DEADPOOL #61
"Funeral for a Freak, Part 1 of 4"
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Frank Tieri
Pencils: J. Calafiore
Inks: Jon Holdredge
Colors: Color Dojo
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
Frank Tieri does a good job capturing the goofy yet tragic essence of the title character here, without the benefit of a script to boot. The problem is that this first chapter of a new story will be of interest only to die-hard Deadpool fans. Not a smart move, given that this issue is billed as a first issue on the cover, conceivably in an attempt to lure in new readers. To complicate matters, Calafiore's art, though a lot of fun, fails to convey some key information.
Deadpool awakens to discover he's a disembodied spirit, in attendance at his own funeral. To his surprise and pleasure, it's a well attended event, with friends and enemies alike turning out for the occasion. It's a volatile situation... one that provides plenty of diversions for the Merc with a Mouth. As Deadpool moves on to his just reward, a stranger's visit to his grave throws a wrench into his afterlife plans.
Calafiore's somewhat gritty art is surprisingly well suited to conveying the goofiness of Deadpool. Sure, it's perfect for the nastier aspects of his world, but the he handles the comedy adeptly as well... for the most part. There are a couple of gags that are spoiled by omissions in the art. The opening joke went over my head because the penciller didn't capture some real-world likenesses at all, and Poolboy's shenanigans don't make sense as the results of his prank are left out of the visuals.
I was a big fan of the original Joe Kelly run on this title, and I've read it on and off since he left it. Tieri's obviously a fan of what's come before in this book as well, and this funeral scene will be a real treat for fans of this series. The problem is that anyone other than the hardcore 'Pool fans will be at a loss when reading this issue. There's nothing in the way of exposition -- another failing of the silent "'Nuff Said!" format -- so this mini-series within a series is off to a rocky start.
To Tieri's credit, though, he realizes that Deadpool can be about more than slapstick gags and movie spoofs. There's a darker side to this book, and it's summed up with a creepily quiet climactic scene between the title character and someone he meets with on the other side of the veil, so to speak. It's a bizarre and disturbing moment, and it gets to the heart of Deadpool's dysfunctional persona.
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