Ain’t No Nepobaby Here!– Reviewing ‘Deadpool’ #7

It’s an All-New, All-Different Deadpool! Sure, that moniker is usually the X-Men’s thing, but what they don’t know won’t hurt. Then again, when it comes to Deadpool(s), things hurting is pretty much guaranteed, or your money back (what money?)

That’s right, it’s Ellie’s time to shine, even though it means doing so after her father was actually murdered, in Deadpool #7. A whole Nepobaby affair from Cody Ziglar, Alexis Quasarano, Andrea Di Vito, Guru-eFX, and Joe Sabino.

Unlike a certain portion of the internet that we’re not going to spend time talking about, legacy characters in comics are something I tremendously dig. Hell, it’s tradition at this point for major heroes to be replaced by a best friend, family member, or just some younger faster (potentially more marketable) hero.

Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Wally West, Kyle Rayner, Cassandra Cain, Laura Kinney, John Stewart, Carol Danvers. That’s just a small list of the successful, many classic at this point, characters who picked up (and in many cases kept) a legacy title from other heroes.

We all know Wade Wilson will be back (death means nothing when it comes to marketable characters). In the meantime, we can just enjoy as Eleanor “Ellie” Camacho and her symbiotic sister Princess, and their “uncle” Taskmaster go on awesome adventures.

There is a nice breeziness to this issue. Wade Wilson is one of those characters that I can only take in small doses from particular writers. Far too often the meta-wall breaking quipping becomes too much. Those books that resonate best with me are where they are toned down and intermingled with the more emotionally grounding stuff. Here we get the fun without all the wall-breaking and the emotional content is strong.

Maybe Ellie should stay as Deadpool all the time… Just a thought.

Anyway, Ziglar and Quasarano deal with the fallout of Wade’s death while still propelling the story forward and not missing a single beat. We see Ellie dealing with the loss in her own way, while adamant she can and will return her father to life. A good mix of typical healing factor “punish myself to feel” stuff alongside a good old fashioned money gig (the office drone robot force was fantastic), as well as a surprise return.

Can’t say I expected to see that character (no spoilers, go read it!) but I’m happy to see them. Because it continues this books tight threads to the previous volume. Truly picking up and running with what the previous creative team did is becoming a lost art for ongoing shared universe books. I get the whys, but I sure do miss it.

Bounding between Di Vito and Rogê Antônio has been a solid artistic combination. Just enough similarities between their styles to keep the book feeling familiar and concise, but enough differences to also let them stand apart.

Dynamic is the name of the game as Di Vito brings the same energy that has come with so many previous superhero comics bearing his name. Really capturing the various shifting energies of the story solidly, from the heavier to the farfetched to the purely violent. Even with all the blood and death, it’s never distasteful or pushing into gory territory. A slight whimsical edge cuts through the whole affair to keep things a bit lighter.

What helps with the shifting artwork is some connective artistic tissue, in the form of Guru-eFX’s colors and Sabino’s lettering. Both offering up a lot to keep the overall tonal energies flowing and letting the book have even more of a visual identity.

The chosen color palette plays up the darker elements of the story, many of the set pieces tending to in darker (at night) spaces. Simultaneously the more super leaning elements feel smooth and lighter, achieving that nice balance. A lot of the choices are of a more natural or even neutral tone that again helps the more outlandish or fantastical beats stand out.

Similarly, Sabino captures those same feelings with the way the letters are presented. Letting things get lighter and bolder, often with colors and shifting bubbles, when the characters are having fun or cutting loose. Pulling back at other times so that the heavier more emotionally deep moments have more of a punch and realness to them.

Deadpool #7 is now available from Marvel Comics.