I’ve got a confession to make: I don’t like Captain America. That’s not to say I hate the guy; I respect what he stands for, the symbol, I will admit he’s had some good moments, and he’s one of the few characters of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 that I can play worth a damn. But, as a character, he’s never grabbed my interest. I didn’t care when he went into Civil War, I didn’t care when he died, and I didn’t care when he came back.
But I do like Deadpool, and I like the direction he’s been going in lately; I’ve been keeping up with his main title off and on ever since it started way back in Secret Invasion. It’s a nice change from the usual one-note silliness we see from him in a lot of his appearances these days, as the character tries to find himself and etch out his life. It’s self-reflection, and while there is the danger of it getting to emotional and drawn out, it never quite reaches that point thanks to Deadpool’s humor. You never get sick of it. And it’s great to see Deadpool interacting with the Marvel Universe – some teamups work better than others, but it’s always interesting to see how everyone reacts to the guy.
Deadpool #27 continues the trend, with The Captain Formerly Known As America, Steve Rogers, entering the picture. It’s a pretty simple little issue; Deadpool shows up at a gas station, looking for some food, stumbles in the midst of what may or may not be a terrorist plot, winds up shooting a bunch of guys who heal up just like he does, and Steve Rogers shows up and beats them all to a pulp and offering Deadpool a job. Simple – but effective. I want to know what up with these random healing terrorists. I want to know why Steve came in so fast. I want to know what’s going on. Most of all, I want to see where this is going – if anybody can give Deadpool some direction, it’s the Action Ace.
Deadpool’s always shown heroic traits, there’s always been the hint of a good person under the psychosis, but at the end of the day he’s still a guy who’ll kill you for the right price and not shed a tear about it. Seeing him try to make the jump from anti-hero to full on hero is a nice change. Will it stick, if it even happens in the first place? Probably not. But, for the moment, it’s great direction and a good reminder that Deadpool can be more than just a punchline.
If you haven’t been keeping up with things, Deadpool #27 looks like a good place to start; the setup is solid, it’s a fun read on its lonesome, and it has the promise of more to come.
