• Written by: Alyssa Wong
• Art by: Luigi Zagaria
• Colors by: Matt Milla
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
• Cover art by: Martín Cóccolo, Neeraj Menon
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: June 28, 2023

Deadpool #8 finds Wade Wilson waking up to a new body, a new life, and his estranged daughter, Ellie, by his side. Is it all a dream or something much worse?

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Is It Good?

Deadpool #8 is an odd issue because it doesn’t make sense, and then it makes sense, but the more you think about it, the issue still doesn’t make sense. Alyssa Wong has a clever idea in this issue, but it’s executed poorly.

When last we left Deadpool and his sarcastic friends, they narrowly escaped the onslaught of Atelier assassins. Now and suddenly, Deadpool wakes up with a completely healed body, a kitchen full of semi-former colleagues enjoying breakfast, and his daughter nearby as she soaks up domestic happiness. As you’ve probably guessed, nothing is real, and it’s all a trap by the next wave of Atelier assassins to kill Valentine, Deadpool, and their pesky symbiote dog.

Again, the idea is good, but the execution is oddly misguided. From the opening page, you’re already tipped off that something is amiss, so the mystery is dispelled before Deadpool has a chance to see the flaws in the illusion.

When the illusion falls apart, we learn it’s not an illusion at all but a collection of doppelgangers and Deadpool wrapped in fake skin. That’s where the idea falls apart. Why go through all the trouble of creating a fake setting when the assassins simply attack head-on in the final pages? There’s no reason to trick Deadpool because the assassins don’t want anything from him. In other words, the illusion has no point other than to create confusion for its own sake.

When Deadpool figures out what’s happening, the assassins attack with a frontal assault and beat our hero handily, leaving with the symbiote dog as a prize.

The art’s decent enough, and the central idea has merit, but it’s executed so poorly, this issue reads like a creative writing exercise. “Create a scenario where Deadpool thinks he’s someone/somewhere else. The end.”

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Deadpool #8 has an interesting idea at its core about tricking Deadpool into thinking his world is suddenly different. Unfortunately, the idea winds up being a poorly-executed distraction for the issue’s lack of story, and the more you think about it, the less this issue makes sense.

5/10