Hey, Look At That Glacier Pass — Reviewing ‘Deadpool/Wolverine’ #5

Oh, no. Wolverine has been compromised. An outside force has co-opted his mind and body for its own nefarious purpose. So, just a typical day, then, really?

No. Jokes aside, the clawed antihero (and sometimes Deadpool) is currently under the control of the time travelling villain Stryfe. Turning back the clock (sorry not sorry) briefly, Deadpool/Wolverine #5 showcases the first time (for this plot, not in continuity) the duo fell under his armor-clad sway.

It’s a fifth issue game changer (?) from Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara, Guru-eFX, and Joe Sabino.

*SPOILERS FOLLOW*

If you were thinking this book would be further along by its fifth issue (and month), do I have bad news for you. There is a glacial pace, and then there is whatever this comic has been.

Where do things stand by the end of the issue? Not much further than where they started. Logan is possessed and at the end of the issue is picked up by Stryfe (more on that soon). What happens between those points, you ask?

More Maverick stuff (Percy sure loves him) where he’s fighting his O.N.E. team before Stryfe comes in and mercs them all brutally. The O.N.E. team director rages about losing contact, then does the shady “maybe we can use the virus to our own nefarious ends” when told there could be a way to cure Stryfe’s new Legacy virus. Always trust anyone government related to instantly jump to the evil selfish route in fantasy (and sadly lots of reality too, eesh).

Oh, and the more about Stryfe I referenced? Yeah, the big reveal is that it’s not actually Stryfe, but Apocalypse using the body of Stryfe to do whatever it is he’s doing; calling Wolverine a Horseman, because of course. There are many disappointments about the new X-era, but the return of most characters to their been-there-done-that-for-decades versions sure is high on the list.

Per usual, Cassara and Guru-eFX at least make this slow crawl story look good, which is the saving grace at times. It’s ‘rough meets smooth,’ with great detail and sense of overall situational weight, giving every character and space plenty of heft to them. This allows it all to feel like it’s in the moment and fluid, ready to leap into action at any moment.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much action here, save for the Stryfe with Apocalypse mini murder spree. At least we get some cool ass shots of the giant skeleton dragons that Stryfpocalypse (just easier this way) is for some reason riding. They feel appropriately giant compared to everything else on the page.

Having an accurate feeling sense of scale is quite an important thing.

Most of the colors are very toned-down in many respects to give the spaces a more familiar aesthetic, allowing the more vibrant out there tones to pop on the page even more than they normally do. Which helps since the title duo are strikingly yellow and red at all times. Not to mention, all the other colorful outlandish things they’re dealing with.

Characters sure have a lot to say. Much of it with urgency and shifting tones. So, Sabino has some good chances to really deliver in those respects. He lets the dialogue move around the page pretty smoothly and quickly. This hits each tonal point with a dot and a punch of authenticity, sprinkling in the colors and other modifiers that allow some of the character personality and distinct voices to emerge.

Look, overall, the book is fine. The decompression turned up to eleven on the dial is becoming a bit of a drag. Hopefully more actually starts to happen in issues. My fingers are tightly crossed, though I’m not entirely optimistic.

Deadpool/Wolverine #5 is now available from Marvel Comics.