Deadpool (Vol. 1) #11

Background

Amazing Spider-Man #47 is shining example of Classic Spider-Man. To be fair, there is no shortage of shining examples from that era - but this one is splendid nontheless. Kraven the Hunter arrives in America to settle a score with Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. His plans involve Harry Osborn, which needless to say brings him into contact with Peter Parker, and his Red-and-Blue alter-ego... Or does it!

In Deadpool #11, in modern-day times, Deadpool is fooling around with some part-time heroes, who count among them a wielder of inter-time/dimensional forces. A little confusion arising from conflict is sufficient to throw Deadpool and Blind Albert back into Amazing Spider-Man #47. The time? A lazy afternoon in Suburban East-Coast America. The place? The Forest Hills home shared by Peter Parker and his Aunt May.

And so begins the epic, entitled "With Great Power, Comes Great Coincidence".

Story Details

If you've ever seen Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (and even if you haven't) then you'll know how much fun it can be to make fun of a movie which is showing its age. Now, Deadpool isn't the kind of guy to be overly considerate of people's sensibilites - and so his take on Middle-Class America 1967 is as sensitive as a KKK meeting discussing Jesse Jackson after an extended happy hour on Independence Day.

Basically, Deadpool and Blind Albert get stranded in Amazing Spider-Man #47, where they accidentally knock Aunt May unconscious. Their only hope for returning to "civilization" is to get in touch with the 1967 version of Weasel (Deadpool's weapons and technology wizzkid from the current time) and have him fix up some technology. Of course, in the meantime, they (begrudgingly) don't want to upset history.

Deadpool disguises himself as Peter Parker using his Hologram Projector, and sends out Peter on a false errand. At this point, we're ready for the real fun. With Deadpool disguised as Peter, and Blind Albert looking like Aunt May, it's time to start re-using all of the original panels from Amazing Spider-Man #47 - just airbrushing over and changing the words, and re-touching up some of the changes.

Deadpool works his way through (a variation of) the events of Amazing #47, playing the role of Peter Parker. In the process, he heaps sacriledge on everything worth of respect, throws savage one-liners like a demented wood-chucker chucking wood, and generally shows no respect for a comic which deserves nothing but praise. He points modern anti-Political-Correctness at a comic which overflows with ignorance-of-Political-Correctness, and generally disses anyone who comes within word-bubble distance.

The result is pure genius.

General Comments

This is doubtless the funniest comic I have read in my life. It treads the fine line between the coarse lampooning which could be thrown at any 30 year old comic, and the over-intellectualising which can be the bane of any media which attempts to introspect. In taking this course, it puts nary a foot wrong to my mind.

If you're not reading Deadpool - then why the heck not! If you ever defend your comic-reading habits by saying "Well, some of them are very good", then you verge on hypocrisy if you're not subscribed to Deadpool. Just buy it, already!

Overall Rating

The full five webs. No less. This is a nasty piece of work - a subversive, self-referential, un-self-conscious, masterpiece.