Breaking Down Those Walls — Reviewing ‘Wolverines And Deadpools’ #3

A conclusion can be a powerful thing, even when it comes for characters whose stories never actually have true conclusions. Marvel’s latest foray into the wacky world of Deadpool comes to a resounding close with Wolverines And Deadpools #3.

This third issue in the crossover miniseries comes from Cody Ziglar, Rogê Antônio, Guru-eFX, and Travis Lanham. Those who brought this best volume of Deadpool, centered on a father and daughter relationship, stick the landing perfectly.

This was just such a fun miniseries overall. While it would have been great to have the main series include these issues and end there, it all works out.

I’m still glad that so many of those who were there to bring this story to life from the start got to finish out. That’s not something we get to see as often as once was common for comic books. Well common in the sense of sticking through a run, since it used to be common for books to not end and relaunch every other year.

While not there for the whole run, Antônio made quite a stamp on this series, creating a dense style that took roughness and balled it up with a softer whimsical texture. He peppers into that this sort of inherent chaotic energy befitting of the Deadpools, and their interactions with Wolverines. It’s a boiling tension filled allyship that always brings a unique feeling, depending on the overall focus or format.

Around that rough smooth chaos is a fluidity that makes the action sequences flow and pop. The chosen framing format allows the characters to dominate the space while also really building up the world around them.

Rougher finds it’s way into the color palette that Guru-eFX has been employing through the two series so far. Really keeping things with a heavier darker tone all around, with more vibrant flashy colors coming to the forefront. With the way it’s done the more popping tones are still brought down to a more common level, in a sense, being that they are fantastical but are closer to tones that are familiar to our world sensibilities.

I’ve loved what Ziglar has done with these characters from the beginning.

Wade Wilson is a hard sell character for me. Too far in one direction and he’s a boring fourth wall-breaking joke machine that becomes annoying sooner rather than later. Too far the other way and he’s just another typical assassin type character. More often than not it’s the former and not the latter that we get in most comic book stuff.

Ziglar though chose to play in the middle ground that gives an actually compelling Deadpool — The version where he’s joking and breaking the 4th wall, but he’s doing that because inside he’s very emotional dealing with all the pain and trauma and losses. It’s a take on the character who can get serious when called for because he’s a caring person behind all the bombastic assassin stuff.

Settling this on the father and daughter relationship helped immensely, especially since it allowed Ellie to truly become an actual character rather than the daughter that Wade kept at arm’s length and was forgotten about more often than not in runs following her introduction era. Adding in the father and daughter dynamic of the Wolverines, and even the actual moments with her mother Carmelita, it all really boosts the family theme dynamic.

Also, I love that the end of the issue essentially puts the toys back in the box (aka healing factor is back to normal) and it never felt forced. It felt like a solid conclusion, and it made sense with the manipulation of Shadow King (though Ziglar leaving it with Ellie now being a fourth wall breaker was hilarious). He put the toys back but left them with a little extra.

Having these characters and their foes means a lot of opportunities for bold colorful stuff. Already I’ve discussed how that takes place in the overall character and moment visuals. Their voices also play with these elements under Lanham’s care, letting a variety of colors come to the forefront in the various bubbles and boxes filled with lettering. It gives various characters a uniqueness to their voice as well as a visual element that somewhat guides how their voice sounds.

Spooky ominous blackness for the Shadow King and those he controls. Wade always gets a very colorful speech, because of his particular habits and humor. We see that come into play at the end in a fun way as Ellie begins to mirror her father, gaining her own color as the walls of the comic book become apparent to her- Such a neat touch for the moment.

Wolverines And Deadpool #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.