So this is him from the beginning. Not too impressed with him as a character at the beginning. Once Kelly started writing him, it improved a lot. Sadly the only Kelly story was the last one. Thanks to Matt Trowbridge for letting me read his copy before him. ( )

Deadpool is one of the funniest antiheros ever! Sarcastic humor of the most acidic type! I'm not really into comics, but i'm will read these series to the end! ( )

I mainly decided to read Deadpool comics after having friends tell much how cool Deadpool is and how X-Men Origins-Wolverine totally mangled the character. I personally think there were many more problems with X-Men Origins-Wolverine, being an X-men fan myself, but I digress. I decided to read the comic now, because...I don't really have a good reason. And...it was okay. Not spectacular, not awful, but okay. I probably won't read any other Deadpool comics, but I now know just how terrible that movie really was. ( )

Well! Now I know a bit more about Deadpool. Interesting. Violent. Funny. Such an odd mix. ( )

This first trade in the classic Deadpool series is a mixed bag.

You get a lot of "firsts" here: first appearance, first limited series, first Weasel interaction, first Siryn interaction (and why Wade falls for her in the first place), and the first issue of Deadpool's first ongoing. If you're late to the Deadpool circus, try to track those comics down now and you'll be spending a pretty penny (especially for the New Mutants issue).

I guess the negative for me is the fact that Deadpool's spread over several writers here: Fabian Nicieza, Rob Liefeld, Mark Waid, and Joe Kelly. So, reading through this trade can give a very disconcerting feel as each writer tries to flesh out this character in his own way.

I don't care for the art. These comics were all written in the 1990s, and if you're a fan of comics, you probably know what 90s art looks like. Ed McGuinness is the exception here, but I don't particularly care for his cartoony style.

The New Mutants issue isn't that great, in my opinion. It's only interesting because it's the first time Deadpool appears in a comic. The art is typical 90s Liefeld, which you will either love or hate. There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to Liefeld.

The Circle Chase isn't that great either. I know some people love this mini, but I'm not one of them. I do love Nicieza's Cable and Deadpool series, but he just hasn't hit his stride here yet. Plus the art is blah.

Sins of the Past is good, although not amazing. It sets up a lot of what will be developed later by Joe Kelly and other writers - Deadpool's infatuation with Siryn, Doctor Killbrew's role in Wade's past, and Deadpool's healing factor being on the fritz, among other things. What I love most about this mini is Wade's mood at the beginning. So many writers make Deadpool some ha-ha funny guy without giving him any depth. The guy was tortured, experimented upon, and has a face that resembles a pizza. Come on. He has to have some angst in there somewhere, and Waid taps into that marvelously. The art, however, isn't anything to write home about.

And then we get to the first issue of Deadpool's ongoing, which is written by Joe Kelly. Kelly is, in my opinion, the best Deadpool writer to have ever picked up a pen. This guy can write circles and squares and triangles and any other shape you can imagine around every other Deadpool writer so far, bar none. And, though I don't think McGuinness hangs the moon and stars, his art is a refreshing break from the rest of the issues collected in this trade. But, I don't think either of them have hit their strides in this issue. And it's hard to do fresh out of the gate. The second trade showcases Kelly's amazing abilities much more fully, as will the third trade (which includes my favorite arc by him).

Still, if you dig the character Deadpool, or just want to see what the upcoming movie might encompass, this is a very good start. ( )