Deadpool #4
Recap
BETRAYED! Lady Deathstrike cruelly betrays her recent partner-in-assassination Deadpool! Or wait… is it that Deadpool has casually betrayed his reluctant murder buddy Lady Deathstrike? It’s all gonna depend on whose version you believe—but either way, it’s time for bloody reprisal!
LEGACY #329
Review
Deadpool #4 picks up with The Harrower and Doc Oc attacking Deadpool and Valentine at the zoo. Valentine decides to test out the chemicals she’s been using on Deadpool, which unleashes the Carnage symbiote, but this time Deadpool can control it. Lady Deathstrike uses this time to jump into the fray in an attempt to kill Deadpool. Valentine pushes Deadpool out of the way of an attack from Doc Oc, losing her arm in the process, which leads to Harrower knocking the chemical pack off of Deadpool, causing the Carnage symbiote to go crazy. Carnage incapacitates Lady Deathstrike and he and Deadpool are captured. The issue concludes with Valentine forcibly recruiting Lady Deathstrike to go save Deadpool while Harrower completes her experiments, reviving Cletus Cassidy.
The comedy here continues to be very referential, with Deadpool calling back to pop culture quite a bit. This comedy hits 85% of the time, since not all of the references resonated with me. For a Deadpool title, I would consider that a win, as my generation is likely the target audience. I am very curious how this title reads for older or younger audiences that would likely have most of these jokes pass way over their heads. Either way, comedy is subjective and at the end of the day this issue left me laughing in more than one spot.
Martin Coccolo’s art continues to be absolutely glorious. The use of Harrower as a villain really suits Coccolo since it lets him go crazy on detailing these monstrously large plant creatures. Coccolo also does an amazing job drawing the Carnage symbiote, making it look just as menacing as ever. The colorist, Neeraj Menon also deserves a shoutout for the way he subtly differentiates Deadpool and Carnage. Usually having two red and black characters with white eyes can be a visual disaster, but Menon is able to subtly shift the kind of red he’s using, as well as the shading, in order to make these characters look very different. Overall, the art team here are top tier and truly stand out amongst the plethora of books that Marvel puts out each month.
I was quite surprised by the ending of this issue, as I did not expect Harrower to bring back Cletus. Carnage seems like a super malleable character when it comes to his continuity for a lot of creators, so it’s nice to see Alyssa Wong and team genuinely put some effort into bringing him back this time. The mystery behind Valentine also continues to grow here, with a page dedicated to a letter Sage writes, admitting that Valentine is a mutant; however, the Karakoan leaders have really no information on them, concluding that Valentine may just be an alias. This mystery will definitely play out through this title, but I hope that Valentine sticks around since they have such a good dynamic with Deadpool.
For anyone behind and curious if this series is worth checking out, just hear me out: Early on in this issue, Deadpool takes a momentary pause in his fight against Harrower and Doc Oc, to fist bump one of his extra Carnage symbiote arms. If that panel description alone didn’t sell you on this series, then I truly weep for your soul.
Final Thoughts
Deadpool #4 continues to be a delight, marrying comedy, action, and gorgeous art from beginning to end. The plot reveals here are super intriguing, setting up more mysterious to explore.
Deadpool #4: Don’t Mind Me… Just Fist Bumping My Symbiote Arm
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8.5/108.5/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10