Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos

Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos #1-4

by Gerry Duggan, Salvador Espin (Illustrator), Reilly Brown (Illustrator)

Her name is Shiklah — undisputed queen of the Monster Metropolis below Manhattan! In the world that was, she married Deadpool. But nothing on Battleworld is as it was. Now, Shiklah commands the Howling Commandos: Werewolf by Night! Frankenstein's Monster! The Living Mummy! Man-Thing! Marcus the Centaur! Shiklah is setting out to avenge the death of her brothers — by slaying Dracula! Her quest will lead the Commandos through the land of the undead and into the uncanny realm known as Weirdworld — but how will the Monster Metropolis survive Dracula's wrath when the horrifying showdown begins? Whatever would Shiklah's late husband think of all this? Maybe you should ask his ghost! Plus: A hair-raising classic tale of Werewolf by Night!

Collects: Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos #1-4, Werewolf by Night #1.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Fantasy, Comic Book

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2016

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the Secret Wars crossover event was a food, it would be my Mom’s meatloaf – it smells and looks inviting, there’s bacon on top, it’s got cheese, mushrooms and onions inside, yet it’s continually overcooked, most of the cheesy goodness melts off and it tastes like the galoshes I was forced to wear in grade school.

Sorry, Mom!

This one starts off like gangbusters – It’s laugh-out-loud funny. It’s engaging. The concept is interesting. It’s fun. Then the author realized he had to pace himself and write three more watered-down issues.

First, no Deadpool!



The healing factor has it's limits; it won’t grow back a head or a body.

So Shiklah, Mrs. Deadpool, is on her own against Dracula. The Count kills her brothers, but they leave her the plans for the ultimate weapon against the #1 vampire. She has to retrieve the weapon parts in Hell and Dracula sends his Howling Commandos in pursuit.



The Howling Commandos are: Jack Russell Terrier aka Werewolf by Night, the Mummy, Frankenstein, Man-Thing and Marcus the Centaur, who has diabetes – how many blood sugar jokes can you milk out of that?

Sadly, Man-Thing is greatly underutilized!*

But don’t despair, kids, the ghost of Deadpool remains as a narrator.



There’s some fun offered here until someone gets hurt…



…and the Thor police led by Clarence Williams III/Thor break it up.



*That’s what she said.

Because there's only four issues of story, as a bonus, Marvel reprints the first issue of Werewolf by Night.



Bottom line: Not the monsterously good times you’d anticipate after the first issue, but not a complete horror either.



Frankenstein kind of had that coming after running a circus and employing evil clowns.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, if anybody could actually make the horrible mess that is Secret Wars funny it'd be Gerry Duggan and Deadpool. :-D

Narrated by Deadpool's ghost, this tale follows Shiklah (Mrs. Deadpool to those of you who are new to the 'Pool Party) as she leads a ragtag band of 'Howling Commandos' (Nick Fury says the lawsuit is in the post) against Dracula and his vampire army.

Oh, 1970s Blade-Thor shows up too.

If that doesn't sound flarking awesome to you, you should probably avoid this one.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope Gerry Duggan gets to write Deadpool forever. He's taken the mess that is Secret Wars and given us a well-crafted, funny story. He's so good at combining humor and action. The premise of this book is a What If? style story, "What if Dracula killed Deadpool?". Mrs. Deadpool and the Marvel monsters go to hell to find a weapon to defeat Dracula while the ghost of Deadpool narrates the story.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

​TL;DR Funny in spurts. Duggan has found his groove with this character.

This is the first of my many Secret Wars tie-ins, which I'm selecting based on a combination of reviews by trusted Goodreaders + the ranking in Comic Book Herald's Secret Wars tie-ins list, where I'm going no lower than the "Average to Good" category. [My reviews may indicate I hate myself, but not *that* much.]

Deadpool's dead?


[Yep, that'll do it.]

But his ability to take shots at his loyal readers isn't:

[Um, why are you looking at me?]

Or at his fellow characters:


Of course, he has us all at a disadvantage - a disembodied ghost who can somehow flip pages of his own comic book. That's quite a trick DP:


Big goofy fun. (That Star Wars callback near the end was hilarious. Trust me.) This is a character I'll trust with Duggan for a while yet - he doesn't seem to have run out of steam, puns or ass-backwards ideas.

[Gary Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd book read in 2019.

Number 494 out of 751 on my all time book list.

This one does not take itself seriously which makes for a more enjoyable read.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and fun read. Could have used more of Deadpool's narrative.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beyond cheesy with Deadpool as a ghost and the only thing I liked was the tribute to Queen cover.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrying on pretty much directly from the last Deadpool volume, this book sees the ghost of Deadpool tell the story of Shiklah's (his succubus wife) mission to destroy Dracula on Battleworld. She's aided by the Howling Commandos- although they have nothing to do with the original, friends of Captain America Commandos. No, this is an excellent pun in which the commandos are all monsters.

It's always interesting to see a supporting character get their own title. Shiklah is not really leading lady material though- she's too straight and doesn't really have the personality of a title character. That's clearly why Duggan opted to keep Deadpool involved. This has everything you enjoy from a Deadpool book, with the great Deadpool lines coming from the sidelines rather than the forefront.

I was surprised by the ending of the book, and it's sheer misery. But it feels like it will have a genuine impact on the future of Deadpool, hinting at what's to come. I also felt it got the balance of tying in with Secret Wars well- for the most part it has little to do with the main event but the presence of characters like the Thor Corps means is very much of that world.

One of the more unlikely Secret Wars tie-ins but a very enjoyable one.

[Aurelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

First two issues were unexpectedly good and funny. The last two were weaker - especially the ending. It was hurried and dissatisfying. To quote Deadpool from the last page of the 4th issue: "What's that? I already have a new series?" And it does feel that the creators were one foot out the door as well since the beginning of the fourth issue.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nothing more than a fun piece of fluff that entertained for the half-hour it took to take it in.
This graphic served it purpose, as it was a cheap clearance bin find that only set me back a couple of dollars and a few minutes of my time.

Colorful and a bit more detailed than expected, it still had the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon but with the campy tone of the arc, the art worked.

I'm not a big Marvel kind of girl, so I'm not sure what liberties were taken with some of the characters and it was nothing new to see the classic monsters in a different setting, thanks to a million books and movies.

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. And that's kinda nice for once.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, that ending was unexpected as hell. And not much of a good outcome for reading the series. But, it was nice, how everything ended up, and woah, Dracula was like this stupid arrogant fool that in the end was able to just kill the whole team of the Howling Commandos? that...was... weird. Anyway, Deadpool was still a nice touch of course and Shiklah was...well, Shiklah.

Seemed a bit rushed to end it, dunno..I was like, what? That's it? Ok. Nothing too funny, just entertaining.

I do hope we see more of Shiklah in the upcoming Deadpool series this November.

[Dawn-Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Secret Wars tie-in but I read it outside of that continuity. If you know the characters in general, it still works as a story arc. It has action and, with Deadpool's ghost narrating, plenty of humor. It's a good story overall about Shiklah heading to the underworld and trying to find a way to avoid having to marry Dracula, with the Howling Commandos along for the ride. No, not the wartime, Captain America version, but the more literal ones: werewolf, Frankenstein monster, mummy... you get the idea. A fun, short read for fans.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a couple of really funny moments. It may have worked when it worked because the Deadpool stuff so refreshing.

Also, all the Invisible Man stuff was good, too.

Where it didn't work is with Mrs. Deadpool. She's kind of one-note and not that sympathetic.

Also, I thought the diabetic centaur stuff both (1) didn't pay off and (2) was punching down.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

So gonzo. This delivers fun, but without a significant amount of gravity. The bonus werewolf comic book is full of pulpy melodrama, and not nearly as much fun as the beginning of the collection. I would have enjoyed more something a little closer tonally.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsters being funny...Duggan kills it again!

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some funny parts to this, but overall meh. Deadpool is in it a tiny bit and that was nice, his narration was mostly funny. Just another tie-in.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

dumb. entertaining. only a twenty minute read for 4 issues of a comic. tertiary tits and tons of Gore.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos #1-4 and Werewolf by Night (1) #1 (September 1972-November 2015). Deadpool is…dead. Now, his wife Shiklah is out for revenge against Dracula for doing it and enslaving her people. With the Scepter of the Manticore in her reach, Shiklah could have ultimate power, but Dracula’s sent his Howling Commandos to make sure that Shiklah doesn’t become a threat.

Written by Gerry Duggan, Warzones!: Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos is a Marvel Comics Secret Wars tie-in series. Featuring art by Salva Espin, the series was also collected as part of Deadpool by Posehn & Duggan: The Complete Collection—Volume 4, Deadpool Classic—Volume 19, and Deadpool Minibus—Volume 3. The collection also features a reprint of Werewolf by Night (1) #1 (September 1972) written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Mike Ploog.

Event series are often a bore which is exactly the opposite of what they are supposed to do. They are supposed to bring in the casual readers, reward the regular readers, and provide a story with big and lasting impact. This rarely seems to happen in today’s comic book market, and Secret Wars seems to be one of those series that never rose to the occasion…but some of the tie-ins were fun.

The series is largely a Deadpool series despite the lack of Deadpool (he serves as narrator and sometimes character). The tone and storytelling has the inane nature of a Deadpool comic with a bunch of different characters. I don’t generally love Deadpool personally, but there is the occasional laugh while reading the comic (which should be more regular with all the attempts to make jokes). The story is alright but it doesn’t feel like it really has much substance (especially if you aren’t a regular Deadpool reader).

I am a fan of Marvel’s monsters and characters like Werewolf, the Living Mummy, Frankenstein, and Man-Thing were always some of my favorites simply because they never felt like they belonged in the Marvel Universe. The characters have been poked prodded and revised over the year and barely resemble the characters that they were in the 1970s, but it is always nice to get them back (even if it isn’t for long in this collection).

Warzones!: Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos feels a bit more complete than some of the other Warzone! and Battleworld special series in that it doesn’t feel rushed or drawn out. Four issues feels like it tells the story like it should be told and gives you resolution (unlike some of the titles). The series served as a model for a spin off series Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. which also came out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. comic series.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

No i Duggan pozamiatał. Jak Deadpool w swoim oddzielnym tytule ssał, tak tutaj Shiklah wymiata i rządzi. Z małym udziałem Wade'a, jako duszka-narratora.

Dracula powrócił i dokonuje krwawej zemsty na Deadpoolu, sprawiając, że jego małżonka z automatu staje się wdową. Jednakv Drak wie, że nie może utłuc ot tak potworzycy, bo to wywoła odpowiednią reakcję w środowisku. Dlatego zgadza się, aby kobieta poszła rozsypać prochy bliskich, a tym czasem towarzyszące jej "Skowyczące Komando" ma dopilnować, aby doszło do jakiegoś przykrego w skutkach incydentu...

Frankenstein, Mumia, Niewidzialny Człowiek, wampiry, Centaur z krzyżówką z Czarną Panterą czy wreszcie Wilkołak. Zacne grono i co najważniejsze, śmieszy. Sceny gdy Vlad poluje na Niewidzialnego Człowieka to perełka. Shiklah nie ustępuje mu miejsca i cała wyprawa jest momentami mocno sarkastyczne, prześmiewcza i trafiona w punkt. Może nie płakałem ze śmiechu, ale uśmiech stale gościł mi na twarzy, zwłaszcza że dzieło Duggana metodycznie zaskakuje.

I to ciągle na plus. Może i taki głupawy żart nie trafi do wielu osób, ale mnie całość rozbroiła i niestety tylko spodziewana końcówka troszeczkę zepsuła całość. Na deser numer z dawno zapomnianej serii Werewolf by Night i Gorgona w tle. Ciekawostka warta uwagi? To już samo rozsądźcie. Dla mnie jeden z najlepszych tie-in do Secret Wars.

[Gabrielle C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shiklah, the queen of the monster metropolis below manhatten. She is married to deadpool, but in the alternate realty she doesn't remember and is set to marry Dracula. Who as others plans, he kills deadpool and her brothers. She finds a weapon that her brothers were starting to put together to defeat draucla, so she go on a mission to not only put their ashes to rest, but to complete the weapon. Dracula puts his best monsters on her to watch her over her journey. I have a soft spot for kick ass woman. I like her get out of my way Im a badass attitude. While there was not alot of humor in it as deadpool was the narrator. I still enjoyed it. at only 4 issues long, if you looking for a shorter read i recommend it.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of vintage Marvel horror, this trade paperback is a wonderful blend of Deadpool zaniness and slight nods to the somewhat more bizarre characters in the Marvel universe who often occupy the periphery. The humor is meta, but the story structure itself may dishearten some readers because of its outcome. Although it is not explicit, the subtext of Mrs. Deadpool implies that the narrative is rooted within postcolonial thinking. The book may end up somewhat tragic, but for those willing to step back and analyze that tragedy, there is thoughtful social commentary to be gleaned from this otherwise zany romp into the world of Deadpool, Marvel Horror, and Battleworld.

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hilarious and I absolutely adore Shiklah. I liked her fighting alongside the typical Universal monsters, but I especially loved ghost Deadpool trying in vain to communicate with her. Part of me feels like she could hear him the whole time and was just tuning him out. I skipped the Werewolf By Night comic at the end because it didn't look like my kind of thing. But otherwise, this was hilarious.

[Sleepseeker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Secret Wars tie-in. It was a fun and light read. I've read a few other Secret Wars tie-in books that were odd or I just didn't like. This one was pretty good and had a few scenes that made me laugh.

The end of the book had a random comic, Werewolf by Night (1972) #1. I've never heard of this comic before and have no knowledge of back story. It was a simple read but forgettable. It has nothing to do with Secret Wars and can be skipped.

[Benja Calderon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le daría una estrella más si no fuera por la intrascendencia de titulo, porque fuera de un par de viñetas hacia el final, lo de promocionarlo como Mrs Deadpool, no tiene peso

Y ni hablar de la inclusión de Deadpool, completamente intrascendente, solo movida de marketing

Pero buena historia, en general.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead Deadpool and the vampires.

[Ed C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun introduction for me to the howling commandos. Deadpool is a great narrator here too. Funny storyline.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a hot mess…

[taeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 11/7/16

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute and funny; reminds me of the cartoons I watched as a kid

[Nasty Knob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the humour and the inclusion of all these classic horror comic characters. The ending is somewhat abrupt, although that seems to be par for the course, so far. One thing I can stand about these Battleworld books, however, is the unnecessarily constant use of two-page spreads.