AXIS: Deadpool #37-Inversion and the Art of Zenpool

With the AXIS tie-in and the Inversion of heroes and villains, the changes to Deadpool as seen in Deadpool #37 are both amazing and quite funny!  If you are not familiar with the Inversion effect as begun in the Avengers & X-Men AXIS books, it was a mystical spell cast by the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom, causing the alignment (think good vs. bad) of the heroes and villains who were present when the spell was cast to invert, or flip, their alignment.  So now, the Avengers who were present are now self-centered villains, and the X-Men are bent on world domination for mutant-kind.  Murderous villains like Carnage are now attempting to be good guys and are rescuing people instead of killing them.  The world turned upside down!

Zenpool Credits Page of Deapool #37

So how does the already mentally fragmented Deadpool react to being inverted with all the rest? Well, he reacted differently than most everyone else.  With several voices already speaking in  his head, our hero Wade just added a new personality to his talkative mental mix.  At the conclusion of the last issue, Deadpool decides to let his new personality, which we call Zenpool, run the show for a while.  In this current issue, we now see a white-garbed and hooded version of Deadpool halt crimes in a decidedly non-lethal manner.  It is a new Wade, and it is very strange to see him speak of peace, love, and kindness.  He has changed to the point where he is now vegetarian and cannot even bring himself to carve up the already-dead Thanksgiving turkey.  While this is a strange way to see ‘Pool behave, it is downright funny to see the reaction of those around him.

Perhaps the most annoyed person around in dealing with the new Zenpool, is his wife, Shiklah.  Remember, she is an undead succubus who rules over the Monster Underground.  Peace, love, and kindness are not necessarily touchstones of her existence.  Her disgust at her now wussy husband’s inability to carve a dead bird’s carcass is predictable, but the interplay between them and two villains they happen to see on the subway is classic.

One of the best parts of the Deapool comic books is the oddball sense of humor written into these stories. The long-time writers, Posehn and Duggan, are masters at creating dialogue and situations that fit for our crazy merc.  This whole inversion business as it applies to Deadpool/Zenpool is hilarious.  While it is not unusual to see and hear Deadpool talk to himself, or multiple mental versions of himself inside his head, we now see the ‘normal’ Deadpool try to give life and combat advice to the white-garbed Zenpool.

Non-Lethal Deadpool Wields the Turkey to Stop Crime!

One of the best parts of this issue is the interplay between Wade and Shiklah.  In recent story arcs since his marriage to her, Shiklah has not been seen much.  That is too bad, as this whole love, marriage and homicidal domestic happiness angle for Deadpool should have been explored more.  Hopefully, we will see more of her in upcoming issues.

As this issue concludes, the story turns back to the AXIS/Inversion storyline as we see the effect of this change on the X-Men, as the now-pacifist Zenpool has to figure out a way to rescue his friends, the North Korean mutants known as the FauX-Men, from the now ruthless and vicious X-Men. As the confrontation builds, mental Deadpool advises using thermite grenades to neutralize the Iceman.  Zenpool tries a different tactic, with belly-laughing results.

Who should be reading Deadpool #37?  Well, Deadpool fans of course, and anyone following the Avengers & X-Men: AXIS storyline.  How we see the X-Men acting in this issue is a great tie-in back to the main crossover storyline.  Plus, this book is just plain funny!