“Spider-man is a legacy. An inspiration” – Nightcrawler
Writer : Joe Kelly
Artist Ed McGuiness
Inker: Mark Morales
Editor: Jordan B White and Nick Lowe
Patient Zero’s identity revealed at last! Someone in Hell’s management has a vendetta against Spidey . Spider-man and Deadpool at odds over killing but they are not on the sides you’d think. Things are picking up in this latest issue.
Plot
After failing time after time to take down Itsy Bitsy, Deadpool arranges training with X-men alumni Nightcrawler. Spider-man who is less keen on the training lets his feelings known on the matter that he does not care to bring Itsy Bitsy in but put her down permanently. Deadpool pushes Spidey about whether he is ready to become a killer when Spidey decapitates him after a mere mention of a ‘Neck Snap’. In a brief period of being dead while healing, Wade finds himself in hell were his estranged wife leads him to Patient Zero. Who is revealed to be none other than his old partner Weasel. Deadpool awakens to find spidey has left with the intent to kill Itsy as credits roll
Story
I have really enjoyed the main story of this title. If I did have a criticism of it, I would say it would be that it is slow at moving the key plot foward. The book itself is fast paced but story wise we don’t progress to quickly. I was worried going into this issue it was going to be more of that case. I was worried being a guest issue with night crawler we were going to focus on that rather than the story. Boy was I wrong. Now some of you might read this and think, “What are you talking about, I read it and nothing much happens” but for me this was a great character issue.
So anyone who reads this title knows Spider-man is being written out of character currently. Since returning from the dead he has much more of a slowly increasing killer edge to him. This is the issue where he finally comes to blows with Deadpool over this as Wade tries to remind him of the hero he is and what a dangerous road he is walking down. As does the Kurt, who does represent a certain purity of superheros at marvel. Peter tries to make excuses for his actions “it would save more lives” and “He triggered me by saying Neck Snap”. Even Kurt himself has mixed emotions mentioning, “Some saints have been killers”. We as readers however know this is not our regular Spider-man and he has come under some form of influence.
This story juxtaposes with Wade’s ‘B story’ in this issue were he confronts Patient Zero who turns out to be his old partner Weasel (aka TJ Miller from the recent Deadpool movie). Weasel has retuned from the dead to seek vengeance on Wade who treated him like ‘chocolate yogurt emoji’ while alive. Weasel is unhappy to have learnt Deadpool is now an accepted hero in the current marvel universe and wants to show the world what a monster Wade actually is. I don’t know if its coincidence or not but he mentions his inspiration being “the box” which is a famous Deadpool issues from Joe Kelly’s original character defining run where Deadpool in anger tortures Weasel and Blind Al for having a friendship behind his back. That issues just happened to be Number 14 as well. Any one who reads it will know Weasel would have more than enough justification for wanting to destroy wades happiness. I love that as we are seeing Deadpool come face to face with the consequences of his violent past we are also seeing Spider-man potential lead himself down that same violent road.
What about Spidey though? Weasel mentions that in order to get out of hell he had to make friends with certain managers of Hell. One of which has a hard on for Spider-man. Well, I think it is safe to say we all know who is being teased here and in the last panel and that is Mephisto.
While I desperately want to know what is going on here I am getting something I don’t get from other marvel books and that is a sense of mystery and wonderment about what’s coming. As a comic reader I love getting teased of things to come if I feel they will matter down the line and are important.
Art
Ed McGuiness power hour here again folks. He is on damn top form. His cover actually gives to a note of what will appear in the book this time and his interiors are mind blowing. It’s nothing new but his use of cobwebs as panel’s orders during the practice fight is gorgeous. Such great emotion so hitting those character story beats spot on. I really enjoy his Kurt. I liked his work on Amazing X-men that was very Kurt focussed. My one sore spot was something seemed off with his Weasel but that could be on me with his 90’s version engrained in my head so much and my reluctance in not allowing an artist to evolve.
All in All
A tremendous issue. One of the stellar series best issues yet so high praise. I could not help but think “Joe Kelly is trying to write Peter off character purposefully but still gets his voice so right its better than most writers trying to just do a straight up Peter”
High Recommend
Rating
I feel what makes Peter’s out of character behavior work in this book is that we know he doesn’t want to kill Itsy-Bitsy. If this were in the hands of a bad writer (like Dan Slott), he would make Peter a robotic fool who has no emotional or personal connection with the audience. Here, Joe Kelly puts Spider-Man in a tough place: When is it right to actually take a life? This exact question was asked in Maximum Carnage, but unlike that story, this story seems to be going through with asking that question instead of just using that question for flavor and nothing else. Itsy-Bitsy’s been killing in both Spider-Man’s and Deadpool’s name, and having someone kill in your name must be pretty agonizing and demoralizing. I really felt a personal and emotional connection with Peter in this issue, and that’s something the main book has not given me for a while now.
I don’t think OMD’s gonna be retconned any time soon, but the idea of being so close to Mephisto in this story really does give me that inkling of hope.
@Jack seems t’me like the “Make me remember” thing was actually retconned by OMIT’s reveal. At least, I think Kelly would run with the latter.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/01/21/what-did-mary-jane-watson-really-say-to-mephisto/
@Webhead: That would work. Of course, Marvel doesn’t care what MJ really was supposed to have said, that’s why they blurred it over. If they ever address it, they’ll just make up something that they think suits a short-range goal, and claim that was what she said.
However, I seem to remember someone reverse-decoding the text, and it said, “Let me remember.”
@Jack
It’s possible that, since Deadpool killed Peter, Mephisto is abusing an exact-words loophole in the deal. Parker was supposed to get a chance at a happy life -given he died, no matter how briefly, his life, and therefore his chance, were up, no?
Doesn’t this mean that MJ did /not/ whisper to Mephisto, “And you leave Peter alone”? Because if Mephisto is messing with Peter, then he is definitely not “leaving Peter alone.”
Loved it. I gathered it was Mephisto working with Weasel too. I love how the book has been gearing towards the promise of reversing OMD. I know it probably won’t happen, but hope is fun.