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Title-Deadpool Samurai Vols 1&2
Publisher-Viz Media
I had heard that Marvel was licensing out some of their caped heroes to a manga company in Japan. But never heard who it was or when it came out. Then early in summer I found these 2 volumes on sale. Want to say I paid 5 bucks each. Not bad.
VOL 1
Deadpool is in Japan and after running into what is basically Japan's version of Spider-man (Sakura Spider) he gets recruited to form an Avengers team in Japan.
So you got Deadpool,Sakura Spider trying to find more members. No idea why none of the normal Marvel 616 Japan based heroes/heroines appeared. But we do get an Idol singer who just so happens to have a Symboite that she has control over. Yep a Japanese Venom... And Sakura Spider is a huge fan of the Idol Singer.
After setting up this 3 person team the rest of the volume is them facing Thanos. Yep Thanos... I know way to powerful to face this trio. But the writer makes it work.
Want to take a second to point out 2 things. One is that I have never given a shit about Deadpool. Read him when he first appeared and was just Marvel's clone of Slade Wilson. And read some of the later stuff that made Wade the 4th wall breaking Spider-man that kills. So not really sure why I bought these two manga volumes about Deadpool. Might be that I will pick up any cheap comic I find locally hoping this will get the store to order more. Second thing is the writer of this manga is great at making Wade Wilson pointing out all the Manga Tropes. Sure I haven't read much Manga since the late 90s, but for about 8 years I wwwas reading piles of it. And even being disconnected from modern managa the tropes havent changed.
Overall this first volume was so much fun. I started reading it one night while waiting on my sleep meds to kick in. Normally I can read for 10 to 20 minutes then get sleepy. Well I got sleepy but was so into this comic I had to finish it. And it was hard to not just go ahead and read the second and final volume.
The art is really well done.With Deadpool and the other Marvel properties appearing in an art style that feels like a mixture of manga style plus that kind of IMAGE CLONE style Marvel was asking artists to do back in 96.
Writing wise this was a fun fast read. Never did I have to go "wait what the fuck is he talking about". And besides the normal getting use again to going from back to front,right to left,reading style manga uses this was a easy read.
Also this volume 1 tpb contains a few pages that are exclusive to the tpb.
Deadpool Samurai vol 2
Viz
Now Deadpool has his team,bootleg Venom and bootleg Spidey. They won the big fight in the first volume. But here in volume 2 they must face a villain so powerful that he caused the Avengers to form back in the 60s.
Yep Loki is the big bad guy in this volume. I love how Loki is drawn. Oddly unless I forgot I don't remember sseeing Thor show up in this volume,not even near the end when the Avengers show up.
Not sure if the same artist/artists handled the pencils and inks on this volume. Because the art to me is more detailed and has the appearance of thicker lines.
Nothing really new in this volume. Deadpool and his teammates face off againt a super powerful villain. And thanks to Deadpool's mouth they win. Yep Wade's smart aleck mouth defeats Loki.
Where as it took me close to 25 minutes to read vol 1 I got vol 2 read in like 15 minutes. But there was way less writing and more battle scenes. Lots more 2 page spreads.
Seems these 2 volumes appeared in the weekly Shonen Jump comic. I don't think this gets published physically anymore in the States,I did read it for close to a year in 2008. But I know it gets a digital release in the states. I do like how the art is bigger in Shonen Jump,which is easier on my eyes. But It is way way cheaper to just buy the 2 volumes. And I never mentioned it but this series is only 2 volumes. Which is good. Most Manga seems to run FOREVER. So I hate starting in the middle of a series and hate knowing the series might not get a proper ending. But with Deadpool Samurai you got two volumess to buy.
Looked and these are $9.99 a volume. So 20 bucks to get the full story,even though each of them can be read withut reading the other. And keep in mind I am not a fan of Deadpool and not really that much into Manga.But if you are a fan of either this is easily worth the cover price. And for someone that isn't,this is still good and if you can find the two volume lot for say 13 bucks or less it is worth the cash.
Deadpool Samurai vol 1&2 Gets a B.
