While “Deadpool” and “romance comic” might not necessarily sound like a match made in heaven, Alyssa Wong, Martín Cóccolo, and Neeraj Menon’s first arc of their new Wade Wilson series is the perfect mix of action, comedy, and romance, easily drawing in readers who like a variety of diverse genres. The new Deadpool Vol. 1 trade paperback is a joyous and violent collection of Wong and Cóccolo’s Deadpool #1 – 5, with beautiful coloring by Neeraj Menon and letters by VC’s Joe Sabino, acting as an amazing reintroduction to solo Deadpool stories in the Krakoan Age.
Wong, Cóccolo, and Menon’s Deadpool has received critical acclaim and fan support for its witty writing, gorgeous artwork, and the introduction of a new group of deadly villainous assassins, The Atelier, which includes the iconic nonbinary love interest of Wade, Valentine Vuong. The individual issues of Deadpool are all a true blast, with Wong using their particular brand of mid-aughts pop culture humor to make incredibly funny jokes about Twilight and Mean Girls (of course, these jokes will only be appreciated by a certain demographic, but Deadpool has always referenced pop culture) while also creating a slow burn romance between Wade and Valentine that feels genuine, even if there are ulterior motives at play.
Marvel Comics
What really makes this Deadpool Vol. 1 trade paperback get a rating of “Great” is the amazing synergy between each issue, and while each one individually is very fun, the entire arc as a whole works really well when read in one collection. Wong’s use of fourth-wall breaking and meta commentary by Wade in each issue’s summary page is the perfect way to brand the series with Deadpool’s self-referential humor, and the fact that the comics use the Krakoan Age’s X-Men book branding is a great way to remind readers of Wade’s connection to Krakoa, X-Force, and his much-debated mutant identity. Some folks took issue with the lack of gratuitous action in the first issue, but the series quickly becomes a quintessential violent bloodbath ala Deadpool, with the battles between Deadpool, his symbiote, Harrower, Doc Ock, and Lady Deathstrike becoming more violent until their climax in issue #5.
Marvel Comics
The trade paperback also includes a introduction to the Deadpool solo series grafted from New Mutants #30 – with art by Geoff Shaw and Nolan Woodard – that starts Wade’s journey with the mysterious assassin group The Atelier, the perfect lead-in to Deadpool #1. Some of the highlights of the series are Wong’s use of the environmentally-focused villain Harrower, their clever integration of Doctor Octopus – an inclusion that takes many twists and turns – as well as Lady Deathstrike’s cold and violent behavior. The Carnage/Symbiote action in the first arc is gory and amazing, with Cóccolo’s art truly shining with every glistening, slimy sequence. Another random, but incredibly wholesome, highlight is Wong’s use of the names “Leah, Vita, and Tini” for the three zoo mascots, all names of iconic X-Men writers of the Krakoan Era: Leah Williams, Vita Ayala, and Tini Howard.
Marvel Comics
While the series is chock-full of hilarious jokes and callbacks, like Deadpool’s consistent referencing of Edward and Bella’s vampire baby “Renesmee” from Twilight, as well as dynamic and exciting action scenes illustrated by Cóccolo and Menon, the romance between Valentine and Wade is what ties all of these things together. It is truly adorable to see Deadpool’s reactions to being called “cute” – something he is not used to – and Valentine making Wade a Deadpool breakfast of eggs and bacon is one of the sweetest things this reader has seen in a Deadpool comic. Of course, because Wong is an incredible writer, not everything is as it seems with the mutant Atelier member Vuong, but that doesn’t make the growing relationship between the two any less beautiful. Plus, while Valentine’s identity as a nonbinary character is not central to her development, it is lovely to see such a complex and nuanced new antihero having a visible queer identity, as well as a reaffirmation of Wade’s own queerness.
The actual trade paperback itself is beautifully made, as most Marvel TPBs are, and it includes not only Cóccolo and Menon’s main covers for all five first issues of Deadpool, but also gorgeous full page variant covers by artists like David Nakayama, Leinil Francis Yu, and Jim Cheung, as well as a truly sexy pin-up cover of Deadpool by David Talaski. One of the only complaints I had with this first arc is that I wish there were some more answers to the twists and turns revealed in the last few issues, but I feel confident that Wong will continue to explore these developments now that their Deadpool story is continuing. The positive response to the first arc of Deadpool has ensured that Alyssa Wong will be able to continue Wade and Valentine’s story, with issues #6 and #7 coming out in recent months, as the still-mysterious Atelier officially sends their most vicious assassins to takedown the two lovebirds.
The Deadpool Vol. 1 trade paperback, from writer Alyssa Wong, artist Martín Cóccolo, and color artist Neeraj Menon, is an undeniably enjoyable collection of Deadpool’s newest solo-series, one that understands Wade Wilson’s classic brand of self-referential and pop culture humor but updated to a modern era. The art is simply stunning, the coloring is vibrant and dynamic, and the adorable romance between Deadpool and Valentine makes this collection a must-have for fans of Deadpool, Symbiote-fueled battles, and queer romance.
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