#q&c

Hi! :D

I've got a bad habit of dropping off the radar now and again, sorry.

I think I was about 17 when I started reading Deadpool. Like a lot of people, my first introduction to Deadpool was online. I’d seen references to him throughout the years and thought he was pretty damn funny. I’d been reading comics on and off since the age of 12, and thought I’d give him a chance – although I was a bit put off by people who dismissed him as a joke character, or lacking depth. (Which is a load of crap.)

I love Deadpool because he is consistently hilarious but also because there’s a lot of substance behind that humour. He’s damn interesting. His morals and alignment are often ambiguous. He’s complicated. The sad clown, the heroic mercenary. I’ve gone into depth about the relationship between tragedy and comedy in Deadpool comics, if you’re interested.

And he is so likeable and light-hearted most of the time that when he is serious or sad it makes a real impact.

On a more personal note, my appreciation for Deadpool deepened greatly when I developed a serious health problem. I was in constant pain and unable to walk for several months, and might have lost the ability to walk if not for emergency surgery (I’m fine now though!)

Reading comics was one of the few things that cheered me up, and Deadpool became my favourite character, not only because he made me laugh, but also because I found him relatable. That may sound a bit weird because I’m not a contract killer (I swear), but as someone who was sinking into depression due to crappy health, I understood the importance of using humour as a coping mechanism. Also, when your own body gets damaged it’s pretty cathartic to read about a guy who can shrug off losing limbs.

Sure! Thanks for asking.

Aw, no problem at all! When I’m a fan of something I want to share it with as many people as possible, and I love Deadpool.

Comic storylines get very convoluted, very fast. Even if you are reading weekly it is still fairly easy to get lost!

But I know what you mean, and it sucks – the kind of people who shoot down genuine questions from newcomers (or people who have stopped reading for a while) are the same jerks that assume that if you’re a girl, you’re only “pretending” to like comics.

I think they do it so they can maintain their elitist private clubhouse mentality. And it really is a big old pile of bullcrap. I think it has become worse since comics have gained widespread popularity. I’m really pleased to see so many (especially obscure) characters getting big-screen adaptations (Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Force – come on this is awesome!), but some people want to cling on to what is ‘theirs’ and not share with anyone else -  because they discovered it before it was cool! (Hipster-nerds, ughhhhh.)

It’s really sad. You’d think that comicbook fans, who as a group have been traditionally excluded and taken the piss out of, would be an overwhelmingly welcoming group, but there you go.