Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, by Cullen Bunn & Dalibor Talajic

I have to admit I've never really been into superhero comics. I was only really introduced to them in college and there is such a deep and complicated story with many of the characters that I found it kind of hard to get into the universe. The main exception being a lot of comics involving Deadpool because, for whatever reason, there just isn't that same feeling of decades-long continuity that I get with a lot of other characters. Plus there are a ton of self-contained stories contained in a trade paperback that made it very easy for me to get engaged in the story. So, on occasion I will pick up a copy of Deadpool's adventures for my own amusement. And really, with a title like Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, how can I not be interested?

This story is actually rather short so I won't go into too many of the nitty gritty details so you can enjoy it for yourself. Basically it takes the premise of what if Deadpool stopped goofing off and actually put an effort into murdering superheroes and supervillains alike? The result is, as you can probably tell from the title, a complete and total bloodbath. Personally, though, I didn't find Deadpool killing everyone to be the most interesting part of the story. (Although if I knew more characters in the Marvel Universe I probably would have been more interested in how he took everyone down.) What was really interesting was the questions Deadpool asked about the fourth wall and the nature of the Marvel Universe. Again, I really can't go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but I think the story does a very good job of connecting with the reader and challenging them about what they really enjoy about superhero comics.

If you're a fan of Deadpool or Marvel and superheroes in general, I'd recommend you check out this book. As the cover says, it's very much not for kids, but adult readers will definitely find it interesting.

- Kalpar