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You knew this was coming since you saw this devilkais.deviantart.com/art/U… .

Time to talk about the Merc With A Mouth himself....The one TRUE Deadpool.
Why is that ?
Well, that's mostly because people consider and comics critics who have never properly read the TRUE Deadpool and how he developped (or really did not fucking GET said development in the first place and started making some dumbfounded criticisms of it... and I've seen some dumbfuckeries in my day !) assume that he's nothing but a joke when nothing could be further from the truth.
If you think 'dark' is not Deadpool's personality, you clearly know Jack and shit about him. If you are unable to see past his jokes, then joke's on you son. There are not 2 ways around it, "funny" is not exactly the first word to describe Wade when you know him substantially.
Hell, X-Men Legends II got that, his titular video game did NOT (seriously... Who fucking hired Daniel Way for this gig ?!)
Nowadays and due to Marvel whoring out the name (but not using the actual character. Sounds like déjà-vu , no ?),the grievous misconception continues. But as we will see below, he is MAINLY about pathos, gray areas and a serious redemption process. The Trinity of the Merc got that. Current Marvel mostly does not.
And do not bother telling me about Remender's because that means you assume that I should take "Uncanny X-Force" seriously...Fuck that shit !

Now let's get this party started ! Class is in session ...

Deadpool is an embryological character. When Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza created the guy he was just an antagonist for X-Force. True he was inspired by Deathstroke (due to Liefeld being a fan of Teen Titans. Though Deathstroke himself was heavily based on the Taskmaster ...), but he was already very talkative, younger, much more agressive and brasher than Slade Wilson.
Now before you, the reader, indulge on Liefeld bashing ( Personally, I really don't care. I neither like nor dislike him nor do I even find any reason to care about him. His artwork is crap ? Yeah it is. We've already beaten that dead horse for at least its next 999 reincarnations already. Frank Quietly's drawing of humans fucking bite too, yet I don't hear anyone complaining about that.), there is ONE objective and undeniable QUALITY to Deadpool ever since the beginning ; He is a THREAT !

You heard right, he's a cruel and persistent bastard when written as an antagonist (actually more hazardous than the Marauders ) and that is an aspect people must NEVER forget even when he is being humorous.
And you know what ? Anytime he pops up in a title, it is a "Holy Shit !" moment. I have his villain and guest appearances in Wolverine's,Gambit's and Nomad's titles. In the first , despite the witty banter Logan know from the start that he mustn't underestimate him (Vintage Hama Wolvie here, kids ! I only deal with quality characterization !). During the New Sun's contract arc, Remy points out to Carl Denti that you don't fight Deadpool One on One, you have to pay him off instead [Cable even noted that in his personal files...]! And as for Nomad, well Jack Monroe was not even his target but he still had to scram because he was in the way of a red-clad katana-wielding Grim-reaper.
In fact, Deadpool is far more villainous and hazardous than most of Spider-man villains. The only exceptions being Dr Octopus, Hobgoblin, Carnage and Electro. Hell, Venom/Eddie Brock's anti-hero days are FAR more plausible than Wade's transition from villain to (somewhat)hero (but comics stagnation, short-sightedness and dumbfuckery said otherwise...Oh well...).

But then, this is a story of redemption and of how a horrible person became a much better one. So we have to see where it all started. And before you ask, none of the shot and stabbed corpses are random ...

I THE CIRCLE CHASE

As X-Force and Cable improved as concepts AND characters under Nicieza's capable hands, so did Deadpool.
His first mini-series is a pretty nice read all things considered. The story revolves around the will of Mr. Tolliver, former boss of Deadpool and his ex-girlfriend Copycat/Vanessa Carlysle, had left behind a weapon of unimaginable power with only one rule who will inherit this price: "to the victor go the spoils". So now various greedy nare-do-wells and louters are struggling to gain power, kill each other, and unlock the secret of the will.
This story is important in MANY ways. It shows that Wade is indeed capable of holding a story as a (villain) protagonist and gives us glimpses on the world around him (like his sidekick Weasel) AND what he might look like under his mask. Remember that 1) We never saw what he looked like before up to this point 2) The whole mask for Deadpool is actually a metaphor to his perfected characterization.Especially as how his witty banter is only a smokescreen to hide his pessimism and gloom.
I also think that only artists who can draw ugly and repulsive should draw him unmasked. Others should stick to have his face under shadows and let others reactions imagine what they saw.
It also helps that Joe madureira's renditions of the Merc and Copycat kick ass.
Speaking of which, Copycat plays a tremendous role in this story and is in general one of the most tragic characters in Marvel. For those who do not know, Vanessa Carlysle was,back in the X-Force title, impersonating Domino to infiltrate the team. Easy enough for a Shape-shifter but hers has different conditions, she tends to enjoy becoming the person she impersonates due to how precise her metamorph powers are. Thankfully she's not a bad person. Unfortunately, she has one shitty life and her relationship with Wade (who she used to deeply love ) ended rather abruptly (reasons discussed below).
Now, her role in this story ? She proves to us that Deadpool HAS a heart and redeeming aspects to his personality (and he was the first one surprised by that). In fact the finale of this mini-series is EXACTLY the moment where Wade starts growing up and in doing so , SAVES Copycat's life (after she saves his, but hey, we've gotta start somewhere !). Fabian's writing frigging rocked here : www.4thletter.net/gavok/deadpo… images4.fanpop.com/image/photo…

So there, Deadpool started to show a brighter side to his persona and,thanks to Copycat, realized that he could be more than a murderous and maniacal march of misery (once again, you'll see that aspect in full effect very soon !).

II SINS OF THE PAST

This mini mostly concludes the Black Tom plotline from the X-Force books.
The most known trivia about this story is that Mark Waid later commented that had he known Deadpool was such a creep, he wouldn't have agreed to write the book... Ironically he writes Deadpool pretty well.
This mini is notorious for being the first time we ever see what is under the mask and his liking for Siryn (who will be his voice of reason for quite a time...).
All in all, see this as a sequel to "The Circle Chase" and a prologue to the greatness that will come right about now...

III SEEKING REDEMPTION - JOE KELLY'S RUN

Lots of people say that Joe Kelly turned Deadpool into a zany 4th wall-breaking character. They tend to miss the point entirely !
Okay, the 4th wall breaking element is definitely here (but never over-done. In fact, it is pretty rare in this run), but zany ? Kelly's Deadpool (well Wade in general as we'll see...) is basically what happens if you take Ryo Saeba from City Hunter and replace his tendency to jump on women (Mokkori and all that !) with a deep-rooted pessimism, a knack for dark humor (and I mean DARK humor) and litteral skeletons in the closet (well in the walls in this case. Sociopathic tendencies tend to be messy.).
All the traits that were there from the character's first appearance are emphasised AND a more introspective aspect to Wade is introduced. Deadpool here can be funny just as much as he can be violent, toxic, murderous, sympathetic and frightening (I don't have any other words to describe the "Box" as he calls it.). We see him as his best AND at his lowest point (thing is, even after he triumphs , you never know if it's gonna stick. Properly done redemption is NEVER without hiccups and Joe perfectly understood and showed that ! Long story short ? He's now a three-dimensional villain protagonist (you have to wait past the 13th issue to consider an anti-hero.).
The supporting cast is pretty well-done and tends to change following the plotline. The most noteworthy one however is Althea ??? AKA Blind Al, his "roommate" so to speak. Wade was hired to kill her in Zaire where she was stationed. What actually occurred is unknown (Joe Kelly did not have time to develop that story-line), but he killed everyone around except her. Years later, after he became Deadpool, Wilson met up with Al again and captured her because he needed someone to talk to (Weasel would have attempted to escape or would have intented to invent some weapon to take down DP if he were his "roommate"). She's awesome BTW. In fact , she's as conflicted as Wade is and their relationship will actually become a friendly one later.
There are 3 main plotlines in this run. They are not exactly IN order but they tend to interspeed one another. Yes, there are also the stand-alone issues and the all-time best one is #11...it is just downright PERFECT ! I have read it God knows how many times and it is as hilarious as ever !

1) The Workshop
Consider it a bridge between the public Deadpool (X-Force appearances and how he is amongst other mercs and with Weasel...) and the "private" Wade Wilson that Kelly expands upon.
And the issues that give us a deeper look at his past are depressing. Kelly explores why Wade broke up with Vanessa (through the eyes of Zoe Culloden) : he didn't want her to see him gradually die and pretexted a break-up.Out of desperation, he enters the Weapon X program thinking that they could have the cure to his cancer.
It worked TOO WELL. He got one of the most powerful healing factors ever (he is a MUTATE not a mutant...) through the most painful processes ever and how he ended up looking like a living collection of scabs and tumors. The program responsibles dubbed him a failed experiment and decided to throw him along with their other failures. Funny how Dr Killerbrew, the man who had Wilson literally BEG for being euthanised, does not look harmful or anything like that in his old age and the present setup. But in the past ? Hoo-boy ! Guy's basically Dr Cenobite when you look at his patients. There's also his sadistic mutated assistant Ajax (true and hated name : Francis) who loves bullying and torturing the Program's cast-offs. He'll also be the most haunting of Wade's antagonists and the most effective ! So the words "less is more" have to be taken in consideration !
Wanna know why he's called Deadpool ? Well it's actually a game the patients play, betting as to how long each subject would live. Wade will eventually help his fellow patients escape (after a forced "cardiotomy") and take on the name Deadpool.
This storyline explains why the guy is so shaken and deranged in general.But what Deadpool gains in pathos, he also gains in utter creepiness : Blind Al telling Weasel how Wade managed to track her after she tried escaping (he leaves the door open BTW...he never locks her away BUT she's his prisonner.) and how he HATES having someone coming uninvited in his turf.
This part is Kelly's best when it comes to a personal exploration of the character. And it is my favorite element of this run.

2) The Mithras Directive
Wade is approached by representatives from the "interdimensional law firm" of Landau, Luckman and Lake, who inform he has a destiny to become a great hero and save the world. Wade rejects this as nonsense (as I did initially...) at first until he realizes that he can do AND be better.
The weak point of this plotline is that it is indeed a bit too heavy for new readers (I did jump directly to Cable & Deadpool after Joe's 14th issue...). It is simply the kind of story that needs to be read twice to be appreciated/fully absorbed. And once done , there are indeed many gratifying elements to it ! And it all culminates in THE BEST story-arc of this run "Dead Reckoning". I don't wanna spoil the surprise for those who haven't read it but :
* The encounters Deadpool has with Cable are an excellent foreshadowing of things to come...
* Wade actually regrets what happened between him and Al (a shame Kelly did not get to tell the story of her background. She was supposed to be the original Balck Widow (???) AND was responsible about Wade's cancer. Rest assured that she knew Steve Rogers...)
* The choices and repercussions were drastic.
* The "Messiah" is... WOW.
* Deadpool decides to do the right thing just because it is the right thing to do was pure genius (even if it left him utterly shaken and traumatised !)
* Even the Interdimensional Law firm turned out to be far more interesting and impressive than I thought. In fact this plotline is as much about Zoe Culloden's development as it is about Deadpool's (I am a sucker for her romance with Monty the skinless medium !).
This is the most ambitious part of Joe Kelly's run and damn does it deliver despite a strange build-up. And thus, THUMBS UP !

3) Who's Wade Wilson ?
THIS the part that gets solved POST-Dead Reckoning and it kind of reminds me of the handicap Joe Kelly had to deal with ever since this ongoing started. He even stated
" Nobody cared what we were doing because everyone thought it would be cancelled within a year anyway. ". Interesting how fine a book does when a writer has the proper freedom to do so ? This is the plotline that suffered the most from the cancellation threats as it seems very rushed at the end and... I do not necessarily agree with it (neither do other people who worked on the title).
Actually I do like T-Ray. His first appearances in the book were pretty well-done and the "Drowning Man" story ,where we saw Deadpool at his most frightening , is simply T-Ray depicted as one monster you don't mess with. (There's always a bigger fish...)
However, this story-arc ? Well , It'd work perfectly in an elseworlds sort of way. See I definitely stick with the origin depicted in the mini-series and what Nicieza established BUT what Joe Kelly was going for is not a bad idea... it just seemed unnecessary.
Here's what happens : T-Ray reveals that Deadpool isn’t even Wade Wilson. The origin Wade remembers POST-Dead Reckoning ( a married man whose wife was killed by T-Ray) was false. T-Ray is Wade Wilson !!! ( Cue dramatic Gopher...)
Deadpool is, according to T-Ray, some guy named Jack who killed Wade so he could steal his life, only to kill Wade’s wife Mercedes in the process.
The point of the revelation ? Deadpool recognizes that he’s been a horrible person BUT not only does fucking ACKNOWLEDGE IT but he'll try to do and be a better person even if he's doomed. And he utterly trolls and OWNS T-Ray through that statement ! That was a brilliant moment , but I don't think it really necessitates an origin make-over...
MY take ? I belong to the camp that thinks that BOTH T-Ray AND Deadpool are Wade Wilson.... they just happen to have the same name. Simple as that . Maybe T-Ray was targetting the wrong dude all this time ! But I think that the best resolution of this conflict happens MUCH later...

To conclude , while it was not without some flaws (I found that Typhoid Mary overstayed her welcome after issue 8. I actually wanted Wade to reconcile her personalities with ONE good bullet to the head. Widdle Wade ? Glad he's dead ! And the whole Death thing ? It worked only in the Ajax storyline, aside from that pfah, I do not care...), the qualities of Joe Kelly's writing, imagination and characterization... Do I even fucking need to detail at this point ? THERE img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20… ! (You have NO IDEA how much this page speaks to me !)
Artist ranking ? 1) Walter McDaniel 2) Ed McGuinness 3) Pete Woods

Best Issues : -1,1,5,8,11,13,14, Annual'98 ,18,19,23-25,27,33

And NOW... We have some quote/unquote filler before Wade truly goes to the next level.
Kelly's successor was Christopher Priest and... He was not that bad. Yeah, he played more for the lulz than the pathos AND he did go nuts with the 4th wall breaking (hell at this point it is a 4th wall DESTRUCTION !) but the ending of Joe Kelly's run did not much choice for him than go with a completely new direction.
And while I found SOME of the plots to be unfocused or way overboard with the wackiness (even the Lobo...err.. I mean "Dirty Wolf" encounter was kinda meh. Plus, Deadpool just does not work in SPaaaaace ...), I actually enjoyed the whole Titania (actually Copycat in disguise...) and Constrictor as roommates AND the self-depreciation Wade has going for him. In fact, if I wanted a purely comedic Deadpool, this is close to the mark : he gets into weird situations but he has an edge to him AND is witty. The best of Priest's Deadpool to me are issue 37 (the Thorpool idea is hilarious and the jaded, skeptical DP pulls it off nicely.) AND the Cat Trap arc (a nice Cross-over with Priest's excellent Black Panther run !)
AFTER that...Palmiotti happened.And it was meh despite Copycat being in it. The Kid Deadpool part was fine, but it mostly meh. Scalera's last issue though wrapped up everything quite effectively.
Tieri's handling of Deadpool was decent, and I like the Agent of Weapon X story... except for the anti-climactic ending and the death of Copycat. That and... like Kelly's "Jack" revelation , I felt that Deadpool as a renewed agent of Weapon would have worked far better if it was a self contained story (maybe if it were an OVA with its own conclusion... I mean in the "Days Of Future Now", Wade tragically dies at the hands of Agent Zero and it was tragic to see. Yes, this might surprise you , but Deadpool CAN be killed and in an easier way than you might think. Plus his healing factor CAN be triffled with.). Add to that "Funeral for a freak" , which was mediocre to say the least.

IV AGENCY X AND RESPECT - UDON & GAIL SIMONE'S RUN

Aaaaand NOW WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS !
Gail Simone's Deadpool is easily her best work (YES sir ! It surpasses Secret Six !). This is the ultimate realization of "Quality Over Quantity" since it she has the shortest run out of the Trinity Of The Merc. First off, I consider the UDON's Taskmaster mini-series to be the unofficial prologue of Simone's Deadpool (it is crucial to know WHERE Sandi came from ! IT IS.). Then we have the great "Healing Factor" 5 parter (ONLY 5 issues, but I have neither con nor nitpick with them, all 5 were simply THAT good !). And finally, the underrated coolness of her Agent X run to wrap her take on the Merc With A Mouth.
I can't explain why I love it so much, but I'll try :
* It has a brand new supporting cast instead of automatically reverting back to the Nicieza/Kelly days. And the fact that Wade is at the helm of his own Merc Agency shows that he indeed grew up as a character ! HURRAY !
* Taskmaster kicks ass, takes names and has his absolute best costume in this run. And there is no task he can't master! And I absolutely love how protective he is of Sandi (who I really like a lot BTW !)...
* "Criminals are a cowardly, sycophantic lot !"_ Deadpool
* The Rhino is a Dazzler fan. HURRAY !
* Inez "Outlaw" Temple. Do I need to add anything ?
* Alex Hayden/Agent X himself has one quite odd origin !
* Black Swan is an excellent antagonist and with one terrifying ability to boot ! (A terrible villain ? Go Eat shit, CBR.You and your kind would not know great villains even if they skinned your worthless hides before pouring lemon onto them !)
* Omni-Fetichists as merc contractors !
* Deadpool himself. Simone advanced the character even further : he's still the edgy and sadistic merc (with a dash of eccentricity) BUT he's a full-blown anti-hero and his villain days are past him (OR ARE THEY ?). Wade is now more approachable, friendlier and even ALTRUISTIC. This run contains some of the most heartfelt moments of the character ! And when Marvel wanted to cancel the book , she ended the 69th issue with a fantastic moment: Deadpool was falling apart mentally and facing the Black Swan, but he overlooked said degradation and forced the villain to heal Ratbag's mental state (Ratbag is his biographer so to speak...). And it ended with a gigantic explosion that seemed to kill both of them... Or did it ? No of course.The come back in the awesome finale that is "Deadpool Walking" and DAMN if the last fight is not one of the best brawls I've read !
* UDON's part is pretty great ! In fact I'd kill to have a Marvel ArtBook done by UDON (Only 80, 90's and obscure 00's characters please ! Though they should stick to Masked Deadpool). Or better yet, X-Men OVAs with that art style !

Best Issues : TaskMaster#3,DP#67,DP#69,AX#2,AX#7,AX#15

V FINALLY A HERO ? - FABIAN NICIEZA'S RETURN

Well you know we'll reach this eventually. This is the last batch of comic from "mainstream" Marvel that will use its 2 titular characters competently before both die out in Comics Limbo. And to anyone who complains about Cable or calls him unlikable or that this series improved when he was gone disinfo.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-co…

Rereading this series as a whole, I can definitely tell you that issues from 1-19 are utterly BRILLIANT and the least affected by Marvel's BS status quo (In fact, had this series been in its own continuity, it'd have been EVEN better. It is simply too good to take part in shit like House Of M or Civil War. And Fuck Mike Carey's run while I'm at it !) . Fabian acknowledges how others advanced Deadpool and how he still has a lot of edge and personal conflicts to him and he reminds everyone why Cable is actually one of the absolute greats despite the fact Marvel killed his family in the most innane fashion (well, that and the rest of the X-men mythos by that point !). "How Great Cable is ?" you might ask ? Well let's say that , from MY personal reading and deliberation, Prof X is not even fit to lick the boots of Nathan Christopher Summers...How does that sum it up ? But I will leave that for the NEXT big poster (the massive attack that I promised !).

The contrast between both protagonists is just fascinating. People constantly dumb it down by saying that Cable is the straight man to Deadpool's antics, but it isn't true. The right way to sum it ? Cable seems humorless but he actually seeks to enlighten people, Deadpool seems humorous but still has a lot of darkness in him. It is optimism VS pessimism, Idealism VS Cynicism.
Since I will mostly focus on the Deadpool side of the story (I will leave Cable for his own retrospective...he deserves it ! So does the TRUE Summers/Grey bloodline actually...), I will say that Fabian writes a Wade Wilson that is hilarious and acts eccentric with goofy quips JUST to hide that he's a cunning, deadly and competent mercenary. With that said, it seems that Wade has decided since the start of the series to go back to his solitary roots (THOUGH, he's not the misanthropic murderer from the Kelly run. He's still as sociable as in the UDON comics BUT kind of his own autonomous man...). He is indeed less sociopathic BUT he's not someone you'd turn your back on. Cable would do that mistake several times during the series and it almost cost him his life.
Early on, Wade and Nathan are enemies (more due to diverging interests than personal reasons, but foes nonetheless). Then through a forced fusion and infection they gain the ability to bodyslide simultaneously (MUST REMEMBER THAT FOR X-FORCE OVA...). This is where our fast-talking antihero and technorganic benefactor will end up closer. Cable will end up seeing Deadpool as an acquaintance, then a friend and finally as a surrogate nephew/son.
As for Deadpool... he will actually face his problems and obstacles with a progressively more optimistic viewpoint (without losing any of his edge !) :
- He will save Cable's life several times ( yeah and vice-versa...)
- He will be in the "Burnt Offering" story-arc (which can't be praised enough !)
- He will actually get to confront T-Ray one final time (I don't care what others say, I found that closure pretty funny !)
- He will eat Mr Sinister's barbecue ! (The last time I'll see the TRUE Sinister...)
- He will get to insult Spider-man... Again !
- He will recruit Bob Agent of HYDRA (while saving a fat Alex hayden)
- He will wear Jean's 60's outfit (reminding how much better it'd have been to get Fabian to write her again !)
- He will reveal that he prefers Enchiladas to chimichangas .
- He will be drawn by Patrick Zircher , the DEFINITIVE artist for both him and Cable !
(though all the artists in this book are great, from Marc Brooks to Reilly Brown ! )

Point is , despite the grudge I have towards Marvel editors, the PERFECT characterization and last Hurrah of the X-Mythos through this comic kept me on in my seat !
Part of it was Cable's farewell while the rest was Deadpool's closure to his journey ! He recognizes the change in Himself and the very final page is one of the main reasons I read Comics in general and why Deadpool is one of my favorite characters of all time !

Best Issues (Deadpool-wise and outside the 19 first issues !): 20,24,34,35,37,39,45,48,50

Now this review/tribute did take its time to complete... If you excuse me www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFoEol…

...

What ? You want more ? I will regretfully inform you that the show's over. I am huge of fan of Deadpool the TRUE deal, not the halfbaked 4chan-esque mockery written by people who neither get the guy's dynamics nor his essence.
Hell, whenever I hear about Daniel Way being the most prolific Deadpool writer, I tend to say this www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cKa3G…
To say that is to insult the creative teams that actually developped Wade and put effort into it. As a matter of fact, I'll take the one note assassin he started as any fucking day over the ovrsaturated Memepool most people apparantly seem to favor.
I mean SERIOUSLY ? Way's "version" is garbage. He only got him right for 4 pages, but the rest ? The plot are either inexistant or paper-thin. The characterization is plain awful, Waypool would not even be able to tie his own fucking shoes. And what the fuck is up with the voices ? Who the fuck thought that was a good idea?! Shows how much of a shit the editors were gving.

In fact , the only more recent comic in these last few yearst that captured Deadpool properly is this img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20… . So it can give newcomers a general impression of what to expect from the character.

Anyhow, here is the main reference (both aesthetic and musical) I used for this drawing www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrxzkt…
As for the rest ? Well... www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEO66f… , www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOW9f_… , www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNFjLz… www.youtube.com/watch?v=j__4gt…

That shall cover it. Now, who's up for binge drinking ? www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jOEA…

Description
You knew this was coming since you saw this devilkais.deviantart.com/art/U… .

Time to talk about the Merc With A Mouth himself....The one TRUE Deadpool.
Why is that ?
Well, that's mostly because people consider and comics critics who have never properly read the TRUE Deadpool and how he developped (or really did not fucking GET said development in the first place and started making some dumbfounded criticisms of it... and I've seen some dumbfuckeries in my day !) assume that he's nothing but a joke when nothing could be further from the truth.
If you think 'dark' is not Deadpool's personality, you clearly know Jack and shit about him. If you are unable to see past his jokes, then joke's on you son. There are not 2 ways around it, "funny" is not exactly the first word to describe Wade when you know him substantially.
Hell, X-Men Legends II got that, his titular video game did NOT (seriously... Who fucking hired Daniel Way for this gig ?!)
Nowadays and due to Marvel whoring out the name (but not using the actual character. Sounds like déjà-vu , no ?),the grievous misconception continues. But as we will see below, he is MAINLY about pathos, gray areas and a serious redemption process. The Trinity of the Merc got that. Current Marvel mostly does not.
And do not bother telling me about Remender's because that means you assume that I should take "Uncanny X-Force" seriously...Fuck that shit !

Now let's get this party started ! Class is in session ...

Deadpool is an embryological character. When Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza created the guy he was just an antagonist for X-Force. True he was inspired by Deathstroke (due to Liefeld being a fan of Teen Titans. Though Deathstroke himself was heavily based on the Taskmaster ...), but he was already very talkative, younger, much more agressive and brasher than Slade Wilson.
Now before you, the reader, indulge on Liefeld bashing ( Personally, I really don't care. I neither like nor dislike him nor do I even find any reason to care about him. His artwork is crap ? Yeah it is. We've already beaten that dead horse for at least its next 999 reincarnations already. Frank Quietly's drawing of humans fucking bite too, yet I don't hear anyone complaining about that.), there is ONE objective and undeniable QUALITY to Deadpool ever since the beginning ; He is a THREAT !

You heard right, he's a cruel and persistent bastard when written as an antagonist (actually more hazardous than the Marauders ) and that is an aspect people must NEVER forget even when he is being humorous.
And you know what ? Anytime he pops up in a title, it is a "Holy Shit !" moment. I have his villain and guest appearances in Wolverine's,Gambit's and Nomad's titles. In the first , despite the witty banter Logan know from the start that he mustn't underestimate him (Vintage Hama Wolvie here, kids ! I only deal with quality characterization !). During the New Sun's contract arc, Remy points out to Carl Denti that you don't fight Deadpool One on One, you have to pay him off instead [Cable even noted that in his personal files...]! And as for Nomad, well Jack Monroe was not even his target but he still had to scram because he was in the way of a red-clad katana-wielding Grim-reaper.
In fact, Deadpool is far more villainous and hazardous than most of Spider-man villains. The only exceptions being Dr Octopus, Hobgoblin, Carnage and Electro. Hell, Venom/Eddie Brock's anti-hero days are FAR more plausible than Wade's transition from villain to (somewhat)hero (but comics stagnation, short-sightedness and dumbfuckery said otherwise...Oh well...).

But then, this is a story of redemption and of how a horrible person became a much better one. So we have to see where it all started. And before you ask, none of the shot and stabbed corpses are random ...

I THE CIRCLE CHASE

As X-Force and Cable improved as concepts AND characters under Nicieza's capable hands, so did Deadpool.
His first mini-series is a pretty nice read all things considered. The story revolves around the will of Mr. Tolliver, former boss of Deadpool and his ex-girlfriend Copycat/Vanessa Carlysle, had left behind a weapon of unimaginable power with only one rule who will inherit this price: "to the victor go the spoils". So now various greedy nare-do-wells and louters are struggling to gain power, kill each other, and unlock the secret of the will.
This story is important in MANY ways. It shows that Wade is indeed capable of holding a story as a (villain) protagonist and gives us glimpses on the world around him (like his sidekick Weasel) AND what he might look like under his mask. Remember that 1) We never saw what he looked like before up to this point 2) The whole mask for Deadpool is actually a metaphor to his perfected characterization.Especially as how his witty banter is only a smokescreen to hide his pessimism and gloom.
I also think that only artists who can draw ugly and repulsive should draw him unmasked. Others should stick to have his face under shadows and let others reactions imagine what they saw.
It also helps that Joe madureira's renditions of the Merc and Copycat kick ass.
Speaking of which, Copycat plays a tremendous role in this story and is in general one of the most tragic characters in Marvel. For those who do not know, Vanessa Carlysle was,back in the X-Force title, impersonating Domino to infiltrate the team. Easy enough for a Shape-shifter but hers has different conditions, she tends to enjoy becoming the person she impersonates due to how precise her metamorph powers are. Thankfully she's not a bad person. Unfortunately, she has one shitty life and her relationship with Wade (who she used to deeply love ) ended rather abruptly (reasons discussed below).
Now, her role in this story ? She proves to us that Deadpool HAS a heart and redeeming aspects to his personality (and he was the first one surprised by that). In fact the finale of this mini-series is EXACTLY the moment where Wade starts growing up and in doing so , SAVES Copycat's life (after she saves his, but hey, we've gotta start somewhere !). Fabian's writing frigging rocked here : www.4thletter.net/gavok/deadpo… images4.fanpop.com/image/photo…

So there, Deadpool started to show a brighter side to his persona and,thanks to Copycat, realized that he could be more than a murderous and maniacal march of misery (once again, you'll see that aspect in full effect very soon !).

II SINS OF THE PAST

This mini mostly concludes the Black Tom plotline from the X-Force books.
The most known trivia about this story is that Mark Waid later commented that had he known Deadpool was such a creep, he wouldn't have agreed to write the book... Ironically he writes Deadpool pretty well.
This mini is notorious for being the first time we ever see what is under the mask and his liking for Siryn (who will be his voice of reason for quite a time...).
All in all, see this as a sequel to "The Circle Chase" and a prologue to the greatness that will come right about now...

III SEEKING REDEMPTION - JOE KELLY'S RUN

Lots of people say that Joe Kelly turned Deadpool into a zany 4th wall-breaking character. They tend to miss the point entirely !
Okay, the 4th wall breaking element is definitely here (but never over-done. In fact, it is pretty rare in this run), but zany ? Kelly's Deadpool (well Wade in general as we'll see...) is basically what happens if you take Ryo Saeba from City Hunter and replace his tendency to jump on women (Mokkori and all that !) with a deep-rooted pessimism, a knack for dark humor (and I mean DARK humor) and litteral skeletons in the closet (well in the walls in this case. Sociopathic tendencies tend to be messy.).
All the traits that were there from the character's first appearance are emphasised AND a more introspective aspect to Wade is introduced. Deadpool here can be funny just as much as he can be violent, toxic, murderous, sympathetic and frightening (I don't have any other words to describe the "Box" as he calls it.). We see him as his best AND at his lowest point (thing is, even after he triumphs , you never know if it's gonna stick. Properly done redemption is NEVER without hiccups and Joe perfectly understood and showed that ! Long story short ? He's now a three-dimensional villain protagonist (you have to wait past the 13th issue to consider an anti-hero.).
The supporting cast is pretty well-done and tends to change following the plotline. The most noteworthy one however is Althea ??? AKA Blind Al, his "roommate" so to speak. Wade was hired to kill her in Zaire where she was stationed. What actually occurred is unknown (Joe Kelly did not have time to develop that story-line), but he killed everyone around except her. Years later, after he became Deadpool, Wilson met up with Al again and captured her because he needed someone to talk to (Weasel would have attempted to escape or would have intented to invent some weapon to take down DP if he were his "roommate"). She's awesome BTW. In fact , she's as conflicted as Wade is and their relationship will actually become a friendly one later.
There are 3 main plotlines in this run. They are not exactly IN order but they tend to interspeed one another. Yes, there are also the stand-alone issues and the all-time best one is #11...it is just downright PERFECT ! I have read it God knows how many times and it is as hilarious as ever !

1) The Workshop
Consider it a bridge between the public Deadpool (X-Force appearances and how he is amongst other mercs and with Weasel...) and the "private" Wade Wilson that Kelly expands upon.
And the issues that give us a deeper look at his past are depressing. Kelly explores why Wade broke up with Vanessa (through the eyes of Zoe Culloden) : he didn't want her to see him gradually die and pretexted a break-up.Out of desperation, he enters the Weapon X program thinking that they could have the cure to his cancer.
It worked TOO WELL. He got one of the most powerful healing factors ever (he is a MUTATE not a mutant...) through the most painful processes ever and how he ended up looking like a living collection of scabs and tumors. The program responsibles dubbed him a failed experiment and decided to throw him along with their other failures. Funny how Dr Killerbrew, the man who had Wilson literally BEG for being euthanised, does not look harmful or anything like that in his old age and the present setup. But in the past ? Hoo-boy ! Guy's basically Dr Cenobite when you look at his patients. There's also his sadistic mutated assistant Ajax (true and hated name : Francis) who loves bullying and torturing the Program's cast-offs. He'll also be the most haunting of Wade's antagonists and the most effective ! So the words "less is more" have to be taken in consideration !
Wanna know why he's called Deadpool ? Well it's actually a game the patients play, betting as to how long each subject would live. Wade will eventually help his fellow patients escape (after a forced "cardiotomy") and take on the name Deadpool.
This storyline explains why the guy is so shaken and deranged in general.But what Deadpool gains in pathos, he also gains in utter creepiness : Blind Al telling Weasel how Wade managed to track her after she tried escaping (he leaves the door open BTW...he never locks her away BUT she's his prisonner.) and how he HATES having someone coming uninvited in his turf.
This part is Kelly's best when it comes to a personal exploration of the character. And it is my favorite element of this run.

2) The Mithras Directive
Wade is approached by representatives from the "interdimensional law firm" of Landau, Luckman and Lake, who inform he has a destiny to become a great hero and save the world. Wade rejects this as nonsense (as I did initially...) at first until he realizes that he can do AND be better.
The weak point of this plotline is that it is indeed a bit too heavy for new readers (I did jump directly to Cable & Deadpool after Joe's 14th issue...). It is simply the kind of story that needs to be read twice to be appreciated/fully absorbed. And once done , there are indeed many gratifying elements to it ! And it all culminates in THE BEST story-arc of this run "Dead Reckoning". I don't wanna spoil the surprise for those who haven't read it but :
* The encounters Deadpool has with Cable are an excellent foreshadowing of things to come...
* Wade actually regrets what happened between him and Al (a shame Kelly did not get to tell the story of her background. She was supposed to be the original Balck Widow (???) AND was responsible about Wade's cancer. Rest assured that she knew Steve Rogers...)
* The choices and repercussions were drastic.
* The "Messiah" is... WOW.
* Deadpool decides to do the right thing just because it is the right thing to do was pure genius (even if it left him utterly shaken and traumatised !)
* Even the Interdimensional Law firm turned out to be far more interesting and impressive than I thought. In fact this plotline is as much about Zoe Culloden's development as it is about Deadpool's (I am a sucker for her romance with Monty the skinless medium !).
This is the most ambitious part of Joe Kelly's run and damn does it deliver despite a strange build-up. And thus, THUMBS UP !

3) Who's Wade Wilson ?
THIS the part that gets solved POST-Dead Reckoning and it kind of reminds me of the handicap Joe Kelly had to deal with ever since this ongoing started. He even stated
" Nobody cared what we were doing because everyone thought it would be cancelled within a year anyway. ". Interesting how fine a book does when a writer has the proper freedom to do so ? This is the plotline that suffered the most from the cancellation threats as it seems very rushed at the end and... I do not necessarily agree with it (neither do other people who worked on the title).
Actually I do like T-Ray. His first appearances in the book were pretty well-done and the "Drowning Man" story ,where we saw Deadpool at his most frightening , is simply T-Ray depicted as one monster you don't mess with. (There's always a bigger fish...)
However, this story-arc ? Well , It'd work perfectly in an elseworlds sort of way. See I definitely stick with the origin depicted in the mini-series and what Nicieza established BUT what Joe Kelly was going for is not a bad idea... it just seemed unnecessary.
Here's what happens : T-Ray reveals that Deadpool isn’t even Wade Wilson. The origin Wade remembers POST-Dead Reckoning ( a married man whose wife was killed by T-Ray) was false. T-Ray is Wade Wilson !!! ( Cue dramatic Gopher...)
Deadpool is, according to T-Ray, some guy named Jack who killed Wade so he could steal his life, only to kill Wade’s wife Mercedes in the process.
The point of the revelation ? Deadpool recognizes that he’s been a horrible person BUT not only does fucking ACKNOWLEDGE IT but he'll try to do and be a better person even if he's doomed. And he utterly trolls and OWNS T-Ray through that statement ! That was a brilliant moment , but I don't think it really necessitates an origin make-over...
MY take ? I belong to the camp that thinks that BOTH T-Ray AND Deadpool are Wade Wilson.... they just happen to have the same name. Simple as that . Maybe T-Ray was targetting the wrong dude all this time ! But I think that the best resolution of this conflict happens MUCH later...

To conclude , while it was not without some flaws (I found that Typhoid Mary overstayed her welcome after issue 8. I actually wanted Wade to reconcile her personalities with ONE good bullet to the head. Widdle Wade ? Glad he's dead ! And the whole Death thing ? It worked only in the Ajax storyline, aside from that pfah, I do not care...), the qualities of Joe Kelly's writing, imagination and characterization... Do I even fucking need to detail at this point ? THERE img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20… ! (You have NO IDEA how much this page speaks to me !)
Artist ranking ? 1) Walter McDaniel 2) Ed McGuinness 3) Pete Woods

Best Issues : -1,1,5,8,11,13,14, Annual'98 ,18,19,23-25,27,33

And NOW... We have some quote/unquote filler before Wade truly goes to the next level.
Kelly's successor was Christopher Priest and... He was not that bad. Yeah, he played more for the lulz than the pathos AND he did go nuts with the 4th wall breaking (hell at this point it is a 4th wall DESTRUCTION !) but the ending of Joe Kelly's run did not much choice for him than go with a completely new direction.
And while I found SOME of the plots to be unfocused or way overboard with the wackiness (even the Lobo...err.. I mean "Dirty Wolf" encounter was kinda meh. Plus, Deadpool just does not work in SPaaaaace ...), I actually enjoyed the whole Titania (actually Copycat in disguise...) and Constrictor as roommates AND the self-depreciation Wade has going for him. In fact, if I wanted a purely comedic Deadpool, this is close to the mark : he gets into weird situations but he has an edge to him AND is witty. The best of Priest's Deadpool to me are issue 37 (the Thorpool idea is hilarious and the jaded, skeptical DP pulls it off nicely.) AND the Cat Trap arc (a nice Cross-over with Priest's excellent Black Panther run !)
AFTER that...Palmiotti happened.And it was meh despite Copycat being in it. The Kid Deadpool part was fine, but it mostly meh. Scalera's last issue though wrapped up everything quite effectively.
Tieri's handling of Deadpool was decent, and I like the Agent of Weapon X story... except for the anti-climactic ending and the death of Copycat. That and... like Kelly's "Jack" revelation , I felt that Deadpool as a renewed agent of Weapon would have worked far better if it was a self contained story (maybe if it were an OVA with its own conclusion... I mean in the "Days Of Future Now", Wade tragically dies at the hands of Agent Zero and it was tragic to see. Yes, this might surprise you , but Deadpool CAN be killed and in an easier way than you might think. Plus his healing factor CAN be triffled with.). Add to that "Funeral for a freak" , which was mediocre to say the least.

IV AGENCY X AND RESPECT - UDON & GAIL SIMONE'S RUN

Aaaaand NOW WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS !
Gail Simone's Deadpool is easily her best work (YES sir ! It surpasses Secret Six !). This is the ultimate realization of "Quality Over Quantity" since it she has the shortest run out of the Trinity Of The Merc. First off, I consider the UDON's Taskmaster mini-series to be the unofficial prologue of Simone's Deadpool (it is crucial to know WHERE Sandi came from ! IT IS.). Then we have the great "Healing Factor" 5 parter (ONLY 5 issues, but I have neither con nor nitpick with them, all 5 were simply THAT good !). And finally, the underrated coolness of her Agent X run to wrap her take on the Merc With A Mouth.
I can't explain why I love it so much, but I'll try :
* It has a brand new supporting cast instead of automatically reverting back to the Nicieza/Kelly days. And the fact that Wade is at the helm of his own Merc Agency shows that he indeed grew up as a character ! HURRAY !
* Taskmaster kicks ass, takes names and has his absolute best costume in this run. And there is no task he can't master! And I absolutely love how protective he is of Sandi (who I really like a lot BTW !)...
* "Criminals are a cowardly, sycophantic lot !"_ Deadpool
* The Rhino is a Dazzler fan. HURRAY !
* Inez "Outlaw" Temple. Do I need to add anything ?
* Alex Hayden/Agent X himself has one quite odd origin !
* Black Swan is an excellent antagonist and with one terrifying ability to boot ! (A terrible villain ? Go Eat shit, CBR.You and your kind would not know great villains even if they skinned your worthless hides before pouring lemon onto them !)
* Omni-Fetichists as merc contractors !
* Deadpool himself. Simone advanced the character even further : he's still the edgy and sadistic merc (with a dash of eccentricity) BUT he's a full-blown anti-hero and his villain days are past him (OR ARE THEY ?). Wade is now more approachable, friendlier and even ALTRUISTIC. This run contains some of the most heartfelt moments of the character ! And when Marvel wanted to cancel the book , she ended the 69th issue with a fantastic moment: Deadpool was falling apart mentally and facing the Black Swan, but he overlooked said degradation and forced the villain to heal Ratbag's mental state (Ratbag is his biographer so to speak...). And it ended with a gigantic explosion that seemed to kill both of them... Or did it ? No of course.The come back in the awesome finale that is "Deadpool Walking" and DAMN if the last fight is not one of the best brawls I've read !
* UDON's part is pretty great ! In fact I'd kill to have a Marvel ArtBook done by UDON (Only 80, 90's and obscure 00's characters please ! Though they should stick to Masked Deadpool). Or better yet, X-Men OVAs with that art style !

Best Issues : TaskMaster#3,DP#67,DP#69,AX#2,AX#7,AX#15

V FINALLY A HERO ? - FABIAN NICIEZA'S RETURN

Well you know we'll reach this eventually. This is the last batch of comic from "mainstream" Marvel that will use its 2 titular characters competently before both die out in Comics Limbo. And to anyone who complains about Cable or calls him unlikable or that this series improved when he was gone disinfo.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-co…

Rereading this series as a whole, I can definitely tell you that issues from 1-19 are utterly BRILLIANT and the least affected by Marvel's BS status quo (In fact, had this series been in its own continuity, it'd have been EVEN better. It is simply too good to take part in shit like House Of M or Civil War. And Fuck Mike Carey's run while I'm at it !) . Fabian acknowledges how others advanced Deadpool and how he still has a lot of edge and personal conflicts to him and he reminds everyone why Cable is actually one of the absolute greats despite the fact Marvel killed his family in the most innane fashion (well, that and the rest of the X-men mythos by that point !). "How Great Cable is ?" you might ask ? Well let's say that , from MY personal reading and deliberation, Prof X is not even fit to lick the boots of Nathan Christopher Summers...How does that sum it up ? But I will leave that for the NEXT big poster (the massive attack that I promised !).

The contrast between both protagonists is just fascinating. People constantly dumb it down by saying that Cable is the straight man to Deadpool's antics, but it isn't true. The right way to sum it ? Cable seems humorless but he actually seeks to enlighten people, Deadpool seems humorous but still has a lot of darkness in him. It is optimism VS pessimism, Idealism VS Cynicism.
Since I will mostly focus on the Deadpool side of the story (I will leave Cable for his own retrospective...he deserves it ! So does the TRUE Summers/Grey bloodline actually...), I will say that Fabian writes a Wade Wilson that is hilarious and acts eccentric with goofy quips JUST to hide that he's a cunning, deadly and competent mercenary. With that said, it seems that Wade has decided since the start of the series to go back to his solitary roots (THOUGH, he's not the misanthropic murderer from the Kelly run. He's still as sociable as in the UDON comics BUT kind of his own autonomous man...). He is indeed less sociopathic BUT he's not someone you'd turn your back on. Cable would do that mistake several times during the series and it almost cost him his life.
Early on, Wade and Nathan are enemies (more due to diverging interests than personal reasons, but foes nonetheless). Then through a forced fusion and infection they gain the ability to bodyslide simultaneously (MUST REMEMBER THAT FOR X-FORCE OVA...). This is where our fast-talking antihero and technorganic benefactor will end up closer. Cable will end up seeing Deadpool as an acquaintance, then a friend and finally as a surrogate nephew/son.
As for Deadpool... he will actually face his problems and obstacles with a progressively more optimistic viewpoint (without losing any of his edge !) :
- He will save Cable's life several times ( yeah and vice-versa...)
- He will be in the "Burnt Offering" story-arc (which can't be praised enough !)
- He will actually get to confront T-Ray one final time (I don't care what others say, I found that closure pretty funny !)
- He will eat Mr Sinister's barbecue ! (The last time I'll see the TRUE Sinister...)
- He will get to insult Spider-man... Again !
- He will recruit Bob Agent of HYDRA (while saving a fat Alex hayden)
- He will wear Jean's 60's outfit (reminding how much better it'd have been to get Fabian to write her again !)
- He will reveal that he prefers Enchiladas to chimichangas .
- He will be drawn by Patrick Zircher , the DEFINITIVE artist for both him and Cable !
(though all the artists in this book are great, from Marc Brooks to Reilly Brown ! )

Point is , despite the grudge I have towards Marvel editors, the PERFECT characterization and last Hurrah of the X-Mythos through this comic kept me on in my seat !
Part of it was Cable's farewell while the rest was Deadpool's closure to his journey ! He recognizes the change in Himself and the very final page is one of the main reasons I read Comics in general and why Deadpool is one of my favorite characters of all time !

Best Issues (Deadpool-wise and outside the 19 first issues !): 20,24,34,35,37,39,45,48,50

Now this review/tribute did take its time to complete... If you excuse me www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFoEol…

...

What ? You want more ? I will regretfully inform you that the show's over. I am huge of fan of Deadpool the TRUE deal, not the halfbaked 4chan-esque mockery written by people who neither get the guy's dynamics nor his essence.
Hell, whenever I hear about Daniel Way being the most prolific Deadpool writer, I tend to say this www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cKa3G…
To say that is to insult the creative teams that actually developped Wade and put effort into it. As a matter of fact, I'll take the one note assassin he started as any fucking day over the ovrsaturated Memepool most people apparantly seem to favor.
I mean SERIOUSLY ? Way's "version" is garbage. He only got him right for 4 pages, but the rest ? The plot are either inexistant or paper-thin. The characterization is plain awful, Waypool would not even be able to tie his own fucking shoes. And what the fuck is up with the voices ? Who the fuck thought that was a good idea?! Shows how much of a shit the editors were gving.

In fact , the only more recent comic in these last few yearst that captured Deadpool properly is this img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20… . So it can give newcomers a general impression of what to expect from the character.

Anyhow, here is the main reference (both aesthetic and musical) I used for this drawing www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrxzkt…
As for the rest ? Well... www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEO66f… , www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOW9f_… , www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNFjLz… www.youtube.com/watch?v=j__4gt…

That shall cover it. Now, who's up for binge drinking ? www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-jOEA…