Pulp Arcana Studios: Save A Horse, Ride a Deadpool

Marvel Legends Cowboypool

Deadpool and Wolverine did something that most comic book movies couldn’t. It took the unhinged chaos, the surprising cameos, and the dynamic action and pushed it right to the borderline between rampant silliness and total badassdom. I loved it.

One of the defining moments of the film is our boys going head to head with an army of Deadpool variants. If you look amongst the crowd, you’ll see all kinds of different Deadpools. So naturally, I was hoping we would get a few in action figure form.

It took a little while, but we have a new wave of figures from the movie. I’ve taken a look at the brown suit Wolverine from this wave, and found him to be absolutely exceptional. That figure was so good that it made me want to see what else Hasbro was cooking up with this line. With that in mind, I got my hands on the Deadpool variant from this wave. The one, the only, Cowboypool.

Now, admittedly, this feels like a bit of an odd choice for Marvel Legends. But the action figure market has a pretty serious lack of Western-style figures, so I was curious what they might do with Cowboypool here. Come along with me now, as we take a look at God’s perfect cowboy idiot. Cowboypool!

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

Cowboypool

Marvel Legends Deadpool and Wolverine

Hasbro

OUT OF THE CRATE:

Much like we saw with the brown suit Wolverine, the packaging is a nice variation on the usual Legends box. The standard black is broken up by the Deadpool and Wolverine logo at the bottom of the front panel, and the character name is on the side of the plastic window, written on a white strip that draws the eye.

The clear window once again showcases the figure, and in this case, it helps draw attention to this unusual Deadpool variant. While a cowboy-themed Deadpool might not be for everyone, seeing the figure in the box does inspire excitement and curiosity. The figure does look great in the package, and I am extremely excited to get this figure out of the package and posed up.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

Ok, I admit it. This figure is growing on me.

While I was a little leery of Cowboypool and what a western outfit Deadpool might bring to the line, the fact is, Cowboypool looks kind of awesome. I didn’t expect to be this smitten with this figure, but the more I look at him, the more I like him.

First, let’s take a look at the head. You can’t have a cowboy figure without a cowboy hat, and the hat on this Deadpool looks really good. It is part of the head and is not removable, but I am more than fine with this. It is sculpted to sit low, almost to his eyes, and, in spite of a million reasons why it shouldn’t, it absolutely works. He looks great.

A closer look at the rest of the figure shows that there is a surprising amount of detail on display here. It is the little things that sell this. The bandana around his neck almost blends in with the red of the mask and shirt, and I do wish it was a slightly darker color to break things up just a bit, but it also gives a subtle touch to the figure that is surprising. The shirt has little brass colored collar stays and buttons. The bandolier across the chest has the tips of bullets in a cold that catches the eye nicely.

The belts take this to a new level. The belt holster has a fantastic level of detail. The buckle is intricate, and the twin holsters even have tassels coming off them. Even the boots have spurs attached to them. The overall feeling I get from looking at this figure is that whoever designed this did not take this task as a joke or a meme character. This is Cowboypool, a fully detailed character from a Western Marvel Universe. I think whoever designed this loved doing it, and it shows.

Accessory wise, we get two great looking western style revolvers. These each have a pearl handle and great paint apps, and fit snugly into the hip holsters. They look great holstered there or in the hands. Speaking of hands, we get two trigger finger hands to hold the pistols, an open expressive hand, and my favorite accessory: a pistol with a spinning effect that fits on a hand with an extended finger. When you put this on the figure, the visual effect looks great. Like, really great. Every time I look at this on my shelf, I love it even more. It is just so cool.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

Recent Marvel legends are doing so much really well. Pinless double joints at elbows and knees. Good head movement. There is a lot of great movement here, and the joints themselves feel smooth and easy. I do wish Marvel Legends would incorporate drop down hips as standard on their figures, like we see in Hasbro’s GI JOE Classified line, but there still is a lot to like in the movement of this Cowboypool.

This figure seems to be continuing the trend we saw with the Brown Suit Wolverine also from this wave. While Cowboypool doesn’t quite live up to the articulation we saw with that figure, he does move like a champ. Further, there is something about the way that all the pieces of this figure work together. It poses like a dream. From the tilt of the cowboy hat, to the outstretched open hand, to that twirling six-shooter, all these individual components come together to make a figure that is just a joy to pose.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

I have mentioned before in this space that action figures should be fun. This figure is fun. Like a ridiculous amount of fun. I kept picking him up and posing him. I made pew-pew noises as I arranged his pistols. He faced down dangerous bandits and killer clowns. I posed riding dinosaurs and in front of dusty desert streets.

And that may be one of the craziest things about this figure. It can look delightfully goofy, or it can look serious and like a legitimate Western character. It does both equally well, and while that shouldn’t be possible, the fact that it can makes it one of my favorite desk figures ever.