COMIC REVIEWS: My Two Deadpools

So Marvel, in its usual cross promoting and slightly whore-ish fashion, has seen fit to bestow upon the comic racks not one but TWO ongoing monthly Deadpool series (aside from his hilariously weird, even for him, guest spot in X-Force Messiah War). Marvel does this all the time. Character has a film, is featured in a film or even mentioned in a film and they get an ongoing series for as long as they can sell issues. If its an established character with a new film out, count on 30 new mini-series and one-shots coming out the month of the film's release.

In the case of Deadpool however, there really can't BE enough (so long as its written well). To see two ongoing series of what basically amounts to a C, maybe B, string character is kind of weird but with the mainstream media suddenly asking who the hell Deadpool even is, thanks to his seriously subdued and altered appearance in the Wolverine flick this year, they really do need to show him off right about now. Prep the buzz for Deadpool's solo flick staring Ryan (I'm also in Green Lantern and Blade 3) Reynolds.

DEADPOOL:

The first series has actually been going on for a little over a year and is simply titled 'Deadpool'. The book is written by Daniel Way who is very very quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. The man knows how to write humor and bad ass, together and apart, at the drop of a hat (check out his recent issues of Wolverine titled Dark Wolverine for some truly great character development of Wolverine's son). He maintains Deadpool's own dialogue and two separate thought train boxes (one yellow and one white, representing Deadpool's rather fractured psyche) with total ease and punchy pop culture ripping quips that probably make even Kevin Smith jealous. And come to think of it, Marvel, if you want to start a third Deadpool book, there really would be no one better than Kevin Smith to write it. I honestly think Smith should be handed the movie's writing duties straight away, but that's neither here nor there.

Three story arcs have passed in this series so far. The book opened during the Skrull Invasion with Nick Fury having hired Deadpool to infiltrate the Skrulls (DP's ability to not die being the only reason Fury put up with him on this job). Deadpool did what he was hired for and left a good mess of confusion and devastation in his wake before gathering the data Fury request retrieved. In sending the data to Fury, the transmission is interrupted and stolen by former Green Goblin gone Thunderbolts Team Leader for the government, Norman Osborne.

Outside of the Deadpool books, Osborne uses this information to kill the Skrull queen and essentially usurp, dethrone and replace Nick Fury. Which is where the Marvel Universe currently is: Dark Reign. And if you'd like to see what Fury thinks of that situation and more importantly, what he's gonna do about it, check out Secret Warriors by Johnathan Hickman. GREAT book.

Back in the Deadpool, the second story arc begins with Deadpool unpaid by Fury, who perceives the failure as somehow Deadpool's fault. Deadpool goes to war against Osborne and his Thunderbolts team. By the end of this, Deadpool has stolen Osborne's credit cards and bested the Thunderbolts more than once. Osborne doesn't appreciate Deadpool's little shopping spree and goes after him.

By the end, Deadpool is broke yet again and the third arc begins with Deadpool taking hits for $500 a head he gets from his craigslist posting. Osborne, still a little bitter, sends Bullseye out to give Deadpool as much hell as possible. Obviously, that doesn't go as planned and now you're up to speed. Jump on this book. Its hilarious. And grab anything else you see Daniel Way's name on right now.

DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH

This series is only on issue 2 and revolves around Deadpool's severed head from the Marvel Zombies universe somehow being brought into the normal Marvel Universe and now Deadpool is traveling around with his own severed zombie head through the Savage Land with a hot researcher who has no interest in Deadpool whatsoever. This book is damn funny too, but somehow not quite as hard hitting as Daniel Way's series which went so far as to depict Deadpool and Bullseye in elementary school together where they kill their teacher and burn the school to the ground.

If you like Coke or Pepsi or both, grab these books if you want some good sadistic humor littered with pop culture references and one seriously fractured psyche belonging to the man who cannot die (or shut up) himself: DEADPOOL!