Deadpool #8 Review
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Penciller: Gerardo Sandoval
Inkers: Victor Nava & Gerardo Sandoval
Colourist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
When we left Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone, they were in a literal heap of troubles. The latter just betrayed the former to the Queen of the Bone Beasts, so this issue opens with one of the all-time great starting points: Everybody's captured and it's time to fight their way free.
Elsa and Wade proceed to do exactly that, of course. They're saddled with the rescued children they found in the Bone Beast Dimension and each protagonist has the chance to mess with them in comedic ways. Elsa, teaching them the rudiments of English, specifically instructs them not to refer to Deadpool as a king.
Deadpool gets his revenge by arming the kiddos with deadly weapons. "I didn't say it was a good idea."
From there it's all desperate Bone-Beast-fighting and serial heroic sacrifices, leading to a hell of a setup for the final showdown in the next issue.
I'm sorry if I'm vague; this comic just moves too fast to get into plot details without getting hopelessly spoiler-y.
The fast pace suits artist Gerardo Sandoval perfectly. His mix of extreme close-ups and full-body splashes is ideal for an action-heavy comic. Furthermore, the characters and settings also play to his strengths. Tentacle-wrapped hell-dimensions, non-human monsters, and a fully-masked protagonist all fall firmly within his wheelhouse.
Mr. Sandoval does particularly well at making Deadpool's mask emotive. Free to exaggerate, he brings a touch of the cartoony to Deadpool while still sticking to scrupulously-detailed action-comic anatomy for the rest of the character.
Victor Nava (with Mr. Sandoval's help) polishes up the line art with lots of shadow-heavy inking. But the lines can be surprisingly delicate where they need to be; the net effect is a chiaroscuro presentation.
Colourist Chris Sotomayor ensures that it's not a monochromatic one, though! He uses a range of subtle highlight colours to modify the blacks and washes super-high-intensity reds and oranges onto Wade and Elsa. But Mr. Sotomayor works with delicacy, too, particularly in picking out smart highlights to add depth through realistic lighting.
While this issue is a fast mover, there is ample space in Kelly Thompson's script for funny dialogue and moving character work. Yes, there's a lot of slashy-blasty going on. But this is also a pivotal moment in Wade and Elsa's relationship. The impact of the latest plot developments -- especially on Wade -- hits like a sledgehammer.
Deadpool #8 lands Wade in an ideal position, at least narratively speaking. Desperate risk, desperate action, desperate plans, desperate humour to mask the danger -- this is territory in which Deadpool thrives. Thanks to high-octane art and writing that's equal parts snarky and heartfelt, "thrive" is exactly what he's doing.
Penciller: Gerardo Sandoval
Inkers: Victor Nava & Gerardo Sandoval
Colourist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
When we left Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone, they were in a literal heap of troubles. The latter just betrayed the former to the Queen of the Bone Beasts, so this issue opens with one of the all-time great starting points: Everybody's captured and it's time to fight their way free.
Elsa and Wade proceed to do exactly that, of course. They're saddled with the rescued children they found in the Bone Beast Dimension and each protagonist has the chance to mess with them in comedic ways. Elsa, teaching them the rudiments of English, specifically instructs them not to refer to Deadpool as a king.
Deadpool gets his revenge by arming the kiddos with deadly weapons. "I didn't say it was a good idea."
From there it's all desperate Bone-Beast-fighting and serial heroic sacrifices, leading to a hell of a setup for the final showdown in the next issue.
I'm sorry if I'm vague; this comic just moves too fast to get into plot details without getting hopelessly spoiler-y.
The fast pace suits artist Gerardo Sandoval perfectly. His mix of extreme close-ups and full-body splashes is ideal for an action-heavy comic. Furthermore, the characters and settings also play to his strengths. Tentacle-wrapped hell-dimensions, non-human monsters, and a fully-masked protagonist all fall firmly within his wheelhouse.
Mr. Sandoval does particularly well at making Deadpool's mask emotive. Free to exaggerate, he brings a touch of the cartoony to Deadpool while still sticking to scrupulously-detailed action-comic anatomy for the rest of the character.
Victor Nava (with Mr. Sandoval's help) polishes up the line art with lots of shadow-heavy inking. But the lines can be surprisingly delicate where they need to be; the net effect is a chiaroscuro presentation.
Colourist Chris Sotomayor ensures that it's not a monochromatic one, though! He uses a range of subtle highlight colours to modify the blacks and washes super-high-intensity reds and oranges onto Wade and Elsa. But Mr. Sotomayor works with delicacy, too, particularly in picking out smart highlights to add depth through realistic lighting.
While this issue is a fast mover, there is ample space in Kelly Thompson's script for funny dialogue and moving character work. Yes, there's a lot of slashy-blasty going on. But this is also a pivotal moment in Wade and Elsa's relationship. The impact of the latest plot developments -- especially on Wade -- hits like a sledgehammer.
Deadpool #8 lands Wade in an ideal position, at least narratively speaking. Desperate risk, desperate action, desperate plans, desperate humour to mask the danger -- this is territory in which Deadpool thrives. Thanks to high-octane art and writing that's equal parts snarky and heartfelt, "thrive" is exactly what he's doing.
A Look Inside
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