Deadpool (Vol. 3) #45 (Story 4)

Background

Issue #45 (alternatively numbered #250 on the cover) is the final issue of this title before the world goes crunch-boom as Secret Wars (2015) begins.

The book is double-length and opens with the main story in which Deadpool makes peace with himself (and war with many others) before deciding to walk away from the super-hero business for good. Well, that was the plan, until the universe(s) ended.

But there are also seven back-up stories, including this one which features Aunt May. At least, I'm pretty sure it's Aunt May.

Story 'What Do We Want? Apocalpypse! When Do We Want It? Now!'

This is story #4. Just like the other back-up tales, it is five page long. And as promised it features Apocalypse.

Well, technically a young clone of Apocalypse. Named Evan.

Evan is green, and occasionally mean, sporadically a destruction machine. But these days he's attempting to reform, and he sleeps on Deadpool's couch. But he feels bad about all the bad things he has done, and in this story Evan attempts to convince Deadpool that he is still a bad person by telling Wade about when he robbed a bank. I mean, like, recently. This morning.

At the aforementioned bank, Evan entered and demanded all the monies. But he got distracted when a little old lady dropped to the floor complaining about a heart attack. I'm pretty confident this is supposed to be Peter Parker's Aunt May. She looks just like her, and she does mention Peter. So, that's a match as far as I'm concerned. In fact, I'm going to make it official, by the powers invested in me. Such as they are – which are basically none. It was Aunt May.

But then another bunch of far-more enthusiastic bank robbers turn up – specifically "The Reavers," a gang of part-man, part-machine, part-psychopaths first seen in Uncanny X-Men #229.

Now, Evan could easily handle the Reavers, but he decides to take Aunt May to the hospital instead of robbing the bank right now. That decision of his to "do the right thing" makes Aunt May feel better, and so she doesn't need to go to the hospital. In fact, she was probably just kidding Evan all along.

So Evan heads home. Is he a reformed person? Has he turned the corner, or "over" a new leaf? Well, not really. Turns out that he made the bank teller sign him an I.O.U. for the contents of the bank. Well, a contract is a contract, so Deadpool offers to help Evan go back and collect on the I.O.U. The cynical, jaded old anti-hero, and the fresh, naïve young anti-hero. It's heart-warming, that's what it is.

General Comments

Deadpool is silly and irreverent. These stories by various guest writers are silly, irreverent little vignettes, each picking up and running with a side-concept from his supporting cast.

I like Deadpool, and I liked this story just fine. Which frankly is a great relief to me because it is written by one of my favorite writing duets, Ben Acker and Ben Blacker. I've been a fan of these guys for years, thanks to their Old-Time Radio show, "Thrilling Adventure Hour".

It would have been a tragic disappointment to me if this story had fallen flat. But nah, the gags (nearly all) work, and the concept is sound – although I'm not 100% convinced that Aunt May is sufficiently familiar with hand-held laser cannons to recognize when the safety catch is on or off. But I guess a little artistic license never hurt anybody.

Overall Rating

This story has action, pathos, humor, and character development.

Four key attributes. Four webs.