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Deadpool (2008) (Collected Editions)
Deadpool, Volume 11: Dead
Deadpool wants to die... can he make it happen? Is X-Force there to stop him or pull the trigger? More importantly, would Marvel really kill off a character with a movie rumored?!? And what exactly is Deadpool planning with the Taskmaster? Also guest-starring The Intelligencia!
Collecting: Deadpool 50-63
Collecting: Deadpool 50-63
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 26, 2012
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609 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 25, 2017
Daniel Way closes out his epic Deadpool run with this final bumper 14-issue volume (usually that’s about three books’ worth of comics!). Unfortunately it’s a case of quantity over quality.
Deadpool’s had enough and wants to die once and for all. He discovers a serum that’ll disable his healing factor, make him mortal and allow him to die - but will he go through with it? This is answered immediately with a resounding NO as he goes on a few more pointless adventures and that’s it.
The whole “Deadpool wants to die” storyline was stupid and pointless from the start. It’s not as if Marvel would kill off one of their most popular characters so it was never going to stick. It’s not even interesting to read about: Deadpool and a raft of characters fight. Wow… And Deadpool’s attitude changes on a dime - I want to die! Now I want to live! How contrived can you get?
For absolutely no reason the serum not only makes him mortal but handsome as well. This is equally pointless as Way does nothing with the “handsome Deadpool” angle. The second half stories feel like Way thumbing through the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and tossing in obscure characters because he’s bored - though maybe I’m just projecting my own boredom onto his uninspired writing!
Some of the art is good - Carlo Barberi makes a welcome, if all-too-brief return, and Dave Johnson’s covers have been consistently high quality throughout the series - and we get to see Deadpool’s cunning, which is often glossed over in favour of his clownishness, so that was a nice change of pace. Yeah, not a lot of great stuff to say about this one!
Daniel Way should’ve ended his run a few books earlier because volumes like Dead just read like the dull, meandering filler that they are. Which is a shame because the series started so, so well. I definitely recommend the first two-thirds of Way’s Deadpool but not the final third. Dead is dead crap.
Deadpool’s had enough and wants to die once and for all. He discovers a serum that’ll disable his healing factor, make him mortal and allow him to die - but will he go through with it? This is answered immediately with a resounding NO as he goes on a few more pointless adventures and that’s it.
The whole “Deadpool wants to die” storyline was stupid and pointless from the start. It’s not as if Marvel would kill off one of their most popular characters so it was never going to stick. It’s not even interesting to read about: Deadpool and a raft of characters fight. Wow… And Deadpool’s attitude changes on a dime - I want to die! Now I want to live! How contrived can you get?
For absolutely no reason the serum not only makes him mortal but handsome as well. This is equally pointless as Way does nothing with the “handsome Deadpool” angle. The second half stories feel like Way thumbing through the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and tossing in obscure characters because he’s bored - though maybe I’m just projecting my own boredom onto his uninspired writing!
Some of the art is good - Carlo Barberi makes a welcome, if all-too-brief return, and Dave Johnson’s covers have been consistently high quality throughout the series - and we get to see Deadpool’s cunning, which is often glossed over in favour of his clownishness, so that was a nice change of pace. Yeah, not a lot of great stuff to say about this one!
Daniel Way should’ve ended his run a few books earlier because volumes like Dead just read like the dull, meandering filler that they are. Which is a shame because the series started so, so well. I definitely recommend the first two-thirds of Way’s Deadpool but not the final third. Dead is dead crap.
August 28, 2013
For a Deadpool trade, this is massive. I'd gotten used to the 3-5 issue volumes that had come before, so the sheer size of this one came as a surprise. And I do have to wonder why they chose to collect it in this way, since it really is more than one storyline. Well, I'm glad they did, in any event.
But wow, is this a mixed bag. Most of the first storyline (Deadpool trying to get dead) is actually pretty good. The entire series picked up a lot of momentum once he got truly suicidal, and this was meant to bring that all together. But the actual resolution (Deadpool loses his powers but decides to try living) is badly, badly rushed, to the point of being entirely unconvincing. And then there's a bunch of junk in the middle, about which the less said the better. But the very last issue is surprisingly good, especially the last scene.
Really, this is kind of a compressed look at Way's entire run. Great ideas and scenes interspersed with a bunch of lazy action scenes. Glad I read it, because it did end up being a fairly satisfying resolution to Way's run on Deadpool. But I don't think I would suggest sticking out through the whole thing to anyone who isn't a Deadpool fan.
But wow, is this a mixed bag. Most of the first storyline (Deadpool trying to get dead) is actually pretty good. The entire series picked up a lot of momentum once he got truly suicidal, and this was meant to bring that all together. But the actual resolution (Deadpool loses his powers but decides to try living) is badly, badly rushed, to the point of being entirely unconvincing. And then there's a bunch of junk in the middle, about which the less said the better. But the very last issue is surprisingly good, especially the last scene.
Really, this is kind of a compressed look at Way's entire run. Great ideas and scenes interspersed with a bunch of lazy action scenes. Glad I read it, because it did end up being a fairly satisfying resolution to Way's run on Deadpool. But I don't think I would suggest sticking out through the whole thing to anyone who isn't a Deadpool fan.
August 22, 2015
This book is just a great summation of Daniel Way's ultimately terrible run on Deadpool: some decent ideas that fall apart halfway through and never know when to quit.
The opening arc of this book is actually pretty solid: Deadpool learns of a formula that will remove his healing factor, and thus allow him to be killed. All he's wanted for the past 100000 issues of Way's Deadpool is to die (a very boring concept), but at least now we finally get to see that pay off, right? Well, sort of. Deadpool ends up playing just about everyone he knows against each other (X-Force, Bob from Hydra, the Kingpin, a few others) in an attempt to figure out who has the formula. It's a fairly intricate plot that also fits the character pretty well... for the first 4 issues of it. Then, as usual, it falls apart.
Despite all the setup, So, now what? Well, the entire book fizzles out and dies.
There are I think 9 more issues following this dissolution of any sort of redeemable story, and they're all incredibly rote. Deadpool fights this guy, Deadpool fights that guy. Way brings back a whole stockpile of old Deadpool villains that are solely meant to make his old fans go "Ooh, T-Ray's back!" The only problem is, they never explain who the hell any of these guys are. Since I'm an idiot and have read every single issue of Deadpool ever, I knew who they all were, but that didn't stop me from being angry that the main thing I was meant to be thrilled by was their sheer appearance in this book. It's lazy, callback-driven storytelling that does nothing for the characters or world. It's actually a really fitting way to end Way's dismal run on this book. I even laughed out loud when I saw that the book was just kind of over, and Way wrote this long letter about how he was sad to hand the reins over to Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan. I was like "What reins? Nobody's been driving this book for years."
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is, who cares about this book.
The opening arc of this book is actually pretty solid: Deadpool learns of a formula that will remove his healing factor, and thus allow him to be killed. All he's wanted for the past 100000 issues of Way's Deadpool is to die (a very boring concept), but at least now we finally get to see that pay off, right? Well, sort of. Deadpool ends up playing just about everyone he knows against each other (X-Force, Bob from Hydra, the Kingpin, a few others) in an attempt to figure out who has the formula. It's a fairly intricate plot that also fits the character pretty well... for the first 4 issues of it. Then, as usual, it falls apart.
Despite all the setup, So, now what? Well, the entire book fizzles out and dies.
There are I think 9 more issues following this dissolution of any sort of redeemable story, and they're all incredibly rote. Deadpool fights this guy, Deadpool fights that guy. Way brings back a whole stockpile of old Deadpool villains that are solely meant to make his old fans go "Ooh, T-Ray's back!" The only problem is, they never explain who the hell any of these guys are. Since I'm an idiot and have read every single issue of Deadpool ever, I knew who they all were, but that didn't stop me from being angry that the main thing I was meant to be thrilled by was their sheer appearance in this book. It's lazy, callback-driven storytelling that does nothing for the characters or world. It's actually a really fitting way to end Way's dismal run on this book. I even laughed out loud when I saw that the book was just kind of over, and Way wrote this long letter about how he was sad to hand the reins over to Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan. I was like "What reins? Nobody's been driving this book for years."
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is, who cares about this book.
June 8, 2025
An excellent volume, with mostly strong issues that bring Way’s run to a close with a literal bang. 💥
May 1, 2016
Wow, I just could not get into this. I read the first 3 issues and after many stops and starts (and falling asleep) I just gave up. Deadpool was fine, but other than that, I didn't follow the plot or the other characters (except Wolverine) very well.
January 18, 2014
Twisted, depraved, and yes quite Funny!
I enjoy this kind of thing when no one is looking, heh heh heh.
I enjoy this kind of thing when no one is looking, heh heh heh.
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May 6, 2020I'm told Joe Kelly and Gail Simone both did sterling work on Deadpool earlier on, which I've not read. Obviously Rob Liefeld was the co-creator of the character, and a big part of his early success, but let's be honest: like almost all Rob Liefeld, that stuff was godawful dreck even if it was perfectly plugged in to teenage boy brains. But the creator who doesn't get enough mention, in terms of bringing back a character without his own series and turning him into one who had multiple spin-off books, and then hit films, is Daniel Way. Which was curious when most of Way's other stuff ranged from unremarkable to outright abominable – and the latter category definitely included Wolverine: Origins, the interminable waste of Steve Dillon's time from which this 65-issue Deadpool run was initially spun off. All the rest of it I read as the trades were hitting the libraries, but this one they never got in – perhaps because it's twice the size of the others, and thus twice the price if you were buying it new rather than scouring the Comixology sales years later. Why that should be the case, I don't know, because it splits very clearly into two stories. The first half-ish, Dead proper, sees Wade, who's been desperate to finally be able to die for some volumes, think he's finally cracked a chance at breaking his healing factor and becoming mortal. A project into which he drags various parties – X-Force, Daken, the Kingpin, and of course poor bloody Bob, Agent of Hydra – using the well-worn analogy of a game of chess. Despite the fact that, as one of his arguing interior voices (always one of the best bits of the Way run) points out, Deadpool doesn't actually know how to play chess – he's the sort who refers to the horsies. As is usually the way with Deadpool, carnage ensues. It's funny, violent, entirely ridiculous, yet wrapped around a core of incredibly black comedy that sometimes stutters into plain despair - exactly what I want from a Deadpool comic.
Despite all of which, somehow Wade pulls it off, and finds himself restored to normal humanity. Which, awkwardly, leaves him feeling like he's got a new lease on life. Hell, he feels indestructible, right when he finally isn't. So the next story, Reborn, follows him as he realises he needs to relearn how to be a gun-for-hire who can't just rely on getting back up after being taken to pieces, and maybe needs to refresh some basic skills of the trade. That feeds into a couple more stories - Blacklisted, The Salted Earth - but they could all happily have sat in a separate collection under any of their names; it just wouldn't have felt like as fitting a name for a concluding volume as Dead.
The problem is, whatever you want to call that volume-within-a-volume, it's an anticlimax, even beyond the obvious level. Yes, we knew Deadpool wouldn't really be dead at the end of this, but he still could have wrapped up on a better note than going through the motions one more time with various foes from his past, many of whom I barely remembered, if that (honourable exception: Hit-Monkey). It doesn't even look that good; the various artists converge on that somewhat distorted style that Humberto Ramos still gets away with, but otherwise looks dated in the way only the recent past can. An ignoble end to an otherwise classic run.
Despite all of which, somehow Wade pulls it off, and finds himself restored to normal humanity. Which, awkwardly, leaves him feeling like he's got a new lease on life. Hell, he feels indestructible, right when he finally isn't. So the next story, Reborn, follows him as he realises he needs to relearn how to be a gun-for-hire who can't just rely on getting back up after being taken to pieces, and maybe needs to refresh some basic skills of the trade. That feeds into a couple more stories - Blacklisted, The Salted Earth - but they could all happily have sat in a separate collection under any of their names; it just wouldn't have felt like as fitting a name for a concluding volume as Dead.
The problem is, whatever you want to call that volume-within-a-volume, it's an anticlimax, even beyond the obvious level. Yes, we knew Deadpool wouldn't really be dead at the end of this, but he still could have wrapped up on a better note than going through the motions one more time with various foes from his past, many of whom I barely remembered, if that (honourable exception: Hit-Monkey). It doesn't even look that good; the various artists converge on that somewhat distorted style that Humberto Ramos still gets away with, but otherwise looks dated in the way only the recent past can. An ignoble end to an otherwise classic run.
April 2, 2024
Not only is this volume as long as my... arm (that's what she said), but it's heavy on the text too. And penciled by several artists. The very last issue is, by far, the ugliest one in the whole series. Though I skimmed some dialogue, I'm glad I read this volume. It's funny enough and highlights Deadpool's mad killin' skillz and funny dialogue. If you're a fan, don't miss it.
Deadpool wants to die. After seeing what a mysterious serum did to Evil Deadpool in the previous volume, Deadpool wants the same outcome for himself. As in, a loss of healing factor, followed by death. He gets X-Force, Bob, Daken, Kingpin and Tombstone involved. There are references to a game of chess, but Deadpool intends to not play by the rules.
Deadpool wants to die. After seeing what a mysterious serum did to Evil Deadpool in the previous volume, Deadpool wants the same outcome for himself. As in, a loss of healing factor, followed by death. He gets X-Force, Bob, Daken, Kingpin and Tombstone involved. There are references to a game of chess, but Deadpool intends to not play by the rules.
Read
March 31, 2025over all, fine. i've been struggling a bit with these later volumes, but i mostly enjoyed this one. it had a strong start, i liked the idea of seeing wade deal with not having a healing factor, although i felt that could have been a little more interesting. the ending felt mostly satisfying to me.
my biggest quibble: did the writers just,, forget that wade has cancer? that's why he looks like that, becuz his healing factor is at odds with his cancer. in fact, they acknowledge his cancer in the first arc of the series, during secret invasion. so,, what happened to it? just not convenient to the arc i suppose lmao.
also, what happened to bob!?
my biggest quibble: did the writers just,, forget that wade has cancer? that's why he looks like that, becuz his healing factor is at odds with his cancer. in fact, they acknowledge his cancer in the first arc of the series, during secret invasion. so,, what happened to it? just not convenient to the arc i suppose lmao.
also, what happened to bob!?
June 13, 2018
After learning that there's a serum that can turn him mortal, Deadpool enacts an elaborate plan to get himself killed. Using Bob and the X-force as pawns, Deadpool successfully gets injected with the serum. But soon after he becomes powerless again he realizes he likes being alive.
However, after a botched hit, his enemies figure out that he's killable again. Now everyone that he's ever ticked off is put to get him.
In the end he finds out that the serum was temporary and soon he will be immortal again.
However, after a botched hit, his enemies figure out that he's killable again. Now everyone that he's ever ticked off is put to get him.
In the end he finds out that the serum was temporary and soon he will be immortal again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2024
I'll admit, I'm not really a Deadpool fan, but I did enjoy the first couple of issues in this. It seemed to forget where it was going after a little while, and it felt like there were dropped plotlines in the middle. The plot involving Wade causing problems for X-Force and Bob, which I thought would wrap into the end of the storyline, mysteriously vanish for a bunch of other Z list characters to get involved. As far as my research, the ending here is where the comic ended for sometime too which felt very disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2017
Deadpool's goal is to be injected with the same serum that took out his evil twin so that he can die. He convinces a few other heroes to join up including Wolverine who has his own reasons for not wanting a serum that can take out a healing factor in villainous hands.
Obviously Deadpool gets injected, I don't really think that's a spoiler...and he loses his healing factor is goes back to looking hot. Guess what? A Deadpool that can't heal isn't as much fun.
Obviously Deadpool gets injected, I don't really think that's a spoiler...and he loses his healing factor is goes back to looking hot. Guess what? A Deadpool that can't heal isn't as much fun.
April 4, 2022
The actual "Dead" arc of this book? Excellent. DP realizing he wants to live by finally getting the option to die was perfect. I even sort of like the copout of "it's temporary" to get him back in the game in the end. But it very quickly became obvious that Daniel Way's mediocre writing continues despite his occasional strokes of genius. The rest of this book was not worth reading, and I skipped whole issues just so I can finally get to my personal favorite run of the character.
March 22, 2022
Man, the artists' styles changed so much in this collection that at one point, I honestly didn't even recognize Deadpool.
March 13, 2025
AAA LOVED..
Also I do not find unmutated Wade as attractive,,,
Anyway him gaining some will to live back!!
L Tray. Also glad he's normal again but evil deadpool ain't needed..😭
Also I do not find unmutated Wade as attractive,,,
Anyway him gaining some will to live back!!
L Tray. Also glad he's normal again but evil deadpool ain't needed..😭
January 20, 2013
This final volume of Daniel Way's Deadpool run showcases everything that makes his run what it is; some issues are superb, whilst others are garbage, making for an inconsistent experience from start to finish.
The titular Dead arc is ambitious, with Wade drawing the Uncanny X-Force and numerous villains into a war over the serum that could finally kill Deadpool. The story becomes overly complex to the point of confusing, and this is detrimental overall with the final conclusion feeling rushed and unconvincing.
From here we head into the Reborn arc, which is the worst of the four arcs in this trade, with a meandering and pointless storyline that does nothing at all. The Blacklisted arc follows, which starts out strong, but soon dives in quality to an unsatisfying conclusion.
The Salted Earth arc that ends the trade is its saving grace; despite an abrupt ending, this arc shows how far Deadpool has come, and the first issue of this arc is possibly one of the best that Way has written.
Artistically, this trade is also inconsistent. Carlo Barberi, Salva Espin, and even Filipe Andrade bring some surprisingly good depictions to the proceedings, whilst Shawn Crystal's contributions are too muted to be effective. Dave Johnson's covers remain amazing throughout however.
Way's Deadpool ends the way it always has - fleeting moments of excellence surrounded by turd. A shame, but to be expected at this point.
The titular Dead arc is ambitious, with Wade drawing the Uncanny X-Force and numerous villains into a war over the serum that could finally kill Deadpool. The story becomes overly complex to the point of confusing, and this is detrimental overall with the final conclusion feeling rushed and unconvincing.
From here we head into the Reborn arc, which is the worst of the four arcs in this trade, with a meandering and pointless storyline that does nothing at all. The Blacklisted arc follows, which starts out strong, but soon dives in quality to an unsatisfying conclusion.
The Salted Earth arc that ends the trade is its saving grace; despite an abrupt ending, this arc shows how far Deadpool has come, and the first issue of this arc is possibly one of the best that Way has written.
Artistically, this trade is also inconsistent. Carlo Barberi, Salva Espin, and even Filipe Andrade bring some surprisingly good depictions to the proceedings, whilst Shawn Crystal's contributions are too muted to be effective. Dave Johnson's covers remain amazing throughout however.
Way's Deadpool ends the way it always has - fleeting moments of excellence surrounded by turd. A shame, but to be expected at this point.
October 3, 2015
A good (if slightly drawn out) ending. A lot of quintessential Deadpool. I love that being able to be killed makes him feel more alive as he battles the Black trifecta of Black Box, Black Swan, and Black Tom Cassady. The revenge angle of agent Kemp was nice but I wasn't a huge fan of bringing T-Ray and Slayback back. They're really not that interesting. Can't they just stay dead?
My biggest disappointment (which has been the most frustrating thing to me throughout the series) is that they brought in a new artist FOR THE LAST ISSUE! Of all the issues to do that for why would you do it for the last one? The Medina to Barbieri transition was subtle enough that it worked and Salva Espin was similar enough that it didn't cause too much of a problem but Shawn Crystal was a perpetual step out of the series visually and Filipe Andrade pencilling the final issue was a punch in the gut. Nothing to do with his art, just his style contrast within the series continuity.
This leads directly into the Duggan/Posehn series which I don't recall having the same artistic issues during transitions.
My biggest disappointment (which has been the most frustrating thing to me throughout the series) is that they brought in a new artist FOR THE LAST ISSUE! Of all the issues to do that for why would you do it for the last one? The Medina to Barbieri transition was subtle enough that it worked and Salva Espin was similar enough that it didn't cause too much of a problem but Shawn Crystal was a perpetual step out of the series visually and Filipe Andrade pencilling the final issue was a punch in the gut. Nothing to do with his art, just his style contrast within the series continuity.
This leads directly into the Duggan/Posehn series which I don't recall having the same artistic issues during transitions.
April 23, 2016
Last collection of Daniel Way's stuff. I think. At any rate it wraps up this arc.
Deadpool...he goes from a guy who chases after the money because he doesn't know what else to chase after, to a guy who chases after death because he has enough money. It'd be depressing if he were so enjoyably insane.
Throughout the series, he puts himself back together, or rather cuts out the parts that have been poisoning him, leaving something fractured but almost decent behind. Then he cuts too far, cutting out his healing factor and betraying the people he wants to have help him, playing them like a screwed-up chess game.
What will be left when the smoke clears and the bullets stop flying?
Hard to say...
Deadpool...he goes from a guy who chases after the money because he doesn't know what else to chase after, to a guy who chases after death because he has enough money. It'd be depressing if he were so enjoyably insane.
Throughout the series, he puts himself back together, or rather cuts out the parts that have been poisoning him, leaving something fractured but almost decent behind. Then he cuts too far, cutting out his healing factor and betraying the people he wants to have help him, playing them like a screwed-up chess game.
What will be left when the smoke clears and the bullets stop flying?
Hard to say...
December 20, 2015
This entire run was so chaotic and it took me ages to finish. It had some of the worst Deadpool stories I've ever read, but it had however, the best Deadpool story I've read. I am referring to the 'Dead' arc, in which I think the author captured Wade's thought turmoil wonderfully. It was very sad and thought provoking. And then it got back to being chaotic and without any sense, and I also feel that last Taskmaster's appearances were quite mischaracterised. I understand now why fans aren't really big on this series, the jokes were rarely funny and I felt most intrigued by story when Deadpool got serious (like he did in the 'Dead' story arc). I give it 4 stars exclusively because of that story.
September 10, 2014
This was quite long, but fun and engaging. There were some really amusing parts (my favorite was the part about pimp articles, which literally made me laugh out loud). It sets up an ending and restart of sorts for Deadpool, bringing in nods to lots of history for the character and some fun action sequences. It had an awful lot of what I like about the character, and was well-paced and engaging throughout. A fine ending to this volume.
December 14, 2012
*Spoilers* I really enjoyed the beginning of the arc where he is trying to die but it really goes downhill when he actually loses his powers. I was pretty disappointed with what follows. I found the ending to be at least slightly redemptive. Definitely not as entertaining as the other arcs in the series.
September 11, 2016
Some of the issues were big hits and others were misses. This isn't my favorite Deadpool graphic novel I've ever read, but overall I liked it pretty well. I did find it a little bit confusing, but once again I probably should have read the previous graphic novels instead of jumping around. It was silly and there were a lot of plot twists, everything you'd expect from Deadpool.
October 3, 2013
i didnt get to read all of the issues that made up the story arc, but i read four of them and from what i did read it was pretty good. Probably among the best deadpool comics ive read, but this one had less comedy then you usually see from deadpool. since deadpool is my favorite marvel character i had to get this arc, and even though i couldnt complete it i really enjoyed it.
August 25, 2014
Loved it.
I have always enjoyed the idea of immortals trying to meet their final death. This storyline gives you the focus of a superhero and maintains the amazing dialogue we have come to love.
Read it!
I have always enjoyed the idea of immortals trying to meet their final death. This storyline gives you the focus of a superhero and maintains the amazing dialogue we have come to love.
Read it!
October 25, 2012
after years of undeserved dedication to this series, it ends with a lackluster, confusing and lazy bang. Good riddance!
January 21, 2013
Take it back Marvel! TAKE IT BACK! This one sucked so hard and wtf with that ending? ARGH! Horrible storyline and horrible drawings (Save for Carlo Barberi who is a DP genius).
July 14, 2013
I didn't quite get the ending, but whatever, it was fun as hell :D
September 21, 2013
Daniel Way plays with action figures.
May 3, 2014
Individual issues on marvel unlimited
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