Deadpool & Cable #26: It only counts as subtext if it's SUBTLE.

[octopedingenue]

Here are my less-than-four pages from this week's comic that had me, lazy trade-only buyer, trekking to an actual comic store to snag it.



Deadpool & Cable #26: In which Deadpool nostalgizes/summarizes/hallucinates the high points of Cable & Deadpool and Messiah War and etcetera to the present, viewed as Deadpool's bittersweet love letter to his BFF, Cable. And by "BFF," I mean "apparently Valentine's Day has arrived a week and a half early!"

Read the first 6 sad/funny/sad pages here. (ETA Link fixed.) And then 2 pages plus a bit under the cut!

[Writer: Duane Swierczynski. Art: Leandro Fernandez. Colors: Steve Buccellato. Letters: Jeff Eckleberry. Cover: Dave Wilkins.]



The beginning of snide White Text Box's exposition from the previous page, since otherwise the lack of context reads oddly:

"[Okay, here's what's going on. And I'm talking directly to you, comic book reader.
This whole "Cable" thing is a surprise to these people because...well, the lines in Eastern Europe tend to be redrawn rather quickly.
And, uh...Deadpool's in the wrong country.]

[Whoopsie.]"







For the record, that is (mostly) a real song. And I am racking my brain for a plausible, non-queer reading of this entire issue scene and just...not...seeing... I mean, Deadpool's romantic interests pretty much run on Rule Of Funny anyway, but damn.



Overall, this issue is highly enjoyable crack for all that it's all As You Know recap exposition hung with an excuse plot: I laughed so hard the cat thinks I'm violent, and the rampant meta and no-longer-counts-as-slash-if-it's-basically-canon has me evilly gleeful.



But I still made myself sad re-reading for scans, over how Deadpool is genuinely heartbroken (AGAIN) by Cable's (SECOND) death. He tries so hard to do right by Nate's memory, because the happiest time in Wade's life has been buddycop bromancing with Cable, and all Wade's subsequent antics an effort to ignore/recapture/move past/deal with that.



Oh god, I just made myself even sadder.

Comments

[philippos42]

Who's the writer?

Man, what malevolent captions.

[octopedingenue]

The writer is Duane Swierczynski. Credit & tags now added!

I've already seen excited fannish speculation that the snippy White Text Box voice is actually Cable speaking in Deadpool's head from beyoooond the graaaaave. That would be awesome--but I don't buy it, because I don't think Cable would be so MEAN.

[shadowpsykie]

For the record, that is (mostly) a real song.

i can't stop putting clips for from the series in time with this song in my head.....

[badficwriter]

Deadpool. He's worse than Spider-man for the "We must always depict him as a loser at life."

[q99]

Though unlike Spider-man, it's far more from his own choices.

[octopedingenue]

Part and parcel of being a trickster. Some days you steal fire from the gods; some days you wind up in the form of a horse and impregnated.

[jamesfirecat.insanejournal.com]

Oh Loki, where would modern fanfiction be without your TG, furry, Mpreg adventures?

[liara_shadowsong]

Oh, people are inventive. I'm sure they'd have gotten there eventually, even without that particular predecessor. ;P

[q99]

Who hasn't been there?

[rordulum]

Oh God, Deadpool singing Crystals songs? It's only a short step from that to Dusty Springfield.

I never really saw what Wade saw in Cable, though. Actually, I've never been able to see what anyone saw in Cable as a character.

[miramira]

"The only boy who could ever reach me was a part of the New Mutants"?

[cainofdreaming]

"Cable and Deadpool" Cable was really a different animal altogether from his X-Force/X-Men appearances. No soldier from the future, rah rah rah, with Liefeldian guns coming out of the wazoo. Just a man who actually tried to create Xavier's dream by getting people of all kinds living together, rather than segregating mutants, humans and superhumans all in their different corners of the universe. And was doing a good job of it, before the X-writers called dibs and had the storyline dropped.

Razzafrazzin'... bitter? Me? No, no. The letter bomb scares in Marvel offices at the time this happened were a complete coincidence, I tell you.

But anyways, went off on a tangent, just wish that they'll bring that Cable back, rather than some other variation.

[cainofdreaming]

Ah, eck, seems like the series is not starting again, is it? Should have checked the link before posting.

[schala_kid]

This, this, this , and soooooooooo much this! Cable & Deadpool was pretty much what made me love the character of Cable.

Maybe some years from now when Fabian Nicieza ends his time with DC, they'll ask him to write the resurrection issue of Cable and Deadpool will be one of the starring characters.

[whitesycamore]

This. The Cable and Deadpool version was a fairly typical "driven visionary dedicated to the cause above all else" character, except that he also cared about the people around him and tried his best to do right by them. That makes him an ok guy in my book.

[baihu]

It's that Summers charm. You can't resist trying to get in their pants.

[wasabi.livejournal.com]

Well, it could have been one of the Crystals' more jaw-dropping songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyy6r_9ptf0

[octopedingenue]

Whyyyyy do I suspect that Deadpool sings that song really loudly in the shower. And while killing people.

[lunasa]

I knew it.

[freezer]

For the record, that is (mostly) a real song.

KISS did a version as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htQ2tO3xMIU

[darrylayo]

Didn't buy this.

Has anybody talked about how frickin WEIRD it is to have an issue #26 appear out of the BLUE all of a sudden?

I don't read the (comic) news, is this some joke thing Marvel is doing? Re-launching from the last point rather than their all-too-familiar "#1?"

What?

[arilou_skiff]

Deadpool's numbers are... idiosyncratic. They started Deadpool team-up on #999.

[octopedingenue]

Deadpool & Cable* #25 ran about a year ago, and was also a oneshot-ish "between storylines" teamup. Presumably D&C #27 will see Cable & Deadpool celebrate 2012 by having sex the entire issue when they're not rescuing kittens.



*not to be confused with Cable & Deadpool

[fifthie]

That cover is spectacular.

[octopedingenue]

NEEDS MORE GUNS

[schala_kid]

I don't care what anyone says, this issue literally made me sad.

And it didn't really need any more reassuring than the C/D comics, but this whole issue just showed how much Wade really fucking loved Nate. And it's like the OP said, the happiest time in Wade's life has been buddycop bromancing with Cable.

Y'know I kind of want him to meet Nate Grey or Hope Summers now, those would make for some really interesting conversations.

[kirke_novak]

Wow, if I had this 2 weeks ago, Deadpool would be number 1 on my list of closeted bi characters. I mean, f'real, people, there is nothing but CONTEXT here.

[salinea]

What do you mean closeted? What do you mean 2 weeks ago? There are people who consider Deadpool as anything else than a pansexual/bisexual character??

[kirke_novak]

I should rephrase, the list was about the bisexual heroes who should be acknowledges officially as bisexual.
Because Wade is sososo bi.

[salinea]

so true.

I wanna see that list too!!

[liara_shadowsong]

Closeted? There are people who think he's closeted?

Waitaminute..... There are people who know who he is and haven't figured out he's bisexual?! *mind is blown*

[thistleburr]

I want to read your list!

There it is!

[kirke_novak]

http://kirke-novak.livejournal.com/395720.html#cutid1

Re: There it is!

[thistleburr]

Thank you~

[whitesycamore]

I've always read him as bi, and not at all secretive about it. I'm not sure it's possible to read him as anything other than bisexual, unless one's willing to brush off his every instance of stated homosexual attraction as "just a joke." I mean, technically they usually are jokes, but then so are most of his heterosexual attractions.

I mean, I always thought the humour was in Wade's inappropriate timing and lack of decorum rather than "lol gay!"

[octopedingenue]

I mean, I always thought the humour was in Wade's inappropriate timing and lack of decorum rather than "lol gay!"

Yeah. It's like, it's not ideal that Wade's giant-size man-crushes are basically always played for laughs, especially since he's had several serious heterosexual entanglements (albeit ones also driven mostly by Rule Of Funny).

[TVTropes geek]
BUT the humor's played from Wade being all Did I Just Say That Out Loud that hastily played as Gay Bravado since Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today + Stupid Sexy Cable/Thor/The Cat/Captain America/Etc. waaaay past the supposed one-offness of Stupid Sexy Whoever + Wade's cheerful but ill-timed attempts to Go Flirting With People Trying To Kill Him. It's not played as Wade being a Depraved Bisexual using sex to be manipulative/evil or deliberately make people uneasy. [/TVTropes] (I'm looking at you, stupid sexy Daken.)

[midnightvoyager]

FUCKTHEVOICESFUCKTHEVOICESFUCKTHEVOICES

...

ahem, sorry.

What was I going to say before tripping over those damned white captions? I don't remember.

I'm fairly sure I just read something that could have been enjoyable on some level if not for that. Why can't I remember it?

Ah well.