Random Happenstance

I was reading this back in the day, but was surprised to stumble across a copy in a dollar bin the other week: from 2001, Deadpool #53, "Talk of the Town, part 2" Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Buddy Scalera, pencils by Anthony Williams, inks by Andy Lanning. Cover by J.H. Williams III, which feels like he's slumming?

This was between Priest and Simone's runs, back when Deadpool was just a mid-range book chugging along; and this was the conclusion of a two-parter with Pool vs. a pair of murderous schoolgirls. And it's largely played straight? There's some sarcastic remarks, but that's about it. In the previous issue, the Mercy Sisters sandwiched Pool--with cars, you perverts--and while he was pretty wrecked, so was one of the sisters, who sadly lacked a healing factor of her own. Pool manages to drag himself to the subway, then home, and then orders a wheelchair and some help from friendly nurse Veronica, who Wade confronts: she was really his longtime on-and-off girlfriend Vanessa, a.k.a. Copycat.

The uninjured sister has to put down the hurt one when the cops get too close, then Pool plays a bit of Rear Window while goading her into position to blow her head off. The sisters are shown to have a substantial body count, and one kills a dog as a distraction here, so you don't feel too bad when they get it. But, the next issue set-up is interesting, as the will of Ma Gnucci is read, leaving everything to her nephew, if he whacks whoever killed her...the Punisher! I'm 60% sure the nephew could've contested that; I don't think you can make an illegal act a condition of a will. Which would probably make for a less-interesting comic, granted.