Deadpool Kills Deadpool #2 Review

Galactuspool hungers...for chimichangas!!



Hello everybody. Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Deadpool Kills Deadpool #2.

Synopsis:

In an unnamed, dystopian reality, Dreadpool (the Deadpool from Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe & Deadpool Killustrated) addresses a huge crowd of other Deadpool's from various realities. He thanks them for supporting his "grand design", but informs them that there is a traitor in their midst who is feeding information to the "resistance". The traitor is revealed as Beard of Beespool (Seriously?), who is promptly killed by none other than Evil Deadpool!

Elsewhere, in the middle of multiversal space on board the Bea Arthur, The Watcher recounts the events of  Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe & Deadpool Killustrated to 616 Deadpool. He explains that Dreadpool came to the conclusion that he and all forms of Deadpool are the source of all reality since Deadpool is the only one to realise that the world is fictional, and therefore all forms of Deadpool must die. The conversation is interrupted by Pulp-Pool (he seems to like doing that) who warns everyone they're in for a rough landing.

The Bea Arthur crash lands in the middle of an amusement park, though no one is harmed. While disembarking, Deadpool talks to Lady D about how the Watcher "seems a little "fanboy" about us". Of course, the Watcher overhears them, responding that he was assigned to watch over the various incarnations of the Merc With the Mouth and developed an appreciation for all things Deadpool, which has led to him breaking his sacred Watchers oath of never interfering (which makes him practically useless to the team).

The group head inside a circus tent to rendezvous with the rest of the resistance, only to discover nearly all them dead. Kidpool pulls a sword from one of the bodies, knowing some of the Pool's can still heal. Unfortunately it's a booby trap, setting off a time-bomb. Deadpool, Lady D, Pulp-Pool and the Watcher only just escape before the bomb explodes, seemingly killing Kidpool. Deadpool and the gang are then confronted by Evil Deadpool, a Deadpool ridden with various mouths known as Cesspool and Deadpool versions of Wolverine, Deathlok and Spiral.

However, salvation is at hand in the form of Pandapool (yeah, you heard me right), who leaps to the rescue, utterly destroying Deathlok-Pool and allowing Deadpool and his team the chance to recoup and take on their alternaverse selves. During the battle, the Watcher is revealed as a double agent, since he can't decide which Deadpool he likes best. Deadpool is enraged by this and yells at him about it, stopping when he notices blood raining down.

Turns out that Wolviepool decapitated Pulp-Pool, turning him into a human fountain. An angry Deadpool attacks Evil Deadpool, swearing that he's going to kill him. E.D replies that he ready to die before he got here, revealing that this was a suicide mission. Looking up, Deadpool and the others bear witness to the coming of Galactuspool!...

Thoughts:

Wow, what utter madness! This issue cranks the insane-o-meter up to eleven and then breaks the lever so it's permanently stuck at eleven. Cullen Bunn really lets his imagination take hold when it comes to the various Deadpool's shown in this issue. I cracked up at the sight of Pandapool & Galactuspool and was pleasantly surprised at the reappearance of Evil Deadpool. The only criticism I have is why so many Deadpool's are on Dreadpool's side? Surely they don't all want reality to end? Hopefully this will be explained next issue.

The fact that there are now two warring factions of Deadpools means this series can fully live up to it's title, and it certainly does that here. While I kind of saw Pulp-Pool's death coming, the death of Kidpool was both surprising and kind of saddening, though I'm not sure we should count him out yet since we didn't actually see him die. The Watcher was also very funny, and his being a raging fanboy for all things Deadpool was given a plausible enough explanation (For a Deadpool comic anyway).

Salva Espin renders the sheer madness of this issue spectacularly. The designs for all the Deadpool's look brilliant and the action scenes just pop. Considering this series has a parental advisory, this issue is actually light on extreme violence, at least until the end. Overall this issue is very fun and I can't wait for the next part.

Score: 4.0/5.0

My Thoughts On the X-Force Movie & My Top 5 Choices For the Roster

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here.

 

So as if X-Men: Days of Future Past wasn't enough for us X-fans to get "x-cited" about, it seems that an X-Force film has been all but confirmed to be in development, with Kick Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow assigned to write the movie and Lauren Shuler Donner producing.

 

The way I see it, X-Force seems to be an attempt by 20th Century Fox to match what Marvel Studios are doing with next years Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel have been pushing the idea of Guardians being an anti-hero movie and, given the nature of several of the members in the comics, X-Force would certainly match up with that.

 

Just to clarify, I haven't read much X-Force apart from the first two arcs of Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force, and the more recent Cable & X-Force. I've enjoyed both (Uncanny a little more to be honest) and I'm certainly looking forward to this film. Though it's unlikely the studio will go this route, I think perhaps this should be a darker spin-off intended more for adults, especially since in Remender's X-Force the team is put together specifically to do what the X-Men cannot, like assassination for instance.

 

Moving onto the roster. Mark Millar, whose recently become the creative consultant on the X-Men films, has said that there will be five members on the team, which makes a Top 5 list all the more relevant in my opinion. The criteria for this list will be anti-hero. The heroes I have chosen have to have operated as either thieves or assassins in the comics, or at least be willing to kill.

As much as I love him, Wolverine won't be included on this list. Despite being a member of X-Force during Remender's run and Crag Kyle & Christopher Yost's before that, the big-screen version of the team needs to stand on it's own, separate from the other teams (until they decide to do another crossover film) and that means none of the main X-Men characters, which of course, includes Wolverine. Plus, Hugh Jackman recently announced that he's taking a break from acting. But anyway, enough chit-chat, let's start the list...

No. 5: Warpath

I know very little about Warpath save for rudimentary research via Wikipedia, but since he was a founding member of X-Force, along with his rather interesting Super-Soldier-like mutation, he'd be a pretty safe bet for an X-Force film. After all, every team needs the mostly serious strongman. He even carries twin knives like Drax the Destroyer, which is even funnier considering the comparison I just made to Guardians.

 

Despite my lack of familiarity with Warpath, that looks set to change since the character has been confirmed to appear in Days of Future Past. Considering the immense ensemble cast that movie already has, a new addition like Warpath is certainly questionable, or is it? Perhaps Warpath is there to set up the X-Force movie in a post-credits scene? Whether or not that's true, I'm pretty sure that we'll see Warpath in X-Force.

No. 4: Domino

 The X-Men franchise certainly isn't lacking when it comes to strong female characters, but Domino is probably the most synonymous with X-Force out of all of them. Assuming the plan is for a darker, grittier movie then Domino fits the bill since she has quite a tough exterior. She'd also function well as the sole woman on the team due to her flirtatious personality.

 

When it comes to casting Domino, I think Dredd's Lena Heady would be a good choice, I can certainly see a resemblance between the two and Headey could defintely bring the tough-as nails Domino to life. With Black Widow & Gamora setting the trend for tough and complex female characters, Domino is all the more likely to have a spot on X-Force.

No. 3: Gambit

I know what you're thinking. Yes, Gambit has never been a member of X-Force in the comics, but it's not exactly new for superhero movies to mix things up a little, Mystique was never an original X-Man, but that didn't stop First Class, and thank goodness. Gambit's dry, streetwise attitude would be a good match for the tone of X-Force. He could be like Captain Kirk in Star Trek, flirting constantly with Domino who'll wind up with someone else (I wonder who that could be?).

 

Casting wise, Taylor Kitsch gave a pretty good turn as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Let's face it, the performances were the best thing about that movie.) so it's only fair that he reprise his role here. What's that you say? Gambit can't be in this movie because Origins takes place in the seventies and eighties? Well there's two options to get around further convoluting this already jumbled timeline. Gambit could be recruited from that period and then brought to the present via time travel, or we could take another step towards retconning Origins out of existence and just say Gambit's in the present. How could Gambit time travel to the present you ask? Well, maybe with a little help from...

No. 2: Cable

Let's face it, Cable is a stalwart of X-Force, as well as a fan favourite. It would be a huge surprise if he didn't have a starring role in the film. I mentioned before that Warpath could be in Days of Future Past to set up X-Force in a post credits scene, and if that's true then Cable will likely appear too. It's a logical step to introduce a character like Nate Summers after the time travel shenanigans in Days.

 

Since X-Force is likely to be an anti-hero film, morality would be a good theme for the movie. Cable would definitely be at the centre of that, especially if the plot involved him travelling back in time with the intention of killing someone in order to change the future. Also, the more enigmatic Cable is, the better. The team could question whether or not he can be trusted which would add a nice layer of tension to the proceedings. Obviously some of Cable's backstory would need to be layed out as the film progresses, though if they do still have him as Cyclops' son, then they should probably leave that out until Scott returns to life in the X-films.

 

Avatar's Stephen Lang has expressed interest in playing Cable, and while I think he looks the part and would give a good performance, I doubt he'll be cast since the producers will want an actor who'll be able to commit to playing Nate for multiple movies. Personally, I think Josh Brolin would be a good pick for Cable. He also looks and sounds the part. Regardless of whose cast, Cable needs that "man of few words" personality to remain intact. It's one of many reasons the character has such a cult following.

 

Honourable Mention: X-23

If I could pick any other woman to join X-Force, then this would be the one. It would be great to see X-23 on this team, but since she hasn't been properly established in the X-Men "movie-verse" it would be highly unlikely if she appeared and that's why she just misses out on the top five. Perhaps she could be in the sequel, assuming she's set up in the next X-Men or Wolverine film.

 

Since she's a clone of Wolverine, the ideal actress to play X-23 would have to be someone who can accurately portray an aggressive, and sometimes feral, character. The producers would likely cast an unknown actress in the role, but just in case they think otherwise, I reckon Chloe Grace Moretz would be a good choice down the line...

No. 1: Deadpool

Now some X-Force fans might be annoyed that I'm ranking Deadpool above Cable, but as a Deadpool fan, I had to put him top of the list. Deadpool is closely tied to X-Force, he first appeared in an issue of the series as an antagonist and later joined the Uncanny X-Force iteration of the team, with Remender giving us a more toned down Deadpool who was still very funny. He deserves to be here as much as Cable does, some of the film's focus could be on the dynamic between the two, as a nod to the Cable & Deadpool series. The fans would certainly eat that up.

This would also be a great way to set up the Deadpool film that Fox keep throwing around but never seems to actually get greenlit. Remender's Deadpool would be a good decision for this movie from a storytelling perspective. If Wade was constantly breaking the fourth wall during the movie, viewers wouldn't be able to take it seriously.
 

Ryan Reynolds would have to return as the Merc with a Mouth. Considering that he's been attached to the Deadpool movie for over four years now, it's pretty safe to say he's dedicated to the role, and it would be nice to see him play the actual Deadpool this time. He's got the right kind of voice and energy for the character, and as long as Wadlow feeds him some funny gags, I'm confident he'll prove to be a show stealer.

 

Co-creator Rob Liefield has said that Cable & Deadpool WILL be in the X-Force movie, and given the popularity of the two, there isn't much reason to argue otherwise. I just hope Deadpool in particular is done right. The last thing we all want is a repeat of Baraka-Pool!

New Comic Book Review Uploaded!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here.

Well after an unintentional break from Youtube, I've finally got a new video up, another Comic Book Review to be precise, and with The Wolverine now in theaters, what better comic to review than the classic 1982 mini-series by Chris Claremont & Frank Miller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVCCb3VKR3Y
Hope you all enjoy the video and please subscribe if you'd like to see more :)...

Superior Spider-Man #14 Review

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here & welcome to my review of Superior Spider-Man #14. Yeah there's been a bit of a break here, but I'll be putting out a video review of the three story arcs of Superior that I haven't reviewed on my Youtube channel either this week or the next, along with a review of the Claremont/Miller Wolverine series to tie in with the release of The Wolverine.

Synopsis:

In Hell's Kitchen, a father narrates that his son is afraid to sleep at night because they live in the shadow of Shadowland, property of Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. The father is frustrated that no one is doing anything about Shadowland, when, as if on cue, the "Superior Spider-Man" arrives, complete with "Arach-Nauts", a small army of "Spiderling" minions & around 300 Spider-Bots, to commit "regicide".

Otto and his Spiderlings cut through the Hand ninja like a knife through warm butter, which convinces Kingpin & the Hobgoblin to fall back. Otto is forced to take a call from Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, who is disgusted that "Spider-Man" is attempting to blow up a building in "his city". However Octavius reminds Jameson of the conversation they had in the previous issue. Jameson protests, saying that lives will be lost, but Otto states the only bodies that will be found in the rubble of Shadowland will be those of Fisk and the Hobgoblin, deliberately leaving the last part of the exchange open to Fisk's security feed so as to intimidate the Kingpin.

Inside the castle, the Kingpin realises that, despite the voice being the same, this is not the Spider-Man he knows. This is one who will kill them if given the chance. He retreats underground with the Hobgoblin, revealing an obese man named Smedley Korfield watching television and stuffing his face. Fisk breaks Smedley's neck and tells Hobgoblin that Mr Kornfield's body has been modified to mimic his own DNA, which, along with cosmetically altered dental appliances, will allow the Kingpin to convincingly fake his death. He then activates the self-destruct sequence, escaping in a one-man sub and leaving Hobgoblin to die.

Ol' Phil is smarter than he looks however, and manages to escape the castle before it collapses. He thinks he's gotten away, only to scream when he realises one of the Spider-Bots has spotted him (what a sissy.). But lo and behold, the drone doesn't alert Otto, instead enacting "goblin protocol" and sparing Hobby, who takes the opportunity to flee.

With Shadowland now reduced to rubble, "Spider-Man" is thanked by the grateful residents of Hell's Kitchen, including the father & son from earlier. All the while, Jameson is fuming that SpOck has him completely under his thumb.

The father leaves for work a short while later, leaving his son with a neighbour. As he walks away, his narration resumes, saying that he believes his son will be safe because "Spider-Man" is watching over them all. Little does he know, new dealers are emerging on the streets, invisible to the Spider-Bot's sensors because of a little goblin tattoo.

Underground, in the sewers, or the "Goblin Underground" as they are now calling it, the Goblin King's henchman welcome the several members of the Hand ninja, who feel disgraced for retreating from battle. They join the rest of the small army building underneath New York as the Goblin King himself makes an announcement that, in having taken over several of the Kingpin's operations, they have now passed the tipping point. 52% of crime in the city is under their control. The Goblin cackles, declaring that New York is his...and he did it without lifting a finger...

Thoughts:

This issue was surprisingly fast. I was expecting more of a complex take down of Shadowland that perhaps might even fail, not an all-out assault by Doc Ock that actually succeeds! Like the decision to kill off Massacre, I'm glad that Slott was allowed to make this story decision and we're left with an interesting ending to this issue with the Goblin King making a surprise appearance as his power grows. It's good that he's making regular appearances and contributing to the plot rather than just standing around in the background letting us know he's there, like Cygor from the Spawn comics.

The "Superior Spider-Man's" new costume definitely reflects Otto's personality and I like the addition of the spider legs and the black lenses. Perhaps this is a metaphor for how Otto is twisting the image of Spider-Man to match his own warped personality? The art by Humberto Ramos is pretty good here since most of this issue is utter chaos and that's something Ramos' style is very much suited to. I will say that the pace was maybe a little too fast, but overall this was a good issue, though after the previous arcs, I'm more than wary of the next instalment...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Top 5 Characters I Want to See in Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS

 

Hello everybody. Super Smash Bros is arguably my favourite video game series. The frantic, yet polished style of the gameplay, along with the huge roster of excellent characters have kept me playing for hours. So now that the new Super Smash Bros has been fully unveiled for the Wii U & 3DS, I thought I'd do a list comprising the top five characters that I would like to see join Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS.

No. 5: Waluigi:

We have the Mario Bros, so why not have the Wario Bros as well? Walugi is the only major Mario character who has yet to appear fully in the Smash Bros series (he was previously an assist trophy in Brawl, in fact he's one of two characters on this list who've previously been assist trophies), and quite a few fans have been clamouring to see him made playable. Waluigi could certainly be made to fit in amongst the other character without just being a clone of Wario, though they should both be animated similarly.

Since Waluigi has appeared almost exclusively in the sport-themed games of the Mario franchise such as Mario Tennis, Mario Kart & Mario Golf, his moveset would have to include one or two sporty moves. His regular B move could be hitting a tennis ball at the other players, which he could even charge up for a while like Donkey Kong & Samus. His down-B move would have to be his stomp move from his Assist Trophy appearance. It'd be similar to Donkey Kong's ground pound, but weaker.

As for the Final Smash, since his first appearance was in Mario Tennis, Waluigi's super move would likely be tennis-themed. Maybe he could serve a flurry of fiery tennis balls with his racket and you could control the trajectory of where he launches them?

No. 4: Mewtwo (Pokemon)

Now I realise that Mewtwo wouldn't be a new character since he was a playable character in Melee, but I don't think I'm alone when I say that it was disappointing to see him cut from Brawl & replaced by Lucario (who was only there to tie in with the then-current Pokemon movie). I do think it's likely that Mewtwo will return as he's set to appear in the latest Pokemon film and he's also receiving a new form for Pokemon X & Y, which will also feature in the movie.

Mewtwo's moveset wouldn't need to be altered since Lucario will likely be cut and his new form could either serve as his Final Smash or as an entirely new character who Mewtwo could transform into, perhaps with his Final Smash, and vice versa, similar to Zero Suit Samus & Sheik. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that Mewtwo is one of the most iconic Pokemon in the series and he fully deserves his return to Smash Bros.

No. 3: Ray Mk III (Custom Robo)

The way I see it, Ray Mk III is an ideal combatant for Smash Bros since the Custom Robo series is built mostly around combat (albeit in 3D arenas). Ray also fits in well with the established roster with his bright colour palette and would make a great rival for Megaman since they look very similar. The series boasts a wide array of weaponry to customise your character with, but it's likely that Ray's weapons would be the ones featured on the box art and promotional material, though their functions could be altered anyway like in Super Smash Bros Brawl, and they could always throw in another robo with different weapons. The dash attack would make for a good side-B move and Ray should also be able to air-dash as part of his jumping ability.

As for the Final Smash, the Soulboost would be a pretty obvious choice since it renders Ray and the other robos near invulnerable, and since the robo becomes dirty and therefore more susceptible to damage, it would be a good way of keeping the character from being overpowered. Custom Robo Arena is one of my favourite games on the original DS and in my opinion, Ray couldn't be a better candidate for Smash Bros if he tried.

No. 2: Krystal (Star Fox)

While it was cool seeing the trio of Fox, Falco & Wolf in Brawl, let's face some facts here. The latter two characters were straight up clones of Fox with a model swap and some altered special moves. It's fine having a couple of clone characters here and there (I also have a sneaking suspicion that Falco will return for the fourth game), but I do think it was maybe a step too far with the Star Fox characters and that's why I think Wolf is likely to be cut from Smash 4.

With Krystal however, the developers can create a character with a unique move set. In Star Fox Adventures, Fox uses Krystal's staff throughout the game for combat and puzzle solving. The obvious thing to do would be to have Krystal use the staff. The powers it has are actually a good fit for a Smash Bros game. The Fire projectiles could be the standard B move, the Ice beam the side-B move, the Ground quake the down-B move and the flight boosts the up-B move. As for the final Smash, while Krystal could have an Arwing or a Landmaster similar to Fox and Falco (I have a feeling one of them will get the Arwing) It would perhaps be better to give her a brand new move that we haven't seen before, like Luigi has with the Negative Zone. With all of the unique skills I've listed, I'll be really surprised if Krystal doesn't show up in the next Smash Bros.

Honourable Mention: Rayman

With Megaman confirmed and Sonic the Hedgehog & Solid Snake likely to follow, there's little chance that Rayman will appear in this generation of Smash, which is why he's my honourable mention only. I'm a huge Rayman fan, much of my time with the Gamecube was spent playing Rayman 3 (which was also the first ever game I played on the Gamecube) and Rayman Origins was not only an awesome platformer, but it made up immensely for Rayman getting shafted by those pesky Raving Rabbids for several years.

Rayman would definitely fit in with the likes of Mario, Sonic (let's face it, it would be a shock if Sonic didn't come back for this game), Megaman & co since he has a unique, but cartoonish look. His abilities are actually a great fit for Smash Bros, like his floating fists that he charge up and fling almost like projectiles, and his helicopter hair, which would be an obvious choice for the recovery move. Rayman could even use the Raving Rabbids as his Final Smash. Either that or they could appear as an Assist Trophy, though you'd have to be able to beat them up!

No 1: Mii

Not only is this the character I want to see the most in Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS, but it's also the one I see as being the most likely. The games director, Sakuri, has stated that he'd like to bring a more personal experience to the Smash Bros series with the latest instalment. Well there's hardly a better way to make it more personal than to let you play as yourself, or at the very least, a character that you have designed personally. You can already play as the Mii in Mario Kart Wii, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, Animal Crossing: City Folk & the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, so the character making the jump to Super Smash Bros is not a question of if, but when, and I think that it's now.

The Mii's moveset could be taken from the various games they've starred in, such as Wii Sports, Wii Fit, & Wii Party, though most likely Wii Sports as that features a lot of sporting equipment which could easily be adapted for a fighting game. Or maybe you could customise the Mii's moves with the powers of other characters? And as for the Final Smash? Mii Parade is my answer to that. Imagine Mario & Mega Man being trampled by a stampede of randomly generated Mii's, with a sped-up version of the Mii Channel music, it would be hilarious.


Well thanks for reading everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the list and, like me, are looking forward to Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS. I'll see you all soon...



Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1 Review *Updated*

*Update* After reading #2, I've realised that I wrongly identified the all-black Deadpool seen in this issue as Dreadpool (the Deadpool from Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe). Since explaining this in the review of #2 would be rather awkward, I thought I'd update this review instead. I'll now refer to the all-black Deadpool as "Gimp-Pool" since Deadpool jokingly referred to him as a gimp. Also, Since I haven't read Deadpool Pulp, I didn't realise that the Deadpool who I said looked like Iron Fist is the Deadpool from that universe. Sorry for the mix-ups and I hope you enjoy the updated review...

 

Hello Everybody & welcome to my review of Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1. Prepare to see the word "pool" a lot!

Synopsis:

In a messy, dilapidated kitchen. Headpool (the disembodied head of the Deadpool from the Marvel Zombies universe) is placed into a microwave by Gimp-Pool (who...looks like a gimp). Headpool assumes that this is some sort of sick joke (this is Deadpool we're talking about) until Gimp-Pool activates the microwave and watches as Headpool and eventually explodes inside it. His work done, Gimp-Pool teleports out of the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the 616 universe, Deadpool (the one who has his own series) is fighting Ultimatum in New York City, partly in a bid to impress either the Avengers or the X-Men. Naturally the goons are no match for Deadpool, but the giant robot is considerably more challenging. Thankfully, a ship with the Deadpool logo on it's front smashes into the robot, destroying it. Wade recognises the ship as the Bea Arthur, which belongs to the Deadpool Corps. Reuniting with Lady Deadpool, Dogpool & Kidpool (as well as a WWII-style Deadpool & Deadpool from Deadpool Pulp.), Deadpool is told by Lady Deadpool that they have all been targeted. She doesn't have time to explain as they need to go.

Deadpool protests however, saying he wants to stay and take the credit for defeating Ultimatum when the Avengers or someone else shows up. Kidpool bluntly tells him that the Avengers aren't going to give him a medal or anything. Deadpool already knows that, but he still feels sad about it. WWII-Pool begins to give him a cheesy pep talk, but is cut off when he is struck by an energy beam that also kills him. Gimp-Pool has arrived, armed to the teeth!

He fires at Deadpool, who dodges and strikes back, damaging the glider and causing Gimp-Pool to crash. Deadpool prepares to attack with his sword, but Gimp-Pool quickly "bodyslides" out of harms way. Deadpool is then impaled by Gimp-Pool's chainsaw-sword (somebody likes Gears of War). Gimp-Pool is about to kill his mainstream counterpart when Dogpool intervenes. Unfortunately, Gimp-Pool is quicker than Dogpool and fires his huge gun at Dogpool, killing him.

While Kidpool mourns Dogpool's death, Deadpool call Gimp-Pool an ass for killing the dog and uses the teleporter to "bodyslide" Gimp-Pool in two, after which Deadpool picks up the huge gun and shoots the remaining half, theorising that it's some sort of anti-regeneration ray. Lady Deadpool repeats that they have to go, warning Deadpool "there will be others".

Onboard the Bea Arthur, Deadpool tries and fails to comfort Kidpool over Dogpool's death, eventually resorting to "are you gonna be all right?" Pulp-Pool interjects that none of them are going to be alright if they don't do something, saying that all the Deadpool's in the last dozen realities they visited had been murdered. Deadpool finally loses his patience and asks that someone tell hims what's going on. At that moment, A Watcher appears to answer him. He tells Wade that "the
crusade to obliterate existence has begun...and Deadpool is the progenitor of all things!"...

Thoughts:

Despite not reading or very much caring about the previous two entries in the "Deadpool Killogy", I couldn't resist the idea of an epic, multiversal adventure starring Deadpool & his many different incarnations, especially if Cullen Bunn is on hand to provide the story.

This first part can be summed up in two words, grotesquely fun. There's a lot of violent scenes that more than earn this title a Parental Advisory warning, but what's great is that they aren't always used for comedy. These scenes show just how dangerous Gimp-Pool is to his dimensional counterparts, and the fact that they're mostly played straight made him all the more intimidating, even if the character was a little over-the-top evil. Speaking of Gimp-Pool, I couldn't help but be reminded of Rorscasch from Watchmen every time he said "Hrr".

This issue features the welcome return of the Deadpool Corps, who, despite losing three of their members, look set to bolster their ranks over the course of this mini-series. The dynamic between the team is as surreal and funny as it was in the DP Corps series, to the point where there is some small feeling of sadness when Headpool & Dogpool bite the dust. The 616 Deadpool gets the biggest laughs of the issue, my personal favourite being his first line to Gimp-Pool.

Salva Espin draws this issue very well. The fight scenes, violent imagery and the varying Deadpool's are rendered brilliantly by Espin's pencils. The colours by Veronica Gandini are vibrant and bright, adding to the insanity of this story.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this opening issue and (now being something of a Cullen Bunn fan thanks to his work on Venom) I'm eagerly anticipating the next instalment. Go Deadpool Corps!

Score: 4.0/5.0

Doctor Who Series 7: The Name of the Doctor Review

Full spoilers for the episode follow. 

Hello everybody & welcome to my review of the finale to Series 7: Part 2 of Doctor Who. The Name of the Doctor.

There's been a lot building up to this episode. There's been the mystery surrounding Clara Oswald,  the Great Intelligence, the planet Trenzalore and of course The Name of the Doctor. It's thankful then that Stephen Moffat has managed to deliver a brilliant (though not entirely perfect) episode that has left me even more excited for the 50th anniversary special.

The plot of the episode is very compelling, and despite the initially smaller scope when compared to previous series, there's an epic nature throughout, especially in the last act when things escalate considerably. There's also an element of sadness throughout, as the Doctor is forced to visit his future grave on Trenzalore in order to save his friends. Matt Smith really nails the emotional moments in this episode (& there are a lot of those by the way), and the almost weary tone in his voice is a nice touch to the performance. Matt has really come into his own as the character during this series now that he has more serious material to dig into & his chemistry with Jenna-Louise Coleman has been very fun to watch. Coleman also nail's the emotional material as Clara Oswald. Clara has quickly become one of my favourite companions since the series re-launched, right up there with Rose Tyler. She's given a great moment in the third act where she chooses to sacrifice herself to save the Doctor, which gives Moffat the opportunity for a hell of a lot of fan-service.

 The supporting cast across the board deliver in spades. Dan Starkey as Strax gets some of the episodes biggest laughs, the best being the gag of him wrestling Scotsmen in Glasgow during his day off, that one had me laughing. Neve McIntosh & Catrin Stewart are also very good and they handle the more dramatic material they are given with ease. I also really liked the "conference call" scene, which took place in a communal dreamstate (that's the kind of writing I like to see from Moffat). Alex Kingston is brilliant in what looks to be her final appearance as River Song (though there's always the chance that Moffat might use a younger version of her later on). I've had a mixed opinion on River over the past series, the character became quite annoying from Series 5 onward, particularly after the shock reveal in A Good Man Goes to War (this isn't a criticism of Kingston's acting, it's just the dialogue the character was given and her sketchy characterisation), but here, since this takes place after Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead from River's perspective, the character is better handled by Moffat's script and is given the send-off she deserves.

The Great Intelligence returns as the primary villain (which wasn't exactly a surprise given his cameo in The Bells of Saint John) and while he is a very sinister presence, his new minions, the Whispermen, don't do very much in the episode other than kidnap the Doctor's friends and attempt to stop their hearts in a later scene. Richard E. Grant however gives a very creepy performance as the G.I. His plan to enter the Doctor's "grave", which in this case is a column of energy set inside a wrecked future-TARDIS (which is also gigantic as a result of the bigger-on-the-inside leaking out) to undo the Doctor's past is diabolical, although his line about wanting vengeance kind of irritated me. The only problem with this villain plot is that it's impact is diminished because the Great Intelligence hasn't been enough of a presence in the series to warrant this kind of line. He appeared twice during Patrick Troughton's run on the series and has only appeared as the main villain once before. Maybe if we'd gotten a line that indicated that the G.I was previously affiliated with the Silence perhaps?

 The Great Intelligence's plan provides an excuse for some classic Doctor action, as we see flashes of all the classic series Doctor's with Clara & the G.I. Now at times this looks really seamless, especially
during the awesome pre-credits scene where Clara meets the First Doctor himself, William Hartnell, stealing the TARDIS from Galifrey. Other times though, it's pretty obvious that Jenna & Richard have been superimposed into the archive footage from the classic, but I dug the novelty too much to care.

Clara's sacrifice at the end provides a great explanation for how she has met the Doctor and died several times, in fact it's enhanced by the classic Doctor appearances. One of the best things about this episode (and in the case of the recent series, original) is that the Doctor actually repays Clara for her sacrifice and saves her, going so far as risking his own timestream collapsing in on itself to do so. The big reveal at the end and the surprise appearance from John Hurt (I got chills when I heard his voice) was masterfully handled and the line delivery from Hurt & Matt Smith was pitch perfect. I'm interested to see how Stephen Moffat explains this "secret incarnation" of the Doctor

The production aspects of this episode are blockbuster standard. Trenzalore is dark, gloomy and morbid, the same applies to the vegetation-ridden future-TARDIS (which reminded me a little bit of Portal 2). The direction from Saul Metztein was superb, he's quickly becoming one of my favourite directors on the show. There are plenty of awesome money shots here. The ending scenes set inside the Doctor's timestream are rushed in some places though. The Doctor Clara reunion was swept aside a little too quickly in favour of the big reveal. This was a truly fantastic episode, a fabulous return to form for Stephen Moffat and a fitting end to the current series. Now we just have to wait 6 whole months for the 50th. Right now I wish I had a TARDIS of my own...

Score: 4.5/5.0