What They Do In The Shadows — Reviewing ‘Wolverines And Deadpools’ #2

While they’re used to fighting in the shadows, the series title protagonists were less ready for shadows who fight back. Especially ancient beings who like to do the whole mind control possession thing.

Shadow King’s plan and reign take a massive step forward as Wolverines And Deadpools #2 ratchets up the action, tension, and continuity references. The middle chapter of this three-part series comes from Cody Ziglar, Rogê Antônio, Guru-eFX, and Travis Lanham.

Overall, this has been a delightful fun little mini-series. Throwing all four of the characters together has made for some good banter and self-reflection. Ziglar is a powerful character writer and it really shows in the interactions here. The acrimonious but also less-so relationship of Logan and Wade isn’t always fascinating. It takes the right writer to make it sing, and Ziglar is that writer, especially doubling it up to give Laura and Ellie their own similar yet different dynamic.

I love the use of Shadow King, freed from his usually known possession victim Amul Farouk during the Krakoa days. Such a simplistic, yet dense, villain. Lady Bullseye is just fun to see most times, but the use of Agent X was inspired too. Ziglar drops a lot of continuity connection lore moments but in the right way. They season the already flavorful dish without overwhelming the audience with lore drops or needs to research. Continuity should boost a story, never drag it down.

I still love seeing Antônio handling these characters. Such a dense and rough style leans on exaggeration meeting a sort of authentic middle ground. Chaotic energies are baked right into things which befits these characters. All of the sequences have a fluidity to them as the paneling choices help to make them more tangible and better paced, really letting us sit in the moment or moments briefly before surging forward.

There was an air halfway through the book where the art took on a bit rougher feeling. It seemed like there had been some rushing done, likely to meet a deadline. It’s not detracting from the story or the great work being done. It’s just slightly noticeable when compared to the artwork in the first half of the book.

Guru-eFX’s color palette meets the rougher but also brighter aesthetic needed for the story. Many of the panels keep an overall darker tone to them, even during the day, matching the story’s darker tone. Shadows are ever present and keep the characters in dimmer situations. It works with the animosity played up and how the group are having their own internal troubles at times.

There are flashier moments but overall, the palette keeps a toned-down sort of middle ground, hitting that realistic and rough bullseye pretty dead on.

Speaking of colorful, these characters all have their own unique voices and styles. Lanham taps into that on the lettering side very easily. He brings various colors into play with the bubbles and caption boxes, nailing the emotional weight required for many of the lines while keeping it light and fun too. I’m still loving the use of the ominous black to showcase the moment where Shadow King makes his control beyond clear to everyone involved.

It’s very horror movie coded, and I love that kind of stuff.

Wolverines And Deadpools #2 is now available from Marvel Comics.