Deadpool #0 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Wade Wilson is on assignment deep in the Heart of Texas. He's supposed to recover some top secret files when his target is intercepted by a foe that was supposed to be dead. 

That's comic books for you... Nobody stays dead.

But Deadpool really needs those files. Normally if a mission goes south, the Merc With a Mouth would just float on over to the next job. However, successfully completing this task means earning an expensive surgery for his pal Blind Al. So Wade follows the trail of the missing data all the way to the lab of Armin Zola.

Zola has been cloning some of the Marvel Universe's most forgettable characters from beyond the grave. Though who could forget Daredevil's arch-enemy Porcupine Man?! Needing those files and not morally objectively against killing mindless clones, the mutant assassin has a literal field day killing off the Marvel Universe's z-list.

This special was a collector's edition insert in issue #87 of the now defunct Wizard Magazine. An official tie-in for 2nd volume of Deadpool, that ran for 69 issues plus an annual from 1997-2002, this issue was written by Joe Kelly. It's rather different from the Deadpool comics published in the past decade. For example, Deadpool riffs on the hermaphrodite nature of one of the characters for several panels. While the character is known for not bowing to any sacred cows, except for his daughter Ellie, Deadpool's reaction to the dual sexual nature of the resurrected character Vamp-Animus borderlines on cruel. It's definitely not a reaction that the now accepting pansexual mutant would make in current comics culture. Wade's reaction to the discovery of the clones of Uncle Ben and Aunt May nude and in asexual embrace? Classic Deadpool!

Featuring art and cover by Yancey Labat, this 12-page issue actually expands to 16 pages as it includes a behind the scenes section. It featuring original sketches of the cover to Wizard Magazine #71 by Ed McGuinness cover along with never-before-seen (and deleted artwork) from Pete Woods.

Completing this review completes Task #23 (Book Found This Year in a Bargain Bin) the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Tick's Big Mother's Day Special

   

  The Tick and Arthur come face to face with the clones created by Chairface Chippendale. While Arthur seeks the help of his superhero pals for answers, the Tick has become the de facto Momma to the duplicates. Unfortunately, it's not going to be a happy little family for long as a comedy of errors begins to wipe out the dupli-ticks one-by-one.

   Another laugh a minute riot. I enjoyed this goofy Mother's Day special. It really lifted my spirits even if clones of the Tick were dropping like well ticks off the back of a wet hound dog... Okay, maybe that's not really a thing. 

   Regardless, another great one-shot from the gang at New England Comic Press

   Up Next: The Tick's Big Tax Time Terror!!! 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Big Year 2000 Spectacle

   

  When I'm feeling bummed out and super stressed, I need a laugh. The best way to get them is to read that Ben Edlund classic creation known as the Tick! Last night, with my arm surgery just a couple days away, that's exactly what I did and I ended up reading several!

    The first Tick I read was Tick: Big Year 2000 Spectacle. In this one-shot special, villain Chairface Chippendale is trying to make his mark in the art world. But his every move is blemished by the accidental heroics of the Tick and his faithful sidekick, Arthur. Tired of being bested by the big man at every turn, Chairface uses a de-evolving ray gun to regress the Tick into a less formidable foe. Only, the Tick's body is so super-strong, the rays bounce off of the hero and create a series of duplicates, each a little bit less bright than the previous copy. 

    This book marked the first in a series of one-shots published by New England Comics Press that would drop throughout the year 2000; thus why 2000 was considered a 'Big Year.' Each story had a continuing plot but would be framed in such a way that you could read them out of order and not really get lost. I've got several from this line and I decided to read at least 3 of them in a row.

   Chock full of zany fun, this was a great read. Once again, I found myself laughing so hard that it piqued my wife's interest as to what was just so gosh darn funny. You've got to read this and when you do. believe me, you'll never look at a jar of urine the same way ever again.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.