Night of the Living Deadpool #3 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to the first real post on my blog in yonks. I apologise for the lack of posts on both here and my Youtube channel. In late June last year I moved house with my family and I don't think any of us realised what an undertaking it would be. Needless to say there's been a lot of unpacking and sorting and re-arranging of things, which hasn't left me much time for my channel and blog, as well as the reviews I upload for Spider-Man Reviews. Rest assured however that I have plenty of content planned for my (2nd) return to Youtube, which I will unveil later this month (hopefully), and as for this blog, I'll be scaling back the amount of reviews I do here as it will allow for a more regular stream of reviews for the blog (If that makes any sense). I clearly bit off more than I can chew at the moment with the amount of series I was reviewing last year. With the surprise reveal of a sequel to Cullen Bunn's Night of the Living Deadpool, entitled Return of the Living Deadpool (written once again by Bunn with art by Nicole Virella) I thought it only natural to finish my reviews of 'Night' before tackling 'Return'. So without further ado, welcome to my review of Night of the Living Deadpool #3.

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...

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...

Score: 4.5/5.0

Wolverine #3 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to another delayed review. This time of Wolverine #3, the third part of "Rogue Logan".

Synopsis:

We pick up right where the last issue left off, with Wolverine heading towards some serious Facetime with the asphalt below, courtesy of the "Superior Spider-Man". We quickly learn that this is really more of a twisted joke on Otto's part, as he shoots out a webline, leaving the now-marginally annoyed Logan dangling upside down just inches from the pavement. Wolvie soon gains the momentum to swing towards and grab a nearby pipe, which allows him to reach up and pull himself free of the web. Landing on his feet, he's met by Jubilee, who tells him there's an "X-Men emergency".

Flashing briefly back to the present, Logan suddenly wakes up while in bed with Pinch, claiming it was a nightmare. When asked what it was about, he replies that it was a memory of the day that finished his old life and brought him where he is now. Pinch responds with "again?" indicating that this isn't the first time Wolvie's mentioned this day, to which he replies that it feels like he'll never past it.

We then flash back to that very day, with Jubilee driving Logan to the site of the "X-Men emergency", where Storm and her team are battling a load of killer robots with Sentinel tech. Logan asks "Jubes" if she should really be out in the sunlight (referring to her recent conversion into a vampire), but she answers that Beast has her covered, steering the conversation over to his current predicament by asking if he and Storm are okay. Logan replies that he doesn't know what he's doing now, also saying that he needs to change something and things with him and Storm are "complicated", leading Jubilee to sarcastically remark that the normal life she'd love to have is apparently "a terrible fate". Wolverine then asks how she found him, only to learn that Beast put a tracker on his belt in case he got into trouble, since he's a lot more vulnerable now. Annoyed at this, Logan is then contacted by the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Maria Hill, who asks that he join her in the alley opposite. As per her instructions, Logan leaves the car, lying that he's "going to pee".

It turns out that Hill has a mission for Logan that involves going after Sabretooth. He instantly refuses however, referring to Kitty Pryde and the events of Killable before saying that he isn't going to go on "some crazy suicidal quest". Maria however, interrupts him, saying that she doesn't plan crazy quests, that she wants to send Logan on a mission to save the world and get to see Creed captured by S.H.I.E.L.D, not the one-to-one death match he's so keen to tell her he's not after. She adds that it even suits and takes advantage of his new predicament, but Logan snaps back that he's sick of people working around him, and that he'll deal with his situation or die trying (You had to say it, didn't you).

Back in present day, Logan leaves the bedroom and heads for a nearby room, where Lost Boy is playing video games. Logan joins in and after a bit o' banter, he asks why Lost Boy chose his codename. The answer is pretty straightforward. He liked the "The Lost Boys" movie. Logan chuckles that he almost though the kid really had a backbone, but he does have enough of one. As for him, he has someone else's.

In the past, Wolverine heads for the robots in a beserker rage, un-sheathing his claws despite the pain of doing so without a healing factor. Jubilee tries to help him at Storm's request, but Logan insists that he's fine. The robots then pick the moment to combine themselves into one, giant robot (can you say Constructicon?). Storm then gives a speech to her teammates, that they need to combine their forces together, telling Logan that the X-Men works with someone whose lost their powers all the time. The robot lifts it's foot, preparing to crush Wolverine, who despite Storm's warnings, stays rooted to the spot. Thankfully, Jubilee dives in, pushing Logan out the way of the giant metal foot impacting with the sidewalk, saving him from being reduced to a colourfully bloody smear. Unable to cope with the situation, Logan runs from the battle while the X-Men begin to attack the robot as a team.

Some time later, Logan arrives at the Jean Grey School. As he steps inside, he's greeted by Quentin Quire, who informs him that Storm wound up reduced the robot to scrap. Rather than respond, Logan simply walks past Quire, who trails off mid-sentence and remarks "guess I don't have to be on your case all the time". Entering his room, Logan is surprised to find a present waiting for him, his new armour, courtesy of the Superior Spider-Man. Attached to the suit is a note addressed to him, saying that it's from "a friend". Logan reads the note with a smile (you wouldn't be smiling if you knew who really wrote the letter dude).

In the present, Mystique, the Silver Samurai, Lord Deathstrike and several Hand ninja have gathered at an undisclosed location. Mystique shares her opinion with SS that Sabretooth's defeat of Wolverine has changed him for the worst. Silver Samurai agrees, suggesting that he's lost what used to drive him. Mystique also mentions an object that Sabretooth is after, saying he doesn't even know what it does, but he seems to think that it will solve his very life. At that point, Victor Creed, having heard them, enters the room in a business suit (yeah, it's a weird image), saying "Oh ye of little faith...I now know what we're after. It's the power to remake the world in my own image. I'm going to become God." (That doesn't sound ominous at all.)

Thoughts:

While last issue sagged somewhat in the fun factor, the third issue of Paul Cornell's rebooted Wolverine series regains the momentum of it's opening, and then some. We're treated to some really entertaining stuff here, and considering the dark themes this comic is dealing with, that's a good thing to hear.

In my previous reviews I've talked at length about how I believe Wolvie's turn to the dark side is nothing but a sham in order to get to Sabretooth. Once again this issue neither confirms or denies that, with the appearance from Maria Hill adding to the plausibility of Logan going undercover. Regardless of the outcome though, Cornell is still providing us with an interesting look at Logan without a healing factor. His regression in attitude makes sense as it's simply a way of overcompensating, and his vulnerability is something this book has done a great job in showcasing.

There's also a nice theme running through the issue, as several of the characters remark about being on Logan's case, which gives us a bit more insight into how important Wolverine is to the X-Men, how his current circumstances affect them, how his new teammates feel about him and it also makes Wolverine's plight feel more personal as opposed to it just being an act. Talking of his new friends, I'm glad that we got some scenes of Logan bonding with Lost Boy & Pinch. It helps to make these new faces more likeable.

Despite the dark places this issue goes to though, it's still quite a funny escapade. I particularly enjoyed the opening gag involving Superior Spider-Man, as well as the revelation that it was he who made Wolverine his new suit. Who knew that Doc Ock could be so generous? The appearance of Jubilee was very welcome, as was the snippy banter between her and Logan about her status as a vampire, not to meniton the brief expository over the robots.

Ryan Stegman continues to excel with his artwork, and the colours by David Curiel are still a nice mix. There's a lot of great standout pages such as the reveal of the giant robot and Wolverine's armour, but the characters are also very expressive. Jubilee looks as youthful and playful as ever, though with Sabretooth Stegman opts for a more subdued madness in his face when the villain makes his entrance. Overall, a better issue than the last...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Night of the Living Deadpool #2 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of #2 of Night of the Living Deadpool.

Synopsis:

Picking up a few days after the first issue, Deadpool is still in the truck with the band of survivors who picked him up. The group includes a pair of kids, one in fifth grade, the other in third, who are siblings, an old lady who the kids call Granma (because she swears like their grandmother used to), and two soldiers. The first is called Radcliff the one whose been bringing Wade up to speed with events. The second was bitten trying to save one of the kids, but he's being kept on board so he can talk his superiors into letting them out of the QZ. They approach the boundary, but soon find that it didn't hold. Wanting to check for survivors, Deadpool leaves the safety of the truck, with everyone but the old lady and the wounded soldier accompanying him. Wade quickly decides to retreat upon discovering the sheer amount of zombies present. As they head back to the truck, the soldier finally zombifies and crashes through the rear window, killing the old woman. Deadpool shoves them both out and takes the wheel, putting some distance between them and the zombies.

Through a montage we then see Deadpool and gang (whom he affectionately names the Deadpool Scouts) spend the next eight weeks visiting various locations, all of which contain zombies, in order to find a place to hole up. Among the locations (and references to classic zombie movies) are a mall (Dawn of the Dead), a fairground (Zombieland) and a British pub called the Winchester Arms (Shaun of the Dead)  They eventually set up camp in a wood, with no rations save for a single granola bar (that really isn't much).

Later that night, whilst having an amusing dream involving characters from the Archie series, Deadpool is nudged awake by Radcliff, who informs him that the kids have gone. Deadpool draws his sword and declares that they should go bring them back. While searching, they come across a graveyard, which Radcliff spotted earlier when he scouted the perimeter, but thought nothing of since the virus only affects the freshly dead. Upon checking the graves however, Wade finds that they've been freshly disturbed, which causes him to wonder if the virus has mutated. Suddenly they hear a branch snap, as well as the voices of the kids, who tell them that they heard a noise and, thinking it was a rabbit, went after it in order to surprise the two with breakfast, only for the girl to trip and "that's when they got us". The zombified kids then leap out of the shadows, tackling Radcliff and devouring him. In addition, several ancient zombies burst out of the graves, proving Deadpool's theory that the virus has mutated. Deadpool grabs Radcliff's machine gun and takes out the zombies, remarking to the kids that they kind of gave him hope for a while, that they were like family.

As the sun rises, Deadpool leaves the wood, with a noticeable wound on his forearm that heals regardless. Not long afterwards, he crosses the border into West Virginia, where he discovers a village on an island, with very well fortified barricades on the bridges and a large, healthy population of people. As Wade admires this unexpected find he is joined by a gaggle of woman of various ages. One of them (presumably the leader) says to Deadpool that they are travellers just like him, having come from "so far away" simply to lay eyes on this haven. Okay it's not simply that as the woman then all draw weapons out of their handbags, with their matriarch declaring that they are going to burn down the village and slaughter it's inhabitants, prompting a clearly annoyed Deadpool to ask "why does it always have to be nut-jobs?"

Thoughts:

Since he started writing these Deadpool miniseries, Cullen Bunn has excelled at providing both humorous and intriguing satire on the premise of each, to the point where some supposed shortcomings in the plot could very likely be part of that satire. That's very true with this latest issue of Deadpool zompocalypse action, and it's hard not to just take a "wait and see" stance on everything.

The fate of the human survivors Deadpool encountered at the end of #1 wasn't really that surprising, though it does come off as rather rushed since we don't spend enough time with them. Granted they're all zombie survivor archetypes, but that doesn't mean we can't get to know them as characters or see what they fully make of Deadpool. One of the things I do like about the group though is that Bunn makes Wade a competent leader of them, which is a nice subversion of what you'd expect from the character. He still makes fun of them, but you get the sense that he wants to keep these people safe (well, the kids anyway.).

The humour and zombie genre references are still prevalent and funny. I cracked up at Deadpool's reaction to the nut-jobs at the end, as well as his line about actually having to conserve bullets. There was also a funny nod to Archie Comics titular character as well as the montage of Deadpool and his band of survivors visiting locations reminiscent of zombie classics. My favourite was the reference to Shaun of the Dead.

Ramon Rosanas' art is on the same level as last ish, and by that I mean that it's very well detailed, sometimes gruesomely so. Two issues in and this is pretty good stuff, I'm very interested to see where this is all headed now that the darker elements of this premise are starting to set in...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Wolverine #2 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Wolverine #2, guest starring the Not-So-Superior Spider-Man.

Synopsis:

This issue opens several weeks before Logan's fatal shooting of Daily Bugle reporter Monkton, with Otto Octavius, the so-called "Superior Spider-Man", fighting several lackeys of the Goblin King. He's joined by Wolverine, still clad in his old costume. The two wind up getting in each others way however and Logan soon finds a gun in his face. Otto manages to save him after some taunting from the henchman. Logan, briefly shellshocked by how close he came to death just then, says he came to find "Spidey" so they could talk. Otto isn't interested and leaves before Wolverine can finish his sentence. 

Back in the present day, everyone is naturally quite surprised that Logan just shot an innocent man in the head, though he seems pretty non-plussed about it, saying that he couldn't let Monkton feed them to the wolves. An impressed Offer invites Logan into his office, where they talk about how Operation Sabretooth is going (you don't say?). Turns out that Sabretooth has taken over every organised crime network that isn't affiliated with the Green Goblin. Offer plans to start dealing with Sabretooth in order to avoid such a takeover, which is why he gave Logan a job in the first place, since Sabretooth is obsessed with him and will likely agree to Offer's terms simply to find out what Logan is up to. The Reflex was sprung from the space jail as an olive branch to Sabretooth, who the Reflex works for.

Back in the past, Wolverine follows SpOck, who has caught up to the Goblin's henchman. Otto presumes that Wolverine is there on behalf of the Avengers, but Wolvie reveals that he was benched by them, adding that he's thinking of quitting. This throws Ock's focus off for a moment, which allows another thug to point a gun at his head, though Logan quickly dives in and takes the guy out, repaying SpOck earlier.

As the remaining henchman retreat, Otto tells Wolverine that teams get in the way of people dealing with their own problems (uh...what?). Logan replies that he came to "Spidey" for information about Sabretooth, saying that the Goblin and Sabretooth must have cut some sort of deal. SpOck answers that the question is tiresome as it just means that Wolverine is going to go on a lone revenge mission and thump his head against the same wall. When Wolverine tries to argue against this, Otto snaps that he knows Logan better than he knows himself, in fact, everyone does (pity they don't know more about you, then we wouldn't have to listen to your condescending, egoistic drivel, you jumped-up old fart!). Wolverine however just wants the information to share with his teammates.

Meanwhile, in Alberta, Canada, a letter flutters through the breeze towards the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants, specifically at Kitty Pryde, who is sat with her dragon Lockheed by the window. She catches the letter, which is written by Storm to her, asking her to at least speak to Logan as he needs her. Cyclops approaches, asking what the letter is. Kitty responds that it's nothing she wants to deal with right now, before crumpling the letter into a ball.

While hoisting Wolverine up onto a rooftop via webline, "Spider-Man" tells him that being a superhero is like being mad, trying the same thing time after time expecting differing results (well if that's the case then why don't you just quit and make it easier for the lot of us!). He also says that Logan shouldn't expect things to change for himself unless he can change his context, his mode of working, otherwise he'll just wind up getting broken, perhaps fatally this time, if he goes after Sabretooth again.

Wolverine responds that a lot of people thought "Spidey" had gone through some sort of breakdown, though his senses assure him that it's the same man in there. He says that "Spidey's" new approach seems to have worked for him, that it's freed him (I expected better of you Logan!), prompting SpOck to ask if Logan now desires to return to a feral state, to live without rules, to be "superior" to the herd (ugh). Logan replies that he'd like to, but he's confined by who he's with, suggesting he find a new group of people who wouldn't keep looking to him to be something he can't. Otto seems to be more interested however in measuring Wolverine, sarcastically remarking that he should continue with his "fascinating self-examination" (it's better than listening to your textbook narcissism!)

 In the present, Wolverine gets into bed with Pinch, talking about how today was tough, but the right thing to do. He tells her that this is better than how messed up he got, that maybe today was him freeing himself from obligations and honour, and he's glad to be here with her, which he punctuates by kissing her.

Back in the past, Otto says that if he doesn't know of any links between Sabretooth & the Goblin, but if he hears anything, he'll keep it to himself. He does have one thing to say to Wolverine about hanging onto ones own self, to ones purpose, rather than falling into self-hatred and death wishes. To him the answer is simple, just don't fall (Oh the irony!), which he punctuates by throwing Wolverine off the roof...

Thoughts:

In my last review I talked about how I thought that Logan's supposed turnabout as a low-rent supervillain would eventually turn out to be an act. This issue neither debunks or confirms that theory, but there's enough here to justify each. Wolverine going undercover in order to get to Sabretooth would fit in with how the character operates, and Paul Cornell is just careful enough with Logan's dialogue so as to preserve that sense of ambiguity. The fact that Logan is in a relationship with Pinch (whose name I missed last issue, along with the rest of Logan's new team) potentially goes against him being undercover, though this could also be an act to gain their trust, and we still have yet to see what happened between him and Storm in-between the last volume and this. We are treated to a few small, but well handled moments of Logan still adjusting to his new mortal status, which reinforces how alien the concept of being fallible is to him. 

Cornell has a pretty consistent voice for Superior Spider-Man, who has many dickish things to say to Wolverine. Normally I would ask why Wolverine doesn't just punch the guy in the face, but anyone whose read #16 of Avenging Spider-Man will know the reason why, and that was when Logan actually had the use of his healing factor and claws. I do have to question Wolverine's acceptance of "Spidey's" new modus operandi though. There's such a rich history between the two and while they do bicker occasionally, there's an unspoken respect between them. They even became blood brothers in Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine (which by the way is a brilliant story). Like I said before though, Wolverine could just be pretending in order to make his going rogue look legitimate. Whatever the case, I'm interested to see how the inevitable team-up between Wolverine and the Amazing Spider-Man will play out when Peter returns in April. Whether he's being truthful about his feelings or not, It would be quite a shock to Logan to find out he'd been confiding in Doctor Octopus all this time.

Ryan Stegman is killing it on this book right now! This issue is packed full of gorgeous detail like the last and it's always cool to see Stegman draw Spider-Man. The colours by David Curiel are somewhat muted and blend together, which I feel highlights the murky place Logan seems to be in right now. I wouldn't say this was quite as fun an issue as the first, but it's certainly still a really good read, the art itself justifies that. Logan's supposed fall to the dark side is unfolding slowly, but effectively, and the next instalment will hopefully build on that with the inclusion of Jubilee, and in the event that it doesn't...well, there's also going to be a giant robot involved, and they make everything better (right?)...

Score: 3.5/5.0

Amazing X-Men #2 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here, and welcome to my really late review of Amazing X-Men #2.

Synopsis:

Pulled into the Bamfs' machine, Storm, Iceman & Firestar are transported in a place that looks very much like Hell and are almost immediately faced with a horde of demons and a ship belonging to the a group of Azazel's pirates, who are literally about to engage in a bloody battle. They fend off both sides despite Storm's powers not functioning, due to there being no weather here (though she's a dab hand with a mace), and Iceman struggling not to melt.

Elsewhere in the afterlife, Wolverine and Northstar are defending the locals from another of Azazel's ships. After being transported up to the ship in a net by a red Bamf, Logan rips free and clashes with Captain Jack (no, it's not Sparrow or Harkness), from whom they learn that Azazel is the one in charge. Jack also mentions Nightcrawler, telling Wolverine that he's dead and gone before backing him onto the plank. As Logan faces off with the captain, a voice begins speaking to him telepathically, telling him where he is and that Kurt is indeed here, but he's gone after his father. The voice turns out to belong to Professor X himself, which winds up distracting Logan, allowing Captain Jack to knock him off the plank and into the abyss, with Northstar tailing after him.

Back in Hell, along the banks of the rive Styx, Storm is holding her own against the demons when she's suddenly captured by the red Bamfs. She breaks free from the net, but is swiftly subdued by the captain, who appears to be a multi-armed Billy the Kid (from what he says anyway). He orders the crew members to lift anchor and leave so they can take their treasures back to Azazel. Iceman and Firestar meanwhile start to get overwhelmed by the demon hordes, which forces Iceman to pile on the cold and literally freeze Hell over. He collapses from exhaustion, leaving Firestar with the demons and the now-melting ice. As the ship leaves with Storm, Nightcrawler is shown to be observing it, cutlass in hand, accompanied by a cadre of blue Bamfs, telling them that the fun part comes now...

Thoughts:

Things progress nicely in this second instalment of The Quest For Nightcrawler. Jason Aaron uses this issue to ramp up the danger for the X-Men, especially for those trapped in what appears to be Hell, whilst keeping things at a breakneck pace and embracing the madness of the situation, as well as giving several X-Men notable badass moments. Storm in particular gets to show off her combat skills to great effect.

Plot-wise, this issue is a little lighter than the first, with the majority of the focus being on the X-Men's reaction to seemingly being in Heaven and Hell as well as the new enemies. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not this is the real deal, but this issue throws a curveball with the Professor X cameo, which was admittedly a little swift. Personally, I think Logan's reaction to seeing Xavier alive was too underplayed, but the scene certainly gives this heavenly plane some legitimacy.

Ed McGuinness' work is once again superbly detailed with great inks and colours from Dexter Vines and Marte Gracia respectively. Like I said before there are many badass moments from the X-Men here and McGuinness captures them brilliantly here, such as Iceman literally freezing hell over or Wolverine slicing his way out of a net. Overall this issue is slower in actual plot, but still energetic in it's pacing and a very enjoyable read...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Wolverine #1 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Wolverine #1. It seems like it was only last year when everyone's favourite Canadian mutant was relaunched in a new series...Oh wait.

Synopsis:

We open to Wolverine slashing his way through several robots, before one of them is suddenly blown up by a new ally with electric based powers. Logan yells that he could have been killed, but the guy points out that Wolverine's new armour could withstand a nuclear blast. They then rejoin their teammates, who are waiting nearby to break open a door. They do just that and proceed to lay the smackdown on the guards waiting behind, though not before Wolvie steals a smooch with the girl on the team (It's a good thing Storm isn't here, or that girl would be fried). Observing this in an unknown location in New York are Wolverine's new boss, the Offer, and a representative of Sabretooth. Apparently the Offer is so named because he makes the best possible deal to his clients, and is planning to grant Sabretooth's organisation the use of Wolverine. The team meanwhile have found what they were looking for, a cell containing a member of the Hand ninja, The Reflex. Logan breaks the door down, only to get hit in the chest by a laser from the security system guarding the ninja.

The story then flashes back five weeks ago to the Guernica Bar in New York, where Logan is drowning his sorrows with Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, who is trying to talk to him about the recent loss of his healing factor, as well as his humiliation at the hands of Sabretooth, though Logan dodges around her questions. Victoria Frankenstein then joins the conversation, remarking how everyone heard about what happened with Sabretooth, which only serves to fuel Logan's sadness. He leaves the bar soon after, with Storm asking that he do something address the fact that he's now mortal, to which Wolvie admits that he should probably look into some new training options. One such exercise involves the help of Black Widow, who assists Logan in re-acclimatising to the use of guns by making him practise on a Life Model Decoy of her (...Okay).

Back in the present, Wolverine is shown to be relatively unharmed by the laser thanks to his armour. His new crew help him to his feet and carry him to their getaway vehicle, a shuttle, before making their escape from the prison, which is also a space station (...Okay). As they activate their cloaking mechanism, Logan thanks his new friends for their help.

Sabretooth's representative meanwhile is getting quite jittery now that Wolverine is on his way back and attempts to leave, saying he's on a deadline. But Offer smells a rat and has his bodyguard, Heavy, restrain the man, who is actually a Daily Bugle reporter tracking Sabretooth. At this point Logan and his team arrive back from their mission. Offer tries to lead Wolvie away while the Hand ninja goes to "take care" of the reporter, but Logan susses what's going on and heads up to meet him. The reporter urges Logan to break out of whatever undercover operation or mind control he's under since he's about to be killed. Logan assures the man that Offer's men aren't going to kill him...right before he shoots the man in the head and adds "I am"...

Thoughts:

It's undeniable that the Marvel NOW! initiative has benefited the company extremely well since it launched in 2012, in fact it was quite helpful for me as I was just getting back into reading modern comics regularly, so it's not that surprising that they've decided to repeat this success a year later with All-New Marvel NOW!, with plenty of new titles like the Punisher, Black Widow, Moon Knight, All-New Invaders and of course, a new volume of Amazing Spider-Man (YIPPEE!!). It's bizarre then that Marvel feels the need to relaunch several series such as this one that only started last year. I understand that Wolverine has undergone a radical shift in status quo, but the same effect could easily have been achieved by a Point One issue, which would have made things less confusing.

Anyway, as it stands, this is a fabulous start to the new volume. Paul Cornell is doing a very good job exploring the notion of Wolverine operating without a healing factor, as well as the effect it has on both him and his loved ones personally. His new position as part of a minor super villain team is an effectively jarring shift from his being a school headmaster, especially after his murder of the reporter, though I doubt that Logan has really gone rogue. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in fact just acting as a sleeper agent to deal with this gang, and the reporter could just be an L.M.D since Logan would have access to them thanks to Black Widow (whose cameo here is very welcome). Wolvie's new teammates don't get an awful lot to do beyond showcasing their powers and hints of their personality, but hopefully they'll be fleshed out in future issues. I'm also really interested to see how the Offer is able to broker "the best possible deal" with his clients, as well as what kind of offer he made to Logan.

The art by Ryan Stegman is just amazing! Nearly every panel is a thing of beauty and Wolverine looks as badass as ever. I wasn't that sure of the new costume when I first saw it in previews (as I preferred the previous look), but it makes sense in the context of this ongoing story and Stegman sells it really well anyway. The inks and colours by Mark Morales and David Curiel respectively provide some excellent detail, which leaves this as one very good looking comic. While the issue numbering is a bit questionable, Paul Cornell and Ryan Stegman have nevertheless launched this new volume spectacularly, and I can't wait for the next instalment, especially as it guest stars a certain web-headed impostor...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Night of the Living Deadpool #1 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Night of the Living Deadpool #1.

Synopsis:

After falling into a chimichanga food coma (man I hate it when that happens), Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool awakens to find his favourite restaurant deserted. Hearing a scream of agony nearby, Deadpool decides to investigate, discovering a note from the owners telling him that he's been a loyal customer and that the doors were locked to keep him safe from the now dilapidated outside world.

After going through his recent memories (in which he fails to notice the obvious signs of a zombie outbreak), Wade is soon approached by someone, who turns out to be one of the undead with surprisingly refined diction. Deadpool disposes of him, but accidentally alerts a whole herd of zombies by shooting him with his pistol. The Merc with a Mouth begins racking up kill points, but he quickly becomes unsettled by the fact that the zombies maintain their human intelligence with no control over their body, eventually opting to flee. He merely bumps into more zombies however, and is left cornered.

Just as Deadpool is about to resume his "zombie killing spree" (anyone whose played Halo will understand that reference), a bunch of human survivors arrive in a truck and mow down several of the infected, giving Pool a chance to hop in and escape with them. Now on their way to "the safe zone", these people bring Wade up to speed with what's been going on. He asks about the other heroes, only to be told pretty bluntly that he's the only one left, punctuated as they drive past Captain America's bloodstained shield...

Thoughts:

There's not much to talk about here in terms of plot, as Cullen Bunn spends much of this issue setting up this post-apocalyptic world Deadpool finds himself in and the characters who populate it. It's all very well done, with a few little touches that render it just that little bit unique from standard zombie fare, and I'm certainly very interested to discover how exactly this particular plague was created. Since this series is following on from the multiversal insanity that was Deadpool Kills Deadpool, it's certainly possible that this is the work of Evil Deadpool and perhaps Deadpool has even been transported into the Marvel Zombies universe, though since that storyline was closed out in a recursive loop, it's not very likely.

This being a Deadpool comic, there are plenty of gags present, with many giving the zombie genre a good ribbing. The flashback sequence seemed rather reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead, and the reference to the genre's takeover of the video game industry was particularly amusing. Ramon Rosanna's art also contains a reference to Tony Moore's (who also drew the Dead Presidents arc for the new Deadpool ongoing) style on The Walking Dead, though Deadpool still appears bright red, perhaps to show how he represents the only colour that world has left (okay, now I'm getting too analytical). The pencils and inks are very polished and detailed, and the layouts are framed really well, not to mention that the undead look particularly decrepit here. As with his last awesome Deadpool project, Bunn has made a cracking good start and I'm sure that there's more to this simple premise than meets the eye...

Score: 4.0/5.0 

And just some food for thought, but wouldn't it be awesome if Capcom did a Dead Rising game with Deadpool as the main character (they are on good footing with Marvel nowadays)?...