This issue concludes a four-part crossover that also spans Thunderbolts #130 and Deadpool #8-9. In part 3, Deadpool and Taskmaster attempted a farcical plot to throw off the Thunderbolts and win Black Widow’s heart, but it ended with Taskmaster, disguised as Deadpool, captured in the merc’s place. Do they escape Norman Osborn’s clutches? Is the adventure worth reading? Will you leave a comment?! Read the review.
THUNDERBOLTS #131
“Magnum Opus” Part 4
WRITER: Andy Diggle
PENCILER: Bong Dazo
INKER: Joe Pimentel
COLORISTS: Frank Martin & Giovanni Kosoki
LETTERER: Albert Deschense
PLOT:
The Thunderbolts and Norman have Taskmaster, dressed as Deadpool, chained to the roof of an Oscorp building, when the real ‘Pool teleports in for the rescue. Fighting ensues, ending with a crashed jet and Deadpool’s public decapitation in Central Park. Luckily, an anonymous benefactor, probably Black Widow, reattaches Deadpool’s head after Norman leaves. Deadpool takes this as an act of love, and he and Taskmaster proceed to clean out every local ATM with Osborn’s gold card, which he lifted during the scuff.
THOUGHTS:
Like I said last month, this is a Deadpool story that features the Thunderbolts, not an equal crossover and certainly not an extension of the tone Andy Diggle’s first four issues established. Accept that going in, and it works quite well, especially during Diggle and Bong Dazo’s superior chapters. These fun, action packed issues look good and should contain enough gags and guns to clear your head of Deadpool’s questionable representation in the Wolverine movie. I especially liked Deadpool shooting himself several times trying to hit Ant Man crawling under his clothes. You can’t do that kind of thing with any other Marvel character.
And thank God they dropped those schitzo caption boxes!
It worries me, though, that “Magnum Opus” may permanently sully this Thunderbolts team. Rather than a capable and dangerous band of off-the-books mercenaries, this arc made them look like bumbling bafoons, too incompetent to handle Taskmaster and too reckless to stay off of a Central Park denzion’s camera. What kind of black ops team chains a prisoner known for making a scene up on a roof instead of deep in some bunker, anyway? Right out of the gate, they spent two months as the butt of Deadpoolian mockery. If Diggle wants to continue the direction his initial issues suggest, then he might have to spend the rest of his run compensating for that.
Not that the titular team recieves no redemption. For one, Headsman actually beheads someone. That’s something! What’s more, we get to see Norman Osborn’s sanity begin to fray, and it interests me how he percieves his own role in the Skrull defeat. We often think of Dark Reign as a story about villains posing as heroes to decieve the public, but in Norman’s head there is no deception. He IS the hero. He saved the planet and the world owes him undying gratitude.
FAVORITE BON JOVI REFERENCE:
“Sh-shot through the heart … AND YOU’RE TO BLAME!”
RATING:
3 webheads out of 5. Please leave a comment on the issue or the review!
REVIEWED BY: CrazyChris
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I miss Joe Kelly…
I skipped this cross over myself. I didn’t want to spend the money buying this AND Deadpool at the same time. Thank God for Crazy Chris’ reviews.
You should be okay just skipping it. It has it’s fun bits, but it isn’t essential and the Way parts are bad.
Due to money concerns and a general dislike at how Daniel Way is writing deadpool in his own book (which Diggle himself has to adhere to here) I opted out of Thunderbolts for this crossover, do you recommend me going back and picking up it or should I be ok returning to the book next month.