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Deadpool #2 - We Fought a Zoo

4

Undead Teddy Roosevelt heads to the Los Angeles Zoo for a hunt. It's up to Deadpool to eliminate the 26th US President, and if possible, save the animals.

The Good

Tony Moore was born to illustrate a Deadpool series. His uniquely cartoonish yet detailed and appropriately repulsive work (maskless Wade, the over-the-top gore) is a perfect fit for the Merc with a mouth. The splash page ("splash" really is a fitting term for this one) is gruesome. It's like looking at the sun: it hurts your eyes but you don't want to look away.

But before we dive into a world filled with hideous skin conditions, Presidents being shot in the face and intestines flooding out of bodies, there's an absurdly adorable Deadpool on the recap page. Marvel needs to make a plush inspired by this image or they're seriously missing out on an amazing product.

As expected, DEADPOOL #2 is big on humor. There's smaller stuff that'll make you chuckle (JFK's accent and Necromancer pulling a huge book from his kilt) and some flat-out ridiculous moments that are sure to slap a smile across your face (Teddy uppercutting a bear, for example). There's also quite a few jabs at Deadpool's history. His excessive pouches are mocked at one point and another time Deadpool references how he used to chat with himself. Could he be doing that once again... or is Benjamin Franklin actually there? I'm curious to see how that'll play out.

The Bad

While the issue does have plenty of good lowbrow humor, unfortunately not all of the jokes deliver. Sometimes references feel a bit forced and all too frequent. I get the objective is to have a goofy and fun book for Marvel, but it's okay to go a page or so without aiming for laughs. For example, the "disco balls" remark made me roll my eyes. It felt unnecessary to me, especially when there was much funnier material taking place in the panel.

The ending makes me wonder why S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't just reach out to this guy in the first place. Definitely seems like the logical option for this kind of an issue.

The Verdict

Two issues in and DEADPOOL remains strong as Marvel's go-to book for absurdity. Seeing Deadpool face individual Presidents is sure to be a unique and creative experience as each battle (so far) is tailor-made to capitalize on their personalities. The overall plot is moving at a steady rate and Tony Moore's artwork is phenomenal. Overall, a solid start to Deadpool's new run and hopefully it'll remain at this level of quality.