Single-Issue Reviews, September 2010, Part One

On tap for this edition of Single-Issue Reviews: three endings and a book at the end (almost) of the alphabet. What am I talking about? Read on to find out.

Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War #4

• Written by Duane Swierczynski
• Pencils & Cover by Jason Pearson

In this final issue of this mini-series we find out that everything that happened was a set-up by Deadpool and Domino so they could finish a job — which they do, spectacularly; or Wade Wilson is just plain crazy. Take your pick. No, really, it could be either one, and that's what makes this series worthwhile. It could've just been another silly Deadpool comic, but Swierczynski chooses to make meaning out of the absurdity, and it really works.

In previous issues, Deadpool is testifying before a Senate committee about his actions in a huge mess in Mexico. According to Deadpool, he, Domino, Bullseye, and Sable went down there on a Weapon X mission from the government to bust up a huge drug cartel. Things went really bad really quickly, and it ended up being a bloodbath, complete with explosions and fires. The government claims that Deadpool is crazy, and the four of them broke out of a (mental?) hospital and proceeded to bust up, shoot up, and blow up the cartel on their own. It becomes increasingly unclear as to which story is the truth as the series goes on.

In this issue, however, we find out that, perhaps, a third possibility is true: Wade Wilson is just crazy, and he imagines all this. Which is really true is never resolved — the reader is left to determine which he believes to be true. In fact, the reader is asked to consider which he wants to be true. Life is what you make it. How does anyone know what is truth? People make up their own narratives constantly. Much of what we remember isn't quite what others remember. But these memories define our world for us. We each experience events differently, and we each filter reality through our own lens.

Which story do I wish to be true? It depends. Sometimes I want to think, to consider human existence — the good, the bad, the bleh; but sometimes I just want a superhero comic. Deadpool comics at their best have a little of both. This is one of those comics. Absurd and ghastly, yet also though-provoking. I'm glad I picked up this series.

Fantastic Four #582

• Written by Jonathan Hickman
• Pencils by Neil Edwards
• Inks by Scott D. Hanna
• Colors by Paul Mounts
• Cover by Alan Davis

• Nathaniel Richards and the college-age Reed, Ben and Victor von Doom battle the other last remaining Nathaniel Richards, Val tells Sue some stuff she needs to know about the near future, and the purpose of Franklin creating a bubble universe at the heat death of the universe is revealed.
• We get a very good Doom moment and a pretty standard fight-with-the-bad-guy in the first half of the book. In the second half, we get Val and Franklin giving vague explanations of what they're doing. I assume this will make more sense after the next arc, but that makes this and the previous issue pretty much all setup. I've been enjoying the “hint here, hint there” approach that Hickman has been taking, but this feels like a little too much like walking on eggshells so as not to reveal anything concretely. Franklin and Val have made some changes to the timestream, but who knows what (probably less than you'd think, given the huge experience that Reed and Ben — not to mention Doom — just went through).
• I don't really like the art. Most of the faces do not look right, partly because everyone seems a bit too puffy. I do think Franklin looks good, however he's basically the only one. Except for the main characters, though, the drawing is good and the colors are nice. Also, I like the whacked-out designs on the Anachronauts. Overall, however, something just seems off.
• I wish we had found out more in this issue. I'm sure it'll come up in the next arc and this will make more sense, but we're really left hanging, here. Overall, this was a decent, but not great issue.

Secret Avengers #4

• Written by Ed Brubaker
• Pencils by Mike Deodato
• Cover by Marko Djurdjevic

• The end of the opening arc of Secret Avengers has Steve Rogers temporarily gaining the Nova force to stop the Serpent Crown-wearing Nova from, basically, destroying everything.
• This issue is a big step up from the previous two. The art is less stiff (more on that later) and the story is less stagnant. Issues #2 and #3 probably could've made a decent single issue if combined, but were pretty weak separately. This issue is back up to the level of the debut issue, enough so to make me reconsider dropping the title.
• As I mentioned, the story involves Steve Rogers putting on Nova's helmet and having the Nova force transferred to him so he is powerful enough to battle Nova, who is currently under control of the Serpent Crown he found on Mars. Yes, the promise given by the cover was fulfilled. That is something to celebrate.
• Most of the book is a big fight between Steve Rogers and Nova, and it's done pretty well. It's a little cliché, with Steve Rogers defeating Nova by simply being more awesome, as opposed to Serpent-Crown-Nova relying on his strength and power. Even so, it was enjoyable.
• The other members of the team aren't completely forgotten, either, which is good. You can't have everyone in a major role at all times, but you shouldn't forget about the rest. It might've been better to have a little more of a role for most of them, but at least they had something to do.
• I've enjoyed Ant-Man's part in this story. Again, it's a little clichéd — undervalued guy saves the day without anyone knowing — but it was still welcome.
• Mike Deodato tries some really different layouts in this issue. I'm glad he's trying to change it up a bit; his art has seemed so stiff (and teethy, don't forget) in previous issues. It really helps give some life to the page. Do I think he always succeeded? No. But I'd rather someone fail (not that I think he absolutely failed, just that he came somewhere in the middle) trying something different and daring than to keep serving up the same tired stuff. It seems like he's not used to these unconventional layouts. He especially could do some better planning on making adjacent pages look right together. All-in-all, however, it boosted the art by a lot. I went from kinda hating it in previous issues to pretty much liking it here.
• I was pretty sure this was going to be my last issue of Secret Avengers. However, this issue was a big step in the right direction, and I now find myself wanting to see what happens next.

X-Factor #208

• Written by Peter David
• Pencils & Inks by Sebastian Fiumara
• Colors by Jeromy Cox
• Cover by David Yardin

• After seeing a mostly undressed Rictor with a mostly undressed Shatterstar, Wolfsbane attacks the latter while the former attempts to calm her down; Layla continues to play head games with Monet; and the team's new client shows a bit more of her true self.
• I'm having a hard time believing that Sebastian Fiumara did the art here. I'll have to check my copy, but this looks completely different from the last issue. If he did do it, it's a huge step down for him.
• Otherwise, there's not much to say. This book is always a fun read, but there was nothing amazingly exciting about it. Just another solid entry by Peter David.