
Deadpool stands alone in its superhero subgenre of comics. Unlike most superheroes, Deadpool does not sit well with other superheroes or is the model citizen everyone looks up to. He is dirty, raunchy, politically incorrect, and self-centered. The artists and writers of the Deadpool comics are able to accomplish showing his comedic adult side, while still being able to glorify him for defeating evil.


The shot shown is a long shot as well as an establishing shot. It is a long shot because it shows a lot of the environment from a far. We get a picture of a character as well as the area surrounding her. It also establishes some context of what the story is about, like the location of where the scene is; shown in the upper left corner. The scene also utilizes the POV (point of view) shot. The reader is in the eyes of the person the pictured character is speaking to, essentially making us a character in the picture. We are looking into the warehouse, right at the character. We can see that there is an unknown woman in a dark warehouse with crates of weapons. The mystery woman is using the extra diegetic gaze, which means she is looking right at us. The artist uses dark shading and shadows to portray the fact that the scene is at night. Helping to reinforce the night time setting, the artist makes the lights bright, while also giving the lights the effect of giving off a hue that lights give off when it is exceptionally dark. This frame also sets the comic up with some comedic context with the use of the crates. We have one crate that has been opened that is full of guns. Then right above it there is a crate with the words “Definitely Not Guns.” Right above that is a crate that says plush toys. This could make the reader think, of course, there are guns in the crate that says it is not guns. Also the reader could find it funny that a warehouse would house children’s toys and guns right next to one another. There is a mystery effect going on with the character, whom is the focal point of the page, her face is shaded in as to not give away her identity. On the other hand, there are clues to her identity with the choice of clothing the artists uses and the blonde hair that is all done up. This hints that it might be the iconic Marilyn Monroe. The colors used are very warm and dark, except for the character’s dress. The artist uses browns and different shades of grey to portray dullness and darkness. These warm colors also allow the character’s white dress to stand out to our eyes. This puts emphasis on the character, while also emphasizing the fact that it is night time in a dark warehouse. The artist does an exceptional job of giving the reader enough information to establish the story while, also being mysterious and leaving the reader wanting more.


Leading up to this shot, Deadpool has been fighting dead presidents that are trying to destroy the United States. This is what gamers would call the “boss battle”, which is when the main character faces the ultimate and most superior of all his opponents. The Shot is another long shot; giving the reader a view of fighting arena that Deadpool and Abe Lincoln are in. We can see both fighters, as well as the crowd. The reader is also viewing the panel from a POV type shot, as if we were one of the spectators in the crowd. This puts us right in the action. By doing this type of shot, the artist stresses the importance of this moment and how we should visualize the actions taking place. Also stressing the importance of the event, the artist places the reader in the crowd that is below the main action. By having the reader this way, it raises the focal point of the page and therefore giving the scene more importance to the climax of the story. The main characters are placed in the middle of the shot, showing the focal point of the panel; as if to say, all eyes on the fighters. There are a lot of yellows, oranges, and reds in the crowd to show an aggressive scene. Those colors are used because they are known to be associated with danger, excitement, and caution. The main character’s costume is red and black; showing aggression and mystery. Also having the bright red of Deadpool’s costume surrounded by darker colors, make him stand out because there is a large amount of contrast. Abe Lincoln is a dull light blue to accentuate the fact that he is a dead. Having a green hue around Abe helps portray the fact that he is under a spell that was used to bring him back to life. The background is very dark with lots of bright circles depicting lights. The artist used all of the elements written about to reinforce the climax of the story.

I feel the two scenes I chose were the most important for the comic. The first sets up the entire story and gives insight into the entire text. The second is the climax of the story. A battle of good versus evil and the beginning of the enemy’s demise. Both scenes epitomize the title of the comic. Deadpool is known for its adult humor and being the, not so super, superhero. The comic does a great job of mixing its images and comedic text. With the first image, the women ends up being Deadpool disguised as Marilyn Monroe to trick John F. Kennedy. “Surprise! Say hello to my little Wade! … GAH! That wasn’t there last time! C’mon Marilyn! Put on some AH… panties!” (Posehn 6). This quote gives us some of the comedy from the comic with play on a historical scandal, while still showing him fighting evil. Deadpool is all about women, fighting, and being the center of attention. I think the motif is straight forward and doesn’t lead the reader to make assumptions about who Deadpool is and what he stands for.

Deadpool is probably not the first hero that comes to mind when you think of superheroes, but he is defiantly the funniest, while still being able to kick some serious evil ass. The artists and writers mesh the dirty, comedic side of Deadpool with the typical heroic side in perfect harmony. They show scenes that are just enough out of the norm for a hero comic to intrigue readers. The writers write funny one liners and dirty jokes. In the end, he still defeats evil and saves the day as a hero.

