Illegitimate children, secrets, lies, deception… The current Deadpool 2099 story sounds an awful lot like the past 30 years of The Bold and the Beautiful. Considering most comic books are really just undercover soap operas with tights, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. Nonetheless, Deadpool #25 brings the Wilson family drama to a close in this double-sized issue.
So, what’s the beef? Warda Wilson – Deadpool’s daughter – is still PO’ed at her pops for refusing to tell her where her mother, Shiklah, is. She issues him the following ultimatum: bring me my mommy or I’ll unleash holy hell on Madison Star Garden. Deadpool being Deadpool doesn’t do things simply, and attempts to reason with daddy’s little princess in his own peculiar way. When that doesn’t go down well, however, he’s forced to stop her with some help from his friends and Warda’s half-sister, Ellie. But can he stop his daughter and repair their strained relationship at the same time? And where exactly is the demonic Shiklah hiding?
Fortunately, all is revealed by the end of this jam-packed book that’s bursting at the seams. It’s all action and wisecracks, but it’s Wade’s deep self-reflection that surprises the most. While you never get the feeling that Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” is looping in the background, you do get the sense that Oldpool is wiser and more chilled than his modern-day counterpart. With great aging power comes great sensibility.
Now, don’t let the size of this issue fool you; there’s a lot of filler nonsense that could’ve been removed. Consequently, the narrative drags on for far too long and the jokes fall flat rather quickly. Two of the golden rules of writing are to edit mercilessly and kill one’s darlings, but Gerry Duggan must’ve missed the memo. Unfortunately, Deadpool #25 drags on, begging to be put out of its misery and for the next storyline to begin. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d say Wade Wilson bored me, but it’s come to fruition.
The addition of Danny Rand and the Iron Fists to the arc also seems rather pointless, other than being a marketing ploy for the upcoming Netflix series. His appearance could’ve easily been replaced by any other superhero and the outcome would’ve been the same. I’m all for guest appearances, but the characters should at least serve some vital purpose to the plot. This, added nothing.
On the art front, Deadpool alumni Scott Koblish captures the Merc with the Mouth’s cartoony, futuristic world eloquently. There’s a Transmetropolitan vibe lurking in his illustrations – even if his backgrounds and characters are less intricate than Darick Robertson’s – and I’m down with that. That said, I’d like to see Koblish continue to experiment with different styles and vary his artwork on future issues.
All in all, Deadpool #25 does have its moments, but it’s largely unexceptional. Duggan has produced better stories than this, and I’m sure he knows it, too. When you consider how good the last issue was, you expect more than Wade playing a mutant Ridge Forrester.
