He’s a violent, anti-hero, witty, and mentally unstable mercenary. He’s Wade Wilson, aka DEADPOOL, the merc with a mouth. And he still has Agent Preston trapped in his head. Preston, for those who don’t know, was a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent that was killed by a dead George Washington in issue #6. Michael, the necromancer that raised the presidents from the dead, was able to transport Agent Preston’s mind into Deadpool’s head. They’re also still hanging with Benjamin Franklin’s ghost.

When Deadpool arrives at the location of Daniel Gump, the guy that’s next in line on the hit list from Vetis (a demon that Deadpool made a deal with to get Michael’s name off the list), Spider-Man surprisingly shows up to take down Gump as well. Deadpool would call this issue a team-up. Spider-Man? No way.

I LOVED this story. It’s Deadpool so you know that violence is a key factor. It is also hilarious. Deadpool annoyed the heck out of Spider-Man the entire time. They’re fighting Gump’s hired super villains, while at the same time Deadpool tries to talk to Spider-Man about joining the Avengers. He also flirts with Spider-Man. A LOT. He even calls him “sweetums.” A very irritated Spider-Man handled Deadpool quite well. I laughed so loud and hard. Twice. Because I read it twice in a row. And I’m going to keep reading this issue whenever I want a good laugh.

WARNING TO PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN: Deadpool is not suitable for young readers. It is violent and gory. Please exercise caution when reading around young children.

Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan are the writers of this funny but violent series, and I think it’s their best issue yet. Dialogue is funny as always. Character interactions are phenomenal. I really like the relationship between Deadpool and Agent Preston. A normal, down to earth woman is stuck in the head of an insane mercenary. The ghost of Benjamin Franklin is very funny. I like when he floated inside of the gentlemen’s club. Spider-Man is as arrogant as ever, and even Deadpool sensed something was different about him (remember he’s Otto Octavius). These creative geniuses have a way of combining violence, comedy and interpersonal relationships into one good story after another.

The art team includes Mike Hawthorne (artist) and Val Staples (colorist). They are excellent visual storytellers. Lifelike characters. Finely detailed with just the right amount of lighting, especially with the explosions and fight scenes. I like the panel where Spider-Man’s reflection is Otto Octavius. I also like how Deadpool’s reflection is Agent Preston. It brought tears to my eyes. The panel with Spider-Man crawling up the wall with Deadpool on his back (and the dialogue) is funny. The funniest are the panels with Deadpool flirting with Spider-Man and pink hearts are floating above Deadpool’s head.

I am still enjoying this Marvel NOW! title and definitely plan to continue reading the series.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

I highly recommend this title for mature readers only.