Deadpool #44
Writer: Daniel Way
Art: Carlo Barberi [Pencils], Walden Wong [Inks] and Jorge Gonzalez [Colors]
Ever since he escaped from Britain’s Crossmore Prison in issue #42, the Merc with a Mouth (i.e. Deadpool) [They probably know that if they’re on this site, stupid!] has been running around jolly old England trying to evade his psychotic therapist.
Wade found himself in Crossmore way back in Deadpool #40 after trying to trick the Hulk [The big green one!] into killing him. Unfortunately, Doctor Ella Whitby kind of had a thing for the Regeneratin’ Degenerate. This worked to his advantage when she eventually helped him escape, but the doc’s delusional, obsessive and psychotic, and has kind of been creepin’ on our boy Wade ever since.
[Kind of like that weird chick in sixth grade that kept professing her love for you and trying to give you a real Valentine, etc. even though you kept shooting her down… ]
[QUIET STUPID SECOND VOICE! THAT GIRL DIDN’T MAKE A FULL-ON ROGER COSTUME!]
Anyways, last issue, we saw Wade hold up the Queen of England’s coach. The queen gave our right old chap a jolly good talking to — convincing Wade that Whitby’s actions are his responsibility since she is emulating him by killing people — before he pulled a costume swap and chip-cheerioed away in Her Majesty’s clothes.
Now that you’re up to speed, Deadpool #44 begins with Wade sneaking into Whitby’s apartment to get more info on what it is exactly that she’s up to. He discovers a fridge full of his dismembered limbs, apparently collected over the course of several years. [He can regenerate, you know…Keep up, kids!] Before he has time to process this, he comes across a note that leads him to the realization that Whitby is out to murder the prison’s warden and heads out to stop this from happening.
Forty-four issues in, writer Daniel Way continues to maintain a solid, humorous interplay between Wade and the voices in his head. To have a run this long on a series with this level of consistency is something special, and while many comic fans feel Deadpool is overplayed these days [He’s kind of the new Wolverine], people who scoff at this book have been missing a really enjoyable ride. The art also strikes the right balance of realistic-but-cartoony, especially in the puke-in-mask and hallucination panels.
Overall, this was a good conclusion to the current storyline with a nice lead-in to the next issue. The fridge of dismembered Deadpool parts was a clever play on the “Women in Refrigerators” [Google it, kids!] issue that comes up often in comics, whether it was intentional or not — and knowing the way healing factors work, they won’t stay there for long.
Story: 9/10
Art: 10/10 [Seriously… Whitby in that homemade Deadpool costume looks real enough to gross me out]
