Deadpool by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection, Volume 3

Deadpool (2008) (Collected Editions) #7-10

by Daniel Way (Writer), Bong Dazo (Illustrator), Sheldon Vella (Illustrator)

Deadpool heads into space to increase his intergalactic cred. Will taking on galactic assassin Macho Gomez and the immense Id the Selfish Moon cement Deadpool as the solar system's best, most ruthless mercenary? Not as far as his "old friends" back on Earth are concerned...Hydra Bob, Big Bertha, Taskmaster and Blind Al all want to claim a piece of his hide! Deadpool flirts with both mortality and sanity as he takes on the incredible Hulk (hoping to die!) and is locked up in an asylum (that could actually help him!)

Collecting: Deadpool 32-49, 33.1, 49.1

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

448 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2014

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought of myself as a Deadpool fan (marvelous movie aside). But Daniel Way's Deadpool was very enjoyable.

In a humor filled (good humor as opposed to the shlock humor I tend to associate with Deadpool comics) volume we see Deadpool have a go at being a good guy. It was creative and smart. Way's humor works well with the Deadpool persona. I can honestly say there were parts of this volume that made me smile. His one liners were well delivered and it worked well and never seemed forced.

So Deadpool runs the whole gamut of adventures from dealing with the Wrecker during an eviction; dealing with the inter-galactic bounty hunter Macho Gomez; the cosmic "Space Oddity" story-line where Deadpool goes galactic with his unique style; tries to commit suicide by fighting the Hulk; gets institutionalized and sees a shrink; deals with a stalker and ,finally, deals with the reputational consequences of having an evil twin (the Cap/Deadpool interactions were quite funny).

Good artwork, clever and funny dialogue and storylines all create a great Deadpool volume. One I am glad to add to my collection. If more Deadpool stories had this quality of humor and writing, I'd likely be more of a Deadpool fan. Highly recommended.

[John McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, especially Evil Deadpool!

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've fallen off the churning machine that is Shallow Readers Buddy Reads theme weeks, and I'm ashamed...

so here for this week, the theme is "XXX" so either porn (which I just look at the pictures, I don't read the words) or people who're associated with X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, X-Calibur, or in this case, Weapon-X



DEADPOOL!

Ummm...

ya.

So Deadpool needs to be taken in small doses, and by a writer who takes him seriously, and doesn't make him into 100% insane and stupid. He's best when he's lucid, making jokes, and being deadly. Stupid fights with Space Bounty Hunters and marrying Hippo Aliens in space? Not so much.

Good stuff: Wade nuking Bruce Banner to make him Hulk up and kill Wade, because Wade had a dream he was in a relationship with Death, who was a hottie in his mind. Hulk literally punches Deadpool so hard he is dead for a week.

Wade and the Wrecker work together to help an old Polish lady get one over on her slum landlords, in exchange for soup.

Wade and Cap interact, turns out there's an Evil Deadpool...ya.

Most of this gets dumber. There's a psychiatrist in the mental hospital who falls for Deadpool and transforms herself...ummm Daniel Way, are you familiar with Dr. Harleen Quinn and her alter ego? Plagiarism. Brutal.

This is pretty silly, and the artwork doesn't help me take it any more seriously. It's also not FUN. That's most of the problem, I didn't laugh, there's not much fun, and Wade doesn't come across very likeable.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I’ll say it again: I love Deadpool. Multiple LOL’s (for reals).

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because this book was really good

[Lukas Sumper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the collections of Daniel Way's Deadpool thus far and Volume 3 the complete collections starts out equally as promising. Without spoiling much (the cover tells you that) Deadpool ventures into space and has his funny moments packed in a enjoyable story.

But as other reviewers here pointed out, in the middle of the book Deadpool gets institutionalized which leads to the most poorly written issues of Deadpool I've read so far, not only does it rank in my top stinkers in my overall comic collection so far (it is that bad!) it also made me genuinely sad. For example making fun of a characters looks and mannerisms and using that as the baseline for the tone of humor for 3 straight issues is pretty weak. My best guess is Daniel Way was writing too long without a break, and when you drag your run out that long this happens. Either way it doesn't completly save itself by the end but instead of being just bad it gets into "being okay" territory again with the arrival of a new character.

With this unfortunate bump I am not giving up on this, and will continue with Vol. 4 of the complete collection. Trust me I don't like to give bad ratings, lets hope it gets good again.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really torn about this one. On the one side Deadpool as a character finally moves forward in a way that makes him interesting again. Not just as a one-liner dropping comedian, but an actually character with goals and motivations. It brings back what I liked so much about the Cable & Deadpool series.
On the other side there is the middle part of the book where Deadpool is institutionalized and we get one of the worst characters in any Marvel comic I've ever read; Dr. Ella Whitby. Well, it's not so much her who is so horrible (she is a pretty shameless Harley Quinn ripoff though), but the way this comic treats her is just disgusting. If you ever asked yourself whether comics have a problem with women look no further. Every other character in this book (all men) calls her fat, ugly, a harpy and a million other things. Her crime? She is assertive, looks rather average and she snorts when she laughs (oh the horror). Luckily, later on we learn that she is actually an insane person who is madly in love with Deadpool so I guess that makes this okay, retroactively? Or something? And Deadpool, who just a few issues ago was married to some giant alien bug-hippo, is also absolutely disgusted by her. After all, one has to have standards and a woman with an average to slightly overweight figure who snorts when she laughs is clearly the most horrible thing he ever had to deal with.... So yeah I could go on and on about this.
The rest of the book is fine, even good, but this just overshadowed everything else.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like some of the Way Deadpool but not all of it. This collection was a mixed bag.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess that I picked up this volume by mistake. I meant to get volume one. I just read the words "The Complete Collection" and thought that was it. What's done is done, but it doesn't really matter when it comes to Deadpool. You can kind of jump in at any time because it's so zany and fun to read anyway. I already read some Deadpool comics before this collection, and I looked into a little of his back story first. He is a tragic, but comical character who does things on his own terms in the most insane ways possible with a lot of fourth wall breaking.

So, in this volume I think I liked the early stories best, the ones in space. Super funny. Later on it starts to unwind a little with the crazy love obsessed psychiatrist and evil Deadpool, but they're still fun reads.

I'm afraid I'll be a fan of Deadpool for life. Once you start on that path, there's no turning back. The Merc with the Mouth is an addictive forming habit. He's my current favorite Marvel character.

[Jaclyn Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pro tip:
Simply calling a character "ugly," "fat," and a "troll" is useless when they aren't drawn that way. Dr. Ella Whitby features pretty heavily in this collection, and just about everyone describes her as a disgusting pig. For a good portion of the story I thought some reveal was coming that would explain why everyone was reacting to her this way. Maybe there was a spell on her or something, because the art does not match the words. But no, we're really supposed to find her hideous.



She's totally normal looking! Later they show her in a more revealing outfit, and she has a few stomach rolls, but she looks like a normal person and not a super sexy comic book character, so she's a beast. Really, her whole handling rubs me the wrong way, and mars a pretty fun comic.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I love the majority of stories present here, the character of Ella Whitby felt a bit too derivative of Harley Quinn and lacks the redemption of the character she seems modeled after. Her presence here mars the overall collection for me, even if, at first, I greatly enjoyed what her presence was adding to the world of the story.

[Steph_d · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again another amazing bunch of story for one of the best Marvel characters haha.
Loved the last few stories the most haha.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

*Book source ~ Library

Again…it’s Deadpool! All trademark Deadpool stuff and I love him. The only reason I took off half a bite is because he’s involved in outer space shenanigans. Funny, but it was stretching it for me. Once again, I love the artwork.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0/5

Everyone seems to be so hung up on the misogyny in the psychiatrist arc. It didn't really bother me given her character in general. She was definitely no saint, which was established early on, and her co-workers probably referred to her as a "shrew" and whatnot because her father owned the institute, and nepotism in general has always been generally frowned upon. She's also very confrontational and often interferes in others' work, and her work ethic isn't exactly "people friendly." I'm not defending the misogyny, but I do find it funny how people feel like they can hate Jaden Smith because his dad shoved him in a few movies (and he IS quite annoying, so there's also that), but because this FICTIONAL psychiatrist is a woman, it's suddenly wrong. And while Harleen Quinzel was obvious inspiration for her character, to call it a full-blown "ripoff" is a bit over-the-top.

I honestly enjoyed that arc, for the most part. It brought on a bit more depth to Mr. 'Pool's character, and while the 'twist' in the follow-up arc following his escape from the institution (not really a spoiler since we know Deadpool never stays in one place for too long) is pretty far-fetched, I felt it was suitable given how freaking far-fetched and ridiculous Deadpool is in general. I also liked the end, and 'Pool's reaction to it.

The rest of the book is good, too. The 'Evil Deadpool' arc was fairly decent. A bit sloppy in parts, but decent. Deadpool goes to space to fight a giant planet-eating moon? Great. He's a merc again? Woohoo. And then he fights a super-strong alien merc and later all of his own friends? Wonderful. I think my favourite arc is when he pursues death, and therefore goes out of his way to piss the Hulk off so much that Hulk will punch him out of existence. It's funny and tragic at the same time.

I don't think this is much worse than Daniel Way's previous two volumes. I think most complaints about it "getting progressively worse" just stems from the fact that for once, Way's run offended some people. Oh well.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm cheating a bit because I didn't get to finish it (I got it from the library and, being in exams, got about 3 issues from the end when I had to return it...and now I'm 47th in queue for it again!). BUT, this was a great read! Deadpool is his comedic self, but actually gets you laughing out loud multiple times. The art is great (even though the artist changes near the end); the individual issues are great and a larger plot carries through. I love Deadpool and this graphic novel gives you the perfect taste of who this character is: badass, funny, and totally messed up while still being an incredible super-figure (not a villain, but not quite a hero either - can't be with his history).
Don't need to read volume 1 and 2 before it - I didn't.
If you want a good introduction into the world of Deadpool, this is a great one to read!

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadpool's still my favorite.

[Jose Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delirante. Delicioso. Brillante. Surrealista. Divertidísimo.

[MonumentToDecency · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard for me. I'm judging myself, and the review hasn't even started yet. I really like Deadpool. Like, a lot. Yeah, and so does everyone (or so they should). Yet, reading this I think I have (once again) discovered that I'm now an adult. Yes, yes, I'm nearly 40. Shush now. I said: shush!


DP actually doesn't care what I think.

I was bored reading this collection. Maybe it's not that I'm an adult. Maybe I've been spoiled by long comics and no longer have the focus for short issues. I knew going in that this was a collection of shorts held together by DP but each issue feels too short, rushed even. One issue (the one just before DP goes to space) even says that they'll just skip to the good bit because they don't have the space to go long.

I want stories with bulk and flesh. This is skin with no bones - like most of the superhero comics I grew up reading. Now I want bones and meat and all that jazz. With the X-Men and DP movies and game we've been given a lump sum of DP. It's hard to go back to tiny installments.

However... This collection is very nicely done. I really enjoyed the art. I missed the cutesy knob on DPs mask. Yes, I know, it's not canon. Does it even matter. DP in recent modern comics ought to have the mask knob. It adds to his cuteness and slices through his meagre masculinity. (I clearly don't know what the heck to call it, so knob it is.)

The stories were fun and adventurous but, as I mentioned, they were too short for me. They were typical DP fare. One of the stories highlights inequality in housing vs corporate profit and greedy landlords. I enjoyed that story a lot, seeing how DP still behaves like a beast while doing the right thing.

The Marvel catalogue is well known for morality and it's great to see that continuing. DP shows that you can be a narcissistic douche but also be good at heart. I think that's why I like him so much. It doesn't come off as trite and moralistic as it does with a certain captain of a country with 52 states whom I shall not name *wink*

For a bit of fun and adventure, a bit of potty mouth and morality, a whole lot of loneliness and emotional neediness, this was a good ride.

My rating: 3 sexy space hippos out of 5

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started off great! As usual Deadpool was absurdly hilarious & making me literally LOL. This book lost me when Deadpool goes to prison for the criminally insane super villains or whatever & meets Dr. Ella Whitby. Supposedly Dr. Whitby is fat & ugly but we’re shown a pretty blond woman who wears loose clothing & glasses, & snorts when she laughs. The worst! Also she’s assertive & doesn’t take any bullshit from her male coworkers. How dare she?! But we’re constantly told by other characters that she’s fat & ugly & a harpy & a pain in the ass, etc so it must be true! Mmmkay. SO incredibly misogynistic. 🙄 AND THEN as if that weren’t bad enough this book pulls a Harley Quinn & makes Dr. Whitby insane herself & in love with Deadpool. COME ON! I couldn’t even finish this book because this storyline just ruins it for me.

[Amy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old Deadpool, always there when I need him to cheer me up. Since the last book I read was seriously emotionally heavy, I decided it would be a good idea to partake in some of the Merc's insane adventures. And they were positively insane. Everything from aliens to asylums to evil twins, this collection had some interesting arcs and definitely focused on the darker side of Deadpool's personality. That isn't to say some of his stories and hijinks aren't hilarious, but, especially at the end, the stories were a bit darker in tone. But each one was still fun and made me smile when I needed it most. And to me, that's what Deadpool's always been about, and best for.

[Hebridean Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Deadpool, and the beginning of this collection in space, is all the things I love about Deadpool, but then the collection descends into the worst kind of misogynistic judgemental crap during the institutionalised section, Deadpool becomes far too lost in his anger, the storylines become confused and it sapped all enjoyment out of it for me. It never really recovered. The last thing we need for the Incel and GamerGate lot is a Deadpool that they can hold up as an icon, and unfortunately that's the stinky vibe given off in this collection.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not as good as the previous ones. Whole in space stuff was boring, mental institution not much better.
Got slightly more interesting at the end with the evil doppelganger made from all his chopped off body parts sewn together, although it's never explained who sewed them together.
Musical episode at the very end was pointless, it's a comic, you can't do a musical version of text, and it just recapped all the previous adventures, guess they had run out of ideas and needed a filler.

[Josie Jaffrey]

A bit of a mixed bag in this collection for me. Some fun bits, some slow bits, some bits that felt like they went a little off the rails. The Dr Whitby stuff really didn’t land - she was a perfectly normal looking woman and having every character make snide jokes about her being fat and ugly was so strange. Really soured this collection for me honestly.
Issue 33.1 was one of my highlights though - loved the old Polish lady.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Against all the odds this is a Deadpool collection with a throughline and a disarmingly melancholic one. This is Deadpool as Hamlet, pondering his mortality and seeking release from its burden. I will stipulate that most manifestations of suicidal ideation do not include pissing off The Hulk in order to get stomped to death, but, hey, it's Deadpool. This was a blast.

[Glaiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is why I love Deadpool.

He makes me laugh more than I can possibly imagine but he also makes me feel things that I can't truly explain.

My heart goes out to this character more than any other fictional character ever.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this collection of stories. Deadpool in space and the introduction of Evil Deadpool are my favorites.

[Adam Weiler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny! I recommend for anyone who enjoys reading about Deadpool's unconventional adventures.

[Mawr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read.

[Steven Abercrombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns, and fun

[Mr. Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way better than the movie. The internal conflict he has is pretty awesome. I guess with cinema it's hard to portray the dialogue he's constantly got going on in his own head.