Third time’s a charm, so they say, but when it comes to Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time, it’s also a charming start. The first issue wowed with Dalibor Talajić’s art and a strong accompaniment from Cullen Bunn on writing with a plot that’s a lot more complex than it seems. Hanging off that plot is a fight comic, but this time Deadpool is killing all sorts of semi-familiar heroes and villains, each with a twist. In the second issue, Cap-Wolf is a prime target, but there’s a heck of a lot more to kill than you might think.
Before Deadpool gets to the cover-kill of Cap-Wolf, he takes on a Venom that’s a bit amped up. Multiple arms will do that to a villain. In fact, he takes out seven different characters before Cap-Wolf, told via two longer scenes and a sharply drawn montage. All the while, Bunn writes some sharp conversation between Deadpool’s yellow captions and his white captions.
Adding to the fun in the montage is Talajić’s art, as each target is a different spin on a familiar character. Captions give us additional detail, making a vampire Union Jack a little more formidable. Talajić continues to draw with great detail, like with Deadpool’s costume and how you can see his eyes through the mask. It’s not clear what Earths Deadpool goes to, but the multiverse hopping is quite clear.
Adding to the good time is Deadpool’s demeanor. He’s having a bit of fun, which wasn’t the case at the start of the series. Maybe it’s the conversation he’s having in his head, but the Cap-Wolf scene is more fun because of his joy in killing. Plus, Bunn and Talajić find a creative way to take out a werewolf.
Capping off the issue is one more clue for why Deadpool needs to help the mysterious blue lady and a cliffhanger that’ll get X-Men fans excited. Somehow, the larger mystery doesn’t seem to matter all that much since we’re seeing Deadpool grow a bit and become more of who we know from the 616 universe.
Less a mystery series and more of a fight comic, Bunn and Talajić manage to do just enough to keep you invested while entertaining with action. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time #2 doubles down on inventive kills and multiverse mayhem, and thanks to Bunn and Talajić’s synergy, it manages to be both gruesome and gleefully entertaining—proving that even in a bloodbath, Deadpool can still surprise you.
Deadpool’s having more fun this time around, which makes the chaos all the more enjoyable. Read More