Oh snap, it’s a two part review article for this week! I pulled a whopping 5 books , as well as a few trades, so expect ALL COMICS ALL THE TIME articles for the next 2 weeks. Yeah I know, that’s kind of business as usual for me, but I’m choosing to do that over word- vomiting over the release of TWO new Cyclops action figures, so pretend it’s special this time around.
I’ve divided the books up as the following: Comics that cost $5 and comics that don’t cost $5. We’ll be looking at the $5 books first (which unsurprisingly are both Marvel books), because…well because I said so dammit.
Hawkeye vs Deadpool #0
Gerry Duggan/Matteo Lolli/Cristiane Peter
Marvel $4.99
I’ll be honest, this book was a tough sell for me when it was initially announced. I haven’t bought a straight-up Deadpool book in years, and I tend to be very weary of books starring Hawkeye not written by Matt Fraction or Ales Kot. The $5 price tag certainly did help things either, and I figured that is it was good, trade waiting it would be a valid option.
HOWEVER, after flipping through the first issue of said at the shop, I ended up liking what I saw and decided to take a chance on it. And you know what, I’m glad it did, but this book hit me in all the right ways. Gerry Duggan has proven he can tell a good Deadpool story plenty of times in the proper Deadpool series, and while Matteo Lolli is no David Aja, his art definitely works for this story.
The plot summary is as following: it’s Halloween night, and Deadpool and some folk familiar to both books are out trick or treating in a certain Avenger’s building. One of Hawkguy’s tenants has got himself in some trouble, so now Wade and Clint have some super heroing to do. The only problem is that don’t necessary want to work together as bro,s bros.
That by the way, brings me to my sole issue with this comic. We’ve seen Deadpool and Hawkeye work together in the past, last year in A+X, and currently in Secret Avengers. I may be playing the role of TURBO NERD here, but there’s material currently being published ( Thunderbolts, Hawkeye, the just mentioned Secret Avengers) thatclashes with this book. Maybe it with all make sense once those stories are all told, but only time will tell.
Continuity-nerd-issues aside, the book itself is fun. Both Lolli and Duggan obviously have some experience with Deadpool with past works, so it’s no surprise that the Deadpool stuff is handled really well. A little head’s up though, this book is DEEP into the current events of the main Deadpool series, so you may be a little confused about a thing or two if you’re not caught up on it.
That being said, the big surprise is how well the Hawkeye side of things are managed is handled. There are a lot of clever nods to Fraction/Aja’s run, including 2 double spreads that parody the 2 most celebrated issues of Hawkeye.
Obviously any encounter between Hawkeye and Deadpool should be humorous, and the jokes do not disappoint. Duggan knows how to handle mixing humor and action well, and the laughs land more than miss. Visually, Lolli and color artist Cristiane Peter are great, giving the book a clean, bright look that reminds me a lot of the late and great Mike Wieringo’s work.
Ultimately, this book isn’t going to win any awards or redefine the medium, but it’s a fun read for fans of the characters. If you’ve been enjoying Hawkeye and/or Deadpool, you’re sure to enjoy this double sized debut. If you want this to be your entry book to both characters though, you may want to look elsewhere.
Uncanny X-men #25
Brian Michael Bendis/Chris Bachalo/ Several Inkers
Marvel $4.99
I’ll be honest, this book can be summed up as a double sized issue where the X-men stand around and react to a retcon. That may not be your cup of tea, especially when you factor in that it’s $5 and there’s still a chapter in this arc to go.
That being said, if you don’t mind that sort of thing, it’s a compelling as hell issue. Chris Bachalo returns to draw the hell out of this issue, despite him not knowing how Kitty’s Pryde modern costume works at times, or Cyclops mask reappearing at random.
Those minor issues aside, the book looks great. The army of inkers complement Bachalo’s pencils and colors well, giving the book a crisp, bold, cohesive look. Cohesive and GREAT mind you, as Bachalo delivers some really powerfully scene, both emotionally and action wise. Also the way he colors Iceman is great, as it looks like actual ice.
Brian Michael Bendis isn’t a slouch either mind you, but your opinion on the script may be different from mine. I’m a fan of the retcons he’s introducing, but it’s bringing Xavier into some scorched earth territory. If you’re an Charles Xavier fan, you may have a bone or two to pick with these reveals, but I’m strictly on Team Cyclops Was Right, and am digging Bendis doing some new stuff here.
Again, at $5, this issue of Uncanny X-men comes down to a matter of taste. If you’ve been a fan Uncanny’s direction since the Bendis relaunch, you’ll probably like issue 25. If you’re only thinking of jumping aboard because Original Sin is on the cover, you can skip it.
