Review by Ian Keogh

Because this volume of Deadpool Classic includes two specials consisting entirely of short stories, it’s the bittiest of the entire series.

The title story by Mike Benson, Adam Glass and Carlo Barberi (sample art) is the longest provided, by about four chapters. Deadpool attends a meeting of mercenaries, but it’s a set-up during which he’s framed. Daredevil and Spider-Man believe him, but the Punisher doesn’t, and what better time to try out all the accessories he’s taken from villains than on hunting Deadpool down? It’s very silly, but if you took out all the jokes the plot would still work as a thriller.

‘Games of Death’ was also included in the original Suicide Kings paperback release, again by Benson, this time with Shawn Crystal supplying the excess of Deadpool’s participation in a lethal gameshow. It’s murder and mayhem galore and in totally poor taste.

‘Turning Japanese’ by James Felder drags on too long, but Pete Woods draws a nice Japanese Elvis, but Duane Swierczynksi and Leandro Fernández supplying Deadpool’s origin as a movie pitch is very good. It delivers the tragedy and inhumanity, but Deadpool’s self-deprecating narration ensures it’s also funny and there’s a great ending as well.

Very little else runs over ten pages, but little disappoints either. Among the more inventive material is Fred Van Lente and Dalibor Talajić having a deaf Deadpool fight mime artists; remarkable art from Kyle Baker, Dean Haspiel, Matteo Scalera and Damian Scott; Swierczynksi and Crystal’s scene of the crime investigation; David Lapham providing the nuttiest ever story about the Mandarin’s rings; Rob Williams and Philip Bond having Deadpool hired to be Canada’s superhero and Michael Kupperman’s plain bizarre ‘Too Many Deadpools’. Old school fans might enjoy the return of Joe Kelly and Rob Liefeld. They’re featured in promo interviews in the back as well.

Despite being the most fragmented of the Deadpool Classic collections the fun is there to be had in almost every one of the 300+ pages.