He’s annoying. He’s dangerous. He smells terrible. But the public loves him. That’s right-the Merc with the Mouth may make money for missions of murky morality... but he’s become the most popular hero in the world for it. Eat that, Spidey! The world belongs to... Deadpool. The fan-favourite team of Gerry Duggan and Mike Hawthorne return to bring Deadpool into his most successful adventures yet! Collecting: Deadpool 1-6

(Panini Books)

As a character, you pretty much expect Deadpool to grate on the wrong side of annoying, with about as much depth as a puddle and a tendency to shoot first and not even bother asking questions later.

But all this has changed with the start of this latest volume, as now he is not only the most popular hero in the world and a member of Steve Rogers’ Avengers Unity Squad, but also the leader of a team of mercenaries who spend more time carrying out charity gigs to help those in need than actually making any real money.

But true to form, this period of grace cannot last, and before long someone dressed as Deadpool is unleashing bedlam in his name, forcing the Merc with the Mouth to take drastic action to preserve his newfound reputation…

Writer Gerry Duggan and Mike Hawthorne have succeeded in doing something I previously thought was impossible, they’ve made Deadpool into a character I don’t mind reading about. Out go the excessive pop culture references (which are either unintelligible to UK audiences or out of date quicker than a pint of milk), his patented snappy banter is actually funny for a change, and there is a renewed focus on characterisation and plot instead of simply relying on shock tactics, blood and gore.

Not quite the perfect jumping-on point for new readers, as there are some plot threads which might require a bit of Wiki-research if you’re not a dedicated fan, but a definite dawn of a new era for the character which not only builds on his newfound popularity as a movie star, but also sets things up nicely for the future.