Deadpool: Assassin #1-Review

Deadpool: Assassin #1

Written by Cullen Bunn
Pencils by Mark Bagley
Inks by John Dell
Colors by Edgar Delgado
Lettered by VC’s Joe Sabino\
Cover by Mark Bagley

That Deadpool, he’s so hot right now.  While other series are exploring Wade’s existence and his overall story, Deadpool: Assassin takes one aspect of this merc’s life and runs with it.  The series will focus on the jobs that Wade will take for the simple reason that he wants to collect enough money for his island retirement.  An issue of excitement, the #1 packs in all of the tropes that have come to be known by fans all around the world.  The breaking of the fourth wall, the humor on every page, the gruesome violence and the heart that is behind it all.

Cullen Bunn writes a script where the stakes are so low that the content within the pages can speak for itself.  The comedy can work wonders from panel to panel and the violence simply is Deadpool.  Giving this character a chance to not have to be part of some universe altering event allows for the book breathe.  Where the main title for Deadpool, for example, is something that can be cinematically presented, this title almost feels like an episodic buddy cop show.  Of course, the buddies are not on that side of the law rather they like weapons and killing for money.  This issue has more of an old readers will love this stuff kind of feel.  Bunn has written the character before so he has no trouble finding both Deadpool’s voice and his humor.  Landing joke after joke, with a wonderful Ninja movie reference that should be at the top of the marquee,  the chuckles are a plenty in this script. Leaving someones life up to whether or not they can do complicated arithmetic in a short amount of time is another example of how this issue balances the violence and humor. I am not saying that more recent fans of the character will not enjoy this book but it just feels like the Wade of old.

Just like the script the issue is drawn, by Mark Bagley, so chaotic and humorous that you can only sit back and enjoy the ride that is Deadpool.  I would imagine that being able to just draw a gruesome action sequence with so much blood and gore has to be an enjoyable experience for any artist.  The greatest aspect of this art style is the chaos of the fight scenes.  Having so much action take place in each panel feels cluttered in the best way possible.  Deadpool is a complicated character involved in complicated stories and should be drawn that way. Edgar Delgado get to use a lot of red in this issue and I love it.  But the colors bring a brightness that can only shed light on such a brutal story.

Script. Check. Art. Check. The is the best thing I can come up with here.  The story fits the character and the art only elevates that story.  The jokes have a chance to breathe and they land wonderfully.  Bringing the story back to the ground level will allow readers to simply enjoy what on the pages without having to worry about what is happening at this very moment light-years away in the universe.  Finally, oh my the gore.  Bagley takes this violent script and shoots it over the moon.  Going back to merc-ing for the money gives the book a simpler tone and I am all about it.

Cover: A-
Script: A
Pencils and Colors: A-

Overall: A-