When Comics Anti Heroes Go Mature...

When reading comics, some characters can seem pretty tricky to write. You have the likes of Superman, who you is essentially a benign God, yet, you want to make him relatable to your readers. There's characters like Mr Fantastic, in which you want him to sound smart, but, not come across as illogical. The superhero genre of sequential story telling and cartooning are littered with different characters.

The idea of Deadpool struck me as a one man Shane Black script. Take the ideas and various punchlines from shows like Lethal Weapon and lease it to a certifiable maniacal assassin. When the idea is executed well, it brings in a lot of interested readers. When done poorly, it can be a nonsensical chore. Joe Kelly was able to achieve some good with the character in the late 90's, creating a whole world for a character who up till that point was a supporting character that stole stories from the primary characters. It was a pretty fun ride for a couple of years. As a reader, I fell out of reading the nonsensical adventures of Wade Wilson when Kelly departed the book. I've sampled different issues here and there based on acquaintances reactions via social media, but, nothing seemed to really stick.

Marvel's boutique adults only line, Max, drafted David Lapham to write and Kyle Baker to illustrate a straight up adults only Deadpool story. Not adult where there's explicit sex (there's some, but, implied) nor graphically violent (Well, you got me there. It IS known as Deadpool) but situational comedy that could go for the four letter dirty words rather than imply them. The main duo cross paths from with characters like the Taskmaster, terrorists, the mob, the government, Christians, coked out pimps, hookers, sociopathic orphans, and surprise guest stars from the primary run Joe Kelly wrote many years ago.

The pairing of Lapham & Baker was really inspiring to me reading as it feels the two guys were able to hit it off creatively and they compliment each other amiably. The plot of their story reads that Deadpool and his handler Bob are working with the government to stop the forces of Hydra, a nefarious terrorist organization. Each issue the main plot is paralleled with backstories of the primary characters. Given the nature that Deadpool is indeed insane, it's up to the reader to determine what's real and what's fiction. Bob isn't much better. As his character is greedy, callow, and manipulative. What he says and does are two entirely different things.

Baker is an inspired choice as the artist for Lapham's unhinged story, as Baker's distinct cartoony style lends itself perfectly. As single issues, Deadpool Max works allright, however, as you read the whole series, the much larger story is played out and is delightfully absurd, pitch black comedy. If you're a fan of the current incarnation of Deadpool written by Duggan &Poeshn or of the earlier Joe Kelly version, or, if you haven't checked in a few years, this is well worth investment.