Synopsis:
The issue opens with Deadpool imagining himself in typically crazy situations, narrating that he still wonders how the hell he wound up in this dystopian world, as well as how it got so screwed up to begin with, offering up wild theories like an alien autopsy gone awry and a book of spells. He laments not having "a front row seat for the start of all the crazy", before coming back to his question, adding this time "How in the name of tracksuit Beyonder did I get here?"
We then cut back to where the last issue left off, with Deadpool faced with a gaggle of insane women who are dead-set on slaughtering what seems to be the last safe haven of humanity. Their leader decries the very notion of reforming a city (It's clearly a town you nut-ball!) claiming it "castigates the will of the Almighty" (sure it does...) and for that, they must be destroyed. Deadpool responds by clarifying that, according to these women, civilisation is evil, rebuilding it is therefore evil and they're going to kill all the "sinners" before they turn the world back into "strip clubs, casinos and...you know...places where people have free will." He also points out that the women are also going to take all the "sinners" supplies and provisions too, which the leader admits, saying "how do you think we've survived this long?" Drawing his swords, Deadpool declares that they should go and introduce themselves.
Shortly afterwards, Deadpool approaches the entrance to the town, which is blocked with various bits of debris, including a school bus. The guards instantly point their guns at him, asking him to stay where he is and to state his business. Wade says that he's just looking for a place to settle down, adding his business is being the last superhero on earth...and business is good! To emphasise his last point, he presents, held together in his left hand by their hair, the severed heads of the female lunatics. Naturally it takes the people of New Harpers Ferry (as they call it), a bit of a while to get pas that, but soon enough, they recognised that Deadpool had in fact saved them from a bunch of raving loonies. They welcome him into their community, with some of them plying him with questions about the outside world, and some, particularly the young, attractive, female variety, just having a...physical interest in him (boy are you girls in for a surprise when you lift up that mask).
Later on, as he sits in a graveyard overlooking the town, Deadpool muses that New Harpers Ferry is a nice place. Clueless, but peaceful, and they need somebody to make sure they have a fighting chance. Much to his bewilderment, a wound he received in his last fight with the zombies is still hurting, despite the fact that it appears healed from the outside. As he ponders aloud whether his healing factor is on the blink (again), he hears a twig snap. Thankfully it's just a bunch of teenagers. Deadpool warns them against coming to a graveyard, stating that they aren't safe nowadays. The kids reply that, as this is a Civil War (not Cap vs. Iron Man Civil War) graveyard, they're safe as zombies are "always" freshly dead. Wade isn't convinced though, remarking that "things change" as he watches the graves. The kids then turn the discussion to Deadpool, asking if he's really a super hero, or if he's just bonkers, to which Deadpool adds under his breath "and some things never change". One of the kids remarks that Wade isn't actually isn't the first "super hero" to set foot in the village. Apparently another hero is already living there. Deadpool asks the kids to take him to meet this other costumed character, joking that it's time for a team-up!
Arriving at the house of this mystery marvel, Deadpool is quick to comment on the foul odour of the place, wondering aloud whether Man-Thing lives here. Entering the shed, the kid who informed Deadpool of this say that the "hero", Clarence Sykes, hides his costume here. However once Deadpool gets a look at the costume, he realises that he isn't dealing with a superhero, but an employee of Advanced Idea Mechanics, otherwise known as A.I.M. He tells the kids to clear off, saying that he and Clarence need a little chat.
Shortly afterwards, Clarence Sykes wakes up to find a sword to his neck. Deadpool (who for some reason is wearing the A.I.M. hat) tells him that, as the people of New Harpers Ferry have taken him in, he feels it's his duty to protect them from threats such as A.I.M. Clarence protests that he is a changed man, saying he put that part of his life behind him when he came to the town, adding that Deadpool must surely appreciate that. Removing the hat, Deadpool tells Clarence that he wasn't going to kill him, he was just messing with him, but he will be keeping an eye on him. Clarence assures Wade that his days of mad science are behind him, "especially after what we did." Deadpool asks what he means by that, to which Clarence replies "oh...I...I thought you might have guessed. The zombie apocalypse...it's all my fault."that
Sykes explains that, at the time, he and his fellow A.I.M. scientists shared a common faith that what they were doing was for the betterment of mankind, though the chief concern was increased profit margins. A.I.M. was known for developing weapons, but there were also various sub-divisions dedicated to other pursuits. Clarence was part of A.I.R., Advance Ideas in Regeneration. They thought that if the organization was to better understand the art of death dealing, they needed to better understand healing properties. Long story short, their experiments didn't go very well, with only a few A.I.M. scientists making it out. Clarence comments that when he woke and saw Deadpool, he thought his sins had caught up with him, though Deadpool points out that the swarms of undead roaming the countryside would be reminder enough. As he goes to leave, Clarence reveals one last secret to him. A.I.M.'s attempts at a man made healing factor were derived from tissue samples of various individuals with healing factors, which were harvested whenever those individuals spilled blood. Deadpool's blood was among the samples they collected, meaning he is, in a way, kind of responsible for the zombie outbreak.
Later that night, as Deadpool lies in bed near other townsfolk, mumbling in his sleep that it isn't his fault, his wound reopens and begins to bleed. Deadpool stirs as the colour drains from his uniform, pulling his mask up to reveal that the wound has overpowered his healing factor and zombified him. Much to his horror, Wade begins feeding on the people nearby, unable to stop himself. He urges the survivors to flee, but the damage has already been done. The number of zombies gradually grows as more and more of the townspeople (including Clarence) are turned. Eventually, after apologetically feeding on some more civilians, Deadpool stumbles down an alley. The colour begins to return to his costume as his healing factor finally kicks in, venting the virus from his system, which leads to him vomiting up bits and pieces of the humans he's devoured. Dazed, Deadpool turns around to see that the whole town of New Harpers Ferry have been zombified, which he takes as an unfortunate affirmation that he doesn't belong anywhere so sweet, wholesome and naive. "Who knew the zombie apocalypse would feel so much like a kick in the jewels?", he thinks to himself as he wonders what to do now...
We then cut back to where the last issue left off, with Deadpool faced with a gaggle of insane women who are dead-set on slaughtering what seems to be the last safe haven of humanity. Their leader decries the very notion of reforming a city (It's clearly a town you nut-ball!) claiming it "castigates the will of the Almighty" (sure it does...) and for that, they must be destroyed. Deadpool responds by clarifying that, according to these women, civilisation is evil, rebuilding it is therefore evil and they're going to kill all the "sinners" before they turn the world back into "strip clubs, casinos and...you know...places where people have free will." He also points out that the women are also going to take all the "sinners" supplies and provisions too, which the leader admits, saying "how do you think we've survived this long?" Drawing his swords, Deadpool declares that they should go and introduce themselves.Shortly afterwards, Deadpool approaches the entrance to the town, which is blocked with various bits of debris, including a school bus. The guards instantly point their guns at him, asking him to stay where he is and to state his business. Wade says that he's just looking for a place to settle down, adding his business is being the last superhero on earth...and business is good! To emphasise his last point, he presents, held together in his left hand by their hair, the severed heads of the female lunatics. Naturally it takes the people of New Harpers Ferry (as they call it), a bit of a while to get pas that, but soon enough, they recognised that Deadpool had in fact saved them from a bunch of raving loonies. They welcome him into their community, with some of them plying him with questions about the outside world, and some, particularly the young, attractive, female variety, just having a...physical interest in him (boy are you girls in for a surprise when you lift up that mask).
Later on, as he sits in a graveyard overlooking the town, Deadpool muses that New Harpers Ferry is a nice place. Clueless, but peaceful, and they need somebody to make sure they have a fighting chance. Much to his bewilderment, a wound he received in his last fight with the zombies is still hurting, despite the fact that it appears healed from the outside. As he ponders aloud whether his healing factor is on the blink (again), he hears a twig snap. Thankfully it's just a bunch of teenagers. Deadpool warns them against coming to a graveyard, stating that they aren't safe nowadays. The kids reply that, as this is a Civil War (not Cap vs. Iron Man Civil War) graveyard, they're safe as zombies are "always" freshly dead. Wade isn't convinced though, remarking that "things change" as he watches the graves. The kids then turn the discussion to Deadpool, asking if he's really a super hero, or if he's just bonkers, to which Deadpool adds under his breath "and some things never change". One of the kids remarks that Wade isn't actually isn't the first "super hero" to set foot in the village. Apparently another hero is already living there. Deadpool asks the kids to take him to meet this other costumed character, joking that it's time for a team-up!Arriving at the house of this mystery marvel, Deadpool is quick to comment on the foul odour of the place, wondering aloud whether Man-Thing lives here. Entering the shed, the kid who informed Deadpool of this say that the "hero", Clarence Sykes, hides his costume here. However once Deadpool gets a look at the costume, he realises that he isn't dealing with a superhero, but an employee of Advanced Idea Mechanics, otherwise known as A.I.M. He tells the kids to clear off, saying that he and Clarence need a little chat.
Shortly afterwards, Clarence Sykes wakes up to find a sword to his neck. Deadpool (who for some reason is wearing the A.I.M. hat) tells him that, as the people of New Harpers Ferry have taken him in, he feels it's his duty to protect them from threats such as A.I.M. Clarence protests that he is a changed man, saying he put that part of his life behind him when he came to the town, adding that Deadpool must surely appreciate that. Removing the hat, Deadpool tells Clarence that he wasn't going to kill him, he was just messing with him, but he will be keeping an eye on him. Clarence assures Wade that his days of mad science are behind him, "especially after what we did." Deadpool asks what he means by that, to which Clarence replies "oh...I...I thought you might have guessed. The zombie apocalypse...it's all my fault."thatSykes explains that, at the time, he and his fellow A.I.M. scientists shared a common faith that what they were doing was for the betterment of mankind, though the chief concern was increased profit margins. A.I.M. was known for developing weapons, but there were also various sub-divisions dedicated to other pursuits. Clarence was part of A.I.R., Advance Ideas in Regeneration. They thought that if the organization was to better understand the art of death dealing, they needed to better understand healing properties. Long story short, their experiments didn't go very well, with only a few A.I.M. scientists making it out. Clarence comments that when he woke and saw Deadpool, he thought his sins had caught up with him, though Deadpool points out that the swarms of undead roaming the countryside would be reminder enough. As he goes to leave, Clarence reveals one last secret to him. A.I.M.'s attempts at a man made healing factor were derived from tissue samples of various individuals with healing factors, which were harvested whenever those individuals spilled blood. Deadpool's blood was among the samples they collected, meaning he is, in a way, kind of responsible for the zombie outbreak.
Thoughts:
Yeah, this issue was pretty rough. After skirting around the darker elements of a zombie apocalypse, Cullen Bunn dives right into some really creepy stuff with this issue, with plenty of emotional weight to make you care about what's going on.
That being said though, this issue did get off to a very funny start. I liked how Bunn played with readers expectations at the start, suggesting at first that Deadpool was actually going to help the nut-job's, before the gruesome splash page told us otherwise. It was bizarre, not to mention hilarious, to see Deadpool as a straight man briefly, but the context made it work, and it's not long before we're back to standard, decapitation-happy Deadpool. This scenario also allows Bunn to poke fun at another staple of zombie movies and that is the lunatics who endanger the protagonist and either knowingly or unknowingly aid the monsters, by having Deadpool calmly call attention to the flaws in the old lady's logic. The humour also works in favour of the darker scenes, lulling us into a false sense of security before the inevitable zombie attack occurs, though it's source is somewhat unexpected.
While I had noticed Deadpool's wound in #2, I didn't think it would lead to him going full-on zombie mode and devouring people. These scenes was done very effectively and they certainly earned the series it's parental advisory certificate. By the end it's actually quite sad as Wade genuinely saw the town as a chance to start over. This also serves as the payoff for Bunn's decision to have the zombies retain their former personalities with zero control of their body, as we get a bigger sense than ever of how horrible that would be. Thankfully Deadpool's healing factor eventually vented the virus from his body, which felt more realistic than what was done with him, the Hulk and Wolverine in the Marvel Zombies series, where they stayed zombies in spite of their regenerative abilities. That might be due to the differing natures of the zombie outbreaks. In Marvel Zombies, the virus was a paradox looped by Watcher between two universes, since no one knew how to destroy it, whereas here we have a more traditional method with a chemical process. I liked that it was A.I.M. (well, a sub-division of them anyway) who were responsible for the outbreak. I was expecting Evil Deadpool to somehow be behind it after the cliffhanger ending in Deadpool Kills Deadpool, but this explanation works fine as well, and it helps remind us that, alternate version or not, we're still in the Marvel Universe rather than The Walking Dead with Deadpool.
Ramon Rosanas' art is still excellent of course. I love the way Deadpool transitions from colour to black & white and back again when he becomes a zombie. For some reason it really amps up the horror feeling. There's a great level of detail on display, which obviously makes things all the more graphic. It's also a nice touch that the A.I.M scientist's outfit is rendered in colour, since it's a representation of the vivid, energetic world Deadpool left behind. This is easily the darkest instalment in the series. It's a very sobering experience for the title character as well as an unexpected direction for the story, but it never forgets who that character is and the tropes that come with him...
That being said though, this issue did get off to a very funny start. I liked how Bunn played with readers expectations at the start, suggesting at first that Deadpool was actually going to help the nut-job's, before the gruesome splash page told us otherwise. It was bizarre, not to mention hilarious, to see Deadpool as a straight man briefly, but the context made it work, and it's not long before we're back to standard, decapitation-happy Deadpool. This scenario also allows Bunn to poke fun at another staple of zombie movies and that is the lunatics who endanger the protagonist and either knowingly or unknowingly aid the monsters, by having Deadpool calmly call attention to the flaws in the old lady's logic. The humour also works in favour of the darker scenes, lulling us into a false sense of security before the inevitable zombie attack occurs, though it's source is somewhat unexpected.
While I had noticed Deadpool's wound in #2, I didn't think it would lead to him going full-on zombie mode and devouring people. These scenes was done very effectively and they certainly earned the series it's parental advisory certificate. By the end it's actually quite sad as Wade genuinely saw the town as a chance to start over. This also serves as the payoff for Bunn's decision to have the zombies retain their former personalities with zero control of their body, as we get a bigger sense than ever of how horrible that would be. Thankfully Deadpool's healing factor eventually vented the virus from his body, which felt more realistic than what was done with him, the Hulk and Wolverine in the Marvel Zombies series, where they stayed zombies in spite of their regenerative abilities. That might be due to the differing natures of the zombie outbreaks. In Marvel Zombies, the virus was a paradox looped by Watcher between two universes, since no one knew how to destroy it, whereas here we have a more traditional method with a chemical process. I liked that it was A.I.M. (well, a sub-division of them anyway) who were responsible for the outbreak. I was expecting Evil Deadpool to somehow be behind it after the cliffhanger ending in Deadpool Kills Deadpool, but this explanation works fine as well, and it helps remind us that, alternate version or not, we're still in the Marvel Universe rather than The Walking Dead with Deadpool.Ramon Rosanas' art is still excellent of course. I love the way Deadpool transitions from colour to black & white and back again when he becomes a zombie. For some reason it really amps up the horror feeling. There's a great level of detail on display, which obviously makes things all the more graphic. It's also a nice touch that the A.I.M scientist's outfit is rendered in colour, since it's a representation of the vivid, energetic world Deadpool left behind. This is easily the darkest instalment in the series. It's a very sobering experience for the title character as well as an unexpected direction for the story, but it never forgets who that character is and the tropes that come with him...
