The infamous “Killogy” series by author Cullen Bunn that gathers the titles: “Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe”, “Killustrated”, and “Deadpool Kills Deadpool”, and illustrated by Dalibor Talajic, Matteo Lolli, and Salva Espin respectively, all depicting Deadpool at his most insane and meta; Wade has gained a fully aware consciousness, and he now realizes he’s just a fictional character, therefore, he starts a rampage against the entire “Marvel Universe”, although, not the main 616 one. He embarks on a quest to end every single character not only from the comic book universe he belongs to, but also every single character coming out of the most important works of literature, such as Don Quixote, Tom Sawyer, Moby Dick (including both, Captain Ahab, and Ishmael), Sherlock Holmes, and many others, culminating with a multi-versal clash between all existing versions of Deadpool all with the main goal of eradicating the entire existence, since he’s the origin of everything, according to one of the Watchers.
I have the feeling this is the main referential work when it comes to fans of the character because of the whole meta-humor and references delivered by Bunn. Deadpool’s awareness is quite famous when it comes to his distinction as a character breaking the mold of the fourth wall, and the mockery and commentary towards the industry, and “Marvel Comics” in general. Perhaps the concept behind this whole “Deadpool kills this or that” writes itself, taking into consideration the character’s personality, but the entire reason behind it builds little by little within each title. The final result is a comic book that, while heavily entertaining, and action-packed, never balances either seriousness, action, referential humor, and plot, instead, its main priority is to simply create spectacle as an action-comedy that abuses the “fanservice” concept of the whole “Versus” factor.
For starters, some of the kills performed in the first series (…Kills the Marvel Universe) lack sense and logic, considering Deadpool’s ability to regenerate himself, the methods he uses for taking out certain key characters have a strong questionable value to them. To have Deadpool killing Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Galactus, or Magneto offscreen doesn’t really help, either, but some of the action sequences depicted against others, such as “Spider-Man”, “Thor”, “the X-Men”, etc., lack sense and truthful understanding of how these characters operate. Bunn never takes this premise seriously since there’s not much of a depth or stakes inside the plot, even if Talajic artwork delivers the panels and the action in the right ways.
The next entry is “Killustrated”, and I’ll admit, that’s when things got really interesting in concept; Deadpool realizes most of the “Marvel Comics” gallery of characters are mostly inspired by some of the most important characters from classic literature, therefore, he somehow gets inside those works, and starts to fight against them. While the idea feels a little reminiscent of Alan Moore’s “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” but, like, without neurons, the idea of having Marvel’s main parody anti-hero being the one fighting against literature’s most relevant creations, and not only that, but having them being the main reference for the creation of some of the most important heroes in the company is nice and fun, not necessarily super creative in terms of storytelling, but as a gag it does work, and offers something familiar, but unique all at once. Matteo Lolli does a fine job recreating these famous characters, and the action between Deadpool and them feels fresh and engaging, while hilarious at the same time. Easily the best entry in the trilogy,
The final title, “Deadpool Kills Deadpool” returns to the generic comic book galore of exploiting the “multiversal” concept of having several versions of the same character in the same story. The variety is always enjoyable, and back then the concept wasn’t that overly exploited (take into consideration “Spider-Verse” came a year after), but Bunn doesn’t offer anything more than, well, a bunch of Deadpools killing each other, being the highlight of the title the aesthetical “variety”, although, Salva Espin art doesn’t offer anything outstanding or memorable visually speaking. Is your typical “by-the-numbers” plotline in which a common threat gathers a group of similar characters to protect the universe. Simple as that. It was nice that it respects the continuity with the previous titles, and the clarification that the main Deadpool from 616 is the main protagonist this time around was helpful. Aside from that, there’s not much to it, not even in the gags and the action. You have seen these sequences plenty of times, and the humor, unfortunately, doesn’t land. It’s a matter of “love it or hate it" when it comes to Deadpool and his meta-references, but at this point in the trilogy, it results in an exhausting experience.
In the end, it is as much of a disposable lecture as one might expect out of a multiversal premise in a Deadpool plot. It isn’t boring, and I don’t regret reading it. In fact, the best entry is by far “Killustrated”, and maybe if the rest of the titles were as creative and funny as this one, this “Killogy” would’ve been a true standout in the Deadpool collection. I do see why this is mainly referenced by newcomers and die-hard fans, but truth be told there’s not much out of the core idea that can make this one of Marvel’s best crossover events. One could argue is another case of “style versus substance” in terms of plot.