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Rhetoric and Writing Studies Master's student at San Diego State University. Passionate about all things pop-culture, especially comics, anime, and graphic novels! (o^^o)
What happens when everybody’s favorite wall-crawler and mouthy merc join forces to fight evil doers? Well, there may be a death or two, a dancing duel and dangerous duties to defend against the despicable, deplorable and degenerate-Deadpool and your excessive alliteration! It may be a side effect from reading this comic but it’s definitely worth it to pick up Spidey and Deadpool’s first series together (ever). Spider-man vs. Deadpool: Isn’t it Bromantic? combines wit with webs, and hilarious antics with wicked-cool action all into one!
The Story
The adventure begins with Spider-Man and Deadpool dangling for their lives in the “burning planes of Dormammu” then facing the “hundred-foot-tall maniac made of sewage” known as Hydro-man. They succeed in saving themselves, but not so much in saving starting their friendship or “business relationship.” To make matters worse, Deadpool, in his attempt to become heroically good, is hired to kill Peter Parker who he believes to be Spider-Man’s (secretly evil) boss. The story may be about a budding bromance, but what kind of friendship doesn’t begin with a few backstabbing white lies and a simple-yet-deadly misunderstanding?
The Writing
You may not know what to expect when entering the universe of Wade Wilson and Peter Parker, but Joe Kelly does not disappoint with this latest arc of love and hate. You may love reading it and you may hate waiting for the next issue (sorry not sorry). What readers might appreciate the most is how Kelly balances both types of humor to let the characters speak for themselves all while advancing the plot that is both interesting and entertaining.
“The book is funny, I hope. We’re working on our barometer of good taste. The challenge of the book is that they’re both funny. Spidey is one type of humor; Deadpool is a very different type of humor.” – Joe Kelly
In comedy, there’s something known as the straight man (someone who is portrayed as reasonable and serious) and the funny man (someone who is portrayed as silly or unorthodox) in a duo. Although for the most part these personas remain constant within a character’s personality, in this story, Kelly juggles “straight” and “funny” qualities between both Spider-Man and Deadpool in a seemingly effortless way.
“Neither one of them is the straight man all the time. It’s really fluid. That’s actually one of the fun challenges of the book is trying to find the comedy that works for both…. Both of these characters deserve the spotlight, and they’re going to fight for that spotlight….” – Joe Kelly
The Art
Ed McGuiness has worked on a number of Marvel and DC titles including Avengers #1 – #5 and the best-selling SUPERMAN/BATMAN monthly series. With one look through his Facebook and Deviantart pages you’ll see how passionate he is about his work and it is this passion that shines through the art of all his comics. Isn’t it Bromanitc? truly comes to life in the artistic choices that he makes throughout the panels.
“I love Ed as a person and an artist. Getting the chance to work with him was a major draw for me. He’s one of those guys who is so into what he’s drawing, that energy is infectious.” – Joe Kelly
Rhetoric and Writing Studies Master's student at San Diego State University. Passionate about all things pop-culture, especially comics, anime, and graphic novels! (o^^o)