Year of the Deadpool
Ol’ Wade Wilson, the merc with the mouth himself, is going to have a banner year! This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Deadpool comic book, which has stood out as one of Marvel’s fan favorites for years. Don’t believe me? Go to any comic convention worth its salt, and count how many Deadpools you see walking around. This occasion will be celebrated by releasing a special anniversary issue, Deadpool #7, due out next month. It’s building up to be a book you won’t want to miss. We’re promised not only our standard excellence from the current team of Gerry Duggan on scripts, Scott Kobush on art, and Nick Filardi on color, but Marvel is also bringing back former Deadpool creators to deliver an all-around Deadpool life time achievement style roast! I can hardly wait.
Deadpool has been through a change or two in the history of his 25 years. He’s been a stone cold mercenary. He’s been a fun loving mercenary. He’s been made of muscles on top of muscles where those muscles grew muscles of their own, and he’s been trimmed down almost nothing, sort of like how Christian Bale changes weight for different roles, but in a body suit. He’s been focused, he’s been unhinged. Hell, he killed the Marvel universe once. My point is, he’s kept busy this past quarter century. Even so, it still feels like a blink of an eye ago that New Mutants #98 came out, and the Marvel world found its lovable psycho. If you’re interested in buying the book, make sure you get to the shops early. The pre-sales on this one are looking mighty fine indeed, and for good reason.
As if that weren’t enough, next month we’ll also receive the Deadpool movie! I’ve been a big fan of Marvel’s comic to film adaptation decisions. Nobody would have blamed Marvel for sticking to known and safe titles like the Avengers, but they’ve proven so reliably awesome that people will buy tickets for more obscure titles, which continue to be hugely successful. Comic readers have known about Ant-man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Deadpool for a long time, now everybody gets to see these characters shine.
This flick looks like a ridiculous, fun filled blast (pun intended), which kind of sums up Deadpool perfectly. Deadpool has appeared once as a cameo in the Wolverine: Origins movie, but for anybody who is even remotely familiar with the character, this second take looks like it will hit much closer to the mark. That’s fantastic, because that last Deadpool appearance, oddly enough also played by Ryan Reynolds, was downright offensively inaccurate. Hopefully that was due to the writing, so that Ryan Reynolds can let loose with the appropriate comedic insanity which Deadpool deserves. I’m actively forcing myself to forget that the Green Lantern film (yet another Ryan Reynolds sub-par comic book to movie role) and that first Deadpool appearance ever happened. This time, it looks like all the pieces are in place for a thrill ride full of bullets, blood, mayhem, insanity, and with any luck, some chimichangas. Expect the fourth wall to be broken. Hope for a Cable cameo. Pray for Bea Arthur references.
I’m calling it now: 2016 is the Year of the Deadpool. Long live Wade the Merc, because, you know…he can’t really die anyway.
Yes!! Great article! The Deadpool titles from the early 90’s and 2008 were very well written. Hoping the movie is right up there with them.