The Good
Sometimes a big event can feel like a rude interruption. A series can have so many interesting things happening, but then it needs to find a way to roll with what's going on in the universe. Finding a way to adapt to the bigger story can sometimes feel forced and make us anticipate when the book can finish its tie-ins and get back to its own stories. Thankfully, that isn't the case with DEADPOOL bringing AXIS into its narrative. Instead of being a hindrance to co-writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn's story, they've found a way to really make it work. Not only do they put a nice focus on just how much their lead has changed, but they did a more than thorough job showing how this impacts all of the elements in their story as well.
Zenpool is awesome. Duggan and Posehn have more than proven they can write a version of the merc with a mouth that's funny and not obnoxious, but Zenpool's approach is like a breath of fresh air. He's still funny and scenes like the one at the dining room table add a new level of depth to him, but watching how others bounce off this new personality is even funnier. It's great they added "classic" Deadpool in there, telling him what he should be doing, so that still gives us some of the comedy we've come to expect from the book. Aside from Wade, there's so many other lovable comedic beats. The subway encounter had me laughing -- everything from the dialogue to the absurdity of the situation to the emojis is fantastic -- and the levity kept on flowing. The bit with Iceman was hysterical (even if his dialogue did seem a little out of character) and even something small like Michael and Agent Adsit sitting at the kids table gave me a good laugh. Oh, and that final line? Deadpool sure is in the X-Men's world, isn't he? A little bit of the slapstick stuff wasn't really up to par with the rest, but this was still an incredibly funny issue and there's something in here that's sure to make almost anyone burst into laughter at least once.
As many of us guessed, Wade's new mentality means there's going to be an obvious change in his relationship with Shiklah. It's a bit of a bummer the character hasn't played a big role in the book, but it looks like that's slowly beginning to change. She may not play a pivotal role in this issue, but it's made abundantly clear that Shiklah married Deadpool, not Zenpool. Instead of feeling like forced drama, it's Wade's internal dialogue that addresses this and, as expected, they make it pretty funny instead of having it feel more like relationship drama taken from a CW show. If they're going to already end the relationship, I really hope it gets a more compelling story before they go their separate ways. Deadpool's wedding was made out to be a big deal and there hasn't really been any significant follow-up. Hopefully this arc can change that.
The script continues its focus on a more lighthearted atmosphere with scattered bits of drama and emotional weight, and artist Mike Hawthorne, colorist Jordie Bellaire and inker Terry Pallot continue to prove they're the right people to bring this story to life. I know I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but I'm really loving Hawthorne's character work; it's just perfect for this series. The lighter moments work because he has this ability to give the characters so much expression. Seeing Wade smirk through his mask is heartwarming and, while it may not be as detailed as the attention given the the various characters, I always appreciate how much effort is put into making these environments feel more immesive. Little things like showing what's on the TV set really help the experience. Then Bellaire's colors really compliment the issue's tone and feel more than appropriate for the various locations and unique costumes we encounter.
The Bad
As full of comedy and action as this story may be, the story is off to a pretty simple and predictable start. There aren't going to be any twists, turns, or jaw-dropping developments here. It's well-written, the panels are a joy, and it's consistently entertaining, but it isn't really that that stunning or mind-blowing just yet. Fun, sure, but it looks like the really heavy and powerful stuff has yet to come. There's a lot of potential here and I'm confident these writers are going to take full advantage of it as the story moves forward. It's looking like the next issue will be action-heavy, but there's still plenty of ways they can add some more impactful scenes because of the situation with the FauX-Men.
The Verdict
The inversion spell has produced a really, really fun approach to the series and, thanks to two talented writers and a strong visual team, there's plenty of great laughs to enjoy. The new story isn't all that compelling just yet, but it does make up for a basic story by having some really sharp dialogue, animated visuals, and a lot of pure fun. It seems like the next issue's going to be a blast, but I'm really hoping the story will be able to start adding a little more emotion into the mix.