Deadpool faces his worst enemy.
Gerry Duggan’s Deadpool is usually at its best when the humor makes takes a backseat to pathos, so it’s good to see the first arc of this relaunched series ending on such a downer. Deadpool has discovered that one of his new “Mercs for Money” has secretly been the architect of his recent misery. The ensuing showdown not only gives the arc more dramatic weight, it sets the stage for more darkness to come in Wade Wilson’s life.
Deadpool doesn’t have much in the way of a sizable rogues gallery, if only because most of his enemies tend to wind up dead. This issue suggests that Madcap could very easily earn a place among the great Deadpool foes. Duggan has employed their shared history to great effect, showing that Madcap isn’t a remorseless killer so much as a crazed immortal driven to over the edge by being exposed to Wade’s mind. Their final battle showcases the revolting man underneath the faux-Deadpool costume, one who can’t be killed by gun or blade or explosion. What follows is an extended, disgusting battle scene that seems to draw inspiration from the shape-shifting monster from John Carpenter’s The Thing.
The battle certainly leaves an impression, and thanks in no small part to Mike Hawthorne’s sleek art. Hawthorne brings his usual expressive, stylized look to the table, but he has no problem tempering that style with darkness and grounded character drama. This issue gets downright depressing at times, and the art is just as well suited to conveying that element as it is the over-the-top violence.
Madcap’s role serves as a reminder that Deadpool himself is really the villain of this story. It was his image that Madcap used when he embarked on a killing spree. Wade is the one that pushed away his friends and family in favor of becoming a respected superhero and commercial icon. And when the chips are down, Wade’s solution is to rely on his daughter as bait (a plot point which is played for laughs on the cover but has serious ramifications within). By the end, the reader might find themselves loathing the Merc With a Mouth a little. It’s a compelling place in which to put the character, and one that promises more quality storytelling in story arcs to come.
Once again, Duggan’s Deadpool run succeeds by downplaying the humor of Wade Wilson’s life and ramping up the character drama. This issue sets up Madcap as a worthy addition to Wade’s small but growing rogues gallery and suggests that there’s plenty more darkness in store for our hero in the months ahead. Bad for Deadpool, but good for readers.
