During the middle of the slowest comic book shift of all time, a loiterer came in and asked what I thought of Chris Hemsworth playing Thor.  After admitting I had no idea who Chris Hemsworth was, and then earnestly smiling and nodding when he mentioned it was Kirk Sr. from the new Star Trek movie, I said “Wow, I almost wish I cared about Thor.”

The conversation could easily have gone the other way.  The loiterer could have been standing by the t-shirt rack, pants stuffed with Jughead digests, trying not to look nervous, and I could have said “What do you think of Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool?”  And, after confessing that he didn’t know who Ryan Reynolds was, and me explaining it was Deadpool from the Wolverine movie, I mean…Van Wilder from Van Wilder, he could have said “Wow, I almost wish I cared about Deadpool.”

I care about Deadpool.  I haven’t been deeply hurt by the crapitude of The Merc With A Mouth, but I’m very disappointed.  No newspaper to the nose, just a long sigh and a refusal to make eye contact.

This issue is the antithesis to that feeling.  It’s Deadpool as a pirate.  It’s Hydra Bob in a parrot suit.  It’s a blind navigator.  An evil captain pirate who can’t grow a beard.  Many groaners.  A plunger.  A nuclear submarine.  If you love Deadpool, this issue is a gift to you.  Perhaps as an apology for the fact that the movie is, according to IMDB, being written by Rob “All my Marvel characters got more interesting” (and better drawn) “when I moved to Image” Liefeld.

But, forget that.  It’s over a year and a half away.  And this week, this very week, there’s PIRATE FUCKEN DEADPOOL written by the author with the most talent for understanding/writing this character (tied with Joe Kelly).

And let’s not forget the art.  The art was the only thing that kept Deadpool fans from burning down my store after reading TMWAM, it was perfectly cartoony and smooth.  This is more cross-hatchey, but not in a distracting “I caan play tic-tac-toe in every panel!” sort of way.

In nearly short, this is a perfect example, to me, of a four star book.  Deadpool isn’t going to change the way you read comics.  I love the character, but have never found myself, late at night, goblet of B&B swishing in my hands, pondering what Deadpool’s motivations say about the modern Ameri…Canadian? psyche.  It’s just big, dumb fun.