Deadpool: All in the Family

by Cullen Bunn, Mary H. K. Choi, James Asmus

One collection packed with stories that will forever change the way you look at yourself. CHILL as Lady Deadpool and Headpool try to find the root cause of their majorly abusive frenemieship. Then THRILL as Kidpool and Dogpool embark on a 100-ton mechanized joy ride and and uhm...GET ILL as Dogpool makes a brand-new archenemy. Then it's 'Two Mutants and a Baby' in the untold story of how Cable escaped from Alaska with Hope. Wait -- You don't think Cable did that alone, did you? Deadpool struggles to find the perfect way to honor his pal Cable.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2011

About the author

Cullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.

All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.

And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.

Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this trade was kind of thrown together out of bits and pieces just to make a trade. I'm ok with that, because there's some really good stuff here. It starts with the Deadpool Family one shot, a series of short stories about the various members of the Deadpool Corps. It is, naturally, a mixed bag, but mostly good and definitely weird. Then there's Cable #25, a flashback to when Deadpool helped Cable get baby Hope out of Alaska. It's a great reminder of why the Cable and Deadpool team up actually worked. Last is what is being called Deadpool and Cable #25. This is not the same as Cable and Deadpool #25, mind you, and it's technically Cable #26. Cable has died (yes, again) and Deadpool sets out to make sure his friend is remembered in the way that only Deadpool can. This was my favorite of the three issues in here. As a collection, good for Deadpool fans.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second story was hilarious, absurd and wild with a little bit of a heart-break and it pains me that I'm rating "All in the Family" so low but everything else was either mediocre or simply awful... That's the usual problem with collections, isn't it? One or two gems in a pool (ha!) of bs.

[Amy Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this one in a used book store on an impulse and I'm a little torn. I didn't care much for the first few stories (maybe I'm not as familiar with the Deadpool family as long time readers), but while each story was fun, some were just a little too ludicrous for me at certain points.

That said, I enjoyed the second half with Wade Wilson and his adventures. That felt a lot more like a "Deadpool" story rather that just a bunch of shorts. It was a funny, but at times deep story. The action was pretty solid, and I only wish that Cable and Deadpool's relationship had been explored a little more for casual readers like me.

All in all, it was a fun read, though I wish it had literally just been Wade and Cable. They're always a fun duo.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's not much here. It's really one issue and then a reprint of two Cable issues. I think it shows that Deadpool Corps was a bad idea.

[The_J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not wonderful

[Moz Shigdar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read, just a collection of similarly related stories that could justify a theme of "family". So there wasn't really a continuity story, but on their own, they were reasonable stories, but were not really essential to the evolution of Deadpool, but did reference the Messiah War.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a weird little collection of Deadpool stories themed around, um, family? I guess? This really just feels like a collection Marvel threw together so they could slap Deadpool's name on the cover and get idiots like me to buy it with no prior knowledge of what it actually is.

Collected here are "Deadpool Family," a one-shot of short stories about each member of the Deadpool Corps, as well as Cable #25-26, which tie-in directly to the X-Men crossovers Messiah Complex and Second Coming. So, two sections of comics that have essentially nothing to do with each other except that they have Deadpool in them.

So, Deadpool Family is up first, and is pretty bad. If this was the only thing in here, I'd have given this book 2 stars. The Kidpool story is fine, featuring Kidpool stealing a secret government Gundam... ahem... robot, when the kids he's playing with lose interest in him because he isn't as cool as robots. Fine, whatever.

Then we get the Lady Deadpool/Headpool story, which I believe is the worst Deadpool story I've ever read (and I've read almost all of them). I think it must've been written by someone who is not fluent in English, because the word choices and dialogue are IMPOSSIBLE to follow. I had to read everything twice to even understand what was trying to be said. There are numerous tragedies of wording that I believe are meant to be jokes, but are so convoluted and long-winded that only the craziest lunatic would ever laugh at them.

Next up is a very cartoony but fun story of Dogpool going up against a dog version of The Sentry, which mostly serves as a parody of Brian Michael Bendis and New Avengers stuff. It's beautifully drawn and well worth the very short read.

Then, for no reason I can discern, the issue ends with a short story Jimmy Palmiotti wrote for the original Deadpool ongoing series all the way back in 2000, which is arguably one of the worst interpretations of Deadpool from that entire run. No jokes. No banter. Just an awful, predictable detective story with Deadpool in it being boring. Very bad, very dumb, very weird inclusion here.

Then we move into the Cable section of the book, which I really enjoyed. As a huge fan of the series Cable & Deadpool, reading this made me feel a strong nostalgia for what is arguably the best Deadpool series out there. Seeing Cable and Deadpool teamup again, even as just a gimmicky tie-in to the previously mentioned X-Men storylines, was a joy. Duane Swierczynski does a fantastic job with their dynamic in both issues, and also writes some fresh, solid jokes: something I feel like most Deadpool writers are terrible at lately.

I will say that if you haven't read Messiah Complex or Second Coming, you probably won't get a ton out of these issues. They tie-in very hard to events in those crossovers, so you'll probably be a little lost if you aren't caught up. But, if you are, just take these as an added bonus and a callback to what Deadpool should be.

[Lissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this trade mainly because I wanted the two issues that feature Cable and Deadpool back together again (however briefly).

The first issue collected is Deadpool Family #1, which contains four short stories (and three of the four of them involve the Deadpool Corps members). I haven't started reading Deadpool Corps yet, and although I'm sure I'll get around to it at some point because I have a masochistic need to torture myself and read everything Deadpool (no matter how poorly written or how much I don't care about the premise), there's nothing here that makes me want to pick up the series any time soon.

So, basically, kid Deadpool steals a government-owned robot. Meh. Lady Deadpool and Headpool (who is a rotting zombie) go to a shrink to discuss their issues and end up making out (ugh, so gross - that's one line I will never be able to cross, and that's zombie love in any shape or form). Dogpool takes on some Sentry dog (...who really cares about superhero dogs?). And then some hard-boiled detective thing which probably would have been good if it wasn't Deadpool, who seems to be an ill fit here. This issue? A solid one star. There is nothing good here.

The next issue collected here is Cable #25, which is collected as well in the Cable (2008), Vol. 4: Homecoming TPB, which I've already read. But it was good the second time around, too.

So, basically, this is a prequel to the entire Cable (2008) series. This issue shows how Cable rescued Hope in Alaska, with the help of Deadpool. At the end, they separate so Cable can go on with his mission, which he keeps close to the vest. Best part of this issue? Deadpool donning the Predator X skeleton to draw away the Sentinel's attention from Cable and (soon-to-be-named) Hope - awesome!

The last issue collected here, Deadpool & Cable #26, is set after the Second Coming event where Cable (once again) dies saving the world. All that's left of him is his left T-O arm. Deadpool entertains the idea of taking the arm to a few bars before burying it elsewhere, but he gets a better idea - return to Rumekistan (see the series Cable & Deadpool for more about this) and have a memorial...or a theme park...or a concert...or something...built there to honor Nate. Except Deadpool lands in the wrong country. But he dresses up as Cable and helps the new country become free, and then there is a concert (featuring Lady Gaga) to honor Cable, ending with a sad little panel of Wade at Cable's grave.

Swierczynski does a really good job of writing Deadpool (for more evidence, check out Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War). And I love that he obviously knows the previous material and uses it to build and explore Cable and Deadpool's friendship/relationship/whatever. Two solid issues from Swierczynski bump this trade up to 3.5 stars - 4.5 stars for each of Swierczynski's issues.

[John Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deadpool: All in the Family. 6 stories. 3 were decent. The sampler style is a little disorienting here. Reading comics normally is disorienting by itself. The stories with Cable were fine and did a good job of showcasing what makes Deadpool great but it didn't make up for the fact that this volume just doesn't work too well. If you want to jump on the Deadpool train post-movie, find a different volume.

[Suge · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moment I opened this book, I was starting to tell myself how insane this was. Which is not a good thing because I was simply talking to myself. It's a collection of insane Deadpool stories, some of which leave you scratching your head, others that can only make you giggle with deviousness. Either way, very fun to read.

[Kimmie Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who is new to the Deadpool world, this gave me a nice mix of different Deadpool Story lines. It also introduced me to the other members of the Pool family (Kidpool, Dogpool ect.)If anything, I now want to go out and get me some more Wade!

[Elliot James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really fun, enjoyable comic, and it was great seeing all of the Deadpool Corps again. I particularly loved the final story of just Deadpool, it was very serious, and quite sad though.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was weird, funny, and strange - everything I want from a Deadpool comic. Definitely reading more!

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goot one

[g · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel seems like a compilation of snippets from different parts of Deadpool's life and universes. A good introduction to the Deadpool universe.

[Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent intro to Deadpool who I had not read much of before.

[H. Givens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly bad, but liked the last story.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not enough Deadpool!