Sometime between being created as a gritty and multi-pouched Deathstroke parody:
And devolving into Marvel’s Bugs Bunny:
Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness made Deadpool a real character with actual pathos, crafting one of the best and underappreciated gems of Marvel’s oft maligned 90s output. This is the definitive Deadpool run.
Wade Wilson, better known as Deadpool, is a seemingly carefree merc for hire. He takes the jobs that pay the best and loves the violence that comes along with it, joking a mile a minute while relishing the mayhem. His possession of a powerful healing factor means he always comes out successful.
At first glance, Deadpool seems like a dark version of Spider-Man. But while Spidey jokes in battle to hide his nerves, Deadpool does it to mask his insecurities. He wants to be a good person, but he’s a jerk. He wants to be good looking, but his time in Canada’s Weapon X project left him a disfigured mess. He wants to be a hero but he’s a villain.
If there’s one word then to describe Kelly’s run, it’s redemption. The first arc, for example, focuses on Dr. Killebrew, one of the scientists behind the Weapon X program that gave Wolverine his metal skeleton. Killebrew regrets the inhumane experiments he was a part of – including one that gave DP his powers, and seeing an opportunity to help Wade, he goes for it, even knowing that his payment will likely be death by Deadpool’s sword or knife or, really anything sharp near ‘Pool.
The larger story, told over these 30+ issues, deals with Deadpool’s own quest for redemption. Like I said, Deadpool desperately wants to be a hero, and at the book’s start, he has that possibly dangled in front of him in the form of destiny. The fact that Kelly can make you root for a guy with the emotional stability of a spoiled child, a spoiled child with an arsenal he’ll use to maim and torture anyone who gets in his way, is an amazing feat.
And Deadpool actually has a supporting cast, here, and they each help to bring out different aspects of the main man. Weasel is his sad sack sidekick/techman, but quite hilarious in his own right. Siren is Deadpool’s crush (his stunted emotional maturity makes this the most apt description of her role), a real hero who encourages Deadpool and asks as his inspiration. T-Ray is Deadpool’s nemesis, with a grudge whose origin is mysterious, ever to even Deadpool.
Blind Al is the best, a twisted take on Aunt May, a hostage of Deadpool’s who, at least initially, seems more like his equal. I love that she can dish out the vitriol right back at DP. She always us to see Deadpool at his most human, but also at his most frightening.
This story has tons of heart, tons of violence, and yes, it’s hilarious. If you’re going to pick up any Deadpool book, this is the one I’d recommend.
(Plus this collections contains Deadpool #11, one of the most hilarious pieces of fiction of all time)
-Emily Matview
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