Deadpool Minibus, Volume 1

This extensive collection of Deadpool miniseries covers the complete gambit of the Merc with a Mouth's 'metaphysical' (or metaphysi-Kill as some fans call it) storyline. Five miniseries make up this massive volume of nearly 500 pages. The best way to describe this book in detail is to break down each miniseries contained within. 

• Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe- In the grand tradition of a Marvel icon murdering everyone in the Marvel Universe, something in Wade Wilson snaps and he goes on the murdering rampage to end of murdering rampages that is until...
• Deadpool Kills Deadpool- It seems that in his quest to destroy all of the characters of the Marvel Universe, Deadpool forgot to kill off all of his alternate universe selves. As two teams merge, it becomes a wisecracking round of the deadliest game meets Highlander, filled with some of the most outrageous incarnations of the hired hand ever devised. Can you say 'Deadpool Panda?'
• Deadpool Killustrated- Though Deadpool has killed off the Marvel Universe as well as the infinite incarnations of himself, Wade learns that unless his kills the tropes that inspired the Marvel Universe, it will never be destroyed. Thus, Deadpool will wipe out all of your favorite classic characters from Tom Sawyer to Dracula. No book too popular is unsafe from this raving lunatic!
• Deadpool Vs. Carnage- Somehow the Marvel Universe survived Deadpool's onslaught and all is right with the multiverse. That is until Deadpool starts to get this weird itch in the deepest darkest recesses of his brain. See, it turns out there's another who wants to see the wanton destruction of everything- one Cletus Kasady... AKA Carnage and this guy's insanity just may give Deadpool a run for his money.
• Night of the Living Deadpool- The final events of Deadpool's battle with Carnage has sent him to an alternate timeline in which zombies have taken over the world. This universe's only hope is... Aunt May Parker??? If you thought you had seen everything the Marvel Zombies storyline could offer- think again! This mash-up of The Walking Dead, A Boy and his Dog, and Multiplicity will leave you laughing you @$$ off while checking to make sure that bump you heard outside was just the wind.

Cullen Bunn takes on just about everything known to man in this huge tome. Classics, superheroes, zombies, mass murderers- if it happened, it's here. There's a slew of artists on tap such as Sean Parsons and Salva Espin and everyone's work is quite good. But my favorite has to be the stellar Classics Illustrated parody covers of Mike Del Mundo (Deadpool Killustrated) and the zombie film parody covers by Jay Shaw (Night of the Living Deadpool.) 

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe was perhaps the weakest of all the stories. I felt that it was a little too metaphysical at times and when I read Deadpool, I want to laugh, not have to attend a lecture on philosophy. I was quite surprised at the quality of the Carnage story. I thought that it was just going to be pointless scenes of death and gore- and sometimes it was. But as a whole, it was a very interesting look at a character (Carnage) that I just have never really had any interest in prior. 

With a cover price of $59.99, this book is a little steep. But considering how much purchasing all five miniseries individually in either trade form or individual issues, this price might just be worth it. Or, you can get lucky like I did, find it at a used book store and pay a fraction of the cost.

Tons of Deadpool craziness lurks inside and it's all very much Worth Consuming!

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe: 7 out of 10 stars.

Deadpool Kills Deadpool: 9 out of 10 stars.

Deadpool Killustrated:  8 out of 10 stars.

Deadpool Vs. Carnage: 9 out of 10 stars.

Night of the Living Deadpool: 9 out of 10 stars.

Overall rating: 8.4 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1

Haly's Circus. In the DC Universe, it's a travelling show that has had more than it's fair share of tragedy. It's where the Flying Graysons met their tragic end. It's were a sniper made Boston Brand a Deadman. Flowing through the tarps of beleaguered carnival's big top is deception and corruption so deep, many of its employees have faced mortality, including the owner, Mr. Haly.

   But this is the Flashpoint Universe and one of it's few bright spots is the success of Haly's Circus. The Graysons are one big happy family. Boston Brand is a Deadman in name only. Even sideshow act, Kent Nelson, under the stage name of Doctor Fate is doing pretty well, except for the hour or so it takes for his mind to recover from wearing the mystical Helmet of Nabu.

   Unfortunately, the circus has run into a little problem. Haly's Circus was performing in Central Europe when Aquaman decided to unleash his fury on the human race and flooded much of Eastern Europe. The performers find themselves stranded overseas and must venture from town to town in hopes of making ends meet and eventually earn themselves a way back to the US.

  If the voyage home wasn't treacherous enough, during their last stop, Kent Nelson accidentally tapped into the timeline and has learned that there is another reality trying to burst through the Flashpoint. It's the time stream of the DCU and it's trying to correct whatever made history change into this fractured universe. However, Kent's contact with the real timeline has made an even more deadlier force aware to the circus's presence as Wonder Woman's Furies are on the hunt for the Helmet of Nabu!

  The Flashpoint tie-ins just keep getting better and better. There's not much action per se in this issue. But I think that this issue was essential in showing the effects of the Atlantis- Themyscira War on Europe. Having it seen through the eyes of the performers of Haly's Circus helps to make the struggle familiar and more grounded to the reader. A great job by writer J.T Krul!

  Equally impressive is the artwork. The realistic looking poster by Cliff Chaing (Secret Six) was really cool looking. But the cover wasn't the only visually stunning material. Mikel Janin’s (Justice League Dark) almost painted approach captured both the magic of the big top while exposing the cramped and dirty conditions of life on the road.

  All around excellent stuff. I can't wait for issue #2.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

 

The Pulse #10

 

 Welcome to the House of M. In this alternate timeline of the Marvel Universe, mutants are the dominant species over the human race. They are lead by Magneto and his two children, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The House of M is due to the fractured psyche of the Scarlet Witch, who went insane upon discovering that the children she mourned over so passionately were figments of her imagination. Unable to cope with this revelation, the mutant viciously attacked her closest friends, the Avengers, killing several and subsequently this resulted in the team's ultimate disbandment.

  In this House of M crossover, one of the victim's of the Scarlet Witch's assault has returned from the dead- Hawkeye. Possessing knowledge that he shouldn't be alive, Clint Barton infiltrates the archives of the Daily Bugle is order to learn more about this new version of reality. His break-in attracts the attention of a Bugle reporter who assists him in his quest for knowledge. But with anti-human Sentinels closing in, will the reporter be able to continue with Hawkeye in his quest of returning the universe back to normal by killing the Scarlet Witch?  

    I had read the House of M many years ago and I loved that alternate reality mutant thriller. Like with just about any Marvel crossover event, there are dozens of tie-in issues and storylines contained in the pages of the publisher's monthly titles.        

   Maybe it's because I erroneously thought that Marvel only tied in the X-titles. (Silly Madman...) Since I've been trying to collect and eventually read this entire series, this is my first real glimpse at the House of M from a non-mutant point of view.

   The Pulse #10 was very interesting. By making humans second class citizens, the tables have been reversed with the mutants getting the accolades, positions or power, and chance to rule for once. I had always thought of House of M as a dynamic alternate history story. But at its heart, M is a top notch look at civil rights. The added twist is that the majority (humans) are in fact the minority because they do not have special powers.

    Bendis just keeps writing gems like this. I don't know how he does it and I am a little jealous. This story is self-contained enough that you do not have to read House of M to follow or enjoy this issue- but you really should! Also featured really excellent art by Michael Lark (Daredevil) and yet another wicked cover by series artist Mike Mayhew.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Silverblade #11

  Everything you knew about Silverblade, just scoop it in a bag and toss it out the window. With the death of Jonathan Lord, the curtain falls, the lights go on, and the actors and producers pat themselves on the back! It turns out that the entire Silverblade adventures of Jonathan Lord, Blackfeather, Milestone, Brian Vane, and the rest was a blockbuster film. But when a quiet film premiere blends quickly into Oscar Night, the Silverblade Players get the strangest feeling that something just isn't right. 

   I said to throw everything about Silverblade outside like such refuse. That doesn't mean I hated this book. Nor does it mean that I think that the latest plot twist was a cop out! Far from it! I've said it before: this maxiseries does NOT play by the rules and issue #11 is just the latest example of this.

   The 'reality isn't what we think it is' plotline has been done to death. But that's been recently. This book was published in the late 80s and I'd like to think that it inspired some of those books, films, and TV series of today that use this plot device twist. Examples I can think of off the top of my head is the ABC series LOST and Doctor Who. 

   Another great chapter in a forgotten series that deserves another chance- if you can find it!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Catwoman: Guardian Of Gotham #1

    In this role reversal, Catwoman is the hero and Batman is the villain. As Catwoman solves the crimes of Gotham City, Batman is making a name for himself by killing all of the heroine’s foes- Joker, Two-Face, Riddler…nobody is safe. And Catwoman is the next target.

   This Batman also has a perchance for robbing the pants off of Gotham’s elite and when he comes across Catwoman’s secret identity during a random robbery, he decides to put off her murder temporarily, by wooing her during the day as Bruce Wayne. But just what is his up his sleeves.

    I like the role reversal thing. I also like that this isn’t like Elseworld’s Finest: Batwoman and Supergirl, where all the guy characters are now female and vice versa. The only real difference is that Catwoman= good, Batman= evil. The story is very good. The art is pristine and fits seamlessly with other Batman books of the late 90s.

   My only problem is that Catwoman’s maid is dressed as a slutty French maid all the time at Kyle Manor. Alfred never worked in Wayne Manor wearing a banana hammock! Talk about gratuitous (and unneeded for the story ) T&A.

   Besides that, this volume is Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.