Merc With A Mouth Crashes Into Dark Knight’s World
By Dan Brown There’s nothing unusual about someone hiring Deadpool to carry out a contract killing. But when his latest job takes him to Gotham City, that’s when comic fans know this is no ordinary assignment. Deadpool/Batman is the latest comic-industry crossover. It shows what happens when the Merc With a Mouth (a Marvel character) crashes into the world of Batman (a DC creation). Both companies are probably hoping that by joining forces they can introduce a new generation of comic readers to the concept of industry crossovers, thus cross-pollinating different fandoms. There’s a long tradition of superhero crossovers going back to at least 1976, when Superman fought Spider-Man for the first time. Since then, they’ve become a comic fixture. (And a cultural fixture – just check out the movies like Alien vs. Predator or Freddie vs. Jason.) The story, illustrated by Greg Capullo and written by Zeb Wells, begins when Deadpool leaps through the very manor window where a bat once appeared, inspiring a young Bruce Wayne to avenge his parents by donning a batsuit. Unaware of Wayne’s secret identity, the fast-talking Deadpool explains to Wayne he has been hired to off the Dark Knight: “Some guy who dresses like a bat? Which I’m assured is grim and creepy even though that’s clearly hilarious?” (When the mutant assassin eventually comes face-to-face with the Caped Crusader, he admits he was mistaken. “Batman! You’re . .. terrifying. I hate myself for saying this, but the bat thing? It works.”) Fans of Deadpool will be happy seeing him wield a katana in each hand, and Batman devotees will be satisfied to see him brooding. It’s quite a clash of tones. In fact, those fans might find themselves questioning the book’s premise: These two don’t seem to have a lot in common, at least on the surface. Why have them become partners? Doesn’t the crazed Deadpool have more in common with someone else in the Batman pantheon . . . his nemesis, the insane Joker? Yup. Without giving too much away, the Clown Prince of Crime does make an appearance, with Deadpool labeling him a villain whose “brain is a neurospicy dopamine goblin with task paralysis and a lack of object permanence.” In other words, Deadpool and the Joker are perfect for each other. There are also backup features in this book that pair more DC heroes with Marvel protagonists. Wonder Woman teams up with Captain America, Green Arrow with Daredevil, Frank Miller’s Batman with Old Man Logan, and so on. The funniest moment among these pairings comes when Rocket Raccoon tries on Green Lantern’s ring: “Brightest day, blackest night, yada yada. Green flame on!” the genetically engineered woodland mammal cries. Considering the main story is only 25 pages long, what I would have liked to have seen is for the publishers to devote those extra 16 pages to fully fleshing out the title team-up. (There is also another crossover published at the same time as Deadpool/Batman called Batman/Deadpool, which I haven’t read yet.) With more pages, they could have expanded what is essentially an appetizer into a full-fledged meal. Also, unlike the crossovers of my childhood, the current ones are published in a regular-size comic format, so they don’t feel as special as the jumbo ones of old. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Nothing Compares to Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Negasonic Teenage Warhead was unknown to me until the first Deadpool movie. She’s a young mutant who has the power to blow up – literally.So when I saw the debut issue of a Marvel Comic named after her, I picked it up. Turns out it reprints the story from a previous series she starred in. Since she first appeared on my radar, I found out, the character has developed more powers. This time out she isn’t just a living explosion, she can potentially snuff out all reality.Talk about teenage angst!With writing by Andrew Wheeler and art by Eleonora Carlini and Carola Borelli, the new Negasonic Teenage Warhead No. 1 is a breezy tale of one teen’s search for a date for the end of the world.The complication is, if she doesn’t find a specific girl to date, all of existence goes kablooey. And NTW would be to blame.Deadpool appears in a brief prefatory section. He is a one-mutant reference machine, spouting on about Thelma and Louise, Alien and Predator, Frost and Nixon.Also appearing are agents of the Time Variance Authority, which I remember from the Loki Disney + series. These are the folks who make sure time is unspooling as it should. If they find a fugitive from one timeline in another, as a result of time-travelling, they can erase them permanently. Since Negasonic Teenage Warhead – or, more accurately, a future evil version of her – threatens everything that ever existed, the TVA wants to put her on trial. Thus begins a breakneck story co-starring pretty much every female Marvel character. Scarlet Witch makes the scene, as do Sue Storm, Jean Grey, and Emma Frost.The complaint from some older Marvel fans is that the current comics are just expansions of storylines that in the old days would have been resolved in a single issue. So the X-Men will fight the Avengers, let’s say, but in today’s comics it will be a year-long event that spawns multiple side series.This comic is the opposite of that. It’s one of those old-fashioned universe-shaking premises – “What if NTW was even more powerful than Galactus? – but it is so compressed. In the world of the comic, it takes place within one hour. In other words, it won’t dispel comments from readers my age that today’s fans have a limited attention span.I have read Marvel sporadically in the last few years, but I was able to keep up fine with the story.Genosha, the site of a mutant massacre, is one setting, and the Krakoa Era of mutantkind is also evoked. From what I understand, the children of the atom have moved on from their island Utopia in the main Marvel continuity. There’s also a sly reference to the most popular mutie of all, Wolverine.There’s even a bone thrown to oldsters like me in the form of an in-panel reference to another Marvel comic, the kind the narrative voice used to drop in every Marvel issue. What’s next? Are thought balloons also going to make a comeback?And there’s some patented Marvel philosophizing, with one character expounding on a central quote from Friedrich Nietzshe.I will leave it to you to find out if Negasonic — also known as Eloise Olivia Phimister – is able to save the universe from herself. I’m glad I checked this one out. Now I know why the Sinead O’Connor circa 1989 lookalike is brooding so deeply every time Deadpool comes calling.Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Deadpool & Wolverine Isn’t a Sure Bet
The superhero combo may not be able to win over movie goers according to Dan Brown. He explains how movie trends, ratings, and more won't help the studio in this week's column,
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Cozy Up to Deadpool This Christmas
Christmas time is here! When it comes to Christmas pictures you could go with the traditional picture with Santa, but at L.A. Mood we have an alternative. Our Deadpool statue has been transformed into Christmas Deadpool that we encourage everyone to take photos with.If you are looking for something more traditional nearby is a 40 foot tall Christmas tree in the Atrium and a 20 foot poinsettia tree near the entrance of The Club House.For under the tree we have plenty of family board games that the everyone can enjoy.
