Deadpool: Nerdy 30 celebrates the “Merc with a Mouth” with style, sensitivity and humor. It’s chaotic, odd, and incredibly funny — just like Deadpool himself.
Deadpool: Nerdy 30
Jesus Aburtov (Colors); Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Colors); Frederico Blee (Colors); Michael Charalampids (Colors); Aaron Conley (Art); Gerry Dugan and Brian Posehn (Writing); Nick Filardi (Colors); Mike Hawthorne and Nathan Fairbairn (Cover); Joe Kelly (Writer); Scott Koblish (Art); Kevin Libranda with Bob Quinn (Art); Rob Liefeld and Chad Bowers (Writing and Art); Ed McGuinness and Chris Sotomayor (Cover); Paco Medina (Art); Fabian Nicieza (Writer); Jay David Ramos (Colors); Rachelle Rosenberg (Colors); VC’s Joe Sabino (Letters); Geraldo Sandoval (Art); Michael Shelfer (Art); Gail Simone (Writer); Chris Sotomayer (Colors); Java Tartaglier (Letters); Kelly Thompson (Writer); Bryan Valenza (Colors); Daniel Way (Writer); Skottie Young (Writer); Patch Zircher (Art)
March 10, 2021
Marvel Comics
In celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the first appearance of Deadpool, Deadpool: Nerdy 30 dares to give Deadpool fans worldwide what they want: a ginormous fight to the death between all of the Deadpools of the Multiverse and The Ovumatrix, who slaughters everyone but the OG Wade. “You’re really good at killing,” he observes. That’s just the start of the meta free-for-all, which ends with an unexpected twist.
The maxi-issue gives you everything you expect in a Deadpool tribute. You have gore, you have action, you have broken fourth walls, and you have Rob Liefeld. There is chaos everywhere, and it is all strung together by a single theme – birthday celebrations Wade has held throughout the years.
My favorite is “Best There Is,” Kelly Thompson’s story about a teenage Wade at Leslie Nielson High School declaring himself prom queen and acting as if it’s his birthday party. Cue Wolverine, crashing in from the ceiling, a pair of magic handcuffs binding them together, and a battle to the death. The Archie-like art is adorable, with Kevin Libranda and Bob Quinn turning in expressive and amusing work.
Other stories are more contemplative. “Lo, There Shall Come a Hero…Maybe!” is set during Wade’s time stuck in a bioresearch lab vis Weapon X, before he takes the mantle of Deadpool, trying to contemplate who and what he’ll become. Patch Zircher’s appealingly appalling art closes in on Wade’s eyes and his scarred body, lit by a slit of light coming in through the door of his maximum-security cell. Wade’s flashbacks, by contrast, are bright, active, and splashy, referencing famous Marvel comics.
And yes, Deadpool’s co-creator Rob Liefeld is here. His entry, “The Tao of ‘Pool,” features Deadpool buying a copy of New Mutants #98 and reflecting upon his first appearance, popping out bold as life over the pages of the classic comic. Action quickly ensues, followed by catastrophic injury and fourth wall breakage. As tongue-in-cheek as the story is, Liefeld’s work doesn’t stand out to me, but it will surely delight other Deadpool fans, as he is for many the definitive Deadpool artist.
Much of the book manages to be quite funny. Further highlights include another surprisingly touching story, “Party of One,” where Wade is sunk to the bottom of the ocean in a casket. Since he can’t drown, he’s stuck alone trying to entertain himself for years on his birthday, until he receives a surprising rescue.
That’s not to say there aren’t a few stumbles in Deadpool: Nerdy 30. When Ovumatrix asks one of the Deadpools how they “feel about feminism,” he pulls down his pants to show her his “double y” (oy), for instance. The stories bounce between extremes of great humor and great melancholy – exactly like Deadpool himself – and they leave the reader sometimes wishing a more judicious hand had been applied to the whole project. But even-handed calm is not the Deadpool way, is it? If you want chaos, you want Wade Wilson. And Deadpool: Nerdy 30 gives it to you in blazing, full-color glory.
