Review by Frank Plowright

There’s no attempt at an explanation of why it is that Deadpool’s mercenary gigs are now shared between a team of seven, but what is certain is they’re becoming uncomfortable with aspects of the job and what Deadpool might be keeping from them. Why, in the opening pages he’s even consulting with Domino as he considers his crew might be gunning for him.

Foolkiller, Masacre, Slapstick, Solo, Stingray and Terror are accompanying Deadpool on missions funded by a group called Umbral Dynamics, who’re particularly keen on acquiring super powered people emitting radiation. Deadpool’s been told they’re being gathered to protect humanity, while the targets themselves claim Umbral Dynamics torture them.

Cullen Bunn here is a victim of his own success. The first Mercs for the Money outing Merc Madness was a riot of laughs on Bunn’s part. However, it wasn’t a formula developed for endless recycling, so what replaces it is a generic plot that could be rejigged without too much trouble for Captain America, Iron Fist or Spider-Man. Pretty well all the accompanying mercs are just there to make up numbers, be that the first lot, or the second lot phased in before the end. Deapool’s silly, and there are a few sharp lines of dialogue, but the plot’s a straightforward superhero outing, technically without more monkeys until the final two pages.

It’s made to look far better than it is by Iban Coello going the extra mile to pack the pages with characters in action and detail.

This is repackaged along with next volume IVX in Deadpool Classic Vol. 23.