Between Books - Wolverine by Benjamin Percy Vol. 4

 

Is Wolverine by Benjamin Percy Vol. 4 good Deadpool?

Likely not the question you expected to see. Wolverine by Benjamin Percy Vol. 4 by writer Benjamin Percy and primarily artists Adam Kubert and Federico Vicentini combine two arcs into one volume. The first arc has us follow Wolverine, the hero of Krakoa the independent Mutant nation-state, as he attempts to reclaim a missing item, his severed hand. During this quest, he is helped or hindered by Deadpool who wants to reclaim his spot on X-Force which has turned their backs on him as a non-Mutant. The two brawl across the page as they seek the find the answers to a conspiracy that has links deep in X-Men history. In the second story, Wolverine is judged for his worthiness as part of the A.X.E. Judgement Day event featuring the Avengers, the X-Men and the Eternals. No Deadpools appear in this story! The volume ends with a short story, “Bar Brawl” featuring the art of several artists including legends of the medium, that looks back on Wolverine’s history and character.

This is a book about Logan? But does it meet our standards of good Deadpool?

• Community: A large part of the plot is that Deadpool misses community. He felt like he was an essential member of X-Force, but now in the Krakoan age of the X-Men he is not wanted or included. Why is he annoying Wolverine? He wants his community back even if he’s not a Mutant. I also love that Percy brings back Blind Al, who I’ve not seen in a while on the page, and reinforces her role within his close community. This Deadpool arc is all about community and getting back within it.

• BetterUp: I won’t spoil it all, but why does Wade want community so bad? The reason is he knows that his communities make him better. So even though X-Force is the black ops of the Mutant world, it is one where Wade can do unpleasant things and still grow as a person.

• Laugh Away the Pain: Clap, clap, clap! Percy gets Deadpool and how Wade should be used as an anti-hero. Again, I don’t want to spoil too much here, but Percy puts words right into Wilson’s mouth that could be my thesis for how humor should be used in a Deadpool story. The humor is truly a mechanism to hide dark painful truth.

• Your Pal Wade: Gosh, I thought this was a Wolverine book? For about 60% of it, this is truly a Deadpool book. And Wade fully knows we are here and he’s putting on a show for us by taking over the recaps and intro pages all to make his pals chuckle. And we do snicker at his schoolboy humor. Wade you’re the MAN!

This Wolverine story is some of the best Deadpool I have read in quite some time! It also does a great job of preparing us or reminding us of Deadpool & Wolverine if for some reason we thought we needed to be reminded of how great that story is. We get what movie fans want and need, the two old “friends” bickering and hacking at each other, often with results that you cannot even show in an R-rated movie due to their brutal nature and special effects needs. I fully endorse Wolverine by Benjamin Percy Vol. 4 not just as good Deadpool but great Deadpool!

We should likely add a thought or two about the second member or Red and Yellow, Wolverine. Percy uses both arcs in this volume to really center us on Logan’s thoughts of warrior hood and honor. Can someone who is effectively a murderer with knives in his hands be a hero and have honor? Percy struggles with this, especially as a Sentinel judges all life on Earth. In the end, Percy gave us an answer that I found satisfying and that I had a lot of agreement with. 

Spoilers, I really do like Benjamin Percy’s writing. I have an autographed copy of an issue from his Green Arrow run, a title that I own exactly one Arrow issue despite decades of publications. Wolverine by Benjamin Percy Vol. 4 is a great example of Percy’s management of action sequences that are exciting but also, wait for it, say something about the hero. He also writes such good Deadpool, I want Marvel to hand the title over to him for a few years! 

 

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Caps Comics - What If...? Donald Duck Became Wolverine

Regular Giada Perissinotto Cover

Shared birthday parties…I’m not a fan. Someone gets less attention than they should! In sharing a party between 90-year-old Donald Duck and the 50-year-old Wolverine, who will get less love. 

 Phil Noto Donald Duck Wolverine Cover

“What If…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine” is a fun mashup of Donald Duck and Wolverine written by Luca Barbieri with art by Giada Perissanotto. The story is pretty simple all-ages Marvel fun. Pete-Skull has taken control of Duckburg, including Uncle Scrooge’s Money Bin. There’s only one hero who can save us from this evil. Sleeping on Grandma Duck’s Farm is that duck hero…Donald-Wolverine. Another hero comes to the farm to recruit the reluctant angry clawed duck. The duo, then trio, go on a voyage to face Pete-Skull, where we discover Wolverine-Duck’s real superpower.

Peach Momoko Cover

Alright, I had to hide some secrets. Perissanotto’s art gives us some really fun Marvel-Disney crossovers. It’s too giddy joy to spill the beans on these images. The combo of Disney characters and Marvel costuming is just fun. I will reveal, that there is a wonderful splash page of Donald in Wolverine variant costumes that is super fun and I would love to frame on my wall. Donald’s feathers/hair is just so on-model for Wolverine and makes me giggle whenever he is in the frame. These images are more fun than the Disney 100 variant covers, which always were on the wrong comic. 

Ron Lim  Cover

This is written for Marvel fans. The story elements to me are a Marvel tale with Donald’s world and supporting cast tipping the hat to Marvel and not the other way around. I think the biggest gap among the cameos is no Watcher. “The What If…?” brand is really led by the Watcher, and we need an introduction from the Watcher to really setup the story and the world we are visiting within the multiverse. Oh geez, if only Donald-Wolverine had appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine with his perfectly styled feathers that would have made this all over-the-top. 

Skottie Young Variant Cover

“What If…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine” is Luca Barbieri’s first Marvel comic. He is an Italian writer who we should not be shocked to see wrote a few issues of Topolino, you know Mickey Mouse, and Wizards of Mickey. This is also Perissanotto’s first Marvel comic, though Perissanotto has provided Marvel variant covers. We should not be shocked that Perissanotto is also Italian and shares in the deep Mickey Mouse Italian comics tradition. I think it is brilliant that with this batch of recent Mice and Ducks Marvel is leaning into the Italian expertise instead of grabbing American Marvel artists and writers, other than Jason Aaron. 

D23 Variant Comic Set

“What If…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine” is an all-ages comic that is fun for kids and adult Marvel fans. I have enjoyed this recent wave of Marvel Disney comics and love there is more to come. It sounds like collectors are also enjoying these waves, with variant covers fetching big money on eBay. We also know that in the party between a Duck and the Canuck…the Duck wins as this is a Duck party from page one.