What happens when you throw Stefan Petrucha to the wolves and make him write about the Merc with the Mouth? You get the ridiculous thrill ride that is ‘Deadpool: Paws.’
We all know that Wade Wilson is known for breaking the 4th wall in his comics and by Ryan Reynolds, but with the character narrating his own book you know that it is just going to be taken up a notch. In fact, they even include it in the synopsis of the title by stating, “..Sorry Marvel, somethin’ happened to your copy guy. This is Deadpool speaking! Like he said, this is my first prose novel, and they got this dude Stefan Petrucha to write it” before going on to explain what the book is actually about.
Just like every non-animated iteration of Deadpool, this one is not for the kids as we get a rather violent outing with Marvel’s favorite assassin who can’t die. Especially with Wade running around killing puppies. Even if they’re puppies which could at a moment’s notice change into giant-sized evil puppies that you’ll find in these pages as S.H.I.E.L.D. has hired Wade to take these monsters out before they have a chance to destroy the world. Now, Wade isn’t a fan of trying to kill these creatures while they’re puppies but once they evolve into something that would fit perfectly in a giant creature feature, they don’t stand a chance.
As a side note, Deadpool’s personal hero Spider-Man has a cameo that you’ll not want to miss! While some of the humor is great, some are downright easy. We all know that the Merc with the Mouth is juvenile but having the main villain named Dick just makes it too easy on the writer.
‘Deadpool: Paws’ is a pointless piece of fun and exactly what fans of the character will enjoy reading. With a dark sense of humor and over the top violence, this is precisely what the character has been over the years. I will again stress, though, that just like Reynolds’ films, this one isn’t for children! The main downside I feel that came through is one of the positives as well. While Stefan continually has Deadpool breaking the fourth wall, using the same joke that this tale would be better told as a comic book instead of a novel is beaten to death far too quickly.
All that being said, it works for ‘Deadpool’ fans but for casual readers or those with only a passing interest in the character – this is one Marvel story that you can pass on without losing any sleep.
