Review by Frank Plowright

While neither Deadpool nor the Punisher have the slightest concern about killing, their motivations are very different. Deadpool earns money from it, while for Frank Castle ridding the planet of criminals is a moral crusade. Their paths cross via a billionaire called the Bank, friend and business manger for Deadpool, yet a money launderer who enables crime on a massive scale to the Punisher.

From there Fred Van Lente sets off an extremely well plotted chain of events supplying all the mayhem you’d expect from Deadpool and all the murder you’d expect from the Punisher. Only readers fixated on the versus aspect of the title may feel a twinge of disappointment. Not that the versus is absent, although it’s contracted to vs. for the UK edition, but it’s diminished as they find themselves occupied with other matters.

There’s barely a page where things aren’t moving, and fast at that, and Pere Pérez makes it all look amazing. Van Lente switches the locations and Pérez provides the visual variety they offer, while nailing the comedy moments. A variation on a theme ends every chapter, and they’re all maximised, while the shooting is well choreographed.

The final variation on that theme is one hell of a shock and there’s no feeling of being cheated as the explanation is provided, with Van Lente’s reasoning passing muster complete with an old comic reference. He nails the contrasting personalities as well, Deadpool’s comedy sparkling against the Punisher’s deadpan ruthlessness.

Deadpool versus The Punisher is one hell of a lot of fun and also forms part of Deadpool Classic Vol. 22.