First, the cover is a lovely reminder of savage days and Big John.
A Deadpool synopsis is one of the most beautiful things in comics. Nerd tech-loving terrorist organization sends the Merc to retrieve an item from a rival fascist terrorist organization-both groups of which claim origins in the Silver Age. That all? Hell no, this is Wade Wilson, not just Bond. He’s also getting shot down to the extraction point from orbit in what is essentially a bullet in a planned crash and burn landing. Oh, he is also landing in the Savage Land which is full of dinosaurs and other pre-historic mayhem.
For the most part the Savage Land has become this real cool setting from the past that now makes us cringe every time we have to revisit it again, usually for the sake of tradition. The natural citizens of this place must be like “damn, the X-Men again?” Go back to preppy Westchester you genetic emo-elites.” I have always been the guy that would have been satisfied with a Ka-Zar series, no need for guests. Do you know how old school the jungle lord is? Way before X-Men#10. Now, sure, we are talking spiritual lineage and not really canon, but I promise if you open up Marvel Comics#1 you’ll see Ka-Zar in there with Namor and the Human Torch—that’s Marvel pantheon status. Even before that he was rocking pulps. So what does Gischler have the O.G do when he runs into Deadpool? He peaces out. He has other shit to do, and doesn’t have time for a silly Liefeld creation. The guy is the son of the tiger.
Gischler avoids (immediate) silly team-up.
He also gets dialogue. Deadpool’s doubletalk is a tightrope as the line between being too inclusive and being just hip and trendy is a fine one. As comic fans we think our in-jokes are hip, but writer’s know the truth, and Gischler knows to arm himself with it to better to lie to us. He and Dazo also end the issue in spectacular fashion with a talking head scene. Sounds lame? Nah, it may be the most ingenious, literal, and forgivable use of talking heads in the history of the medium.
We’ve seen Bong Dazo (who has the illest name in comics excluding C.B. Cebluski-which just sounds like an underboss in waiting) working on Deadpool before when he penciled Thunderbolts* during the Magnum Opus crossover with Deadpool. I thought he showed that he gets Deadpool (even though his Thunderbolts was not flattering) in those issues and this is a great vehicle for him to prove it. The guy’s wingman in this project is thorough, so he’s set-up ready to shine. Only thing that struck my mind was that I’d love to see a Bud Root get a shot in the Savage Lands.
That Deadpool represents the most versatile major character at Marvel is nothing new. There is no change in that, indeed Victor Gischler’s Deadpool would have Jerry Cornelius in the LSC every Tuesday flipping, and thinking “Yo, now he nice”. Admirably it is the character’s idiosyncrasies that remain a constant. One could surmise that such a characters presents the easiest task to write; after all is it even possible too stray too far into absurdism with the merc? I, however, find Deadpool to be the most deceptively dangerous of undertakings. Creative freedom is often a battle cry in the comics medium, but for the vast majority it is one that is often definable as and followed by noise. Once granted total freedom, once you pick up that brush, the blameable crutch is gone—your faults are your own. Gischler grabs crutches and beats their owners with them while telling them to walk on their own two.
Gischler and Deadpool Dancin till the the end of time and go go going until the Apocalypse—oor at least 5 more issues. Sweet Muzak to my ears.
* way back in Thunderbolts#130-#131 True Believers! (see my reviews here and here)
