When I first started the Deadpool and Nightcrawler strips, (back in February 2008? Really?) Cable and Deadpool was still running, but Cable had been gone for a bit. The book was winding down, and it looked like Deadpool might be joining the ranks of Marvel characters without a book of their own; forced to subsist on guest spots or on a team. Like a team would have him...so, the original joke premise here, was that Marvel didn't think Deadpool could maintain sales on his own, and they bussed in Nightcrawler to help. (In the actual comics, I believe they know of each other, and Nightcrawler appears briefly in an early Cable and Deadpool; but I don't think they've ever really interacted. Of course, in the Age of Apocalypse, Kurt did kill Dead Man Wade...)
And now, while I haven't seen the sales numbers for all of them, Deadpool seems to be doing pretty well for himself. An ongoing, a limited, another ongoing, guest-spots in X-Force and versus Shang-Chi coming up...I haven't bought all of them, but rest assured, I will be getting the Shang-Chi one. Deadpool's dance card looks plumb full up, so, why not transfer him out and someone new in? (For now...maybe.)
The Falcon has been appearing here and there recently, usually in the pages of Captain America, but is a bit underused. I thought he was supposed to get his own book after Priest's Captain America and the Falcon ended, but that never materialized. I can see why the book was wrapped: it probably wouldn't have done for Priest and Ed Brubaker to be working at cross purposes, but maybe Marvel should've made the switch to a solo Falcon book midstream.
I'm still getting a handle on Sam Wilson, but Redwing I have pegged. Not unlike Ka-Zar and Zabu, Redwing is a lot like Captain America's shield: Mark Waid made the Zabu/shield comparison, and at the time I thought "what, he catches bullets?" Not quite. When you're watching one, you're not watching the other. If you're covering yourself to keep that big scary bird from clawing your face off, Falcon can waltz right up and punch you a good one. And if Sam's on the ropes, Redwing can swoop in for the assist. They're a tough team. But for our purposes, Redwing is kind of a loud, scary thing; and definitely looks down his beak at you.
So longer strips are back, every Wednesday! Yay! Except some may be longer than others. ...yay? Continued next week!
While I'll miss Deadpool's interactions with Kurt, I have to admit that the Falcon looks to be comedic gold. Not to mention Redwing.
ReplyDeleteSoooooo looking forward to new strips!
I'm with you on buying that Deadpool/Shang-Chi comic. That went on my order form the moment I saw it. Well, not the exact moment I saw it, because I wasn't filling the order form out at the time, but mentally it did.
ReplyDeleteAlso, will the Falcon frequently offer advice or ideas in the form of 'Caps said. . .' Because that could be a real comedy goldmine.