Tag Archives: Cullen Bunn

Night of the Living Deadpool #4 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

nightlivingdeadpool4

Talking about a mini-series is hard for me to do, because I can easily get carried away and spoil the story without realizing it.  So this blog post is going to be short and simple.  This is the final issue of Night of the Living Deadpool, and the ending is somewhere along the lines of what I was expecting.  Hint:  It’s Deadpool, so you know it’s something twisted, but comical.

Previously, Deadpool was zombified for a brief moment or two.  However that brief moment was enough time to wipe out the small, virus-free town he discovered earlier in the series.

Before turning into a zombie, Deadpool discovered that Clarence, a former A.I.M. agent, was living in seclusion in that same town.  The mad scientist revealed to Deadpool that A.I.M.’s experiments could have been the cause of the zombie virus outbreak.

In the final issue of this dark and fun story, Deadpool, using Clarence’s head as a guide (remember the zombies talk until their brains rot away), finds his way to the laboratory in hopes of finding a cure for the zombie virus.

Did he find a cure?  You’ll find out when you read Night of the Living Deadpool #4.

It is no surprise that Cullen Bunn is the writer of this warped tale.  After following his Deadpool Kills, The Fearless Defenders, and Superior Carnage Annual, it was easy for me to recognize Bunn’s writing style from the beginning.

Ramon Rosanas is the creative artist, and Jay Shaw provided the cover art.  The black-and-white images, with only Deadpool in color, gives a dark and creepy feel throughout the series.

Thanks to Rosanas and VC’s Joe Sabino, Deadpool’s speech bubbles and sound effects are in color.  Check out these two pages from the current issue.

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You can’t say that’s not awesome lettering.

Verdict (drum roll please)

I enjoyed reading Night of the Living Deadpool.  If you have not read this comic book yet, and you’re a Deadpool or zombie fan, then I suggest that you read this mini-series.  It’s only four issues, and it’s full of action and laughs.

This story gets 5/5 stars.

Night of the Living Deadpool #2 Review

Marvel Comics, , ,

nightlivdpool2

If you are not reading Night of the Living Deadpool, a mini-series by Marvel Comics, then I highly suggest that you start immediately, so that you won’t miss out on a fun, horror comic.

The series began with Deadpool waking up from an all-you-can-eat chimicanga induced coma.  Having no idea as to why the city was deserted, he eventually discovers that he slept through a talking zombie apocalypse.  Their consciousness is alive, but they can’t control their bodies, or the killings.  Some of them even begged Deadpool to kill them.  Just as the zombies were closing in on the merc with the mouth, who finds humor amidst all the chaos, a small group of survivors rolled up in an El Camino, driven by an older, feisty woman, called granma by the kid survivors.

In the current issue, Deadpool and his rescuers blasts their way out of safety.  The apocalypse is worldwide, so their lives remain in danger.  Eventually becoming the sole survivor of the Deadpool scouts (yeah, that’s what he called them), Deadpool discovers a barricaded, but safe, community in West Virginia.

Surveying the community from a distance, Deadpool is approached by a group of women, both young and old.  One of the women tells Deadpool that they’re travelers, who came a long way to find the community, after hearing rumors of its’ purity.  The women all APPEAR to be nice and friendly.  BUT ARE THEY?

Cullen Bunn is the writer of this entertaining script.  The talking zombies are a major plus.  I laughed when the El Camino rolled up, I haven’t seen one of those in years.  There was a cut on Deadpool’s arm, but the wound healed itself.  Readers now have to wait for the next issue to see if he turns into a zombie.

Great artwork by Ramon Rosanas.  I especially like how the art is in black-and-white, giving that eerie feeling that is expected in a horror story.  Deadpool is very easy to find, because he’s the only one that’s in color.

There is no doubt that I plan to read this title until the end.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I strongly recommend this Mini-series, by Marvel comics, for Deadpool and horror fans.  Amazing script plus amazing art equals 5/5 stars.

The Fearless Defenders #12: Final Issue

Marvel Comics, My Rants and Tantrums, , , , , , ,

feardef12

Today I protested Marvel Comics by purchasing only 1 of their titles, THE FEARLESS DEFENDERS #12. There were 8 comic books on my family’s list for today, and 6 of those books were Marvel titles. They will just have to wait until next week. I faithfully read Superior Spider-Man bi-monthly, but not today. Guardians of the Galaxy. Nope. Deadpool. Sorry D-Piddy. While it’s great that Misty Knight is in Daredevil: Dark Knights, this week is all about The Fearless Defenders. So that title is not coming into my home this week either. I didn’t even purchase Amazing X-Men for my husband (don’t worry, he fully supports my protest). The only title I’m reading by the slasher of comics this week is The Fearless Defenders. Imagine the impact if more readers stood up and did the same for their favorite comics that are getting axed.

The heavy stream of tears from my eyes have finally reduced to a trickle. I was fine reading the book until the last page of the story. That’s when the tears began to fall. And reading the final thoughts by the creators made it even worse. Ellie Pyle gave a rundown on projects that Cullen Bunn and the rest of the team will be working on. But…they’re all working on separate projects across the universe.

DISCLAIMER: My blog consists of my HONEST reviews and HONEST thoughts and tantrums. Everything I type is my own voice, as I am influenced by no one.

Right now my tongue is on fire. It’s more explosive than all the TNT that Wile E. Coyote used during the entire run of Roadrunner.

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In case you’re wondering, yes I am in sista mode. Remember it’s sista, and not sister. Misty Knight’s mouth ain’t got nothing on mine right now.

Marvel seems to enjoy playing with the emotions of its’ readers. They will cancel a title, only to re-launch it with a new creative team. I don’t know why they won’t start the new team on the new arc. They know damn well there are some serious comic collectors that does not need their numbering to be played with. I should know, my husband has been collecting for many years. And what about new titles? Books that don’t even get the chance to celebrate a one year anniversary, such as The Fearless Defenders?

But in all honesty (which is what my blog is all about), Marvel did not cancel The Fearless Defenders. It was the readers. We canceled this title. Sure Marvel is the puppet master, but we loosened the strings by not spreading the word about the book.

I wrote a blog post a few days ago about my random thoughts. I mentioned how readers need to support their favorite books and creative teams. Creators always tell readers to talk to others about the books, and why we like them. A few simple ways to get the word out are:

  • Talk about your favorite book(s) at your local comic shop. Tell why you like it. Is it the writing, art or both? Talk to the owners AND customers.
  • Get on your blog, website, or visit a comic forum and post a thread or comment on someone else’s.
  • Social media sites. I’m on Facebook and Twitter, but I know there’s a lot of other sites out there. Post a few words about the books you’re reading. Mention the writer and artist.
  • Instead of wasting keystrokes begging for re-tweets and follows on Twitter, post what comics you’re reading and what you like about it. Tweet multiple posts if you run out of space (I’m a talker so I had to learn how to condense my tweets to 140 characters).
  • Use hashtags. I haven’t been on Twitter that long, but I am learning how to use them. Before you know it, your favorite titles will be trending.

We need to drown the internet by marketing our favorite books, to keep them in publication. Cullen Bunn, Will Sliney, Mark Brooks, and Veronica Gandini gave it their all. We know this because it shows in their writing, art and the colors.  And yes, always mention the colorists. Who do you think bring the pencils and inks to life? It’s definitely not me. I would place last in a stick figure drawing contest, and I started back coloring outside the lines as soon as I graduated from kindergarten.  So there is no way I could do Gandini’s job.

I also mentioned in my random thoughts post that we need to put our favorite creators on a pedestal, especially those on low-profile titles. Spider-Man and X-Men are high-profile titles. They don’t need anything but everyone to step back, and take a moment to realize that there’s other books out there besides those two.

I follow a lot of people on Twitter in the comic industry. These people open up their lives to not just their family and friends, but to their fans. We know all about their families, pets, and what they eat at each meal. We know when their loved ones are ill, and when they recover. And they’re constantly posting pictures. This is a chance to establish creator/reader relationships. If they share their lives on social media sites, then we can tell them how much we appreciate them and their work. This provides encouragement and a motivation boost.

I was hyped about The Fearless Defenders from the beginning. Besides the characters, I was familiar with Bunn’s writing from Deadpool Kills. And that’s another thing. If you like a certain book, follow the creative team. You just might like their other work. When I learned about this title, I had the comic shop PRE-ORDER my copies.

Instead of complaining about the artist of a certain minority-led book, and gossiping about some eight year-old bullshit about who tried to get with who, put all that damn energy into trying to keep your favorite comic books far away from the chopping block.

I will definitely miss this awesome series, and I hope to see many, if not all, the characters in other titles. If you haven’t had the chance to read the adventures of this kick ass non-team, you can read all the issues here.

Since Marvel loves to stop and re-launch titles with different creative teams, maybe this title will get re-launched but with a twist. The twist would be that the creative team would remain unchanged.

The Fearless Defenders: Gone Too Soon

Marvel Comics, My Rants and Tantrums, , , ,

Over the past few days, Twitter has been the virtual host to a pre-memorial for The Fearless Defenders, one of my favorite comics that has been sent to the chopping block by Marvel. I say “pre” because there are two issues left. The month of December is going to be bittersweet. My birthday is the 22nd (feel free to email, tweet or Facebook birthday wishes) but also during that month I will be reading issue #12, the final issue of this astounding series.

I can only imagine how this series will end. A new character was introduced in the last issue. Is Marvel really ending Fearless Defenders in the middle of a story arc? Will they let the creators give its’ fans a proper goodbye to characters we have come to know and love, but may never see again?

I know the sales were low on this title, but exactly why is what I don’t know. There is always someone out there complaining about something, so who knows. The power of persuasion takes over a lot of people. If a notable blog or website gives a negative preview or review, then a lot, if not most, of its’ readers will march in that direction instead of reading the comic for themselves.

You can’t always tell by the first issue whether you will like a comic or not. Since I got back into reading comics about three years ago, I have read a few titles where I immediately knew I wouldn’t continue reading beyond its’ debut issue. But there have been a few titles where I needed to read the second issue to see if my indecisiveness had changed. And most of those second issues became the reason for those titles getting on my pulls.

I loved Fearless Defenders debut issue. But I didn’t like Annabelle Riggs, the lesbian archaeologist. After reading it, I thought, “Oh no. Another story that’s giving in to the not enough gays and lesbians in comics.” But that’s not why she was placed in the series. That’s just who Annabelle is. She became a person of great importance and I grew more fond of her with each issue. Actually, I would have kept reading the series even if my speculation was correct. A book with Valkyrie, Misty Knight, and Hippolyta written by Cullen Bunn. I knew this title would be in good hands.

Not only am I sad and disappointed, but I am ANGRY that Fearless Defenders was canceled. And right now I am in sista mode. Not sister, but SISTA. One hand on my hip, the other waving in the air with the index finger sticking out, head swinging side-to-side, and mouth running like a leaky faucet.

DISCLAIMER: I don’t blog just to be blogging. My blog consists of HONEST reviews and HONEST tantrums.

I don’t know all the reasons for the low sales of this title, so I decided to compile (or make up) my own list.

WOMEN FOCUSED

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MALE WRITER

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BLACK FEMALE LEAD

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LESBIAN CHARACTER WITH A SIGNIFICANT ROLE

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JEALOUS BECAUSE MARK BROOKS IS THE COVER ARTIST (I mentioned in my issue #10 review that you need therapy if you’re not reeled in by his covers)

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SONGBIRD AND DIAMONDBACK’S CAMEO APPEARANCE IN ISSUE 6. (S/D on Twitter is the most vocal fan about the book. I started following S/D a couple months ago because of all the engaging tweets about the book. This reward was well deserved (I just learned of it a few days ago). If that was me, I’d brag everyday for the rest of my life, especially to my comic bashing co-workers who “think it’s funny” that I read comics, and that, “You don’t look like you read comics.” Pre-orders for that issue would have been shockingly high because I would have bought each and every last one of them a copy.

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CULLEN BUNN HATED ON FOR NO APPARENT REASON

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WHINING JUST TO BE WHINING

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The condolences were pouring in so heavily on Twitter, that I had to hold an umbrella over my head whenever I read the feeds of Bunn, Will Sliney and Fearless Defenders hastag.

But there’s always people who have to go and mess with the mood. Twitter, blogs, websites. I read so many apologies and job well done to the creative team. But to say that you’re happy the series is ending is harsh. Everyone has feelings, and to trash talk like that is low. If I am upset over the book’s cancellation, then I can imagine how deeply saddened the creative team is right now. Every book has its’ own fan base, so what you don’t like, someone else love.

There were complaints the book should have been written by a woman. Well just because a book is all-female doesn’t mean it has to be written by one. Bunn gave the characters strong, distinctive personalities and writing styles. And VC’s Clayton Cowles brought the dialogue to life with his lettering. Valkyrie’s font was set apart from the other characters. When she speaks, I feel nothing but serenity. When Hippolyta speaks, I can hear an arrogant, but strong and powerful voice that would cause me to tremble if I was to meet her face-to-face. Cowles proved to be a great asset to this book.

I read there should have been a different creative team. Cullen Bunn, Will Sliney, Veronica Gandini, Mark Brooks, and Clayton Cowles. I didn’t even have to look in the book for their names. Enough said.

Of course I couldn’t leave the above sentence hanging. This team is truly amazing. Excellent scripts and visual storytelling at its’ finest.

Now it’s time for me to preach about one of my pet peeves in comics. I read a few comments where people said they were waiting for a trade. STOP WAITING FOR TRADES. BUY SINGLE ISSUES. THERE WON’T BE A COMIC IF YOU CONTINUE TO SIT BACK AND WAIT FOR A TRADE. Sales are determined by pre-ordered singles, not trades.

I know everyone don’t always have the money to buy comics every week. I read comics in the two digits on a monthly basis, and this number does not include comics for my husband and kids. About 15-17 books are purchased on our heaviest week. I rush to the comic shop every Wednesday before going to work, sometimes before checking to see if I have enough money. If I fall short, or don’t want to spend over a certain amount, the store owners/employees will let me buy whatever I want and put the rest back into the pulls for the next week.

So again, STOP WAITING FOR TRADES. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN A COMIC CONTINUE IF YOU BUY TRADES AND NOT THE SINGLES?

The Fearless Defenders. I wonder what sales would have been like if the first word in the title was replaced with X-Men.