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Monday 7 November 2016

Deadpool MAX, Volume 2: Involuntary Armageddon Review (David Lapham, Kyle Baker)


David Lapham actually writes a pretty good Deadpool, as in the character. He’s got the voice down cold and doesn’t overdo the wackiness or force the comedy, which is what some writers tend to do with Wade. The story side of things though is unfortunately not as strong. 

Hydra Bob is trying to get back into Hydra’s good graces because he’s in love with Taskmaster (this is an alternate reality where Hydra Bob accidentally created Hydra and Taskmaster is a chick) but he’s also trying to stop them and get back into the CIA or something? And Deadpool is tied into this because he thinks he’s Bob’s best bud and he hates Hydra… yeah it’s a lot convoluted! 

But if the overall structure of the book is shaky, there are a few fun scenes scattered throughout. Deadpool throws the world’s worst bachelor party for Bob (and this is Marvel MAX so you see a lot of uncensored sex, drugs, swearing and violence), and tries to be a good dad/husband to a broken doll and an insane woman! 

Kyle Baker’s art though is horrible. Watery and weakly coloured, it just doesn’t look like an art style suited to superhero comics at all - more like some wanky ‘70s bawdy joke book. And Cable with a monocle is just wrong - he looks like he’s about to go fox-hunting after blowing his butler. 

It’s a shame David Lapham’s brilliance doesn’t transfer so easily from his masterful Stray Bullets comics to Marvel but there are definitely worse Deadpool books out there than his, and MAX is basically the approach that makes the most sense for the character! Baker’s art might be enough to put people off entirely but, if you can stomach it, Lapham’s Deadpool MAX comics aren’t bad reading - the characters are there if the story isn’t.

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