Deal or no deal.
By Jeff Lake
Deadpool and the Mercs For Money is about as subtle as an arrow to the face. There’s no nuanced interplay, no layered character depth, no intricately constructed plot. Rather, its a twenty-something page ode to wisecracks and punching stuff. And you know what? When done this well, that’s not a bad thing.
The debut issue saw Deadpool and his money men come into possession of an object of untold value, and as such the resulting follow-up focuses on what the bumble headed “businessmen” aim to do with it. It’s an understandably predictable train of thought, though writer Cullen Bunn does a solid job of ensuring that the gag gets its mileage. Rather than put the focus squarely on Deadpool, Bunn instead splits the group into twos, with each duo tasked to proposition a different prospective buyer. He further adds to the complication by introducing a series of similar cash and murder enthusiasts out to steal the proposed bounty, lead by the always entertaining Taskmaster. As more and more villains throw in their guns and/or swords, the path to a paycheck becomes increasingly more difficult.
Considering the obvious popularity Deadpool currently enjoys, it’s somewhat surprising how little the titular character is utilized here. And really, it’s his sparing usage that makes the rest of the issue work so well, as Bunn is able to show off the many different and often hilarious sides of the eclectic unit. From Terror and Masacre’s underworld debacle to Solo and Foolkiller’s all too trusting idiocy, Bunn raises the rest of the cast from background to primary players. They’re not particularly well developed, but they are unique, and their varied interactions go a long way in selling Deadpool as the series’ supposed straight man (or the closest such approximation). Deadpool’s throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks mentality remains intact, but at least here it’s the more understated humor that gets the laughs.
The amusing script aside, issue #2, and really the series thus far, belongs to artist Salva Espin. Deadpool may be a love him or hate him kind of character, but it’s pretty much impossible not to love the energy Espin brings to the table. He has a very clean and visually pleasing style, forgoing overly excessive detail in lieu of simple yet crisp design. So much of Bunn’s script is dependent on Espin’s facial cues and physical language, and he delivers time and again with excellent attention to mood and expression. There’s definitely a cartoony feel to his lines – unconscious characters are tabbed by their x’d out eyes, pupils dial in and out based on level of embarrassment – but there’s also a special attention given to the finer details, such as Mephisto’s ornately carved meeting table. There are definitely more than a few busted gags and drawn out sequences to this installment, but in Espin’s hands no panel feels like a waste.
Deadpool and the Mercs For Money isn’t a particularly ambitious title, and in some ways issue #2 can be viewed as a rehash of the same fisticuffs that took place in the debut. What elevates it to that something more is the increased focus on the book’s secondary players, in addition to the consistently entertaining art by Espin. This series may not go down as the best of Deadpool’s many asides, but it’s almost certainly one of the prettiest.
Deadpool and the Mercs For Money isn’t out to reinvent the wheel, but rather appears intent to give it a good spin. Bunn’s utilization of his full cast makes for big laughs, and the art by Salva Espin is both well constructed and full of character. Eventually the seeming lack of substance may set the series back, but as of now it has style to spare.
