Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Alex Lins
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Joe Sabino
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #7 is wackier than I thought it would be. Issue #7 is the back half of an arc I did not know Percy had in him. When I think of Percy, I think back to his Ghost Rider and Wolverine runs. Both characters are dark, gruesome, and solitary. Even his current Punisher run shows that Frank Castle doesn’t play well with others. However, with Deadpool, it is a lot more juvenile. That’s not a bad thing. This run has just shown me that Percy isn’t so dark and serious all of the time. This issue shows Deadpool acknowledging what these “badpools” are, why they are here, and what they have done. This issue reminded me that Deadpool can be serious and have a lot of heart when he wants to.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
You can’t kill what is already dead. Or can you?
The major conflict in this issue is that Deadpool now has to fight little versions of himself that were shot, cut, or torn off him. His healing factor not only repairs the damage to his body, but also creates a little army of “badpools” that causes mayhem people are blaming him for. To his credit, trying to figure out all the places they could be is difficult. For us without a healing factor, it would be like trying to remember how many times you blinked during the day. Or as he puts it, it’s like collecting all the droplets of a sneeze. I said the same thing, just not as gross. This is his plight. Finding all of their locations is what’s standing in his way of letting himself ruin his own image, not these creatures.
Deadpool Hates His Guts, Literally
The biggest moment in the issue is when Deadpool realizes that the badpools are causing damage not just to him, but to others as well. The reason it is so important is that now he has a bigger fight than just the badpools trying to kill him. Deadpool already causes enough trouble for himself. He doesn’t need the badpools messing things up for him. This is where things got good! Even though it is only in narration in the last few pages, Deadpool truly realizes what happened. He treats himself as if he’s a virus. He gets into a hot air balloon by himself, not to be alone, but to shield people from him. He even says, “Here, I can’t hurt anyone. Here, I am a menace to no one but myself”. This shows Deadpool’s true character. He talks so much and makes crass jokes only to distract himself from his own perception. He does everything he can to not sit alone with his thoughts and feelings.
The Art
Alex Lins and Alex Sinclair (or Alex² as I call them) work well together on this book. I like how Lins sees Deadpool. Even out of the suit, he is messy and gross. He looks halfway dead, which is very on brand for him having cancer everywhere. The main piece of art is the badpools. I thoroughly enjoy how Lins draws them. They either look like zombies or something out of John Carpenter’s The Thing. That leaves so much room to play with, and it’s clear that the entire creative team just had fun with this. Sinclair does a phenomenal job coloring this book. The way he uses different colors in the panels and on the pages is so neat to me. He makes room for all of them to be showcased together. Somehow, they all complement each other.
I want to highlight the first time Deadpool fights one of the badpools. Lins makes the action so animated. The movement is shot really well in his panels. The way the badpool's eyes bulge when it's kicked, and the onomatopoeia that follows the leg across the panel is so clean. It makes you see everything going on. It reminds me why I’m happy to be a comic book fan. Sinclair ties it all together with his colors. The red of the blood and badpool mask pops so well against the backgrounds. It's such a good page with many like it in the same issue.
Final Thoughts
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #7 is another issue where Percy shows he can write outrageous stories for Deadpool while also adding the emotional weight he is known for. Match that with awesome art from Lins and spectacular colors from Sinclair, and you get an entertaining issue of crazy antics with a little bit of heart. I'm really glad I got introduced to this book. It introduced me to Lins’s art, whom I will now look for in my weekly comics. I like the look of his art style. Finally, it made me think about Percy's writing differently. I would really enjoy reading a more serious Deadpool from Percy in this run. A serious Deadpool may not be everyone’s favorite thing, but I don’t think it would hurt the character to switch up the norm now and again. Regardless of the tone, Percy shows he can handle Deadpool’s character. I can’t wait to see what comes next.