Warning: contains spoilers for Deadpool: Black, White and Blood #4!
A new trend has emerged in comics over the last few years: anthology series featuring popular heroes, using color schemes based around one or two colors, and as usual, Deadpool is getting in on the fun. While series like Wonder Woman: Black & Gold and Wolverine: Black, White & Blood have produced some fantastic stories, there's no way for Deadpool to resist getting meta with such a striking gimmick. In the story 'Cherry,' appearing in Deadpool: Black, White and Blood #4, the Merc With a Mouth calls out this newt trend.
Anthology comics are not a new development; indeed, the first comics were anthologies, featuring multiple stories with a variety of characters. In time, these books were rebuilt around a theme, be it the Bat-Family or the Avengers. But in recent years, a specific type of anthology book has grown in popularity. These titles are curated around one character, written and illustrated by today’s top creators, but are limited to only using one or two colors throughout the story. These colors are always associated with the character; for instance, DC launched one such book for Superman, titled Superman: Red and Blue. Since their arrival, these books have proved popular with fans and creators, allowing for fun, creative, one-off stories told in a unique format. As these new anthologies continue to gain steam, it was only a matter of time before someone poked fun at them, and who better to do so than Deadpool? 'Cherry' is written by Christopher Yost, with art by Martin Coccolo, colors by Mattia Iacono and letters by Joe Sabino.
In the story, Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) have created a monster they cannot control and have brought Deadpool in to help. As Deadpool makes his way through the AIM facility, surveying the carnage, he continually makes cracks about colors, promising that while the story is currently in black and white, there'll be plenty of red once he finds his target. Deadpool discovers the "monster" - a savage riff on the Kool-Aid Man - bursting with red juice, but ironically not the blood Wade was so sure would conclude his story. Deadpool kills it by planting a bomb inside, causing it to explode in a sea of bright red.
Deadpool continually breaks the fourth wall, offering commentary and insights on not only the action going on around him, but on popular comic book tropes and fads. In this story, the Merc with a Mouth gently pokes fun at the latest trend in anthologies. Deadpool continually references colors in a knowing fashion, aware that he is in a story that will only draw on a few. The villain of the story takes full advantage of this limited color scheme as well, drawing inspiration from a pop culture figure usually depicted as red.
Marvel's range of 'Black, White & Red' comics has focused on its most violent characters, featuring the adventures of killers like Wolverine, Elektra, and Carnage. While Deadpool certainly fits the bill, he's also perfectly placed to take advantage of the extra creativity on show in stories that have to work within strict constraints of length and color, and his meta awareness flourishes in a situation where there's something genuinely unusual to play off. While Wolverine and Carnage may have spent their anthology series bathed in blood, it takes a hero like Deadpool to get the most out of the latest trend in comics - mocking it the entire time, of course.