Deadpool Minibus

Deadpool Minibus

by Cullen Bunn, Dalibor Talajić (Illustrator), Salva Espin (Illustrator)

Deadpool's wildest adventures are collected in one blood-soaked volume! What if Deadpool decided to kill everyone and everything that makes up the Marvel Universe? What if he followed that up by slaughtering the most famous fictional characters in classic literature? And what if he finally took aim at the ultimate target: himself? You'd have the fan-favorite "Deadpool Killogy," that's what! But when Deadpool battles Deadpool, will he win or perish? Yes! Then: Deadpool awakens from a food coma to find...the zombie apocalypse has occurred! Can the Merc with Mouth avoid becoming the Merc in their mouths?! And when Deadpool takes on Carnage, good-crazy battles bad-crazy, blood will flow--and Deadpool will literally go to pieces! COLLECTING: Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe 1-4, Deadpool Illustrated 1-4, Deadpool Kills Deadpool 1-4, Night of the Living Deadpool 1-4, Deadpool vs. Carnage 1-4

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Humor, Comics Manga, X Men

480 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2014

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

[Jan Kjellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sort of stopped reading superhero comics around when Sam Raimi started making Spiderman movies. Technology was on the verge of giving movies the possibilities so far exclusive to superhero comics and the following years gave us the X-men, the Watchmen, the Avengers and a host of related or other superhero-movies better suited to enjoy with beer and greasy fingers, than your average comicbook.

Thus, I had completely missed the rise of Deadpool to Marvel fame. I had heard of him, and seen the Gangnam Style video on youtube. But I hadn't quite got the point. He seemed to me to be a comic relief to a Marvel universe that had - since the mid 90's something - started to become a darker, social realist (anyone remember Tony Starks alcoholism?) narrative. A universe more and more like our own, with heroes more and more complex - or nuanced. More grown up and adapted to an audeience that might also have grown up. But also not as fun anymore. "Why so seriousss", as a famous DC villain once said, while at the same time being made exactly that by Cristopher Nolan and Heath Ledger.

And do need to state that I'm still enjoying the realism that has crept into the world of superheroes. After all, that's what made me love Spidey from the start. His constant struggle to be able to be both Peter Parker and Spiderman at the same time. And there is lots of kudos to the host of writers struggling to form this mass of decontextualized comics into something coherent. To write (or rewrite) the complete history of the superhero universe.

Enter Deadpool.

Not knowing where to start, I first tried to find the birth of Deadpool or some similar starting point. But I ended up with this collection of four stories with a flavour that immediately appealed to me: "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe", "Deadpool Killustrated", "Deadpool Kills Deadpool" and "Night of the living Deadpool" - with "Deadpool vs. Carnage" as a nice bonus.

This was madness. Not my choice, but the content. With a total disregard for everything I've mentioned above regarding the evolve of the Marvel Universe, Deadpool balances on the edge of heresy when not only killing everyone and everything (including himselves) in an over-the-top all-out gorefest, but also breaking the (in?)famous fourth wall when acknowledging the fact that he´s a fictional character. And I love it!

Without getting so much into the stories themselves, the appeal of them (and Deadpool himself) lies in the aforementioned relief. Not necessarily comic relief, though, but rather a relief from the increasing rigidity following the ordering and contextualization of the Marvel universe. Suddenly, everything is possible again. Suddenly, there is hope of being surprised for real again.

I realize I have longed for my superheroes to be able to act without having their actions reverberate over to some other heroes' domain. To let them have their own place in the spotlight. Of course, there is a valid as well as creative point in creating a Marvel or DC universe, but it has come with the cost of a more limited space to act within. And I feel that Deadpool manages to counteract this effect. At least somewhat.

Because while reading the Deadpool Minibus, I get the sense that this is Wade "Deadpool" Wilson imagining the whole thing from a most likely padded cell somewhere. Living in his own schizophrenic dreamworld, totally unable to exist in the real world (or the real Marvel universe, that is).

And, while that thought might be just as depressingly social realist as Tony Stark's alcoholism, it also gives Deadpool a well deserved place in that same universe.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest. I gave up on this one pretty fast. I only read the first 2.5 of the 5 "Deadpool Kills" stories collected here, but I can't imagine they suddenly go from "horrible garbage" to "glorious diamonds," so I'm gonna assume I'm mostly right.

I'd been a little worried about this collection back when I first encountered some of Cullen Bunn's one-off Deadpool stories, which were full of mediocre-at-best jokes and weak premises. And now that I've finally read (most of) this, I don't feel any different.

Now, that said, the setup for the first story, "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe," is actually pretty great. Playing off of Deadpool's fourth-wall breaking tendency, Bunn constructs a story where Deadpool has fully realized that he is a comic book character, only adhering to the path laid out to him by a bunch of unseen writers. Having "woken up," he's actually the only person in the entire Marvel Universe that's correct about his existence. I found that premise very cool and ripe for meta commentary on comics and a little dash of predestination for good measure.

Instead, Deadpool just decides to kill everyone in the Marvel Universe. Why? Who knows! He never explains himself. He just goes on a killing spree, murdering every superhero with abandon. Why would this do anything to stop the writers or change his own destiny? Never explained. It's basically just an excuse to watch Deadpool commit a bunch of "creative" murders against All Your Favorite Heroes.

Even this might be fun if the killings actually seemed possible. But, Deadpool's only real power is being unkillable. This definitely doesn't make him strong or smart enough to kill the Fantastic Four or Hank Pym or the Hulk or any of the dozens of superheroes he slaughters. I know we're dealing with a comic book here, but none of this makes any sense even by comics logic.

Additionally, it's not funny, and I don't think it's even meant to be? I couldn't tell, really, but it didn't feel like all this killing was being played for comedy as much as it was being played for intensity, and sorry, but Deadpool needs to be funny first and foremost or what's even the point.

Now, apply most of the same logical problems and unexplained plotlines to the other stories in this collection. Deadpool Killustrated is a direct continuation of the first story, where now Deadpool is killing off All Your Favorite Public Domain Fictional Characters for some reason. Supposedly this will allow him to finally defeat the writers by killing their inspiration, but, spoiler alert, he killed the writers at the end of the first story, so which writers does he feel the need to defeat now? This story also doesn't work, and the kills aren't entertaining enough on their own to hold this thing up, so I'd say to just move on and forget this one, too.

Then I reached "Deadpool Kills Deadpool," which is a collection of inside jokes for Deadpool fans that I got so fed up with so fast that I quit reading this entire book.

Deadpool is done. This is a character that has been completely destroyed by years of bad writing and character destruction, and I just don't think he can be saved. Even the best writers around have a hard time making him interesting or fun again. I wish Deadpool really would kill Deadpool. Then we could all move on.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a Deadpool fan and I really enjoyed this. I feel like the merc with the mouth is an acquired taste. His jokes are campy and blunt, and he says the worst things at the worst times. I decided to read this collection since it was Bunn writing it. The mini series collected here can be read with limited Deadpool backstory and I was able to follow everything just fine. I don't plan on picking up any of the other Minibuses, but I would want to read Night of the Living Deadpool 2 to find out how it finishes...I with they just put it in this collection!

[Seroxx83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Remxo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe ★★
Deadpool Killustrated ★★
Deadpool Kills Deadpool ★★★
Deadpool vs Carnage ★★★
Night of the Living Deadpool ★★★

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and Deadpool Killustrated is meta storytelling taken just a step too far. The remaining three stories were just okay.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

the merc with a mouth lives up to his hype. funny, gory, well drawn. makes you mad that deadpool was screwed up so badly in the wolverine: origins movie.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This extensive collection of Deadpool miniseries covers the complete gambit of the Merc with a Mouth's 'metaphysical' (or metaphysi-Kill as some fans call it) storyline. Five miniseries make up this massive volume of nearly 500 pages. The best way to describe this book in detail is to break down each miniseries contained within.

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe- In the grand tradition of a Marvel icon murdering everyone in the Marvel Universe, something in Wade Wilson snaps and he goes on the murdering rampage to end of murdering rampages that is until...
Deadpool Kills Deadpool- It seems that in his quest to destroy all of the characters of the Marvel Universe, Deadpool forgot to kill off all of his alternate universe selves. As two teams merge, it becomes a wisecracking round of the deadliest game meets Highlander, filled with some of the most outrageous incarnations of the hired hand ever devised. Can you say 'Deadpool Panda?'
Deadpool Killustrated- Though Deadpool has killed off the Marvel Universe as well as the infinite incarnations of himself, Wade learns that unless his kills the tropes that inspired the Marvel Universe, it will never be destroyed. Thus, Deadpool will wipe out all of your favorite classic characters from Tom Sawyer to Dracula. No book too popular is unsafe from this raving lunatic!
Deadpool Vs. Carnage- Somehow the Marvel Universe survived Deadpool's onslaught and all is right with the multiverse. That is until Deadpool starts to get this weird itch in the deepest darkest recesses of his brain. See, it turns out there's another who wants to see the wanton destruction of everything- one Cletus Kasady... AKA Carnage and this guy's insanity just may give Deadpool a run for his money.
Night of the Living Deadpool- The final events of Deadpool's battle with Carnage has sent him to an alternate timeline in which zombies have taken over the world. This universe's only hope is... Aunt May Parker??? If you thought you had seen everything the Marvel Zombies storyline could offer- think again! This mash-up of The Walking Dead, A Boy and his Dog, and Multiplicity will leave you laughing you @$$ off while checking to make sure that bump you heard outside was just the wind.

Cullen Bunn takes on just about everything known to man in this huge tome. Classics, superheroes, zombies, mass murderers- if it happened, it's here. There's a slew of artists on tap such as Sean Parsons and Salva Espin and everyone's work is quite good. But my favorite has to be the stellar Classics Illustrated parody covers of Mike Del Mundo (Deadpool Killustrated) and the zombie film parody covers by Jay Shaw (Night of the Living Deadpool.)

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe was perhaps the weakest of all the stories. I felt that it was a little too metaphysical at times and when I read Deadpool, I want to laugh, not have to attend a lecture on philosophy. I was quite surprised at the quality of the Carnage story. I thought that it was just going to be pointless scenes of death and gore- and sometimes it was. But as a whole, it was a very interesting look at a character (Carnage) that I just have never really had any interest in prior.

With a cover price of $59.99, this book is a little steep. But considering how much purchasing all five miniseries individually in either trade form or individual issues, this price might just be worth it. Or, you can get lucky like I did, find it at a used book store and pay a fraction of the cost.

Tons of Deadpool craziness lurks inside and it's all very much Worth Consuming!

[Omnibuster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first DP book and it was a welcomed read after tackling Johns’ Green Lantern run.

The book collects several 4-issue mini-series by Bunn that seem completely disconnected but they actually seem to be in chronological order and reference previous series.

There’s nothing revolutionary here but it’s all silliness and over-the-top fun. I really dig DP’s quest to find the source of inspiration of the Marvel Universe and kill it.

If you need a breather from a long run of books or something that won’t exhaust you, try this Minibus!

[Bryan Crossley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!!! Deadpool is one of the most versatile comic book characters, in this mini bus Deadpool kills the marvel universe fights carnage and even saves the world from the undead. Because it's a Deadpool comic it's filled with violence and dark comedy and all the right places definitely recommend reading this minibus.

[Caleb Abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun collection. The Killogy of Kills the Marvel Universe, Killustrated, and Kills Deadpool is definitely the best part of the collection but Deadpool vs Carnage and Night of the Living Deadpool were also perfectly entertaining.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Docked a bit because there's never any point to a story involving Carnage. The rest is variable, though often funny and smart in a snarky way.

[Kelsey Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this. The best "What if" Deadpool story

[Tim Tolbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent art. Mediocre writing.

[b (tobias forge's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent years seeing out of context Deadpool panels floating around the Internet, always intending to actually read Deadpool at some point. It seemed like if I had a chance of getting into anything vaguely superhero-y, Deadpool would be it. But I'm great at procrastinating, so it took me until after seeing the movie to check out the comic. Oops.

This is the first and only Deadpool I've read, so I'm probably not the best person to review it. That said, I found all the arcs collected here to be very fun and funny in the best kind of irreverent, bloody, surprisingly deep way. Deadpool becoming aware of his existence as a fictional construct and deciding to destroy the entire Marvel universe to release everyone from the miserable cycle of continuity? And then realizing that he needs to kill the classic archetypes underpinning all later fiction to create a cataclysmic ripple effect all the way up to superheroes? And then killing an infinity of alternate universe Deadpools? Yes, please. That's the kind of crazy shit I want.

Deadpool vs. Carnage read more like the typical sausage party that a lot of mainstream comics feel like to me, so it wasn't my thing as much. But it's followed by Night of the Living Deadpool, which is satisfyingly stylish enough to distract from its minor pacing issues.

So, yeah. Not sure if this was the right place to start with Deadpool, but I've started, and I love it, and I want more.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The question with a good Deadpool comic seems to be not whether he will say crazy things (he will) or take a somewhat random-seeming yet effective approach to accomplishing his goals, no matter how terrible (he will), but in what direction the meta, fourth-wall-breaking elements will go. Good Deadpool writers seem to take it as a kind of personal challenge to come up with some completely unrelated way to do this. The various storylines collected here are all vastly different and don't always come into view until the very end of the storyline, but all are fun and very nearly brilliant. The fact that they're all packed into one volume seems to make the contrasts even more enjoyable.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deadpool is a character that has a lot of hype but after this my opinion, no matter how unpopular it is, is simply he is so not for me. He's like that annoying punk that you can't escape from. HATED the Kill stories (2nd selection of issues) I found the Zombie issues interesting which is the only reason this collection isnt rated a 1 or 2.

[Pryscila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Deadpool quickly becoming one of my favorite characters as I read this graphic novel. He's a wack job who breaks the forth wall and cracks jokes the entire book. The concept of the story alone is fantastic and for Deadpool to have become the last "superhero" is quite an adventure. I also loved seeing characters for literature interact with the marvel world!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a three and a half star book in my opinion. Not a huge fan of deadpool. I liked Deadpool kills the Marvel universe, and Night of the living deadpool. the other two stories not so much. But a good sampler of deadpool to try out if You haven't read a lot of it before.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely over the top as far as comic book stories go but exactly what I hoped for from a Deadpool comic.

[Johan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome compilation of all things Deadpool and an awesome read at that

[Jacky · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 books of Deadpool fan service conveniently collected into one well printed book.