The Merc with a Mouth sinks to new depths when he agrees to murder his best friend...

(Panini Books)

How far can one man fall? From the pinnacle of Avenger, adored hero, beloved father and confidant to Captain America himself, Wade Wilson finds himself at his lowest ebb following a string of failings. He’s no longer the World’s Greatest, now he’s just Despicable…

Duped by Steve Rogers’ fascist counterpart into assassinating SHIELD agent Phil Coulson, estranged from his daughter after his feud with Madcap led to his family being infected with a deadly virus, and living as a fugitive from justice in an abandoned subway station, things only get worse for the Merc with a Mouth after he strikes a deadly bargain with time-travelling mutant terrorist Stryfe in order to save his family’s lives. It’s now time to pay the devil his dues.

With Stryfe the only person capable of keeping his daughter alive, Deadpool reluctantly agrees to carry out four cold-blooded murders at Stryfe’s bequest, starting off with his clone counterpart Nathan Summers, aka Cable, Wade’s one-time partner and sort-of best friend.

Although much of this storyline revolves around Cable and ‘Pool finding new and horrific ways to try and kill each other, it also plays on the time-travelling elements of the sparring clones, and the steps they’ll take to try and outsmart the other, with Wade caught in the middle of their machinations. But at the end of the day, Wilson really has no other choice than to end the life of his long-term amigo, and deliver his heart to Stryfe…

Once again Gerry Duggan proves why he’s the foremost Deadpool scribe, crafting a narrative which builds on everything he’s been doing with the series over the last few years, while also propelling Wade in new and unexpected directions. Way back when, Duggan made me love Deadpool as a character for the first time, here he makes me feel sorry for him in a way I never would have expected.

It’s also genuinely funny, in a way few writers can achieve, but is also character-driven and with an intelligent and clever narrative that delivers on expectations. Kudos also to long-term artist Scott Koblish, whose gift for facial expressions is almost up there with the legendary Kevin Maguire.