TITLE: Spider-Man/Deadpool #1
AUTHOR: Joe Kelly
PENCILLER: Ed McGuinness
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: January 6, 2016

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

The best thing about this issue is Marvel using Spidey and Deadpool’s name value to promote The Vision. They include the entire first issue in this book as a bonus. Seriously, pick it up. It’s awesome.

Of course, having Joe Kelly back on a Deadpool book is nothing to sneeze at, with his old cohort Ed McGuinness no less. These two made Deapool a force to be reckoned with in the ’90s, and are now back for a romp with the mouthy merc, with Spider-Man in tow!

When we join our heroes, they’re tied up and at the mercy of the demonic Dormammu. Deadpool BAMFed them out of New York City in the middle of a fight between Spidey and Hydro-Man. Thus, they have not one but two threats to face. But why is Deadpool suddenly butting into Spidey’s business? What does he have that Wade Wilson wants?

Spider-Man/Deadpool is, first and foremost, a bromantic comedy. Kelly delivers on the banter front from both Spidey and Wade. But for me the banter takes a backseat in terms of humor in this issue. At one point, our heroes are facing a Hydro-Man made out of sewage. Call me juvenile if you must, but that’s a funny idea. But what I got the biggest kick out of was the panel to the right. Something about his (pardon the term) body language, mixed with how his hand and lower half are regenerating makes this a very amusing image. Kudos to Ed McGuinness for what I’ll call subtle humor here.

Like a lot of great bromances, the core of this issue ends up being about friendship, feelings, and all that stuff. I don’t expect a lot of heart to be on display in these pages. But it is there. Naturally, Wade’s heart takes him in entirely the wrong direction, as we find out at the cliffhanger.

Ed McGuinness is one of the innovators of the Deadpool character, so he’s as natural a fit on this book as anybody. But even when you don’t factor that in, his uber-musculed, highly expressive, and hyper-dynamic style make him a great choice for anything that’s taken tongue-in-cheek. McGuineess’ art has a great versatility about it. If you want him to play it straight, he can do that. If you want him to be silly, he can do that too. Often times, he’ll give you a combination of the two.

The question with Spider-Man/Deadpool isn’t necessarily about where they’ll go with things. Rather, it’s where can’t they go? Whether he’s duking it out with the entire Marvel Universe, cutting up zombified presidents, or even taking on Thanos himself, Deadpool has plenty of versatility in his own right. It looks like they’ll be staying in Spidey’s world for the immediate future, as next issue they’ll be joined by none other than Miles Morales. There’s some potential there for Kelly to have a lot of fun breaking the fourth wall. So even if you’re not a big Deadpool fan, next issue may be worth a glance. And if you are, odds are this book has a big upside for you.

Images from author’s collection.

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