Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool 2 (2018): written by Paul Wernick and Rhett Rheese and Ryan Reynolds; based on characters created by Fabian Nicieza, Rob Liefeld, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Len Wein, David Cockrum, Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and others; directed by David Leitch; starring Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson /Deadpool, Josh Brolin as Nathan Summers /Cable, Zazie Beetz as Neena Thurman /Domino, T.J. Miller as Jack "Weasel" Hammer, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Stefan Kapičić as Colossus (voice), Julian Dennison as Rusty Collins /Fire Fist, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlyle, Shiori Kutsuna as Yoiki, and Terry Crews as Bedlam:

Deadpool 2 pretty much picks up where Deadpool left off, sarcastically and metafictionally trashing superheroes in general and the X-Men in particular as it follows the adventures of super-assassin Deadpool. The X-Men's Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead are back, along with characters familiar to comics fans and unknown to the general public from the time-travelling Cable (Josh Brolin, relaxing after playing Thanos) to such early 1990's Marvel superhero duds as Bedlam and Shatterstar. 

Is it better than Deadpool? Probably, at least for people acquainted with much of the source material. It's still desperately sentimental when it comes to the love story involving Deadpool and Vanessa despite all the sex-toy jokes. On the other hand, it makes better use of time travel than most movies, though all the really good use comes in the credits sequences at the end of the movie. 

The whole project suits the ineffable weightlessness of Ryan Reynolds. Atlanta's Zazie Beetz makes a nice impression as the super-lucky Domino, while a mostly CGI Juggernaut helps us forget the terrible use of that iconic comic-book villain in X-Men: The Last Stand, in which Vinnie Jones played a Juggernaut in a goofy foam helmet. Recommended.

Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol Volume 3

Robotman talks to Crazy Jane

Doom Patrol Vol 3 (1992-93/Collected 2017): written by Grant Morrison; illustrated by Richard Case, Scott Hanna, Stan Woch, Ken Steacy, Philip Bond, and others: Grant Morrison's great run on Doom Patrol rolls to its conclusion. Credit to primary penciller Richard Case, too, for a straightforward cartooning style that made the weirdness weirder, in the tradition of Steve Ditko on Dr. Strange.

The Brotherhood of Dada is up first, taking their Magic Bus across America in order to get Mr. Nobody elected President. Then the interlocking arc of The Doom Patrol's Real Enemy and The Candlemaker finishes Morrison's run with horror, humour, and an emotional coda that still brings manly tears from my eyes. All this and The Empire of Chairs!

A bonus here is the ridiculous Doom Force Special being reprinted here, a rare one-off that I missed at the time, and every time after until now. Morrison parodies the Marvel Mutant Madness of the early 1990's, something relevant to anyone who's seen Deadpool 2 and its use of X-Force. Morrison takes the piss on Marvel's mutants, to the extent that it's a bit shocking that he would become a writer of X-Men in 2001. What are the special powers of X-Force? THEY'RE NOT MUTANTS!!!!

As weird as Morrison can be, he wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Cliff 'Robotman' Steele's heroic effort to save a world that, as a doctor says to Cliff, "he doesn't believe is worth saving." 

And when it comes to Crazy Jane and Cliff's quest to find her in a multiverse of awful Earths. And when it comes to Danny the Street's efforts to create a world of magic and mystery for all the outcasts and 'losers' to live, safe from the horrors of the late Bush years. Read them all and see why I say Highly Recommended.

Review of Volume 1
Review of Volume 2