’ rendition of Deadpool in the splash page really isn’t up to his usual standards (although the rest of his work is fine).

DEADPOOL #3 – October 1994

Deadpool Sandwich

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Ken Lashley (pencilers), Bud LaRosa (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Daniel Peyer and his men are disrupted by a rampaging Juggernaut. Deadpool and Siryn escape to the rafters, but Juggernaut finds them. As he advances towards Deadpool, he explains that Black Tom needs Deadpool to cure him of the viral infection that is turning his body into wood. When Siryn hears this, she considers letting Juggernaut take Deadpool, but finally decides to save him. Inside Peyer’s office, Banshee discovers that Peyer already had the info he needed and that he’s left to get revenge on Deadpool. Siryn and Deadpool talk and grow closer while Deadpool tries to recover from his wounds. Peyer returns with his men and continues the fight. Banshee saves Peyer after Deadpool knocks him off a rooftop, and then leaves to find Black Tom. After hesitating, Deadpool finally agrees to join Siryn and follow Banshee. Meanwhile, one of Black Tom’s men brings him Deadpool’s severed hand. Dr. Killebrew explains his plan to graft Deadpool’s regenerative cells to Tom’s degenerative limbs in order to stop the infection. Tom cuts off his own hand and forces the doctor to attach Deadpool’s.

Creative Differences

The scene towards the end where Banshee saves Peyer and Deadpool agrees to follow Siryn is obviously not computer lettered, and it isn't in Starkings’ personal style either. I don’t know if this was the result of an editorial rewrite or some problems with Comicraft (the only noticeable disconnect would be Banshee given Deadpool’s unique balloon style for one panel).

Review

For the first time, the mini briefly introduces the idea that Deadpool might be able to change. Siryn tells him that he’s “not the rogue” people make him out to be, based on the way he’s looked out for her. This is a bit of a stretch, considering that she’s held her own so far and is actually the one protecting Deadpool at this point. Plus, she’s witnessed him kill several people so far, which presumably wouldn’t endear himself to her that much. There’s really no implication that she’s actually attracted to him, but even building a friendship out of this seems forced to me. At any rate, this isn’t much different from the other issues. Lots of fighting and running around with a couple of amusing wisecracks.

DEADPOOL #4 – November 1994

Mano @ Mano

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Ken Lashley (pencilers), Bud LaRosa & Tom Wegryzn with Philip Moy & W.C. Carani (inkers), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Deadpool, Banshee, and Siryn track Black Tom to his secret headquarters. After splitting up, Tom attacks Banshee and Siryn, while Deadpool finds Dr. Killebrew. Deadpool recognizes the doctor because Killebrew was the man responsible for developing his regenerative process. He demands that Killebrew fix his waning healing factor, but has to leave him in order to save Siryn and Banshee from Black Tom. After Deadpool leads Tom to the roof, Daniel Peyer suddenly appears. Deadpool encourages Peyer to leave him alone and go after Black Tom, which leads to Tom blasting Peyer in the face. Juggernaut then arrives and attacks Deadpool. During the fight, Deadpool loses his mask, causing him to act erratically. Siryn destroys the roof under Juggernaut and returns the mask to Deadpool. Black Tom confronts Killebrew about the operation, which has left him near death. Deadpool has an opportunity to kill Tom, but doesn’t take it. He convinces Juggernaut to stop the fight so that Killebrew can save Tom’s life. Killebrew sets up a device to stabilize Tom’s condition while Banshee returns him to jail. Deadpool escapes with Killebrew, who promises to restore his healing factor. Deadpool says goodbye to Siryn, as an injured Daniel Peyer watches and plans his revenge.

I Love the ‘90s

Deadpool tells Siryn that they’re “a regular Michael and Lisa Marie”.

Review

Unfortunately, this is the weakest issue of the miniseries. The Juggernaut chases are getting tedious by now, and new plot elements like Black Tom’s reaction to the surgery aren’t very clear (what exactly is supposed to be wrong with him?). Why exactly Deadpool’s healing power has gone away isn’t explained either. Daniel Peyer returns for no real reason, even though he doesn’t have anything to add to the story at this point. Peyer’s really an underdeveloped character, and setting him up as a recurring villain at the end just doesn’t work. The rest of the story isn’t that bad, though. Waid tries to humanize Deadpool by revealing that he’s extremely afraid of having his face being exposed. This is an element later writers totally ignored; his regular series even had Deadpool out in public wearing only baseball hats. Subsequent stories have also shown that he’s perfectly willing to expose his face just to gross someone out. I actually prefer Waid’s idea, since giving Deadpool a realistic insecurity helps to make him more relatable. In the final pages, Deadpool decides to spare Black Tom’s life, which is portrayed as some sort of major turning point in his life. The scene doesn’t work that badly, but it’s hard to read it and not think about the inconsistent ways Deadpool’s conscious will be played in the coming years. Overall, it’s an enjoyable mini, held back by inconsistent artwork and a disappointing climax.

DEADPOOL #4 – November 1993

Duck Soup

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Joe Madureira (penciler), Harry Candelario (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Glynis Oliver (colors)

Summary

Deadpool and Weasel arrive at Tolliver’s monastery to claim his will. Kane appears and briefly fights Deadpool before they learn that Slayback is holding Vanessa. While Deadpool fights Slayback, Weasel and Kane discuss the Zero robot. Kane recognizes it from his time in the future, and they realize that Zero is the ultimate weapon in Tolliver’s will. Zero absorbs all energy signatures, making all other weapons obsolete. Zero nullifies Slayback, but not before he nearly kills Vanessa. Deadpool convinces Zero that even if he is a living weapon, he has also has the capacity to heal. Vanessa uses her copycat power to mimic Deadpool’s healing power and lives. Zero teleports away, as Deadpool realizes that he can do more than kill.

Continuity Notes

Zero was also a member of Styfe’s MLF, and appeared as recently as the X-Cutioner’s Song crossover. I’m not sure how ended up with Tolliver’s armory in Nepal, unless these robots are mass-produced in the future. Kane says that Zero is an “Adam unit…number zero in a series of thirteen”.

Slayback, whose real name is apparently Terraerton, served with Kane and Deadpool in the Weapon X project.

Creative Differences

Many of the final pages of this issue have been re-lettered.

Review
And now, the Deadpool limited series wraps up. How many more X-Men 30^th anniversary projects are left? I enjoyed the previous issues of this miniseries, but the final issue is disappointing. Deadpool finally confronts Slayback after months of build-up, but it’s impossible to really care since Slayback is never fleshed out as a character. Deadpool apparently killed him in the past and now he wants revenge, but there’s no more information given. I understand that he’s supposed to contrast Deadpool, who has some humanity left, but it doesn’t really work. For the first time in this series, the idea that Deadpool might be able to reform is raised. Considering the fact that this isn’t brought up until the very end of a four-issue limited series, it seems tacked on. And because Deadpool was more than willing to kill Vanessa a few months earlier in X-Force, it’s not very convincing. If Deadpool was really supposed to go through some important character arc in this series, it seems to have been treated as an afterthought.

DEADPOOL #3 – October 1993

“…And Quacks Like A Duck…”

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Joe Madureira (penciler), Harry Candelario (inks), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Glynis Oliver (colors)

Summary

The Executive Elite capture Deadpool and scan his memories for information on Tolliver’s will. They learn that Deadpool joined the Weapon X project to be cured of cancer, resulting in his scarred appearance. Weasel arrives to rescue Deadpool and the pair steal the second disc required to gain access to Tolliver’s will. The discs reveal that Tolliver’s will is in a monastery in Nepal, along with a “Zero unit” robot. Meanwhile, Copycat also learns of Tolliver’s monastery and is attacked by Slayback when she arrives.

Continuity Notes

Deadpool is established as horribly disfigured in this issue. His flashback also shows that he served in the Weapon X project with Kane, after Kane nearly died during the Six Pack’s final mission.

The Zero robot was Stryfe’s teleporting robot during the early X-Force issues. He shows up a few times during the next year before going back to obscurity. Giving Tolliver a connection to Zero is another hint that he is linked to Cable’s future.

I Love the ‘90s

Deadpool makes a joke about Hillary Clinton hyphenating her maiden and married names, which was a controversy during this time. Does she ever use “Rodham” anymore?

Summary

This isn’t very different from the other issues of the limited series, except for the flashback scenes that attempt to humanize Deadpool for the first time. Making Deadpool sympathetic has been a recurring problem for most of the people who have written the character. It’s the obvious problem that occurs when a villain never intended to be a solo star gets his own series. Joe Kelly and Fabian Nicieza have attempted to make Deadpool honestly reform, but it never seems to stick. The trick this mini continually uses is to have Deadpool be the target of someone else’s attack, which automatically makes him an easier protagonist to root for. It still allows Deadpool to crack jokes and join in on the action without making him seem truly villainous. Even when Nicieza does show Deadpool’s dark side, with the casual way he kills the Executive Elite, it’s not presented as some horrible act. Deadpool’s sense of humor also softens the impact of the scene, but it is the type of thing that would get old in a monthly series.

DEADPOOL #2 – September 1993

Rabbit Season, Duck Season

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Joe Madureira (penciler), Mark Farmer (inks), Chris Eliopoulos (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colors)

Summary

In Cairo, Deadpool retrieves a disc with information on Tolliver’s will. Supposedly, the secret behind the will is the most powerful weapon on Earth. Juggernaut suddenly appears with Black Tom, whose body is now partially made out of wood. They steal the disc from Deadpool, but he later retrieves it during Black Tom and Juggernaut’s airplane escape. In New Jersey, Sluggo tries to gain info on Tolliver’s will from Vanessa (Copycat), but she doesn’t know anything about it. She leaves on her own hunt to find the will. In India, the Executive Elite are hired to kill the suspects in Pico’s death – Cable, Copycat, and Deadpool. Finally, in Maine, Slayback interrogates Kane about Deadpool’s location.

Continuity Notes

Black Tom refers to Cable as “that meddlin’ mutant from the future.” How does he know Cable is from the future?

I Love the ‘90s

The info on Tolliver’s will is on an old-school floppy disc. Not the really old floppy discs that were literally floppy, but the ‘90s standard ones that apparently no one uses anymore (except for, uh, me...sometimes).

Review

The Deadpool mini is shaping up to be a fun series. At this point, it looks like Nicieza’s strongest work within the X-franchise. There are a lot of plot threads going on, most of which involve characters chasing around a McGuffin, but Nicieza’s able to keep the characters and the chase entertaining. Many of these characters seemed to show up at random in X-Force without a lot of development, but they’re starting to seem more authentic now. The brief scene at Vanessa’s home makes the character more interesting than she ever was in all of her X-Force appearances. The story itself isn’t wacky (unlike many of the stories in Deadpool’s later ongoing series), leaving room to develop X-Force’s peripheral characters, something that should’ve been done months earlier. At the same time, the action never slows down and the events keep moving towards the series climax. In some ways, this doesn’t really feel like a ‘90s X-book. The four-issue format keeps things from dragging, while the ongoing X-books dedicate entire issues to agonizing about Magneto and the Legacy Virus. It’s a nice break.

DEADPOOL #1 – August 1993

Ducks in a Row

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Joe Madureira (penciler), Mark Farmer (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

In Sarajevo, Deadpool stops a group of mercenaries sent to kill him. Deadpool’s friend Weasel tells him that there’s a price on his head to prevent him from collecting his former employer Tolliver’s estate. Kane shows up, wanting to know where to find Deadpool’s ex-girlfriend Vanessa. Deadpool’s also been looking for her. They fight for a while until they realize that neither one knows where she is. Kane tells Deadpool that someone called Slayback has returned and wants him dead. Meanwhile, Juggernaut retrieves Black Tom from a genetic research facility in France and learns that his body is now drastically altered. In India, Nyko sends the Courier orders to have the Executive Elite kill Deadpool for his role in Pico’s death.

Continuity Notes

Not surprisingly, this limited series is a follow-up to a lot of the previous events in X-Force. Tolliver was Deadpool’s employer from earlier issues of that series. Pico was a midget stooge of Tolliver’s who was killed during Deadpool’s fight with Cable. Black Tom was critically injured by Cable and rescued by Deadpool on Tolliver’s orders. Kane and Deadpool know each other from a later iteration of the Weapon X project.

Weasel, Slayback, Nyko, and the Courier all make their first appearances here. The Executive Elite are also mentioned but not seen. Many of these characters would continue to show up on the fringes of X-continuity, almost exclusively written by Fabian Nicieza.

Gimmicks

This issue has a cardstock cover with raised Deadpool figure.

Review

Not only is this the debut of yet another X-related limited series from 1993, but it’s the second one to star a villain. Deadpool was still a new character at this time, having only appeared five or six times over the course of two years. I’m not sure why Deadpool was chosen to headline his own limited series, but Marvel was pumping out as much X-product as possible during this summer, so Deadpool was probably considered a strong enough personality to at least carry a few issues. There’s no attempt to reform Deadpool in this issue, but he never comes across as villainous either. He spends most of the issue defending himself from people who attacked first (which describes a typical X-Men adventure, if you think about it). The story ties together the various X-Force subplots relating to the mysterious Tolliver, which implies that maybe someone had a plan for some of this stuff after all. Even though the story relies on a decent amount of continuity, Nicieza maintains a steady pace throughout the issue. Deadpool, even as a paid killer, comes across as more likable and less annoying than many of the actual heroes in the X-books during this time.

This is Joe Madureira’s first major project, even though it seemed to have been forgotten after Madureira exploded with Uncanny X-Men (this mini might not have even made the ranks of a Wizard “Hot Pick”…can you imagine?). His work on this limited series impressed Erik Larsen enough to offer Madureira an issue of the short-lived Vanguard series to draw for Image Comics. Supposedly, this inspired Bob Harras to give Madureira the job on Uncanny out of fear that Image would recruit another hot Marvel talent. With his cartoonish, exaggerated figures and rubbery anatomy, Madureira would’ve been a good fit at Image, although his work is thankfully devoid of a lot of the ugly crosshatching of this era. I loved the art in this comic as a kid and still think it looks pretty good. Deadpool is a bizarre choice to carry a series (a hideously deformed assassin with a wacky sense of humor?), but Madureira’s cartoonish art takes some of the edge off the premise. Most of the Image-style art popular at this time was either directly or indirectly inspired by Michael Golden and Art Adams. Madureira owes something to those guys, but he also draws heavily upon Golden and Adams’ original inspiration, manga. Madureira’s art would move further away from Western comics, and within a few years, his influence led to the rise of faux-manga work in American superhero comics. Even though he was probably the most popular artist of the late ‘90s, Madureira’s recent return to comics wasn’t exactly met with a very favorable reaction. I realize that most of the ire of Ultimates 3 was over the writing, but Madureira’s art didn't seem to be generating the same old excitement either. Even if a lot of fans have moved on, I don’t see his early efforts as embarrassing at all, and can certainly understand why he became so popular.