Declan Shalvey has been sweeping the independent comics field as a creator. But what happens when you put him on writing duties for a Deadpool/Logan fisticuffs comic, with artist Mike Henderson no less? Read on and find out!
Written by Declan Shalvey
Illustrated by Mike Henderson
Colored by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Joe SabinoWhat do you get when you cross a regenerative, cranky, old X-Man with a regenerative, wacky, Wade Wilson? DEADPOOL Vs. OLD MAN LOGAN! James “Logan” Howlett is after a newly discovered Omega-Level mutant and he just won’t let Deadpool help. So, naturally, Deadpool vows to outmatch his newly marked enemy for the entirety of his mission!
If we take this comic at a surface level, Shalvey scripts a well-paced plot with great dialogue work and plenty of interesting story beats to keep it moving along. This assumedly comes from Shalvey’s artistic way of thinking as opposed to writing, as there is never a section that feels bogged down in text or narrative. The comic is in constant motion for the most part, only slowing down just after the intro to allow for the inciting incident to occur. It sounds like it’s too much, but Shalvey has the structure of the piece nailed down – the intro foreshadows with a taste of the antics to come in the series, and then Shalvey pairs it all back for a subway train ride with Deadpool and an elderly woman, only to gain momentum in the plot from then on.
Just as importantly, the dialogue is snappy and comedic, as you would hope from a crossover of this nature. Deadpool, being as oversaturated as he is in the modern comics landscape, is a tough character to do right, but Shalvey does a serviceable job. He plays him off more as a hyperactive, jealous, well-meaning kid than an over-the-top nutjob. And it’s refreshingly restrained. Countering this, Shalvey has Logan act, surprisingly, like the moody teenager that’s always getting his grass cut by his brother (Deadpool, in this case). The two have solid chemistry together, at one stage so in sync that they trade witty jokes with each other in the heat of battle. I just feel that Shalvey’s Old Man Logan is literally interchangeable with classic Logan, and that this comic could easily have worked as a “Deadpool vs. Wolverine” series. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy or different about Shalvey’s Old Man Logan, save for Deadpool calling him ‘Grampa’ a few times (something I feel he’d do with vanilla Logan anyway).
My main problem with this comic though is that the premise is so… basic. It’s every other X-Men story you’ve read before – unsuspecting teen manifests high-level powers, and two testosterone filled leads battle it out because they both think they’re right. To top it off, a third party, of the secret-government-agent type, is also after the mutant. It makes it a little more interesting that Deadpool and Logan are both armed with healing factors, so when they go head to head, the visceral action takes centre stage, and you nearly don’t need a feasible plot. But it just loses so much weight when all I can think is how many times I’ve seen this scenario or incredibly similar play out before. Don’t get me wrong – it’s by no means poorly executed, and it’s a perfectly serviceable incarnation of this scenario. It just hit too many familiar notes for me as an older X-Men reader.
You certainly can’t fault Shalvey with his choice in artists – Phillip Barret in “Savage Town” was a pinpoint perfect collaborator, and Mike Henderson is a great pairing here too. His style feels like a natural echo of Shalvey’s own art, which makes it fit well with the tone of the dialogue. The ink is heavy in the bloodier sections, and lighter and sketchy in more comedic sections – a versatility that you don’t get with a lot of other artists. Additionally, panels are well constructed – setting is certainly evident, and well rendered, but a lot of it takes a back seat to allow for more special action. Henderson gives these characters plenty of room to brawl in.
Continued belowHenderson has a great cartooning style that is emphasised in the comedic highlights of this issue. The old lady from the subway scene is one of my favourite characters in the issue just based on the way that Henderson draws her. Even though she only appears in two pages max, Henderson gives her a certain feisty-ness that elevates her above being senile, but places her just in the right spot to pay someone else (Deadpool) to fix her problems. Logan fits his role well too – Henderson puts him through about fifty shades of being sick of Deadpool’s shit, and it’s hilarious throughout. We have Logan looking like a disappointed Dad in his first appearance after the inciting incident, looking back to Deadpool with squinted eyes and a heavy frown. Each dig Deadpool takes at him slowly wears him down, and Henderson cleverly builds this momentum to the kettle-boiling moment towards the end of the issue.
The colors of this issue are particularly stunning, thanks to veteran Lee Loughridge. Every scene has a beautiful faded-newsprint palette to it, lending to the comedic nature of the story but also placing this in a distinctly suburban, early-dusk setting in New York. Some of the shift changes play on this gradient well – the Subway setting adds a lime green to the palette to give off that sub-city feel, so much that you can almost feel the tiles and grubby cement around you as you read. But there’s one interesting moment when Loughridge’s colors are most vibrant, and they’re offset against a stark white background. It’s a scene with Deadpool stabbing Logan in his shoulders, and feels intense and dramatic to undercut the string of comedic scene’s we’d been receiving.
Deadpool’s latest crossover is a serviceable affair in “Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan”. Shalvey delivers a snappy script with great character interplay, and Henderson brings his fun cartooning style to thhe table. There’s a few problems with overused premise and characterisation, but overall this still stands among the more fun Deadpool comics today.
Final Score: 6.8 – Logan and Wade come clashing sword to claw in this adequate yet comedic debut crossover issue.
