Since Deadpool joined the fray along with the other heroes in Marvel NOW!, he’s had his hands full dealing with some dead presidents. No, not in the fun way that involves booze, women, and chimichangas (which is what I imagine Deadpool spends money on). He’s been tasked with the job of sending the recently reanimated founding fathers back to the grave after a misguided necromancer named Michael brought them all back to life. Wade Wilson has already dispatched Richard Nixon, JFK, Abraham Lincoln, and a whole mess of others, but he’s still got the biggest fish left to fry.

In this issue, the Merc with a Mouth goes head to head with Ronald Regan IN SPACE, just like we saw in the preview earlier this week, but that’s not the only major threat coming his way. George Washington is still at large and ready to rip Wade Wilson’s head off before leaving a crater in the place where the United States of America currently resides.

First, I need to say that things turned out much better for Deadpool than I anticipated in the preview for this issue. I was quick to say that he was up the creek without a paddle, but the way he actually defeats Regan is pretty badass. Posehn and Duggan think of some pretty sick stuff, and then Moore and Staples bring that sick stuff to life on the page.

Now, after I finished reading this issue, a word came to mind that I never thought that I’d associate with any Deadpool comic ever: Heartbreaking. There was more sentimental stuff in this issue of ‘Deadpool’ than anyone should ever expect to find in one of his books, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The writers set up some nice character development early on and then the payoff at the end hit you right in the feelings. This issue showed that Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan could do much more than just give us the usual Deadpool shtick. They haven’t been doing this very much throughout other issues, but in this one they definitely made us care about certain characters and what happens to them. Oh man, just thinking about it is making me sad already.

Before I read this issue, I thought that the dead presidents thing was being drawn out for too long, but after getting to the last page in this book, I could see why they needed to take this long. If this dragged out to seven issues, then the arc would have been pushing it, but now that we got into Act III stuff here in issue five, the story has balanced out and you can see that the end is near.

Basically, this series has been a lot of fun and one of the best in the line, but it didn’t really have heart. Lots of blood and guts, but no heart. Sure, you’re not looking for that in a Deadpool book, but when you care about what’s happening and there’s a purpose for things happening, it makes the story stronger and more interesting. I look forward to see how the team finishes up their first Deadpool story.

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DEADPOOL #5

Written by GERRY DUGGAN & BRIAN POSEHN

Art by TONY MOORE & VAL STAPLES

Cover by GEOF DARROW & PETER DOHERTY