INTERVIEW: Gerry Duggan On DEADPOOL

What do you call a secret agent at a secret organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. that is so secret that even S.H.I.E.L.D. command doesn’t know about? You call it… well, him… Deadpool.In the Marvel NOW relaunch of Deadpool, writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn and artist Tony Moore have enlisted the Merc with a Mouth to become an agent for Marvel’s top spyshop — but after all these years, what was it that made S.H.I.E.L.D. throw caution to the wind and hire the lame-brained Deadpool?

Reanimated American Presidents, terrorizing the nation.

We’ve seen a zombie Teddy Roosevelt go wild at the Los Angeles Zoo, JFK and George Washington desecrate a military cemetary. Heck, we’ve even seen Wade Wilson have a dream about a bikini-clad Invisible Woman, Emma Frost, She-Hulk and Dazzler. Wait, those aren’t Presidents.

All in all, it’s been a raucous ride, and with Deadpool #3 coming out this Wednesday we jumped into co-writer Gerry Duggan’s doom buggy and chatted him up about the ins and outs of writing the Merc with a Mouth, and his impending team-up with the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.

iFanboy: In the end of issue two, we saw Deadpool, ghostly Benjamin Franklin and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Preston knocking at the door of none other than Doctor Strange for some help with this revived dead Presidents. How does a Dr. Strange / Deadpool team-up work?

Gerry Duggan: Dr. Strange has always been a personal favorite, and I wanted to write him before I was fired. Obviously, the Sorcerer Supreme and the Merc With The Mouth should not work, but that’s why it does. Much like our previous guest stars in the book, Dr. Strange really doesn’t want to work with Deadpool, but this is an important quest, and Strange is always willing to open the door for a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent – even if she is standing with Deadpool. Their team-up in issue 3 was a blast for us to write, and Tony Moore and colorist Val Staples just crushed on the pages. I feel very grateful that readers are enjoying our writing, but the art is unimpeachable.

You might see Strange again later.

iF: In the two issues released thus far, you three have put some awesome gore on display – I could point to the full-page goring of Deadpool by an elephant from last month’s issue as a prime example. Is that something you and Brian had that gore-ful in the script or did Tony bring a little bit of his own spin on things like that?

GD: Tony is the master. We called for it, but he served it up much better than we could ever describe. Whenever something falls out of Deadpool, it looks living — and real. Just tremendous. I think some of our goriest moments are still ahead of us. The tones of the stories that follow shift a little, and the art will of course reflect that. I think every issue that we turn in is our best to date, and we know that’s true of the art we get back.

iF: Let’s back up a little bit — seeing Deadpool working for S.H.I.E.L.D. is still pretty jaw-dropping. How does that work?

GD: Deadpool is an attractive option for this job, that nobody is volunteering for. If the corrupted Presidents are returned, there won’t be a parade, and if it goes poorly, there will only be unwanted attention and grief. S.H.I.E.L.D. gets a patsy if they need it, but Deadpool sees it as an acknowledgment of his skills. A gig’s a gig. He doesn’t care about the bad press.

iF: Deadpool versus reanimated dead Presidents. Were you at all cautious at pitching this idea to Marvel? Did you ever think — “hey, maybe this is too much for them?”

GD: Very much so. It was at the top of the list, and we had several other strong ideas, which you will see later on. We hoped Marvel editor Jordan White will like it and want it out of the gate, and he’s got great taste. Jordan, Nick Lowe, and Axel Alonso all gave it the nod, and we were ecstatic they did. It was the perfect bit of business to feed Tony Moore. He’s crushing it. It’s our favorite stuff he’s ever done.

iF: As much as I hold these former Commander-In-Chiefs in high regard, it seems hard to believe dead Presidents could hope to stand a chance against a gun-wielding, screw-loose Deadpool. How do they match up against Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth?

GD: They’re a bit tougher this time around. They were powerful men in life, and they’re even more powerful in death, but it’s not political power they wield… Deadpool will pick up some cornermen to help him know where to land his punches.

iF: So you’re bringing the U.S. Presidents back to life, or unlife as it were. What if this catches on and the these zombie Presidents become a more permanent part of the Marvel U? This may be reaching — but Dead Abraham Lincoln as the next Avenger?

GD: We’re all in trouble. The drive they had to build and create in life has been perverted, and they’re hell bent on destroying the country. Good intentions brought them back, but their presence is incompatible with a normal life.

iF: In The Last Christmas you, Brian and Rick Remender showed the unseemly side of Santa Claus, and now you’re bringing back the U.S. Presidents as the undead. Are there any sacred American institutions you’re aiming to take on next?

GD: We would argue that Santa was less unseemly than he was down on his luck, and really bottomed out. Yes, he forsake Christmas until just one boy believed in him, and yes, he then decided to kill the boy so he could leave this life — but, BUT — He got his crap together in the end and learned not just to move on past his own tragedies but return to the spirit of giving. It’s the silliest of ideas “Santa Claus after the apocalypse” but we redeem him in it. It’s post-apocalyptic western in the tradition of Mad Max, but it also as tried and true a Christmas tale as any of the Rankin-Bass animated specials.

iF: In previous interviews, the you and Brian stated that part of your overarching story is to show Wade trying to find a place where he fits in. He’s been on the outskirts of the X-Men, and made an unlikely team-up with Captain America before – but how do you think he sees himself in terms of being a team player?

GD: I think we like seeing where he fits, or rather – where he doesn’t fit. Those are opportunities for comedy. Dr. Strange has been a treat to write. He’s a merc and an assassin, and the truth is that he might not like the answer of where he fits in best. There’s is good in him, but it’s under a pretty deep reservoir of chaos.

iF: Deadpool is known for equal parts comedy and bloody action – so how do you balance the two for writing the series?

GD: I think if there are two things that we embraced more – it’s comedy and action. Whether it’s 80’s Jackie Chan, Shane Black films, from lesser known films like Sorcerer, and Ronin – these are all action films we loved. I thought Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins is brilliant. I could watch that all day long. Also Nicolas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising is not an action film per se, but a great film. They’re all influences. As for comedies, between the two of us, we seen everything. As for how we balance it, I think we’re trying to not force it. We don’t want you to see jokes coming until you’re laughing.

iF: The true measure for the success of Deadpool series seems to be how well the writer (or writers) understand Deadpool without making him a parody of himself. As writers, how do you hone in onto what’s true about Deadpool without going over the top?

GD: He’s a guy running around in a bright suit with guns and swords so I feel like he’s a character that already has the gas pedal all the way down into the red. Our rule is “if it feels right, then do it, because it can’t be wrong”

iF: A big part in the special sauce of your team-up here is artist Tony Moore. Moore’s well-known for doing gruesome action, but he also has an excellent sense of comedic timing that few others in superhero comics have. How’s it working out with him bringing your script and dialogue to life?

GD: He’s the best. We can’t imagine doing this without him. He’s making everything we’re doing better. Our only goal was to make an action-comedy comic that we would look forward to buying. Tony has elevated that beyond our wildest dreams. I think Tony Moore fans will hold this up as his best work, and anyone not familiar with him for some reason – will become a fan before they reach the end of the first issue. He’s worth the price of admission all by himself. Adding cover artist Geof Darrow and colorist Val Staples into the mix and the book is an absolute bargain.

 


Deadpool #3 hits comic shops today and costs $2.99.

Comments

  1. Good interview. Really enjoying Deadpool more now than I have in… Well ever. Keep up the good work!

  2. I’m really digging the new Deadpool comic. Awesome writing + Tony Moore and I’m in it for the long haul.

  3. Y’know, I wonder if Deadpool has a touch of magical ability. I mean he can see ghosts, so there’s that.

  4. i dont really like deadpool…… but im really enjoying this series!

    so i am now forced to say… i like deadpool…. im now questioning my own intelligence level… thank team deadpool!