How do you follow Deadpool & Wolverine? With Deadpool's death!

Deadpool Editor's note: "This [September's Deadpool #6] is the first issue of a new era and killing Deadpool NOW would an INSANE thing to do. Which is exactly why we're doing it."

You can check out the full scoop in Comic Book Resources' newly-dropped video here!

Deadpool #1 Review (2022)

(Right-click on images and open link in new tab to enlarge)

It's the first issue of my favorite Marvel character Deadpool's new ongoing series, and I've been looking forward to this...

Wade Wilson is invited by The Atelier - a secret society of exclusive, highly-paid, glamourous assassins - to join their ranks if he can complete the task they assign him: kill Doctor Octopus within 48 Hours.

Another of my Marvel fav.s since his days as the Superior Spider-Man, Otto Octavius is gonna be a tough kill - even for someone with the Merc with a Mouth's skills - but there's a complication; en route to taking out Ock, Deadpool is kidnapped by the plantlife-controlling Harrower, and injected with a strain of Carnage symbiote.

The Harrower found the symbiote in a barely-alive state following the events of Absolute Carnage, and is looking for an incubator that - together with Harrower's powers of biofusion and biofission - can revitalize it and transform it into a creature capable of supplanting humans as Earth's dominant species. A creature that will follow The Harrower as its 'god'. Any attempts at moulding the creature this way have failed as a result of it destroying any host body it was placed in - but The Harrower believes Wade's super-healing-factor will be the solution to this problem.

Deadpool #1 artist Martin Coccolo has worked on the MwaM before in the Deadpool: Black, White & Red Mini-Series - but writer Alyssa Wong is - as far as I'm aware - a new voice to Deadpool. And she nails his voice right out of the gate.

Wong's going 'R' with Deadpool, which comes with a parental advisory rating, most notably on account of a couple of risque jokes that might go under the radar of a younger reader, were it not for Wade pointing a metaphorical arrow at one of them; and with what Deadpool now has growing in him, gore is guaranteed.

The briskly-paced Extra-Sized debut issue jumps back and forth in its timeline - briefly introducing us to the members of The Atelier along the way - some of whom look intriguingly weird, and one of whom - Valentine Vuong - is set up as Wade's potential new love interest. Deadpool's after-the-fact embarrasment at the pickup line he uses on her providing the funniest gag in the book, followed by him brainstorming and rejecting 'better' cringey pickup lines.

The art by Martin Coccolo is solid, Neeraj Menon's color art sometimes a little 'pencily'-looking - but all in all it's an appealing debut for this creative team: with an intriguing potential new direction for the Merc with a Mouth.

Though Wong seems to have Deadpool's character down, though - I'm not certain she has Doctor Octopus', with the few lines uttered by Ock during his brief appearance seeming out of character for him.

Doctor Octopus versus Deadpool is a fun concept that I hope Wong delivers well when it comes to fruition in issue #2 - which I will certainly be back for...

Deadpool #1 Preview

It's been ahwile since Deadpool has had his own ongoing series, but the new #1 - by Alyssa Wong, Martin Coccolo & Neeraj Menon - hits this Wednesday Nov 2, and it looks intriguing!

Here's the Preview:

(Right-click on images and open link in new tab to enlarge)

Join me back here on Wednesday when I'll be posting my Deadpool #1 Review!

Deadpool #1 Review

[David Finch's Variant Cover.]

As someone who's aspiring to work on Deadpool, and who counts the Merc with a Mouth among his favorite characters, I used to give Wade Wilson a lot of airtime in my blog; but I was frustrated at not seeing the Deadpool I knew and loved - the character wasn't getting the depth, characterisation, and supporting cast that he did during the classic Joe Kelly run; which is what got me really into Wade in the first place.

But then things changed with Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn taking the reigns of the comic book, alongside the terrific representation of Deadpool - nailed by Ryan Reynolds - in the movies.

Posehn departed the comic series after a while, and Duggan developed a dark arc for the character: positioning Madcap as his archenemy (Madcap's already screw-loose head being irrevocably damaged further while sharing headspace with Wade when they were temporarily fused together); and Deadpool going from hero to pariah when he acted on the orders of [the evil version of] Captain America, assasinating Agent Coulson; and going from having a pseudo family, with his true daughter as its lynchpin, to losing everything - and getting his memory of all of the above events voluntarily erased.

We then went back to 'business as usual' for Wade Wilson: Merc for hire, and it didn't do it for me.

Now, with Deadpool's new ongoing series, written by Kelly Thompson and illustrated by Chris Bachalo, Deadpool is getting a new direction with a new role - as King of the Monsters of Staten Island - promising "some serious existential darkness between the jokes and violence," a new supporting cast, and the hope that the Deadpool I know and love will be getting a new lease of life.

Deadpool #1 opens with Wade being ripped in two by the current King of the Monsters - before we flashback to the day before: Deadpool's Birthday, where we find Wade Wilson in a pretty sorry state... He's lounging around in his 'Super Secret Base'-turned 'Christmas Bar'/dump, wearing a Santa hat, surrounded by old takeways and other junk, with only a single, solitary Birthday card (from the dentists - reminding he's due a teeth-cleaning) and a kidnapped mailman for company.

Wade rejects a job offer call, before - perhaps due to the less than stellar time he's having, perhaps due to his conscience - deciding to take the gig: and ferries off to Staten Island where a gentleman by the name of Blaylock briefs him on the job. Under the rule of a newfangled King of Monsters, the creatures of Monsteropolis are laying claim to Staten Island, and Deadpool is to put a stop to this by taking out the Monster King: which theoretically, without him to lead them, will cause the monsters to give up and go home.

Back to the present, where Deadpool is healing up while the Monster King's Lord Chamberlain Bellus is encouraging Wade to 'get back on the horse' (Bellus likes neither the King nor Staten Island) - before Wade takes another hit, in the form of a boot in the face from hot British monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone; seemingly just 'cos he's Deadpool. But from there, the two form an uneasy alliance to stop the Monster King - leading to Deadpool having the role of replacement King bestowed upon him by the monsters, and gaining a new sidekick in the form of Jeff the baby Land Shark, when Gwenpool drops her pet off with Wade to ensure he has a safe place in comics (in a nice bit of fourth-wall-breaking Gwenpool logic: she wants Jeff to have a home in a reliable series, whereas hers keep ending).

(right-click on images and 'open in new tab' to enlarge)

Kelly Thompson and Chris Bachalo's new status quo for the series is established, and they look to be a promising creative team. Beginning with Wade in an emotional hole's a good place to start; the gags, while not laugh-out-loud, are okay, and Thompson has his 'voice' down; though this is a certainly a more 'mature-readers'-leaning Deadpool than some takes on him, with a very similar feel to the expletive-firing Wade in the movies. The '£#$*'/censored out swearing is to the point of being gratuitous, and could do with being dialled down a bit - but that's a minor criticism of what is a strong take on the Merc with a Mouth from Thompson - and the writer's use of Elsa Bloodstone's swearing is on point, nailing her British colloquialisms - while also establishing a good chemistry between she and Deadpool.

Art-wise, Chris Bachalo is a veteran whose quirky style works well with Wade - and David Curiel's strong coloring suits it well, replete with stylish black, white & red flashback scenes; as does Joe Sabino's lettering - my only criticism of the art being that the depiction of the dismemberments that take place can be unclear.

So, mild critisms only - I'm not sure how far the Deadpool-as-King-of-the-monsters arc will play, but I'm on board and looking forward to seeing where Thompson, Bachalo and crew go with it, and beyond.

Deadpool Deadpool! DEADPOOL!

[UPDATED 8/22/15:]

I haven't checked in on the Merc with a Mouth here in awhile, and - having gone a little quiet (dead) - Deadpool is making a big comeback with a new #1 in November from Gerry Duggan & Mike Hawthorne - and is joining the Uncanny Avengers in October!

Wade Wilson will also be teaming up with Spider-Man for an ongoing series from the legendary Deadpool team of Joe Kelly & Ed McGuinness, and re-teaming with Cable for new 6-issue mini-series Deadpool & Cable: Split Second from Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza and artist Reilly Brown.

Enough MwaM for ya?

You can find Nicieza talking the new Cable &... sorry, Deadpool & Cable with Newsarama here, and Duggan talks the All-New All-Different Uncanny Avengers with Comic Book Resources here,
and Deadpool's new #1 here.

And Joe Kelly talks Spider-Man/Deadpool - the one I'm most excited for - here!

The Death of Deadpool

[UPDATED 3.13.15:]

Marvel has announced via Nerdist.com that they will be killing off Wade Wilson, the Merc with a Mouth, in April's Deadpool #250.

Issue #250 because it's one of Marvel's milestone renumbering things where if you put all of Deadpool's series' issues together, that's the number you'd get.

In what may seem like a bizarre move, given Deadpool's current popularity and looming big screen debut, Wade will be following in the footsteps of Wolverine (R.I.P.) in an issue that sees him take on the entire ULTIMATUM organisation, when - following the events leading up to this issue - they come after him for revenge.

Speaking to Nerdist, Deadpool co-writer Gerry Duggan said, "The story that you’re going to get in Deadpool #250 is a story that we really have been building to since the first issue of Deadpool NOW. And it will absolutely feel – it will feel, I hope, readers will think that this is an appropriate end for this Deadpool.

"I will say, though, that the manner in which he dies – even us telling you that he’s dying, it’s not really a spoiler, because when you see how he dies, I think your head will explode. [laughter]"

The 96-page issue will also feature one of Deadpool's recurring 'lost' stories - in which Wade gets hold of the Infinity Gauntlet!

And...like Deadpool #27, wherein Wade tied the knot, a host of former Deadpool creatives will be returning for more strips to round off Deadpool's giant-sized swan song.

Marvel has also announced that a Deadpool vs. Thanos series is coming in the Fall. This doesn't necessarily mean Wade will be resurrected for it, though, as both guys have a thing for the female embodiment of Death - so the mini could potentially take place in her realm.

Now, just about everyone is thinking Wolverine's death is a "temporary setback" - so we'd presume it'd be the same for the Merc with a Mouth. And while killing him off now might seem like a weird move, it could be the event that takes his popularity to the next level.

Some Deadheads might be getting a sense of deja vu here, recalling Daniel Way's 'Dead arc', in which Wade tried to eradicate his healing factor so he could be with the female embodiment of death - but this proved an impossibility and Deadpool didn't die. For Deadpool #250, Duggan says Deadpool will die.

Speaking of the 'Dead' arc, this event brings me back to my own aspirations to work on the Merc with a Mouth. When that arc was announced, I 'remixed' an old Deadpool/Death fantasy sequence, removing the dialogue, adding my own, breaking it into four short funnies... creating an unofficial prequel to 'Dead'; and if you didn't catch that at the time, you can find it here...

(right-click on images and 'open in new tab' to enlarge)

The Bootleg Deadpool hearts Death thing, as well as being fun for me to do, was designed to showcase that I have the skillz to write the Merc with a Mouth (I've written a Deadpool pitch and hope to get to make it when I'm, hopefully, of a high enough profile for that to be a realistic proposition).

Since BDHD, I've also been developing my own Deadpool-parodying character, Wayne Winston, and he will be getting the spotlight in February's The Almighties #0 Variant Edition (homaging Deadpool's debut cover from New Mutants #98) - when Wayne gets shortlisted to join the team of comedic super-heroes I co-created with Mike Gagnon.

How do you parody a character that's already a parody? Watch this space and www.actualitypress.com for more on Wayne Winston... ;)

Deadpool News

[UPDATED 9.27.14:]

It's been awhile since I checked in with my boy Wade Wilson here at my blog, and there's a lot goin' on in Deadpool world, so let's get up to date...

The Ryan Reynolds-starring Deadpool movie has finally been green lit and slated for release in 2016; you can find more on that here.

There're a load of Marvel's 75th Anniversary Deadpool variant covers coming; my fav.'s below, and you can check out the rest at Newsarama here.

The Merc with a Mouth also has a new mini-series out - Hawkeye versus Deadpool (written by current Deadpool ongoing co-writer Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Matteo Lolli) - with another coming October 15th; Deadpool's Art of War is illustrated by the Deadpool flashback issues' artist Scott Koblish, and written by Peter David. As far as I'm aware, this is the first time David has worked on the character to any real degree (Deadpool had a cameo in X-Factor), and I'm interested to see his take on Wade.

Both mini-series look set to be loaded with guest-stars from the Marvel Universe, Hawkeye VS. Deadpool #0 is out now, and you can find preview art from October's issue #1, as well as Deadpool's Art of War #1, below. Wade's also slated to team up with the now-de-super-serum-ized Steve Rogers to protect Wolverine's legacy after he dies - following the trio's bonding in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" arc. You can find Duggan talking about the one-shot, Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America, here.

The Merc With a Mouth knows a thing or two about combat and tactics, and he’s gearing up to write his own version of Sun Tzu’s strategic guide to warfare, 'Art of War'. It’s in the public domain so it’s totally ripe for being ripped off. But times change, and today we have heat seeking missiles and automatic machine guns so how accurate can the original book now really be?

Only it’ll take more than a great book if Deadpool wants to outsell the original. His plan? Cause enough war and chaos around the globe so that they’ll have to buy his book!

(Right-click on images and 'Open in New Tab' to enlarge)

It’s Halloween night in Brooklyn, and the names and addresses of every active S.H.I.E.L.D. agent are about to be released...

It’s up to one Avenger and one (sometimes) X-Man to stop it. But is it trick or treat when they encounter bad guys dressed like good guys? Will Deadpool and Hawkeye kill each other before the night is through?

Free Comics Weekend! Get Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #1!

If you haven't checked out my Free Comic Book Day Facebook Group yet, stop by this weekend to join up and get a bunch of free digital comics including the first issue of my boy Wade Wilson's Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth series by Victor Gischler and Bong Dazo, plus Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-Man #1 and a bunch of indies!

You can get to the group here!

Deadpool's ingenious trap for Venom...

...or 'What's up with the Thunderbolts at the moment'...

Having been neglecting my boy Wade Wilson's team book a little lately, I got caught up on Thunderbolts last night, and it was another strong issue in writer Charles Soule's solid run.

Individual team members have been getting to choose the T-Bolts' missions lately and in Thunderbolts #23 it was Deadpool's turn.

However, as Wade began to detail the wacked-out job he had in mind (which would kick off with the team kidnapping Ryan Reynolds), Agent Venom requested his turn (as he was about to leave the team), and Deadpool let him have it...

Concerned that the Venom symbiote might one day take him over, Flash Thompson wanted to prove to himself that it could be taken down. So Flash let the symbiote take the controls, and while most of his team-mates worked out scientifically feasible ways to stop Venom, based on its vulnerabilities--Deadpool had the idea of using a magic marker to make his own costume look like Spidey's and propping this up to use as bait for Venom - with the intention of dropping a jet plane on it.

Charles Soule writes good Deadpool and it's not the first time he's riffed on the similarities between the Merc with a Mouth and Spider-Man; this from an earlier issue...

(Right-click on image and 'Open in New Tab' to enlarge)

Thunderbolts has been a joy since the much-in demand Soule came on board, and with his departure imminent (presumably because he's currently on the hot list), writers Ben Acker & Ben Blacker (!?)--who worked on the last Deadpool and T-Bolts annuals--have big shoes to fill when they come on board with Thunderbolts #27. Though their debut arc looks promising...

You can check out Acker & Blacker talking to Comic Book Resources about their plans for Thunderbolts here.

Meanwhile, here's a Preview of next week's Thunderbolts #24:

(Right-click on images and 'Open in New Tab' to enlarge)

Deadpool #27 Preview - The Wedding!

[UPDATED 4.9.14]

Less than a week to go to the wedding of the century - when (all being well) Wade Wilson, the Merc with a Mouth, will be tying the knot with Shiklah, Queen of the Undead!

Here's the Preview!

(Right-click on images and 'Open in New Tab' to enlarge)

You can check out a brief no-spoilers Deadpool #27 Review at Comic Vine here. And you can find more on Deadpool's wedding here!