I’d
like to start off by saying that reading any of this may include spoilers, but
the title to this is itself a spoiler. This is the ultimate in gratuitous
violence, an entire four part series was created simply to reveal Deadpool's
ability to unleash terrifying levels of gory violence unto the marvel universe
and in the latter parts maybe even our universe. Deadpool is one of those characters
who is divorced from his reality and addresses the Fourth Wall often. But here,
In Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
he isn't only aware of this imaginary wall, he actually breaks through it and
seems to be far more violent than he has ever been before. But strangely, this
isn't the absurd laugh filled reading that a Deadpool comic would usually be.
Thanks to writer Cullen Bunn Deadpool
Kills the Marvel Universe takes a pretty dark turn. The Issue opens up with
Deadpool killing the Fantastic Four, in a horrifyingly depicted way by Dalibor
Talajic, and the gruesome mayhem continues from there. I may be over glorifying
the violence a little bit, but the point I want to get across is that it’s
pretty violent. Contrary to what many reviews may say this series has a great
plot, Deadpool has come to realize that his life and the lives of those in the
rest of the marvel universe exist for the entertainment of a viewer not of that
universe. These aren’t pointless killings, it’s not all blood and guts, it is about
finally ending the constant torment that those in Marvel Universe constantly go
through for our viewing entertainment. We come to realize that Wade has a far
more sinister plan than to just break the fourth wall, he’s aware of the fact
that the pain, the constant deaths, the struggles, and the rebirths are all the
result of other human beings creating stories. Deadpool never states his plan
directly but it becomes abundantly clear that his aim is to end the Marvel
Universe. Wade sees no wrong in his killings because, in his twisted mindset,
none of those who fall casualty to him really exist. *SPOILER ALERT* The story ends in an eerily
fashion, where Deadpool turns and addresses the audience in a way that seems
like the invisible barrier between comic book reader and comic book character
no longer exists.
Dalibor Talajić works in a fairly clean, detailed but uncluttered style which is visually pleasing, however Talajic seems to focus a little too much on the extreme close ups of characters but it usually helps us see the emotional contact some of the character have in this book. His sense of perspective and staging were really interesting. Lee Loughridge does an amazing job on colors in this; it seems as if he had created a color palette for every single one of the heroes and/or villains who come up. The layout of the panels is what I found quite appealing. Throughout the book I felt my eyes scanning every little section of the pages. This may have been because of the unique layout throughout the panels. The art itself may have been a little dull and flat, but the constant changing of panels provides something that is visually pleasing. From what I’ve been able to see Issue 3 page 16 & Issue 4 page 11 are some of the very few pages that use the same panel layout, other than a about 2-3 pages no page has the same panel composition. With almost every turn of the page the layout seems to change, on some pages you may see as little as 2 panels while on the next page you may see 5 panels or more. On some of these pages you may even see the image bleed off the page while in others there is a clear border or gutters even.
A series that is well aware of the fact that it's a comic book makes for an interesting read. As I've said before this isn't your usual Deadpool comic, He's more aware of the fact that we are watching him. Cullen Bunn and Dalibor Talajic do an excellent job when it comes to the Image/text Interplay. Previous Artists and Writers have done the same with Mr. Wilson, but here the imaginary wall that Deadpool usually addresses is broken and it begins to feel as if we are no longer reading a comic book. We are rather experiencing or witnessing a series of tragic killings, waiting for our turn to be brutally murdered by The Merc With a Mouth. Often when we read comics we usually expect to be reading a story, but here it feels as if we are part of it. At times we see Deadpool turn and seem to be looking directly at us, it is then followed by a line that reassures of the fact that Deadpool is well aware that someone in some other 'Universe' may be watching him. This eerie style of image/text interplay go extremely well one another because the text at time addresses us, the reader, and the images that go along with this certain type of dialog or thought bubble seem to be starring at us dead in the eye.
*SPOILER IMAGES*
*SPOILER IMAGES*
Ultimately, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe is
alright, it isn’t all that special, but if you just can’t get enough of the
annoying mercenary then you may not regret buying the single issues or the
collection of the miniseries. However, if you’re looking for a book that is heavy
on character development and or story, then I will say this isn’t for you. The
story is cool, it’s just not fully developed I guess you can say. The killings
are too quick and may even be a bit illogical. If you’re just in the mood to
see some well-known super heroes get offed then I would recommend.