‘Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1’ Review (Marvel Comics)

Written by Benjamin Percy | Art by Geoff Shaw | Colours by Alex Sinclair | Letters by Joe Sabino | Published by Marvel Comics

There was a time when any new Deadpool #1 would have gone straight to the top of the pull pile. Then came the over-saturation. Minis. Ongoings. Team-ups. Events. Reboots of reboots. Even for us here at Nerdly – long-time lovers of the foul-mouthed, fourth-wall-demolishing Merc with a Mouth – it all became a bit much. Absence, as they say, makes the heart grow fonder.

Enter Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1.

Marketed as something of a “fresh start” (because of course it is), this latest relaunch does exactly what it needs to: it remembers why Deadpool works. From page one, the tone is razor-sharp. The humour lands. The meta gags don’t feel forced. And crucially, Wade feels like Wade – chaotic, self-aware, morally dubious and yet weirdly endearing.

The book strikes a near-perfect balance between comedy and carnage. The violence isn’t just there for shock value; it’s stylish, exaggerated, almost balletic in its brutality. Limbs fly, bullets shred, blood splashes in panel-wide displays of gleeful excess – but it’s all framed with a knowing wink. It’s violent spectacle as punchline.

Visually, the art absolutely sings. The action sequences are kinetic without becoming messy, and the facial expressions sell every snarky aside and manic breakdown. Deadpool books live or die on momentum, and this issue moves. There’s no padding, no decompressed filler – just sharp pacing and escalating chaos.

Most importantly, it feels fun again.

After stepping away from the character due to sheer market fatigue, this issue genuinely feels like a reason to come back. It’s confident without being smug, self-aware without being exhausting. And that final hook? The teaser for issue two does exactly what a first issue should do: it grabs you by the collar and says, “Oh, you thought that was it?” It’s a tremendous stinger that promises bigger madness to come.

For a character who has been rebooted more times than most heroes have costume changes, this feels less like another cynical reset and more like a creative refresh.

Nerdly fell in love with Deadpool for the attitude, the anarchic energy and the creative ultraviolence. Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1 reminds us why.

****½  4.5/5

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1 is out now.