What I Bought 11/18/2016

My plan to pick up this week's books partially foundered on the rocks of not being able to find 3 out of 4 I was looking for. Minor consolation that I didn't even realize the latest Darkwing Duck was out, but I found a copy. That's two books.

Deadpool #22, by Gerry Duggan (writer), Matteo Lolli (artist), Guru-eFX (colorist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - I know some people are a fan of Tradd Moore's work, but it's just a little off in ways that bother me. Like Deadpool's thighs are strangely proportioned compared to everything else.

I skipped the previous issue because it was another of those $10 ones, and most of that was "Deadpool doing Shakespeare", so I missed the first part of Wade vs. Madcap. Wade lost, and wakes up partway through his own autopsy. Makes his way back to his HQ, finds he's got bills to pay, goes and robs a racetrack while wearing a Spider-Man costume. But things are looking up, Ellie manages to invite him to dinner. Then things look down, because it turns out Madcap is using Wade as a carrier for some hemorrhagic disease and Wade's just infected his daughter and Preston's family.

So Wade got booted off the Avengers, but the "unity squad" is sticking together to stop the Red Skull? So just Wade, or Johnny and Rogue and the rest got the boot? And on whose authority? Hydra Steve Rogers? I hate that's a thing. Can not wait for it to be erased, along with a lot of things in the current Marvel Universe.

Lolli's artwork is solid, if not spectacular. I can't decide if I wish he had gone a little more gruesome with the autopsy scene. It feels like that should be horrifying, waking up to people dissecting you, but then again, for Wade it's probably not that unusual. Still, I feel like it would have provided a better contrast to his blase response if things were a little more visceral. On the positive side, I got to see Deadpool (dressed as Spidey in a suit with the tag still on it) smack a horse with a sack full of money. That was funny. Not quite "Punisher punches a polar bear," but not bad.

Darkwing Duck #6, Aaron Sparrow and James Silvani (storytellers), Paul Little (colorists), Greyson Orlando (digital art on page 14), DC Hopkins (letterer) - I think it's because they did a black and white variant, but there's a white outline around Drake and Gosalyn, which makes them seem like they aren't part of the whole mess. Or like a sticker book. "What is Drake trying to keep from corrupting his daughter? A bazaar? The awful work conditions in Santa's workshop?"

The crew attend a comic-convention, in a bizarre universe where people revere comic creators as gods and they correspondingly make tons o' cash. Drake is horrified by all the people dressed as villains, and almost grateful when one of the artists (which I assume is Silvani in duck form) does a sketch with ink that turns out to be the angry artist, Splatter Phoenix. Which leads to Darkwing chasing her through a series of different comic books, giving Silvani a chance to draw in other styles (as well as scenes parodying various stuff). The fact that several of them last for one panel kind of mutes it, makes it feel like they did it out of some sense of obligation. "Better do a Batman v. Superman gag, I guess." I'd have preferred more of Silvani doing a sort of Frank Miller than the sort of Rob Liefeld.

That part was OK, you've undoubtedly seen other comics doing that same bit, so not much new there.  But the recurring gag about Darkwing being angry Launchpad cosplayed as Gizmoduck (and his distaste for Gizmoduck in general) worked for me, and forcing Darkwing to pair up with Honker (because Goslayn and Launchpad are busy trying to win the costume contest) was a nice change of pace. Honker is around a lot, but he's usually interacting with Gosalyn, who gets Darkwing to pay attention to whatever he's trying to say. And Darkwing is used to having a kid tagging along he has to hold back from getting involved, not one who can barely keep up and is trying to stay out of the fray.

All that said, the scene where we get to see who Gosalyn dressed up as was sweet. Sparrow and Silvani seem to be really emphasizing how important Gosalyn and Darkwing are to each other, as people who don't seem to have any family other than what they've cobbled together. Which makes me suspect there's something bad waiting for Gosalyn in the near future. And it's not a possible grounding for hiding one of Bushroot's plant raptors.

Some issues of Darkwing Duck are stronger than others, but every issue has at least a few genuinely funny or touching bits, and I appreciate they're mixing in some done-in-one issues with the larger arcs.

All that said,