For those who don't know, Death Battle is an internet series created by Screwattack that pits two supposedly evenly matched or similar characters from fictional mediums in a battle to the death to see who would win. They've done videos like Superman vs Goku, Batman vs Captain America, Terminator vs Robocop, and even pitted all four of the ninja turtles against each other. Check out the playlist here.

They sometimes bring science and logic into their battles. In Superman vs Goku they actually used math to calculate Superman and Goku's strength. So most of their videos are unbiased and rely solely on just presenting the facts and statistics of each character and using that to decide who would win.

Well in their recent video, they've pitted Deadpool: The Merc with the Mouth against Deathstroke: The Terminator.

Who wins? Watch to find out and talk about it in the comments below. Even if you're not a fan of the outcome, you gotta admit....that CGI animated battle at the end was pretty cool.

I have always said the same thing and will probably never change my opinion on this....."If you haven't read Joe Kelly's run on Deadpool, you are not a true Deadpool fan. You are nothing but a poser."

Now, people usually tend to throw this out of proportion so let me explain my feelings and thoughts behind this statement.....Every character has a writer whose run on the character defines that character and is universally praised by critics and fans alike. Garth Ennis nailed the Punisher, Frank Miller defined Daredevil, Ed Brubaker wrote a fantastic Captain America, etc. etc. etc.

These stories aren't just amazing stories for those characters, but in general as well. Even if you're not a fan of The Punisher, you have to admit that Garth Ennis' run is top notch quality stuff.

For Deadpool, that writer is Joe Kelly. There's no contest. So if you haven't read Joe Kelly's run on Deadpool, than in my opinion you haven't read the character at his best. If you haven't read the character at his best, than you're more liable to appreciate him at his worst. Which is why I call those who haven't read Joe Kelly's run, posers. You aren't a true fan until you've read a character at his best, that way your standards are exactly where they should be.

Well; now Deadpool fans can rejoice, cause Marvel has announced that in October, a collection of every piece of Deadpool literature written by Joe Kelly will be collected in one gigantic book. That includes his run on the Deadpool series (issues 1 to 33, -1, and 0), The Deadpool and Daredevil annual, The Deadpool and Death annual, Baby's First Deadpool Book, Amazing Spider-man issues 47 and 611, and his short story for Deadpool 900. That's over 1160 pages, for the price of $125.

Now $125 may seem like a very steep price, but let me assure you that this is worth every penny. Joe Kelly's run on Deadpool is probably the most under-appreciated masterpiece of it's time and maybe even, our time. It's a great story for Deadpool himself; but even on it's own, the story is amazing. It's the holy bible for Deadpool fans. Even those who hate the character of Deadpool would probably have a hard time hating this run. It's THAT good.

Why's it so good you ask? Well that's the purpose of this blog. I want to reach out to all the current Deadpool fans and show them just exactly what they're missing. I'll admit right off that bat. This blog won't be just a review, it'll also be a heart-felt nostalgic look at the Deadpool of old. Hopefully this will inspire some of you looking to read more of Deadpool into picking this up and giving it a go.

With all that said. Let's take a trip down memory lane......

My first experience with Deadpool was in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance video game. I was maybe 15 or 16 years old, and I thought the character was pretty cool and funny. Something about a man wielding guns and cracking jokes spoke to me (As disturbing as that sounds). I wanted to see more of him. So for the first time in my life, I walked into a comic book shop. The smell of old comic book paper, the crowded claustrophobic lanes of nothing but boxes of comics on each side. I'll never forget it. I walked up to the man at the counter and asked what he'd recommend for the character of Deadpool. He pointed me to the direction of a box full of Deadpool comics. This was where I picked up issues one to ten of Joe Kelly's series. Let me just say.....those ten issues alone.....blew my mind.....

They were funny, they had action, Deadpool pulled off some amazing feats. The ups the downs. I went through it all, and I went through it all right beside him. I had to read more. So I beg my parents for some extra cash, and filled a small box full of as many Deadpool comics as I could afford.

Now I was only a kid at the time (I'm in my early twenties now) and I enjoyed the run for the entertainment value alone. It wasn't till I hit the age of 20 and went back and re-read all those issues, that I realized just how well-written and crafted that series really was under Joe Kelly's penmanship. I'm a college student studying the art of film and screenwriting and I graduated high-school with awards in English and creative writing. Now was the time I could look at Joe Kelly's run through a bit more of an educated lens.....and boy, did I see things I never saw and probably haven't seen since in a Deadpool comic. At least, not of this quality.

Let's break up the things that stood-out to me in Joe Kelly's run, into categories. Just for the sake of making this blog look a little more polished and not just one big clump of text.....

1) Deadpool As A Character

First of all, the character of Deadpool was extremely unique. I never quite seen a character like him before. Joe Kelly basically took a rip-off of a popular DC comics character, and made evolve into his own unique character. If Deadpool had to be placed under any category, it'd probably be the sad clown story. He is a character who uses humor to help him cope with his flaws and insecurities.....but there's a lot more to it than that.

First of all, I never thought of Deadpool as crazy or psychotic. Nowadays it's all "Oh Deadpool, he's sooooo crazy!!! He tried to shoot with his feet. HAHAHAHA"......But back then, not so much.....Sure he did a lot of outrageous things, and even some things that were deeply disturbing. But there was always a method to his madness. He talked a lot to throw off his opponents, he dances in the middle of a fight with Taskmaster so that Tasky wouldn't be able to guess what he was doing next.....stuff like that.

But if anything, the only real mental handicap he had was a severe case of AD-HD. But how do you explain things like locking blind old ladies in a dark room with sharp pointy objects? Well simple.....in the past, Deadpool was wronged. He was used and thrown away after his purpose wasn't needed. In his mind, the world owes him. He thinks that because the world dealt him a crap-hand in the past, that he deserves a get-out-of-responsibility free-card. In Joe Kelly's arc, Deadpool does something horrible to his roommate/hostage Blind Al and basically takes out his frustrations on her. It's not the first time he's done something bad to her, but it is the first time Blind Al refuses to let him forget that he did it. It tears Wade apart inside, he tries to sweep it under the rug, he tries threatening her, he tries leaving the house and wanting nothing to do with her, he tries everything BUT admitting that what he did may have been wrong. Deadpool is a character haunted by his past. He's haunted by his position in the world. There's this great moment where Deadpool tells Cable that he's destiny's garbage man. It's a really disturbing look into the way Wade Wilson sees himself. He's not really fond of who he is and what he does.

That's what many writers today seem to miss when they write Deadpool......Deadpool's not psychotic or crazy, he's just an a-hole with a very harsh view of the world (Although Brian and Gerry are also doing a good job capturing this aspect in my opinion).

2) A Great Supporting Cast

A hero is often defined by who he hangs out with. One of the best things about Joe Kelly's run was that he crafted a group of characters who each bring out a part of Deadpool. That is what good side characters are supposed to do, after-all. That's why they're side characters. Blind Al and Weasel will always bring out more in Wade Wilson, than any superhero guest star ever could.

First of all, Weasel is just a hilarious character. He act's pretty much as Deadpool's punching bag and it's quite sad but also quite touching. There's a scene in the Deadpool and Daredevil annual where Weasel breaks down crying in a bar because of Foggy's relationship with Daredevil and offers to "trade friends." Although that doesn't mean he hates being Deadpool's friend; in fact he respects Wade, and at one points sees that he means a lot to him (Enough to beat down Taskmaster and his army of stooges). Even though he suffers a lot of wedgies and wet-willys, he puts up with it and takes it with a grain of salt. Maybe out of some knowledge that it's better to be Deadpool's friend than his enemy.....or maybe, it's because he can see that even though Deadpool is an a-hole, he also values and would do anything for his friends. It's not till Deadpool hit's his lowest point in Joe Kelly's run where Weasel decides to run away for fear of his own life.

Blind Al on the other hand, is very much the opposite of Weasel. They share a lot in common, but go about things in a very different way. Blind Al is the mother-figure in Deadpool's life. Which is odd to say seeing as how she's also his sorta hostage. It's a bizarre relationship and would take a blog of it's own to talk about. I'll never forget a scene where all of Deadpool's effort to become a better person shatter, and all that he has left is to curl up into a ball and cry into Blind Al's arms....and she helps him. This is the man who has been making her life a living hell, and she helps him when he needs it. Because she knows deep down inside, that's all he needs. Someone to help him, to show him that he's not alone.......It's a touching scene. I'll admit, I cried the first time I read it. Weasel runs out of fear for his own life, but Blind Al doesn't. Blind Al is a fighter, and there's a great point where she decides that she's not going to let Deadpool bully her anymore. Blind Al deeply cares for Wade and is probably the only person who isn't afraid of him. Throughout the entire series she is trying to help him become a better person. She's the angel in Deadpool's life......I heart Blind Al.

3) Running Themes.

Joe Kelly's entire run on Deadpool deals with a lot of themes. Redemption being a big one and probably the main one. How far down the pit can someone fall and can they climb back up out of it. Deadpool is a character haunted by his past, he's a killer and "destiny's garbage man." He's not a good person. The very fact that Joe Kelly actually makes you care for this kind of deeply disturbing person is astounding. This is a character who throws blind old ladies down a flight of stairs to make himself feel better, and yet you still want to see him succeed in becoming a better person (Probably because you know that he desperately needs it). Which makes it all the more tragic when he actually fails at times. That's Deadpool's goal from beginning to end. To be a better person. He doesn't have to be a hero or anything to do that, he just wants to be a respectable human being. That's his goal and the major theme of Joe Kelly's run.

Although, Deadpool's not the only character to try and redeem himself throughout the series though. At one point, Dr. Killebrew (The scientist who experimented on Deadpool in the warehouse) contacts Deadpool. He wants to redeem himself in Deadpool's eyes, and helps him cure his screwed up healing factor. But Deadpool would rather just slice open Killebrew's throat and be on his merry way..... and if it wasn't for Siryn, he probably would have. Siryn teaches Deadpool that you can't defeat a monster by acting like one. It's a great moment, and it sends shivers down my spine every time. Especially when Deadpool's only response is "Move" as he still wishes to murder Killebrew. Creepy stuff. I won't reveal whether or not Dr. Killebrew redeems himself in Deadpool's eyes, but I will say it leads to one of the most saddest moments I've ever read in a comic book. Beautifully poetic.

Although there are other themes in the run as well, one of which being that of Destiny. Deadpool is told at one point that he is destined to save the world, at first he dismisses it. But eventually the offer sounds good and he tries to better himself as a human being in order to follow that destiny. The big thing being that he wants to stop killing people, and he actually does at one point. He starts taking missions that don't involve killing targets. At one point he goes on a mission with Bullseye who remarks that all of the people Deadpool fought are still alive and that he's losing his edge. Deadpool succeeds and actually feels better for not killing people......But than he finds out that he's destined to save the world, only by killing an alien life-form bent on eliminating free-will. It absolutely ruins him mentally, and Blind Al actually ends up standing up for Deadpool and actually chews out the people who pushed him into that scenario. It's great stuff.

4) The Ups, The Downs, and All Arounds

To say that Joe Kelly's run on Deadpool was a roller-coaster ride of emotions is an understatement. As I've said before. Throughout the arc, Deadpool goes through a lot of ups and downs. For every step he takes forward, the world just seems to push him two steps backward. That's probably what makes him such a lovable character. The world continues to push him down, but he refuses to let the world get the better of him. He's not going to let the world or other people's perception of him get in the way of doing what he thinks is right.

There's a great moment where he tells T-Ray that his life is pretty much exactly like the squirrel in the old Chuck Jones cartoon. He's just a little squirrel out to make a living, when all of a sudden he comes across the mother-load of acorns (A coconut). He tries everything to crack open that nut and eat what's inside. He tries a jackhammer, he tries rolling it down stairs, but nothing can crack that nut open. Until finally he decides to toss that nut off the empire state building. It works! Only it cracks open to reveal, another coconut inside it.....The comparison of himself to that squirrel is practically dead-on and I wonder if that was Joe Kelly's intention and source of inspiration going into the series.

I can't really say much more about this, but take my word for it. If you aren't teary eyed or slightly terrified at least once during this run, than you might want to go to a doctor cause you might not have a heart. Joe Kelly really pulls on your heart-strings with this run, and the fact he can do it with such a disturbing character is fantastic. I dare you, I DARE YOU to read the first five issues and not get teary eyed by the fifth issue....it's THAT well written. The other 28 issues are chock fulls of moments like this as well.

FINALLY, THE CONCLUSION!!!!

Now I could keep recommending this run for hours and hours, but in the end. The only way to know if it's as good as I say it is is by reading it yourself.

If you're a Deadpool fan.....actually if you're just a fan of comics in general, I beg you. I beg you to give Joe Kelly's Deadpool run a shot. Just read the first 5 issues and if you don't see any potential, you can at least say you gave it a shot.

As a Deadpool fan I'd say the writing quality is on par with some of the greatest comic book stories ever told. For me personally, it's just as bit as good as The Dark Knight Returns and maybe even Watchmen. As a general comic book fan, it's still really good stuff and is truly underrated. The fact more people don't know about, really brings a tear to my eye. I mean; there's a reason so many of the people who HAVE read it, say nothing but great things about it.

I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you for reading this really lengthy blog, I hope I've at least made you somewhat interested in the masterful Deadpool run that Joe Kelly has written. I can not recommend it enough. If you're interested, pick up Deadpool Classic volumes 1 to 5 for about $20 each or the upcoming Joe Kelly Omnibus for $125, if you have that kind of money. Like I said, it's worth every penny

So the game-play trailer of the new video game Batman Arkham Origins is out, and the general consensus is that people are hopefully optimistic (Me being one of them). Of course in the world of the internet which consist of hundreds of conflicting opinions and viewpoints. There are people who still think this video game is going to being terrible or at the least mediocre. Thankfully most of these people have given reasons why they think this is going to fail.

What I'm going to do with this blog is that I'm going to list a bunch of fears people have basically said about this game, and counter their argument. Hopefully I can dispel some of the worries people have of this game and get a few more people excited or at the least hopeful that this will turn out to be a solid game.

Without further ado, the counterarguments......

Where's Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill? - Yes, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are pretty much the best voice actors of their respective characters and it's hard to replace them. But just because they are being replaced that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. It makes sense they'd find other actors for the game being the fact that it's a prequel and the voices have to sound younger and by the sounds of it, Roger Smith and Troy Baker are doing a decent job sounding like younger versions of Conroy and Hamill. Besides......Whats so wrong with having a variety? Like they say, too much of a good thing isn't a good thing. Plus Conroy and Hamill aren't going to be around forever, might as well get used to hearing Batman and Joker without their voices.

Batman Is Supposed To Be Younger, So Why Does He Have More Armor and Better Gadgets? - This is an argument that could be washed away with a different viewing. This younger version of Batman is less experienced, the creators have made this quite clear. Wouldn't a less experienced Batman NEED more gadgets and armor to fight crime and survive? When he get's older and has been at it longer, it only makes sense that he wouldn't need the heavier armor and fancy toys. They'd slow him down, and he wouldn't need them anymore cause he's older, wiser, and more experienced.

The Graphics Look Terrible, What Happened? - The game isn't due out till October 25th. They're still working on it. At this point in the game's stage, they're going through the reworking stage where they make sure everything is running smoothly that the game flows well. After that they'll go through the polish phase, where they'll make it look good and improve graphical problems. Then they'll go through the glitch phase, ensuring the nothing screws up. We're looking at an unfinished project.....so complaining about graphics is kind of ridiculous. Go watch the old trailer for Arkham City with the "No Place for a Hero" song, you'll see that the graphics aren't as good as the final result, cause it was still being worked on. It's most evident in the footage with Two-Face.

Did Batman Just Kill That Guy!!! - The creators have already said this Batman is more rough and careless. I doubt the guy he dropped off the building in a Christmas tree is dead.....severely injured maybe.....but not dead. Same goes with the goon who swallowed a flashlight. I'm also willing to bet money that this careless Batman will learn his lesson somewhere in the story, probably after he almost kills a goon due to his carelessness. It's already been stated that Bruce and Alfred won't be getting along at first (Bruce seeing Alfred as a constant reminder of his parents, and Alfred thinking of Bruce as a spoiled brat wasting away his inheritance) This could be the pivotal turning point in the story where Alfred and Bruce finally connect after Bruce makes a mistake at the cost of a henchman's life. Makes sense from a story telling point of view.

Those are my counterarguments but that's not to say I don't have a worry or two.....For starters the combat in the game play trailer looks exactly like the combat in Arkham City. I've seen these moves before..... Which is fine, but it looks kind of bland.

Plus I'm kind of worried about the story. Paul Dini knew that when it comes to story, you can't have loose ends. It's a little thing I learned in my screenwriting course, it's called "Chekov's Gun". Lots of comic-book adaptations just bring in characters as fan-service. In Arkham City it would have been easy to bring Ras Al Ghul and then drop him like he served little purpose to the overall plot. Batman meets him, Batman fights him, Batman leaves and you never see Ras Al Ghul again....But by bringing him back as Strange's boss gives him importance to the plot. Same with Clayface. You could've just brought him in, have Batman fight him, then never mention him again. But by having the Joker use him to maintain his image, that gives him importance to the plot......I'm worried if these writers know that. It certainly seems like they're just bringing in characters for fan service. Even the plot just screams how many characters can we fit in one game.

So that's my list of counterarguments, and two arguments myself. Hopefully some of the people on the fence about this game aren't as worried anymore. That was my overall goal.

Thanks for reading.

I'm usually not one to post artwork unless it's a holiday or something, but I needed others thoughts on this. I think it's really good, but I know that no matter what I can always do better. So that's where you guys come in, I'd like some constructive criticism. Here's my Arkham City version of Harley Quinn.....

I was having a Doctor Doom itch that needed to be scratched today. Usually when I have these scratches for certain characters I do a bit of research of what movies, video games, or TV shows they've appeared in and then I watch them. It saves me a ton of money rather than driving an hour to my closest comic book store to pick up books I'd probably never read a second time just to scratch that itch. After watching Doom's appearance in the Avenger's: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon I figured I go back and watch his appearance in the Ultimate Spider-man cartoon as well.  

GOOD
 I've warmed up to Drake Bell as Spider-man already, he's okay. He sounds kinda like a cross between Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Keaton two of my favorite Spider-man voice actors. The voice actors all do great jobs. Maurice LaMarche was awesome as Doctor Doom, probably my favorite Dr. Doom voice actor yet so I gotta give credit to Marvel for finding voices that fit the roles down to a T. Sure there are one or two weak links but most of the voice actors do their job. Clancy Brown as Taskmaster was just awesome. 
 
While I think the forth wall jokes should be left to Deadpool, they don't really have Spider-man in the show "Break" the forth wall. Yes he turns and talks to the audience, so he basically narrates what he's doing..... but he's not making jokes like "This is all written by some guy on his computer" or "Those pesky Olsen Twins" or "Hey where's Sam Raimi when you need him."  If I had to describe the way the forth wall is broken it's more....Scott Pilgrim like than anything else. Which while is kinda pointless it does get a few laughs. I'm warming up to this as well. 
 
For every lame joke there is an equally great joke. You can't tell me you didn't laugh or at least smile when the Drawing a mustache on Jameson by squealing the tires on the motorcycle joke came up in the second episode, or what about "Yeah that made me feel better" in the first episode or what about "Doom demands a banana split?" in the third episode..... somethings are just so ridiculous that you can't help but laugh, and I get the feeling that this is what the writers were aiming for.  
 
Animation, really well done.....nuff said.
 
BAD
It's just too fast pace, when it tries to slow down and be serious even for a bit, it just can't be taken seriously. There are so many character lessons in the first three episodes but they're all overshadowed because you're still trying to calm your brain so it can process all the fast paced stuff that it just got finished showing. 
 
It tries to throw too many jokes into the mix. The third episode made this painfully clear. Nick Fury criticizing them for being stupid teenagers could have had some great character developing moments and it does try for a second with the "Whoa" thing, but instead it's ruined just so they could throw in the lame "Lets see me with a jet pack" joke again. The writers need to learn how to balance the humor with the serious if they want to stop this series from sinking. 
 
Remember for every lame joke there is an equally as awesome good joke. Yeah well the lames jokes are really lame....which makes me toss this up to 50/50 on the humor-o-meter. It either has jokes that are cringe-worthy ala "Blast Spidey, win a panda" or jokes that are just awesome like "I'm off to see the wizard." I can't hate the show because it made me laugh a couple of times, but I can't love it because I also rolled my eyes a couple of times.

Enjoy the piece I drew, and Happy Holidays to all you great people out there.

WOLVERINE

ARCHANGEL

Psylocke

DEADPOOL

FANTOMEX

Marvel seems to really be hyping up the upcoming 5 issue mini series titled 5 Ronin, it's not even coming out till March and we've already gotten previews of each issue. Although I guess it's perfectly understandable to hype up a series like this. You got a writer like Peter Milligan handling the series, different artists doing each issue, and a premise that just seems to intrigue fans. Something about seeing our favorite heroes in a Japanese setting, all as kick ass samurais just seems to bring a smile to fans faces. 
 
For those of you who haven't heard of this upcoming event, well basically Peter Milligan writer of my favorite ongoing series ( Hellblazer) is writing 5 issues. Each issue will focus on a different superhero ( Punisher, Wolverine, Psylocke, Deadpool, and Hulk) in a Japanese samurai warrior setting, and each issue will have a different artist drawing the issue. 
 
Without further ado, I present to all you Comicvine fans out there, a preview of all 5 issues of the upcoming mini series 5 Ronin. 
 
The Punisher issue, drawn by Laurence Campbell. 
 

  Nate of Deadpool and Friends .....