|
THE CREATORS: Frank Tieri
writes Deadpool #62 and co-writes issues #63-64 with
Buddy Scalera. Georges Jeanty pencils issues #62 and
#63, and Jim Calafiore pencils issue #64, with assorted
inkers. After that, it's Gail Simone writing and the
Udon Studios team on art from Deadpool #65 up.
THE FILL-IN ARTIST COUNT:
One - Jim Calafiore on issue #64.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2002:
Parts 2 to 4 of "Funeral for a Freak"; the five-part "Healing
Factor" storyline, leading into the relaunch as Agent X;
and the six-part "Dead Man's Switch" arc.
 First up is a title which has
gone from borderline intolerable to being one of the books I
look forward to most each month. And to think, all it
took is changing the creative team.
As 2002 started, Deadpool
was embroiled in the frankly terrible Funeral for a Freak
storyline. The high concept was that Deadpool had died,
and come back to life only to find that four versions of him
were wandering around New York, representing different sides
of his personality. Basically, it was a parody of DC's
"Reign of the Supermen" crossover, because god knows if
there's one thing the world was crying out for, it was a
pastiche of a mediocre storyline from 1993.
A weak idea to start with,
Funeral for a Freak compounded its woes by having no real
point to make, featuring a parody of Jackass that
strongly suggested the creators had never actually seen the
show, and a final chapter where the plot was literally
incomprehensible. Despite having solid artists in the
form of Georges Jeanty and Jim Calafiore, the storyline was
nonetheless diabolical.
Fortunately, things picked up
enormously with Gail Simone and Udon's run. Thanks to
the occasional extra issue along the way, we've actually had
twelve issues from them this year, and very entertaining they
were too. Simone came to Deadpool with a
reputation as a comedy writer, having worked for Bongo and
written the (still unfinished, as far as I can tell) Killer
Princesses miniseries for Oni. Deadpool - and
subsequently Agent X - did indeed settle into a niche
as the comedy title in the X-books roster, but Simone has
demonstrated an ability to balance the jokes against plot and
characterisation.
 Nonetheless, it's the jokes that
tend to stick in the mind most about this book - you just have
to love a comic that takes the Rhino and turns him, literally,
into a keyring.
The artwork from Udon Studios
perhaps verges on the bland at times, and they never seemed to
quite get the hang of Deadpool's skin condition. But
they're good solid storytellers, with a neat sense of comic
timing, and overall they complemented Simone's stories well.
The relaunch as Agent X
seemed like an odd idea given that Simone was only just
getting into her stride with the character, and thus far the
series still hasn't entirely answered the question of whether
Agent X really is the same character as Deadpool. The
story seems to be hinting at an answer a little more complex
than yes or no. Still, Simone has made a good job of the
relaunch, quickly establishing a strong supporting cast and a
promising direction for the series.
The catch, of course, is that
Simone and Udon have only got one issue to go. The
announced replacement writer is Buddy Scalera co-writer of
last January's disaster, which does little to inspire
confidence. In fact, Scalera wrote a decent issue of
Deadpool in 2001, and chances are he'll produce something
passable. But "passable" will suffer in comparison to an
excellent year for the title in 2002.
Most people seem to have mentally
written this title off for dead, and it's hard to disagree
with them. With sales not particularly high, and the
well-received creative team being replaced by creators with no
particularly strong track record or fanbase, the smart money
has to be on this title being cancelled by June.
back |
continue |
