Review: Deadpool #1

Writers: Simon Duggan and Brian Posehn

Artist: Tony Moore

The popularity of the Marvel Comics character Deadpool has always been a bit of a mystery to me. In the last two or three years, he has had the most appearances in superhero comic books, indeed, the most number of titles bearing his name, of any comic book character other than Spider-Man or Wolverine, or even Superman or Batman. I understand his appeal to limited extent, but I still don't quite see how this translates to multiple titles, especially considering that none of them has ever really enjoyed breakout sales figures. I even enjoyed one volume of Deadpool, specifically Wade Wilson's War (a play on the title of the Mike Nichols' film Charlie Wilson's War, starring Tom Hanks) on account of some clever writing by Duane Swierczynski and some crackling art by Jason Pearson, but that still did not quite solve the mystery of Deadpool's apparent mainstream popularity for me. He seemed more like a niche market character than anything else.

I'll admit, though, that the first issue of the newly-relaunched Deadpool series by writers Simon Duggan and Brian Posehn and artist Tony Moore has brought me closer to understanding the proliferation of Deadpool's many books than any other incarnation I've seen thus far, though I should qualify that it still hasn't completely clarified the mystery for me.

This issue kicks off a story arc in which a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent uses arcane rituals to summon dead presidents in the hope of "fixing" America. Captain America takes on the first resurrected president, a ghoulish Harry Truman, but when he defeats this zombie by decapitating him, and this grisly solution to the problem makes it to the newspapers, complete with pictures, S.H.I.E.L.D. decides that a more covert approach to the situation is in order, and when Deadpool successfully battles a resurrected Franklin D. Roosevelt in the subways, S.H.I.E.L.D. decides that he's their man for the job. It soon appears that the "merc with a mouth" has his work cut out for them as several dead presidents have been resurrected and have terrible plans for the United States of America.

Deadpool is not just an antihero, he's the quintessential anti-superhero. It's fitting that he's juxtaposed against Captain America, who basically embodies everything that a Marvel hero should aspire to be, considering that in many ways, he is what Captain America is not. Being horribly disfigured, irreverent, and almost congenitally incapable doing the right thing he's the perfect antidote to readers fed-up with traditional superheroics but still wanting some good old four-color action. This story captures that vibe pretty well, though it did not quite engage me the way I might have hoped it would. Still, at the very least the writers eschewed some of the usual narrative tropes associated with the character, like the constant fourth-wall breaking, and managed to create an entertaining story that was quirky without being too self-aware.

For me, however, the undisputed star of this book is artist Tony Moore, whose outstanding work on the first six issues of The Walking Dead comic book series was the reason I picked this up in the first place. As it turns out, his work looks every bit as good as it does in full color as it does in the dull grays of TWD. Of course,considering the antagonists in this story are reanimated American presidents, Moore is, to put it mildly, an ideal choice to illustrate this arc. I'm hoping Moore sticks around for a while.

This issue is a pretty good way to introduce new readers to Deadpool, with a pretty easy-to-follow script, exceptional artwork and the signature quirkiness for which the character has become well known. If the crew are able maintain this kind of integrity in future issues, I hope they're able to push some new boundaries in terms of the sales of the books starring this character, because any newfound love for Deadpool this issue ignites among readers will, to my mind anyway, be well-deserved.

4/5