Wolverine and Deadpool confront Danger in Wolverine #23, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Adam Kubert, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer Cory Petit. This issue is a fun thrill ride with an unforgettable moment that will stay with fans for a long time.

At the X-Mansion, Wolverine and Deadpool are attacked by a Sentinel, taking it down before getting deeper into the mansion. Robot X-Men attack them, and eventually the floor breaks out from under them. Wolverine awakens in a dark room to find Danger, her child, and a group of robot X-Men. Danger monologues at Wolverine about being abandoned, and the robots get ready to attack when Deadpool comes to save the day. The whole thing is just a Danger Room simulation, though, and Danger magnetizes the floor and then sticks magnetized blades on the two of them. The resulting slurry of bone and tissue heals together and goes after Danger but leaves her alone after she begs them off. They separate, and later on Krakoa, all of Deadpool’s dreams come true.

Percy writing Deadpool is amazing. He really gets the character; sure, there’s the madcap humor and all that, but he also understands the man underneath the jokester, which is shown in this issue in the best segment when he talks to Wolverine about why he wants to join up with him and X-Force and makes an important request of Logan. It’s a great conversation and shows that there’s more to Deadpool than just the insanity and violence, that there’s a man under there, one who not only wants to be more than he is but also cares about people.

That’s a central theme to this issue, one that shifts into the second best scene of the book, the one where Danger explains what her grievances are with the X-Men. The great thing is that she’s not wrong; the X-Men did abandon her. Her fight has been to get back her child and have a life. The X-Mansion is her home as much as any. Wolverine actually walks away, ready to let her have her life when she attacks him, a mother desperate to protect her family. The rest of the issue stems from that, and Deadpool talks about it in his final monologue, how she’s just a sad monster, and that’s why they let her go.

Kubert and Martin’s art is great, but that’s to be expected. The opening pages have the cool border thing that Kubert did last issue. The page layouts are great too, with a big panel in the present at the top of the page and panels of Wolverine’s memories from the mansion at the bottom. The two-page spread of Wolverine and Deadpool talking and walking through the mansion is gorgeous, with Kubert rendering the wrecked mansion in loving detail. It’s a joy for the eyes. The action in the issue is top-notch, of course, and the panel where Deadpool drops onto the table looks beautiful, with cool little details on Deadpool’s guns that are hilarious. The composite Wolverine/Deadpool is great, a chilling monster of misshapen flesh, bones, claws, and guns.

Wolverine #23 ends this story expertly. Percy knows when to use action and emotion in this one, and it works so well on every page. Kubert and Martin kill it on the art, with so many amazing images throughout. Wolverine is always great, but this one goes above and beyond.

Grade: A