Deadpool Month: Was it a Success?

Deadpool Month has come and gone. For some it was over too quickly and provided much fun. For others it was just another ploy by Marvel to get regular readers to buy more. But, what was it for? And was it a success?

First, let's look at the individual titles released for the month. Deadpool#0 was great, funny, but was short and packaged with Wizard, which means more money for less. Deadpool and Widdle Wade had some great scenes, but fell down a bit in the story department. It was still definitely worth buying. Baby's First Deadpool seemed a bit dry and wasn't quite as humorous as I'd hoped. The art was good, but this one could've been skipped if you weren't a die-hard fan. Encyclopaedia Deadpoolica basically summarised every issue of the Deadpool monthly and the two limited series. It had some interesting 'Behind the Scenes' notes, but would have been much better if it included a record of each comic Deadpool has appeared in, as was advertised in some places. So, you could've skipped this if you already had the comics summarised. Finally, there was Deadpool #23 which was the pick of the bunch for many reasons. If you missed this you should be considering a short trip off a tall building. The slight complaint is that the art seemed a little rushed in places. So, that was what Deadpool Month was, but what was the purpose?

Well, primarily I think the purpose for Deadpool month was to sell more comics. Secondary, to that was to save the Deadpool monthly from extinction. And lastly it was to trial an idea that could be possibly used with other characters. So, if this was the purpose, was it successful? And did the readers get ripped off in the process?

Well, a simple answer, yes and no. Yes, it was successful more comics were sold, Deadpool could teeter back from the brink of cancellation and I wouldn't be surprised to see Captain America month soon. And at least two of these were great outcomes, because they mean a great series continues. And yea, it was also a great time for new readers to jump aboard. But, I think the Deadpool quality bar was dropped a bit with some of the specials. And thus, the loyal Deadpool reader was ripped off just a tad. It just didn't seem like the specials were done as well as they could've been, especially when compared to the monthly (which has been excellent since issue#1!).

But, if I was asked the question "Would you like another Deadpool month?", I would stand tall, with my hand on my heart and answer: "HIT ME WITH IT BABY!"

By Spidermad