Hey there! I'm Kevin Douglas and I love comics and tech. I use this blog as a forum to discuss some of the old and new things going on in the world of comics. And sometimes, the world of technology as it relates to comics. Learn more....
This is a guest post from Paul Aponte from ideologyofmadness.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @IoMPaul.
It’s been a long time since I’ve thought of Daredevil as a hero.
I know it’s easy for many writers to talk about how Daredevil is this tortured, tragic hero, because of his awful luck. He’s had many girlfriends murdered, a wife who went crazy, a mother who left when he was a child just to die at the hands of one of his enemies…really, ol’ Matt Murdock has had a tragic life. Then there’s the whole religious aspect of the character, which comes heavily into play depending on who’s writing the character – the Catholicism of Daredevil can either be ignored, or can be just another way for the guy to torture himself more.
But, really, I haven’t thought of him as a hero in a long damn time.
We’re talking about the guy who became the Kingpin of New York after taking down the other one, and the guy who’s now the leader of a group of undead ninja assassins that have been responsible for the death of many Marvel characters (see Shadowland #1, now on comic stands.
When you say the name Deadpool to just about any comic fan, you will immediately get a reaction of extreme happiness or utter disgust. He sort of has that effect on people.
Deadpool was created by Rob Liefeld and first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 issue #98. The smart-ass, wise-cracking assassin has been on a roll ever since his first appearance. I’ll admit, I was a die-hard Deadpool fan during this time and when Liefeld and the other Image Comics founders left Marvel in 1991, I kind of drifted away from Deadpool. But in the last 3 years, with a little help from his appearance in the Wolverine movie, Deadpool has been a hot commodity. I believe at last count, he was in five monthly, ongoing titles. Five!!!! I don’t believe Wolverine has been in that many titles until recently. But I could be wrong.
I believe fan’s fascination with Deadpool begins with his humor. Few characters in comics today could trade quips and snappy dialogue with Wade Wilson. And the fact that he can heal and regenerate from virtually any injury, makes him Conan O’Brien, John Stewart and Wolverine rolled up into one.
A lot of people, especially us comic fans, are a sarcastic bunch. (Yes, it’s true. Don’t believe me, follow comic people on Twitter!) Deadpool is that part of us that combines humor with badass kickassery! (Yeah I said it! Add it to your dictionary, kids!) Many comic fans, like many of the other books they read, would love to be able to crack jokes while they’re and beat up bad guys for money.
Why do you love Deadpool, if you’re willing to admit?
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m a big fan of listening to podcasts. Comic book podcasts, in particular. And since I listen to podcasts so much, I figured I would review some of the ones I’ve listened to and continue to listen to currently. So, I’m going to start a new monthly podcast review post here. Some will be favorable. Others,… not so much.
As comic fans, we tend to judge our comic book likes and dislikes harshly. So, why should the judges be free of judgment? They shouldn’t. And they’re not. Starting now.
For now, comic podcasts will be reviewed in four areas:
the hosts comic book knowledge
execution and format of the podcast
individual critique of comic hosts
why you should listen to the show & overall podcast rating (1 = not good at all- 5= excellent)
To be fair, I will be reviewing podcasts that I have listened to at least five or more different shows. This gives me a chance to get familiar with the hosts and format of the show to make a decision on how I feel about said show.
