There have been so many Deadpool mini-series, the quality of them all over the place. Why not add another one to the pile? Introducing Deadpool the Duck, a five-issue mini-series from earlier in 2017. Is it good?
Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Jacopo Camagni
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The Breakdown
Let’s get straight to the point: Deadpool the Duck is a bad comic. It’s not because of the concept of Deadpool and Howard the Duck being merged into one being. If anything, the mini-series does very little with that actual concept. It’s mostly just a duck in a Deadpool costume. There’s no personality combining–don’t expect Deadpool’s happy energy mixed with Howard’s cynicism and anger. It doesn’t show how people react to a Deadpool duck nor is there anything really unique done here. It’s just a Deadpool story with Howard as a second protagonist and Rocket Raccoon guest starring.
The problem with the mini-series as a whole is that it isn’t very well-written. The story itself feels completely random and all over the place, almost like this is a Mad-Libs story. No plot points ever seem to connect to one another all that well, side characters and villains aren’t interesting (any moments of pathos fall rather flat since we barely know any of the side characters), the story is hard to follow at times due to how it randomly cuts from scene to scene, and the story flows terribly from panel to panel at times. Most importantly though, the story overall is just not funny. Gags are repeated too often, jokes are repeated too few times in some cases when there is supposed to be a running joke, most of the humor is poorly timed and executed, there’s nothing really clever, and Deadpool and Howard both come across as more irritating than funny. Outside of one half-smile, I never laughed, chuckled, smirked, or anything during this entire mini-series. It’s not written well and it’s not funny, which kills a humor-focused comic like this.
While Stuart Moore’s writing leaves a lot to be desired, the artwork provided by Jacopo Camagni isn’t too bad. He does a solid enough job when it comes to drawing the characters and providing a very nice, visual range of emotion and expression in everyone’s faces. There’s no poor anatomy, the action is static but looks fine, and the colors by Israel Silva certainly pop and add to the overall visual experience. The main problem lies in the fact that Camagni’s layouts and storytelling leaves quite a bit to be desired. I’m not sure if it is Moore’s scripts, because Camagni has trouble making flowing layouts. Everything feels janky, awkwardly paced, and is constantly jumping around. Sometimes you turn a page and we are on a completely different topic. There’s also occasional panel where it looks like a character should be talking, but isn’t and their mouth is just hanging open.
Is It Good?
Deadpool the Duck is just not worth the time. There’s very little of actual substance, quality writing, or even humor in this five-issue mini-series. The concept isn’t pushed far enough to live up to any interesting potential. The art is okay for the most part, but that doesn’t make up for such a bad comic. There’s little else to say, but don’t buy this trade collection, even if you’re a Deadpool or Howard the Duck fan.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
