Deadpool: Badder Blood #4 Review

Written by: Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers
Art by: Rob Liefeld, Cory Hamscher, Chance Wolf
Colors by: Jay David Ramos
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Rob Liefeld (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: September 20, 2023

Deadpool: Badder Blood #4 finds the Merc with the Mouth teaming up with Wolverine and Venompool to escape Arcata’s simulation. Meanwhile, Cable receives unwelcome visitors. Oh, and Spider-Man shows up.

Is Deadpool: Badder Blood #4 Good?

Deadpool: Badder Blood #4 is a fine comic that essentially breaks down into two developments – Deadpool escapes Arcata’s clutches, and the Core takes down Cable to team up with Dr. Van Strutten on Thumper’s behalf. That’s it. You could file this one under “the transition comic to set up the finale.”

When last we left Deadpool, he was inexplicably bouncing through battle scenarios with an assortment of teams, allies, and villains for no apparent reason other than to test out Killville’s simulation programming. Some pieces of the simulation, others were not, and it was impossible to tell which was which until the very end. Now, Deadpool teams up with Venompool (real) and Wolverine (also, real), with a little help from Spider-Man, who happens to be in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Cable gets itchy to go after Deadpool when Dr. Van Strutten turns the tables and invites the Core to the base to kick Cable’s butt.

What’s great about Deadpool: Badder Blood #4? Why, it’s Rob Liefeld’s art, of course. Liefeld’s trademark gets more energetic and refined with time, so if you’re an unabashed Liefeld art fan, there’s no reason NOT to get this comic.

What’s not so great about Deadpool: Badder Blood #4? The story is a mess. If you take a step back and look at Deadpool’s kidnapping by Arcata, his fight through a montage of simulations, and Arcata’s eventual defeat, there’s absolutely no purpose for that subplot to exist other than to invent a convoluted reason for Deadpool to team up with Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Venompool. Truly, everything about Arcata and Killville is in this story because it gives Liefeld an excuse to do cool art.

If you’re a Liefeld art fan and you don’t care about storytelling, you’re going to like this issue. If you prefer your comics to have a good story that gets you to appreciate and fall in love with a character, this ain’t it.

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: Badder Blood #4 wraps up Deadpool’s fight with Arcata and Killville, confirming the fight with Arcata and Killville had no purpose other than as an excuse to force a team-up. If you’re reading this just for the art, you’re golden. If you want a well-constructed story to go with your art, look elsewhere.