Happy Whatever you’re celebrating Forbidden Planet Faithful! Let it be known that I’m writing this article instead of playing several Blizzard video games because I love you (and money).
Hawkeye Vs Deadpool #3
Gerry Duggan/Matteo Lolli/Jacopo Camangni/Cristiane Peter
Marvel $3.99
If you’ve been reading this blog at any point over the last 2 years, you’ll know that I’m VERY protective of reading the Hawkeyes when not penned by Matt Fraction. Luckily for me, Hawkguy Clint Barton has been handled incredibly well over in the various Avengers books, and Hawkeye Kate Bishop has only appeared in Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie‘s excellent Young Avengers run.
Kate is also our narrator in this issue of Hawkeye Vs Deadpool and series writer Gerry Duggan absolutely nails her voice. Duggan balances Kate’s youth plus her relationship with Clint exceptionally well, with some nods to “recent” events over in the Fraction/Aja series. Her interactions with Deadpool are hilarious, and it’s fun to see Katie-Kate interact with the greater Marvel universe. Duggan’s Deadpool is still a blast to read, and bouncing him off of Hawkeye Kate keeps the book fresh.
Art wise, the duo of Matteo Lolli & Jacopo Camagni remain a great fit for this title. Aside from the amount of teeth in Deadpool’s mouth being inconsistent, their expressive and clean art is perfect for this book’s kooky antics. They also capture modern NYC well, doing the city justice and making the some of the more modern reference work. They’re also great at capturing the humor in Duggan’s script, especially as seen on the final page of the book. Apparently Queen jokes are in fashion in comics this year.
Deadpool Vs Hawkeye continues to show what sort of fun one can have with a Marvel team up. Great visuals, solid jokes and good character work justify this book’s existence, and I would recommend it to anyone with any investment in the Hawkeyes and or Deadpool. AKA me.
Uncanny X-men #29
Brian Michael Bendis/Chris Bachalo/ 5 inkers/2 colorists
Marvel $3.99
Ambitious best describes this incredibly dense issue of Uncanny X-men. Brian Michael Bendis is already balancing several plot lines with this current arc, and the addition of a few last minute Macguffins may take this book into a new direction. It’s a bold decision, especially when Bendis is balancing a number of plotlines with a large cast as is, but hopefully he can pull it off. Time will only tell.
Art wise, this book isn’t a mess per say, but having 2 different colorists work on the same penciler is jarring. Chris Bachalo usually looks best when he’s coloring his own work, so Antonio Fabela and Jose Villarrubia aren’t doing his much justice. One of their pallets are too light, maker the book look paler and more retro than it needs to be, while the other is much brighter, but does some weird inkless coloring with several characters hairs and fur. To be fair, that almost may be on one of the several inkers, it’s hard to place blame.
While the art is a bit inconstant, the stakes are certainly raised in the penultimate (I think) chapter of The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier. Hopefully the story will stick it’s landing, because while the creative team has done some good work on this book, there’s still a chance that it’s gotten too bloated for it’s own good.
