Deadpool: Back in Black 1 and 2# Review

Did you ever just assume that the Alien Symbiote just left Peter in the church steeple and go straight for Eddie Brock. Ever ponder how Peter left the church? Ever disappointed that the Venom origin didn’t feature Power Pack or Obnoxio the clown? Well fear not true believers as we now have a book that fulfils those wishes.

Deadpool Back in Black 1 & 2 

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Salva Espin 

Colorist: Ruth Redmond

Editor: Jordan D. White

Plot
After being separated from Spider-man in the now famous church tower scene the Alien Symbiote spends its days recovering in the church with the aid of the church janitor till a group of aliens hunting the symbiote attack the place of worship. They attack the building in their search for the symbiote causing it to flee into the arms of its original owner Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool). Deadpool in the midst of an adventure with Machine Man against the kali cult joins with the suit. After defeating the cult, Wade keeps the symbiote and the two head off on further adventures with Power Pack and Obnoxio the clown. Deadpool is a little surprised however about his new ability to ‘thwip’ web and the rage he feels when ever someone mentions “Spider-man”

Story
I do have to give it to Cullen Bunn here. Not only does he have a good grasp of Deadpool (he has been writing this character a long time in these short form minis) but also he does a great balancing act of ‘it is continuity/ it isn’t continuity’. If you don’t want this story to be a part of your venom origin than it is not. If you do like it and want it to be a part of the back-story than it is.

This series is a sequel to the ‘Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars’ mini of last year but it does stand on its own two legs. You are recapped on all the knowledge you need from that series in the first issue and story kicks off quick.

I do find it interesting they are playing the Symbiote as more sympathetic here. It’s not the monster I think of it as being by the chuck bell moment. It is almost like knowing a friends break up story for years than suddenly finding out one day what the other side went through. We do see hints of what’s to come. There is still a rage and hunger to the symbiote despite the wackiness going on around it.

I did enjoy most of the humour in this book. Parker leaving the chuch in his underwear. Deadpool stabbing out his own eyes to avoid hypnotism. His confusion over being able to thwip. Even some of the zany elements like having a Super Snark (Super Skrull) in issue 2.

Bunn pulls some deep cuts in terms of characters being used here from Dansen Macbre who fought Spidey in Marvel Team up, Obnoxio the clown the mascot from Marvels version of MAD , ‘Crazy !’. Bunn even pulls in some more recent characters like Killer Thrill from his recent Drax series with CM Punk.

The main thing I enjoy here is his use of humour in panels. The books includes tons of editor and panel notes, some accurate to the era and helpful, and some are just made up for a joke.

While each issue is a stand-alone story there does seem to be a growing story hinted at here too. Black Cat is following Wade around and we don’t know yet who hired Killer Thrill to hunt down the symbiote.

Art
It does its job very nicely. You won’t be blown away but it captures the tone perfectly. While It might be slightly to cartoony for some and with so many references to 80’s comics it would have been nice to see more era specific art choices I can not fault it in terms of what is actually presented in front of me .

All in All
I like this book. It is what it is and it does it well. This title was never going to be the next watchmen or Kraven’s Last Hunt but it is a fun comic. You are not going to get any deep revelations about venom but you do get to enjoy some wacky side adventures.