Review by Frank Plowright

At the turn of the 21st century Jimmy Palmiotti was still primarily known as an inker, although he had a few writing credits under his belt already. However, the Deadpool issues collected here were the first announcement on a major stage that Palmiotti could write comedy adventure with some style. The short review is that these are funny, well-plotted Deadpool capers, but you’ve got to accept Palmiotti’s idea of also humanising Deadpool, distancing him a little from full-on insanity. If you’re good with that, you’re good to go.

There is no over-arching plot, just a succession of two chapter stories, with ‘Garden State Slaughter’ a short with artist Liam McCormack Sharp influenced by Frank Miller, and ‘Cruel Summer’ stretching to three chapters. It needs to in order to encompass all the gang bosses Deadpool’s hired to kill off. The killings are handled inventively, giving Paul Chadwick (sample art) plenty of opportunities for visual dynamism, but they’re generally spurned. So good on his own projects, he doesn’t seem an artist suited to superhero action, with the layouts rarely all they could be and the figures stiff when moving.

By the time Deadpool picks up a kid sidekick Buddy Scalera is co-writing, and this two-parter is the collection’s highlight, as the kid is nothing like the usual compliant sidekicks. Deadpool, however, feels compelled to keep the little psychopath around seeing as how he’s responsible for his being orphaned. Darick Robertson provides the best art in the collection, understanding the visual excess necessary for good Deadpool. Anthony Williams on the following two-parter serves up messy layouts making it difficult to follow the story.

Given the Punisher appears on the cover, it takes a long time before he turns up inside. A guy is set to inherit massive amounts of money, but the Punisher has to die before it’s released. Deadpool will handle that for three million dollars. Georges Jeanty draws this bullet-fest well, and everything works its way to a clever conclusion. Scalera alone for the final long story also hits the spot with Deadpool hired by a granny to stop a speedster.

Downsides? There’s a reason for the parade of exploitatively drawn women (especially by Mike Lopez) falling for Deadpool, but it doesn’t look good with the distance of time, not all the art is suitable, and the toned down self-reflective Deadpool won’t be to all tastes. Otherwise, dive in. Frank Tieri takes over for Deadpool Classics Vol. 8.