Deadpool #45
Contributed by Jesse (Augie680)
Fusion Comix Staff Writer
augie680@hotmail.com

The Information: Johnny Handsome bites the dust (or: if this slip be pink...!) Christopher Priest, Jim Calafiore, Jon Holdredge

The Buzz: Writer Christopher Priest ends his run and ties up all the loose ends. Titania revealed, whose setting Deadpool up, and Deadpool vs. Loki round two, sorta.

The Story: Prelude; Deadpool visits the trailer park (from Priest's first issue) and apparently has Priest's dead body in the bag, all the other heroes are happy. It's just a dream and Deadpool is in a helicopter on the way to his current gig, taking out a Cuban General, all the while talking to Death. After he finishes the General and his army he recalls how he sunk so low. Titania and Constrictor are captured by the army, Titania tricks the guard (she's really Pool's old lover Vanessa) and breaks free. Deadpool returns home to find out only Hayden is there. Pool goes into the kitchen while Hayden answers the door. Pool kisses Hayden (ahhhhh) but reveals that he knows that it's Vanessa. They fight then it's revealed that the Wizard and Taskmaster have sent Vanessa to destroy Deadpool and that they've been setting him up all along. He finishes off Vanessa and gives her what she wants, Wade's money, by giving her the bank code in a unique (to say the least) way. The place blows up and Pool's homeless so he goes to the bar to drown his sorrows. At the bar an old man tries to pick a fight with Wade but in the end Wade just apologizes. They shake hands and Pool leaves, on the streets everyone screams when they see Pool. Turns out the old guy was Loki and when he apologized he got rid of the curse (from Priest's first couple of issues).

The Good: I actually liked this. I know I bad-mouthed Priest over recent issues, but this issue and the first couple of issues were actually pretty good and funny at that! It's a damn shame that the bulk of his issues were dumb and totally confusing (re: Pool in space?). The book was funny, especially the translating of Cuban to English! Pure comedy! The old man vs. Pool was funny too. Calafoire's art is good and solid, too bad he's not on the book anymore. Overall it's pretty funny and good.

The Bad: The book's pacing is weird. It goes from Cuba, to the Dead Lounge, to the bar and back to Cuba!! Weird and just confusing. Calafiore's art is good but it's just plain weird at times, looking almost cartoonish. Overall it wasn't all that bad.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10. It was good but not great, the pacing just turned me off.

Deadpool #46 - Cruel Summer Part 1 Of 3
Contributed by Jesse (Augie680)
Fusion Comix Staff Writer
augie680@hotmail.com

Marvel Comics

The Information: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Chadwick, Ron Randall, Joe Jusko (cover)

The Story: Deadpool takes a gig to earn some money, that gig is stopping a villain called The Sack (just wait). He takes him down and is approached for a job by a cop. Later he meets the cop and learns his job, take down 6 of NYC's biggest Mafia bosses. He meets the liason, a hot girl by the name of Anastasia. He gets the 4-1-1 and kills one mob boss in quite the humorous way (soon). The day after the cop's wife is murdered in a scene that looks like it's straight out of Batman: TLH. He returns to the parlor and does something that I never thought he would do so freely.

The Good: Not very much, but the death of the mob boss is good (he gets thrown into the shark tank at an aquarium). The Sack is one of the funniest (albeit dumbest) villians I've seen in awhile. Overall that's really all that is good. The rest isn't very funny or or in the style of Deadpool. The cover is simply gorgeous though.

The Bad: Whoo boy, this isn't that great, the book isn't funny (aside from The Sack) and it is nothing like the other issues of Deadpool that I loved. The art is very timid and in my opinion it doesn't work all that well with the character and his style. The character has changed from a wisecracking, hero to a moody hitman. Sorry it just doesn't sit well with me. The sad part is that a fair amount of readers will read the book because of Palmiotti and think this is how the character is supposed to be...sigh.

Rating: It looks like the only person who can do Deadpool really well is Joe Kelly, but he's long gone. I actually thought (and I hoped) that Palmiotti would be able to restore Deadpool's greatness a bit but I guess he can't. Man Priest's issues were better than this. I have to give this a 4 out of 10, but only because of The Sack.