REVIEW: ‘Deadpool,’ Issue #10

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Deadpool #10 and the neighborhood has gone to symbiote hell in a handbasket, more so than when the monsters arrived. So, just slightly worse. Deadpool is published by Marvel Comics, written by Kelly Thompson, pencils by Gerardo Sandoval, inks by Victor Nava and Gerardo Sandoval, colors by Chris Sotomayor, and letters by VC’s Joe Sabino.

Previously, Deadpool had gone to the Bone Beast realm to rescue Elsa and some helpless kids, oh, and Jeff the Land Shark. But, Jeff had a mouth-sword, so he handled his business. While there, Deadpool sacrificed himself so that Elsa could recover her bloodstone and defeat the Queen before she could take over Deadpool’s body as her host. Wade is never down for long, though. So, Elsa scooped up his decapitated and still talking head, fixed him into a makeshift baby bjorn carrier, and made their way back to their own dimension.

Just when they thought they were done with black goo monsters, Knull and his symbiote army roll into town for Deadpool #10 as the King in Black event continues to cross the Marvel comics’ universe and cause havoc for everyone involved. Now, Wade and his merry monsters must defend Deadpoolopolis, the island of monsters (formerly known as Staten Island), from a symbiote Dragon as Knull’s presence and influence on Earth grows stronger.

Thompson is such an excellent writer, and I encourage anyone to check all of her previous work. Within this issue, and all of the prior Deadpool issues, you can feel she just revels in the ridiculousness of the plot. Let’s take a step back and recap the team she’s roped into this particular issue: Mister Frosty, a sentient snowman, Sauron, a previous X-Men villain, The Night Wolf, from the realm of monsters and a loyal servant of King Deadpool, and Elsa Bloodstone, a monster hunter (oh sweet irony). Her dialogue is so quintessential of Deadpool and packed to the rafters with all levels of witty humor. Thompson creates madly unconventional characters that embrace the bizarreness of the Marvel comics universe, and you can’t help but love them.

Sandoval and Nava deliver some fantastic combined artwork, and the panels are packed with detail. The issue easily has close to 25 unique character designs, not just from a distance. Each design features precise inking, such as the scales on the head of Fishhead or the textured stone look on Zrrgo, to name but a few. Full respect to the level of artistry that’s been poured into this issue. The final result makes for a stimulating and entertaining read.

Given all of these depictions, Sotomayor certainly had his work cut out for him. With the coloring, it’s no exception to the high standards set by the issues’ creatives. Each of the characters uniquely stands out, especially next to the jet black coloring of the Symbiote dragon.

Sabino’s lettering was done well. Deadpool is a talkative character, which means a lot of dialogue to pen on the page. Sabino balanced this nicely to keep true to the story’s flow while also not detracting from the imagery.

Overall, this is by no means an earth-shattering issue, but it does what it is intended to do, entertain you and make you laugh. Thompson constructs a world that doesn’t take itself too seriously and basks in the utterly absurd. If you love Deadpool, this is the series for you.

Deadpool #10 is available in stores now wherever comics are sold.