Deadpool: The Ones With Deadpool

A swift collection of Deadpool tales pairing the Merch with a Mouth with an interesting mix of Marvel Universe characters. This volume contains 2 annuals, a Bi-annual (since a Deadpool annual had already dropped that year) and a Death of Wolverine one-shot special. Two of the team ups are with characters that you'd expect to see in an oddball caper with Deadpool. One is a pairing that explains a lot. And then there's that meeting with a team from the 1990s that's so obscure, you'll swear Marvel's only reviving them to keep the copyright from expiring!

Thrilling Adventure Hour's Ben Acker and Ben Blacker answer the long pondered question about just how did Madcap ended up inside Wade Wilson's head? 

Deadpool then teams up with Spider-Man. Only this isn't one of their normal meetings. The master of disguise, Chameleon has been running Spidey ragged to the point of exhaustion. Unable to let his guard down for a minute, least Chameleon learns that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Deadpool dons the red and blue tights in hopes of bringing the villain out into the open. 

In perhaps the most unexpected team up of all time, Deadpool joins forces with the all animal superhero team, Brute Force! But not before first being hired by the evil aquatic theme park that the forgotten super-team of the 90s is trying to shut down! Featuring a guest appearance by Phil Coulson that kinda makes ABC'S Marvel Agents of SHIELD canon with the comics!

Lastly, Deadpool and an aged Steve Rogers are tasked with execution of Wolverine's estate. This means scrubbing any DNA trace from the Avengers Mansion. It also means a trip to Russia, when it's discovered that an AIM cell operating in Moscow has possession of some of the fallen X-Man's blood!

All four stories were hysterical romps that provided me with some much needed laughs. I appreciated the foreword at the beginning of the Madcap story. For years, I thought I had missed just how Madcap ended up inside Deadpool's head. Well it turns out that origin story had never been told until Acker and Blacker got their hands on the Merc with a Mouth. 

The appearance of Brute Force was such a pleasant surprise. I'm very interested in reading their 4-issue debut miniseries from 1990. I also have a favorite member of the team. It's the high-flying Soar, who won my heart after being constantly put down by Wade. I felt so bad for Soar. He can be my wing man anytime!

A neat twist on the Spider-Man/Deadpool dynamic. Clever way to turn the tides on Chameleon too. But I thought that the Wolverine story was unnecessary. It felt like a money grab to cash in on the popularity of Deadpool with a Death of Wolverine one-shot, instead of really moving the needle any bit.  Some funny moments. Just uninspired.

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour #1

I read this issue a couple of months ago. I could have sworn that I had reviewed it back then as well. Yes after an exhaustive search, I cannot find evidence of ever have given my opinion on this first issue from Boom! Studios. So forgive me if I repeat myself. But hey,  just in time for Halloween, right?

The Thrilling Adventure Hour is about a married couple of semi-professional mediums/ghost hunters. Frank and Sadie Doyle seem better suited as mixologists than ghost busters. In fact, they don't even seem to fit this more modern time period.

Most modern comic book readers are not familiar with The Thin Man series of comedy mystery films. The Thin Man movies focused on Nick and Nora Charles; a wealthy couple who were amateur sleuths. They had this rapid fire dialogue thing going on that was absolutely brilliant. Plus with their smarmy attitude towards everyone and everything, you weren't quite sure if Nick and Nora thought that the world was their own private little sandbox.

When it comes to the Doyles, I have a theory. In this issue, Frank and Sadie agree to help an interracial couple whose new new home is supposedly haunted. Now you might be thinking as to why must I point out that the couple of different races. It's 2018, I should be agreeable to this sort of thing in American society. Well, I am. But the Doyles don't seem to be. In fact when Frank and Sadie first meet their new clients, they are taken aback by the mixed race couple. Thus I think the Doyles are ghosts!

Think about it. They can see and communicate with spirits. They appear more suited for the 1930s. And the Doyles don't understand social norms. It's just a crazy idea, but I think there's a Sixth Sense twist going on here.

A darling opening chapter in which I am eager to read the rest of the story. A comic/horror triumph by the writing/illustrating team of Ben Acker and Ben Blacker!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.