SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #1 Review
Writer: Joe Kelly
Penciler: Ed McGuinness
Inker: Mark Morales
Color Artist: Jason Keith
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Review by Tim Adams
Spider-Man and Deadpool are two of Marvel’s most popular characters. While they have some things in common (red color scheme, witty banter) they are fundamentally polar opposites (Spider-Man is all about responsibility — Deadpool shoots responsibility, then shoots it again for good measure).
They’ve teamed up on a number of occasions. But never have they shared top billing on the front of an ongoing comic. Until now. The All-New, All-Different Marvel sees the debut of Spider-Man/Deadpool.
We join the first issue as Spider-Man and Deadpool find themselves battling a foe that is out of their “weight class” in Dormammu. What should normally turn into a loss for the heroes, instead becomes a battle of wisecracks and insults. I enjoyed how Joe Kelly dropped the reader into the action, then used a flashback to show us how we got there. Kelly also establishes the history between Spider-Man and Deadpool, while making sure to reference recent happenings in the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe. Deadpool is now an Avenger. Spider-Man quit the Avengers BECAUSE of Deadpool. These two should get along fine right?
The quick one-liners fly fast and loose throughout the issue. One scene that really got me to chuckle involved Deadpool coming up with a solution to defeat the Mindless Ones. I won’t spoil it for you, but it involves a name and attitude changes for the creatures.
We find out that Deadpool really wants to work with Spider-Man so he can earn Spidey’s respect. This would be honorable, except for the deceit we learn about at the end of the comic. Deadpool was never the most transparent hero.
Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales and Jason Keith get to flex their expressive art with these two heroes. Just the body language reactions alone would be hard enough for some artists to pull off. Spider-Man especially provides some visually hilarious responses to Deadpool’s style of conversations.
Verdict
Buy It. I’m a huge Spider-Man fan, and only seem to read Deadpool when he’s a member of a team book. So Spider-Man/Deadpool #1 fills both those categories for me. Plus the book is just fun! Clean, smooth art combined with clever dialogue and an intriguing premise for putting these two heroes together. The last page sets things in motion for what should be an entertaining clash between Spider-Man and Deadpool.
