Deadpool Epic Collection, Vol. 4: Dead Reckoning

Deadpool Epic Collection

by Joe Kelly, James Felder (Writer), Walter McDaniel (Illustrator)

The exciting climax of Joe Kelly's iconic Deadpool run!

As the world-ending threat that LL&L have been preparing Deadpool to fight looms, Wade struggles with a crisis of conscience. Can he really be the Mithras, prophesied to save the world? Not to worry, LL&L has a possible replacement all lined up: Captain America! The aftermath of this cosmic conflict leaves Deadpool more unstable than usual -- but when a familiar woman from his past returns, everything Wade Wilson knows about himself will be called into question! Now he must brace for revelations, recriminations and a very personal final battle against his worst enemy, T-Ray! Plus: Therapy sessions with Dr. Bong! And Deadpool crosses swords with Batroc, Bullseye, Wolverine, the pint-sized assassin Widdle Wade -- and the lamest dead people in the Marvel Universe!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men

472 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2023

About the author

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Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.

[Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume concludes Joe Kelly's legendary Deadpool run. I really enjoyed this! Probably my second favourite run on Deadpool after Posehn and Duggan.

The main focus on this book is concluding two long-running plots. The LL&L plot where Deadpool is the prophesized savior who will make way for a golden age of humanity, and the T-Ray plot where we learn the secrets of Wade's biggest rival. Both have some great twists and both put Deadpool through an emotional rollercoaster. There were a few fun issues sprinkled in as well to break up the more serious ones.

The entire Joe Kelly Deadpool run takes place within Deadpool Epic Collections 2, 3 and 4. These 3 epics are the definitive take on Deadpool and the most important stories for those interested in the character. If you're wanting to start reading Deadpool, you can't go wrong with these.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the Mithras plot was kinda weird, but at least interesting. I was way less interested in the whole Mercedes is his wife but no really its T-Ray's wife story. I'm already sick of the number of pre-Merc origin stories he has - first it was Vanessa and cancer, then apparently he was a fucking Sumo wrestler in Japan, and now he's a hippy in a cabin with his wife. Enough already. And then the twist that it was actually T-Ray and Deadpool is really a psychopath who didn't remember he wasn't Wade Wilson? That just hit completely wrong. It almost felt like Joe Kelly was pissed he got removed from the book and was trying to destroy everything he had done on the way out the door.

Honestly, I got to the end of Joe Kelly's run and I didn't think much of it.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

And so the first ongoing series for Deadpool ends with this last of 3 Epic Collections. It's the culmination of the Landau, Luckman, and Lake plotline that's been going on since the beginning of the book. That's Wade's slated to stop the end of the world by Tiamat to usher in an era of bliss with the entrance of the Messiah. It's honestly not the best story as you can see exactly where this is headed. Then of course, T-Ray returns one last time to get his revenge on Deadpool. The revelations in the last issue of the series are a bit dumb and if any writers pursued them things would be quite different with the character. All in all just an OK set of comics here from Joe Kelly with Pete Woods and Walter McDaniel as the main artists.