Review by Karl Verhoven

Regular team-up comics isn’t an idea that’s really resonated with superhero fans since the 1980s, so it was surprising that using Deadpool as the continuing character did strike a chord, lasting for three volumes, in slimmer paperback as Good Buddies, Special Relationship and BFFs. Perhaps Deadpool readers liked the idea of his sometimes associating with other headliners and sometimes having leftfield oddities forced into the pages.

The creative teams change with the co-stars for every new story, only Rob Williams contributing twice. His Captain Britain team-up is stronger than the cover-featured Thor outing, which is a good cover for anyone who knows you have to be worthy to pick up Thor’s hammer. While a couple of the writers come with track records (David Lapham – Satana, Fred Van Lente – Hercules, and Jeff Parker – Gorilla Man), most creators are relatively new to Marvel and are being given tryouts. Some, like Cullen Bunn (the Thing), would become Deadpool legends, and others like Williams and James Asmus (Machine Man) would do very well, while several decided their careers lay elsewhere.

Much the same applies to the artists, with Micah Gunnell (Machine Man) a particular loss. By virtue of drawing two stories each, the sample art combines Dalibor Talajić, who would make his mark on other Deadpool projects, and sparkles on team-ups with Hercules and It, the Living Colossus, and Chris Staggs. He greatly improves between weak work on Adam Glass’ Ghost Rider team-up and what’s provided by Frank Tieri. A solo story in a team-up title is a very Deadpool joke.

The collection begins with a team-up not from the three earlier paperbacks, but a story also found in Deadpool Classic 5, in which Wade Wilson tries to take out the Beyonder and ends up battling his cute little self. It’s wordy, even for a Deadpool comic, James Felder doesn’t focus enough on Deadpool, the jokes too often fall flat, and even art by Pete Woods can’t save it.

Don’t give up, though, as this is a collection that starts as middling and becomes stronger and stronger, and from halfway there’s rarely a duff story, culminating in the splendour of Deadpool becoming herald of Galactus. Skottie Young and Ramon Pérez pack the jokes in, beginning with Deadpool desperate for money and cold calling assorted villains. “No, I’m killing everyone just fine on my own”, replies the Red Skull, with the Kingpin noting “Yes, I am very happy with my current assassination provider”.

An occasional lapse in writing or art, but rarely both together, is inevitable, but overall there’s a lot of quality bang for your buck here.