Deadpool #10: A Conspiracy on Behalf of Big Goo

“Well that didn’t last long, did it?”

This line in the brief summary at the beginning of Deadpool #10 is a reference to the Merc with a Mouth not really wanting to deal with any more deadly black goo following his lovely trip into the Bone Beast Realm with Elsa Bloodstone, but it has another meaning too. It appears that this run of Deadpool with Kelly Thompson at the helm as writer and quite a few spectacular artists like Chris Bachalo and Gerardo Sandoval has reached its conclusion in issue #10.

And well, that didn’t last long.

It’s an unfortunate reality of the comics industry, runs come and go no matter how beloved by fans. This was made clear on the last one featuring Deadpool as the Skottie Young and Nic Klein run came to an end with issue #15 in 2019. While I thought this new run would last longer than what came before, with some on-the-nose dialogue and the all-too-telling final page in Deadpool #10, it’s easy to see that change is once more on the horizon.

Kelly Thompson and company have done a lot for the character in this series, redefining his role in the Marvel Universe as the King of Monsters and giving him a new love interest with Elsa Bloodstone. It’s the type of foundation that should be the catalyst for many issues to come, so I’ll just come out and say that it is ending too soon. The fact that the series comes to a close with a tie-in issue to the King in Black event happening at Marvel is just a bit of cruel irony. The Marvel machine keeps rolling and a series with so much potential is cut short, going out with a fizzle, lost to another lineup-wide event.

Luckily Deadpool #10 is an issue that is a ton of fun. Thompson’s dialogue has found its footing with the character and it shows here arguably more than ever. The meta commentary and fourth wall breaking are spot on and the humor is just right. Sandoval, Nava and Sotomayer pull off some stunning visuals, making use of the seemingly obligatory tie-in event as best as possible. The King of Monsters, with an island full of monsters, taking on the deadly black goo this time of the Venom-led event makes for an undeniably entertaining story. Plus Sabino nails the lettering, making all the humor and sometimes long winded explanations land perfectly. Deadpool #10 shows just how much fun you can have with the quirky and unpredictable character, using a one-shot style format to tell a story that is more entertaining than it ever really needed to be.

It’s an issue that should be a short break before returning to regular programming, but it seems for now that this is the last from this creative team. Far from the last Deadpool issue as Marvel is sure to announce a new run any day now. But two series in a row failing to even make it to issue #20 for such a widely popular character is a trend that is difficult to get behind. Deadpool #10 is a great example of the strength of execution and wealth of ideas that this creative team brought to the character during their run.

Fans of the King in Black event are sure to have fun with the issue though it might not be particularly enlightening for the overarching narrative. It’s a strong story with all the right humor you’ve come to expect from Deadpool. Thompson, Sandoval and the rest of the creative team delivered an exceptional book in Deadpool #10 and despite the context of its release, it is certainly one that any fan of the Merc with a Mouth will enjoy reading.