Deadpool #8: This Is A Team Book Now?!? (Marvel Comics)

RECAP

CAN’T A MERC GET A BREAK? Deadpool is once again fighting for his life when all he wants to do is retire, have a nice time with his daughter and be completely cured of his cancer—is that too much to ask? Maybe not…

CREATIVE TEAM & COMIC INFO

Author: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Luigi Zagaria
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Genre: Action, Comedy, LGBTQ, Superhero
Published Date: 06/28/2023

REVIEW

In the continuing adventures of Deadpool, he wakes up to find himself with Ellie at home, his skin back to normal, and having breakfast with the “Fabulous Five”: Cable, Domino, Wolverine, and Spider-Man. Wade can sense something is wrong but isn’t quite sure what… until he realizes that Valentine is missing…

Writing

Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Iron Fist) continues to write a fun and dynamic story about Deadpool that balances humor, action, and drama. There’s plenty of fighting and gun violence in this issue (albeit not graphic) for those who love action sequences. The drama of Wade Wilson having a daughter and wanting to take care of her is enough to create an exciting twist in the story and his meeting the “Fabulous Five.” The humor either sticks the landing or misses the mark, however. There were some great, humorous scenes (for example, how he tricked Wolverine into thinking he’s hurt), but some lines seem even too corny for any version of Deadpool (such as the diet soda line). But in the end, the humor stuck the landing more times than missed, and the ones that stick will have you laughing out loud. And one appreciates any time the writer has Deadpool breaking the 4th wall, which he does when he asks if this book is about a superhero team.

Artwork

The artwork in this issue is done very well. Luigi Zagaria (Midnight Sons, The Amazing Spider-Man, Miles Morales: Spider-Man) does some wonderful illustrations, framework, and sequencing that draws you in on the moment and the action that also captures the spirit of Deadpool. There are times when body parts seem to look a little off when they’re the panel’s focus, but it doesn’t detract from enjoying the issue. The colors by Matt Milla (The Amazing Spider-Man, X-Factor, Daredevil) elevated the artwork with their use of color palette, shading, and lighting to the point that you can really feel where the light is coming from and notice how the shadows affect the colors on a person or object. There were a few panels that had a simple color background. That would have been nice to see a little more detail or style to them instead of flat color, but overall the coloring was beautiful in this issue. And the lettering by Joe Sabino (Thor, Thunderbolts, Black Panther) was an incredible highlight in the issue. The lettering on Deadpool’s infamous “let me tell you in great detail” scene was brilliant, and the visual and sound effects were superb, especially the explosion where it uses the shattered wooden pieces to spell out “KABOOM!!!”

Cover Art

The main cover art is drawn by Martin Coccolo and colored by Neeraj Menon. There’s so much to highlight about this cover and how much thought was put into this. The illustrations of the knives foreshadow a particular character appearing in the issue. If you look closely, you can see another foreshadowing element if you look close enough (not sharing here, however, to avoid spoilers).

David Lopez created the variant cover. This is a hilarious take on the story, highlighting Deadpool with his previous Venom dog, “Princess,” while looking up ominously at an overshadowing figure, looking like he’s scared out of his mind. Each of these covers is definitely worth getting.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The creative team here does a fantastic job of continuing the essence of Deadpool in new and challenging ways. Though there were a few moments that may have been cringe-worthy, the issue overall is a hit.