Deadpool, Volume 1 (Marvel NOW!, Deluxe Edition)

The character of Wade Wilson, Deadpool has grown on me in recent years. I feel in love with his short lived Deadpool Team-Up. It was wacky and I loved how the character broke the fourth wall, knowing he was really just a character in a comic book. That premise is supposed to make him out as an insane individual with a bloodlust and wonky healing factor. But, I think that knowledge makes Deadpool out to be perhaps the most sane comic book character of them all.

Later on, I read some of the Marvel.1 books. They were designed to help readers, both old and new, to catch up on the many characters and storylines in the Marvel Universe circa 2010. In the collection I read, Deadpool appeared no less than 3 times and each appearance he was zanier and more hysterical than the next. But the end of it, I was a fan.

So, last week, I came across this Deluxe Edition at my local library. Instead of reprinted six issues, I got to read double that amount and for free! It was the highlight of my week. (FYI- breaking my right foot was the lowlight.)

Anyway, in this volume a rogue SHIELD agent, unhappy with the downfall of American patriotism, resurrects all of the deceased former presidents of the United States. When back from the beyond, these founding fathers are so disgusted with what this nation has become, they decide to destroy it and start over. Desperate to keep this under wrap and for CNN not to air footage of SHIELD agents killing our nation’s leaders on live TV, SHIELD decides to hire Wade Wilson to do the dirty work for them.

With a list of 39 POTUSes to kill (along with Carter, who despite being alive still got dragged into this mess), the Canadian Deadpool is about to undergo a bloody crash course in American politics. Some of the highlights are a wrasslin’ match with Abe Lincoln, an outer space star wars battle with President Reagan, some Russian simian astronauts and lots and lots of jelly beans, and a romantic interlude in Marilyn Monroe drag and JFK. (Best line of that scene, when Deadpool’s (whose going commando) dress flies up and Kennedy says “Agh- that wasn’t there last time!”)

The second half of the book involves Deadpool gaining a new voice in his head and trying to save a friend’s life from spending eternity in hades. That set isn’t as funny as the dead presidents storyline but it’s still very good. The best chapter is when we see Deadpool’s 1980s adventures in sunny California during Tony Stark’s Demon in a Bottle days. The artwork was a fun retro look at how comics were when I was growing up and the parody of the Hostess Fruit Pies ads was the cleverest thing I’ve read lately.

I’m completely hooked on Deadpool now! I hope to find more of his stuff very soon. I want it all- back issues, tees, action figures, the Deadpool Animated Series DVD, the home cutlery set, the make you own Deadpool pool inflatable. If it’s got the Merc with a Mouth on it, I want it!

Worth Consuming

Rating: first half 10 out of 10 stars, second half 8 out of 10 stars. Overall rating: 9 out of 10 stars.