Deadpool: Badder Blood #3 Review

Written by: Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers
Art by: Rob Liefeld
Colors by: Jay David Ramos
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Rob Liefeld, Jay David Ramos
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: August 30, 2023

Deadpool: Badder Blood #3 kicks up the insanity and confusion when Deadpool bounces from one VR setting to another.

Is Deadpool: Badder Blood #3 Good?

Does anyone know where the subtitles are in this comic? Maybe if I turn on the subtitles, the transcript can help me understand what’s happening because I don’t get what Liefeld and Bowers are doing in Deadpool: Badder Blood #3.

When last we left Deadpool in issue #3, he suddenly (inexplicably) found himself in a simulation fighting against an assortment of past enemies. The simulation was created by a VR/reality-warping entity called Killville in partnership with Arcata for the purposes of testing an upgraded alternative to Arcade and Murderworld. Now, Deadpool faces off against a real or imagined Venompool, a real or Imagined Guardian, and meets with a real or imagined Deadpool Corps and Wolverine.

Hence the confusion. You don’t know what’s real or not. None of the scenes play out to progress whatever plot is happening. You don’t know which characters are real or a simulation, and Arcata/Killville act like they’re running some kind of game, but they let the action happen randomly. It’s almost as if Liefeld and Bowers just said, “#%^$ it! We’re just going to give Deadpool an excuse to show up in a montage of scenes with a bunch of cool characters for no reason.”

What’s great about Deadpool: Badder Blood #3? The art is cool (naturally), so if you’re interested in a Liefeld-led Deadpool comic strictly for the visuals, you’ll get your money’s worth. And although the randomness of it all is a bummer, the cameos are cool.

What’s not so great about Deadpool: Badder Blood #3? Random noise isn’t fun, it’s not enjoyable to read, and it quickly becomes tedious. If Liefeld and Bowers didn’t have a story to fill out the assigned number of issues, maybe hold off next time until they can figure one out.

How’s the art? Unquestionably, Liefeld’s art is the highlight of this issue. Deadpool and his assorted laundry list of cameo visitors have never looked better. Criticize the story as much as you like (as I have), but the art looks amazing.

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

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Bits and Pieces

Deadpool: Badder Blood #3 is a bizarre mix of random scenes with random cameos that fill out pages to give Rob Liefeld an excuse to draw cool stuff. If you pick up this issue strictly for the visuals, it’s money well spent. If you looking for a story underneath the noise, you may want to wait for the inevitable trade or skip this arc altogether.