[Abishai100]

I'm a huge Deadpool (Marvel Comics) fan and wanted to offer up a civics-patriotic story of the unusual superhero dealing with Russian hell while contemplating the value of vigilantism when being weighed against the enchantment of normal life (and love!).

This short-story is meant to invoke our romance with democracy-patriotism since it's near the 4th of July (and we fans of 'TrumpUSA' are thinking fondly of traffic-detox!).





====

Deadpool (Wade Wilson), the mercenary-mutant with a killer-lyrical mouth for slang(!) found himself in Moscow (Russia), trolling around in the underground searching for a blood-potion cure to his insufferable flesh-mutating immortality. Deadpoool believed this curative potion was being kept/hidden by the secret cult of vampires in the Russian city. However, Moscow was, if one can believe such a terrible or sad thing, was still plagued socioeconomically following the collapse of the warm socialist blanket of the Soviet Union (USSR!).

Deadpool remained hopeful, convinced the hiding vampires of the Russian city were keeping in their vaults some special/magical blood-potion that would convert his immortal mutating flesh (a condition that compelled Wade Wilson to forego the enchantment of a normal love-life in preference for chasing truly evildoers who could be stopped only by a mutant-superhero mercenary/vigilante whose flesh quickly self-healed after being pierced by bullets, knives, lasers, etc.) into something any woman could love(!). Deadpool/Wade wanted to become a charming man of poetry. As he trolled around Moscow late at night, he felt truly sorry for the Russian vagrants roaming around Moscow, desperate for crumbs of bread (while Russian mafia fat-cats got drunk on ale and beef) and reminiscing about days past when Father Stalin's Soviet Union supplied stew to millions!

Deadpool met a beautiful gypsy woman named Karen Comaneci who apparently had ties to that secret vampire-cult potentially hiding that magical blood-potion cure to his unbearable mutating immortal flesh. Comaneci took Deadpool into her humble Moscow apartment and fed him with potato-chowder and hot cider. Deadpool/Wade asked Comaneci about enduring Moscow life after the final collapse of the Soviet Union, and to his small surprise, Comaneci explained, "As long as there are angels on Earth, I don't fear the cold grip of the wealth-hoarding and crime-building Russian mafia!" Deadpool started falling in love with Karen Comaneci(!).

Deadpool asked himself one night, "Should I fight the crime created by the Russian mafia in Moscow (to improve Comaneci's city-life), or should I seek out that blood-potion cure to become a normal mortal man at last and maybe even embrace Comaneci as a man-of-peace?" Deadpool/Wade resolved to stay a mutating freak of a hero-mercenary and accepted a mission-fee in a seedy speakeasy-bar from an old man who told him, "I want someone to kill the Russian mafia-leader Ivan Bedlam and make Moscow a haven for women and gypsies one again!" Deadpool began hunting Ivan Bedlam.

Deadpool discovered Bedlam's minions were distributing a new hallucinogen that was addictive and placated users into thinking the supplier (Bedlam) was some kind of mystical master. Deadpool decided to infiltrate Bedlam's lair by befriending his minions by convincing them he was now a wandering drunk in search of terrific campfire-crime stories to reminisce about the joys of mortality(!). Deadpool finally made his way into Bedlam's lavish Moscow apartment where he found himself debating with the mafia-devil.

DEADPOOL: I thought I wanted to be normal...
BEDLAM: So, you're yearning for the joys of family-life?
DEADPOOL: I was after meeting a lovely gypsy-woman in Moscow!
BEDLAM: Are you still seeking this normal life?
DEADPOOL: Nah, I'd rather kill you to make Russia great again...
BEDLAM: I have ties to terrorist groups and can't be deposed so easily!
DEADPOOL: After i decapitate you, Ivan, I'll say a prayer for capitalism.
BEDLAM: So you infiltrated my lair to discard my valuable head...
DEADPOOL: I'd rather promote fair-trade through super-fighting than become mortal.
BEDLAM: My terrible dominion has persuaded you to forego peace for valor!
DEADPOOL: Death-fighters have an odd way of citing evil to sacrifice fortune.
BEDLAM: Regardless of what you'll accomplish, I'll be remembered as a Goliath!
DEADPOOL: The suffering gypsies of Moscow will remember you as...a dummy.

====

[paw broon]

Please don't take offence Abishai but I can't take Deadpool.  Nor do I understand what this means, "(and we fans of 'TrumpUSA' are thinking fondly of traffic-detox!")
Anyway, I thought Wade Wilson was a QB. 

[Abishai100]

Since I am a big Deadpool fan(!), I wanted to create a chapter about the offbeat Marvel superhuman confronting the ergonomic imagery of the Inferno (Hell) and get a better 'grip' on what comprises morality-analysis! So this addendum is really about why Deadpool is a 'man of art.'



====

Deadpool had a dreadful dream one night shortly after returning to the USA and deposing the nefarious Bedlam in Moscow(!). Deadpool dreamed he was taken through the levels of Hell, to the Inferno, by a 'spirit-guide' who insisted Deadpool needed to meditate on the contours of ethics more seriously since he'd formally/seriously invested his life and mind into the complex labors of crime-fighting. Deadpool consented to follow this 'spirit-guide' in this dream and felt honestly curious about what comprised the confounding complexity of Hell itself.

In the first level, Deadpool discovered the fragility of playing with money (gambling) and concluded the first level of Hell was really an omen. In the next/second level, Deadpool saw the weight of political corruption and how it 'fed' the denmons of impatience, requiring souls to evaluate governance labors endlessly. In the third level, Deadpool saw the conflagration of great nations/kingdoms creating undesirable madness through power-marketing and civil wars. The fourth level of Hell involved domestic violence and community sins such as adultery and rape(!). This level troubled Deadpool, so his 'spirit-guide' assured him he was merely a conscientious 'witness.' The fifth level of Hell was the Apocalypse (the end of days!), and Deadpool was compelled to assess his own soul-hygiene!

The spirit-guide congratulated Deadpool for going through these imaginations of great tribulations with surprisingly astonishing patience. However, Deadpool insisted that the 4th level of Hell (or 'Inferno'), which involved adultery and rape, was most disconcerting. His spirit-guide explained that community oriented sins (e.g., adultery) was really about the 'basic instinct' of envy and needed to be framed mentally in terms of social expectations. Deadpool realized then that the 4th level of Hell was about individual corruption and could be measured in terms of private dignity. He knew he'd have to have a clear picture of the breadth of this 4th level, since adultery/rape invoked images of great humiliation.

When Deadpool awoke, he realized his entire dream of the 'Inferno' was actually a private reflection of the tediousness of modern crime-fighting. Deadpool knew he'd made the right decision to forego the charms and sweetness of romance/love in preference for fighting evil, since know one quite had a grasp of the 'ugliness' and 'brutishness' of evil like he did, and perhaps no one else ever would(!). Deadpool therefore decided to make a trek to the NYU library where he could procure a copy of Dante's Inferno and think more 'academically' about the deep troubles associated with great tribulations. Deadpool wondered if Hell was somehow occupied by a dark and brooding 'mega-lord' who presided over the mind's challenges with conceptualizing laziness.

====

[Abishai100]

Since Marvel-DC crossovers are all the rage now, I wanted to add another chapter/addendum combining elements/themes from Deadpool (Marvel Comics) and elements/themes frm Batman (DC Comics), and this little beauty is inspired loosely by an episode of Batman: The Animated Series and invites us to ask, "Is crime-fighting a thing of dogma...or fantasy?"

Enjoy (and happy summer),




====

"Have you seen the blood of the moon,
for it flows darkly like the tides of June?
Fear not, my shivering friends,
for Deadpool is on the case...with a fence.

No ordinary fence can keep out the mane of Tigris;
a man-beast with a vision of endless intelligence;
He preys upon the city-dweller's arrogance over labor;
he keeps in his mind the forces of graves.

Deadpool knows Tigris but eludes him, for he's foresaken
the ties of true love to fight the presence of evil;
Tigris calls to Deadpool to know the veil of the she-devil.

If our friend is Deadpool, we're safe from Tigris;
we're safe from Tigris' chest, full of the blood of knowledge;
knowledge of good and evil, of patience and anarchy.
We're safe from Tigris' mane of vengeance,
and from our own sense of infinite yearning.

Deadpool is a man of art,
and a man of parting;
he stands for vigilantes,
and those who abstain from the lure of Tigris,
in preference for the honor of the blood-oath,
if there is such a thing."

====


After Deadpool wrote and read this poem, about the intricate complexity of fighting evil and the haunting allure of 'giving in' to the forces of subjugation (in preference for purity, idealization, and friendship), he realized he made 'all the right moves' in Moscow, in dealing with the nefarious druglord and crime-master known as 'Bedlam.' Yes, Deadpool was not swayed by Bedlam's power or prestige, and he didn't blink when he noticed Bedlam's hauntingly beautiful siren-girlfriend, the red-cloaked she-witch known as Duchess, and that's what moved Deadpool to write his little 'poem' about the dominion of Tigris.

If you want to be a vigilante, consider why Deadpool's life is so darn complex...and deadly(!). Yes, by forsaking love in preference for the lonely life of a crime-fighting wandering immortal mercenary, Deadpool has given us a way to honor him and to feel safe when the influence of evil, of the proverbial 'Black Hand' feels too close to seem surmountable! Deadpool will not give into Bedlam in Moscow or the Duchess in Hell, since he's a friend of the fisherman...and therefore never ever an ally of the scorpion.

====

[positronic1]

Since Marvel-DC crossovers are all the rage now

Er... I don't quite know how to tell you this, but there hasn't been a Marvel-DC crossover since Kurt Busiek and George Perez' JLA/Avengers miniseries ended in 2004. In fact, that might have been the last Marvel crossover with any other comic publisher (although I admit I'm not entirely sure about that). At any rate, there haven't been any since Disney acquired Marvel in 2009... although I'm reasonably sure that some sort of editorial edict banning intercompany crossovers was in place at Marvel for some time before that. DC still does them with companies like IDW, Dark Horse, Dynamite and Archie Comics, however, and most of the other mid-range publishers seem at least open to the idea. Marvel's policy seems to be "We don't need no stinking inter-company crossovers!" I'm surprised they haven't at least done something with say, Star Wars and the Avengers, but possibly they might feel justified in considering Star Wars sacrosanct and don't want to alienate SW fans who aren't also superhero fans.

[Abishai100]

Well, even if Marvel-DC crossovers (e.g., Spiderman-Batman) are few in number, they're considered rather 'nifty' by audiences seeking 'frills' in comics, no? Nevertheless I'll concede/agree that keeping Marvel and DC apart still represents mainstream comics(!).

So here's a clearly Marvel-like chapter about Deadpool having to return to troubled Moscow to deal with a new menace/rival named T-Ray who wants to see if Deadpool became a vigilante to entreat his yearning for danger.



====

It occurred to the thoughtful Deadpool that what he truly lacked in life was a serious 'challenger' to his Christianity-oriented conviction to follow through on his vigilantism intelligence regardless of the temptations of leaving crime-fighting to find a normal home-family life(!). Well, as the adage goes, "Be careful what you wish for!", Deadpool was about to receive this wished 'challenger' who'd test his mettle regarding the conviction to stand by the austere life of a vigilante.

This challenger was a brutish and pinkish machete-wielding mutant named T-Ray, an anarchist with a penchant for violence and mischief. T-Ray was 'camped' in Moscow, attempting to create a post-Bedlam dominion of vice and crime to 'lure' Deadpool back to the Russian city for more good old fashioned urban worry. When Deadpool (enjoying a vacation in San Diego!) read in the papers that a new 'menace' surfaced in Moscow and was mimicking the terror of Bedlam by randomly decapitating Moscow cops, Deadpool knew he'd have to return to Russia!

DEADPOOL: You're an ugly son-of-a-bitch.
T-RAY: I'm no 'urban composer' like Bedlam...
DEADPOOL: What do you want?
T-RAY: I wanted you back in Moscow for a fight.
DEADPOOL: You want to fight me?
T-RAY: You must prove you're a vigilante by imagination.
DEADPOOL: I have in my two hands two different candies.
T-RAY: Alright; so what?
DEADPOOL: One candy is frosted; the other is sweet and sour but smooth.
T-RAY: What is the point of this education?
DEADPOOL: You may choose either the frost-treat or the sour-variation treat.
T-RAY: I see your point, Deadpool; I can't have both!
DEADPOOL: Exactly; and that's life in Moscow...
T-RAY: You should be a schoolteacher.
DEADPOOL: I'd rather be a vigilante...
T-RAY: So if I leave Moscow, I can find 'candy' in isolation!
DEADPOOL: Precisely; go meditate in the forest (I don't care!).
T-RAY: So seeking intelligence privately yields comparable thrills for daredevils.
DEADPOOL: Even if you're a daredevil, you appreciate the wisdom of dignity.
T-RAY: Alright, I'll resign myself to the forest and cease to lure you into fighting.
DEADPOOL: And I promise to think about the practicality of linking vigilantism with courage.
T-RAY: Yes, remember my basic omen --- vigilantes my yearn for strength tests.

Deadpool managed to use debating and social consciousness to persuade the subversive T-Ray into thinking that if vigilantes (like Deadpool!), by definition, crave adventure, then perhaps hellraising daredevils (like T-Ray!) can seek alternative forms of mind-expanding sin contemplation (e.g., meditating in the forest). T-Ray resolved to go to the forest and write a novel, the antithesis of Thoreau's nature-appreciative Walden. Deadpool realized that by convincing the machete-wielding Moscow hellraiser that there are 'all kinds' of lifestyle-choices, he managed to 'incarcerate' the terrible T-Ray in his own 'pride.' However, Deadpool never forgot T-Ray's ominous message that derring-do is somehow linked to 'boredom-levitation.'

====

[positronic1]

Well, even if Marvel-DC crossovers (e.g., Spiderman-Batman) are few in number, they're considered rather 'nifty' by audiences seeking 'frills' in comics, no?

Few in number? 

Amalgam Age of Comics TPB (1996) The DC Collection
Amalgam Age of Comics TPB (1996) The Marvel Collection
Amalgam Comics Collectors Set
Amazon (1996)
Assassins (1996)
Batman Captain America (1996)
Batman Daredevil King of New York (2000)
Batman Spider-Man (1997)
Batman vs. the Incredible Hulk (1995)
Bat-Thing (1997)
Bruce Wayne Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1996)
Challengers of the Fantastic (1997)
Crossover Classics The Marvel/DC Collection TPB (1991-2003)
Daredevil Batman (1997)
Dark Claw Adventures (1997)
Darkseid vs. Galactus The Hunger GN (1995)
DC Marvel All Access (1996)
Doctor Strangefate (1996)
Exciting X-Patrol (1997)
Generation Hex (1997)
Green Lantern Silver Surfer Unholy Alliances (1995)
Incredible Hulk vs. Superman (1999)
Iron Lantern (1997)
JLA Avengers (2003)
JLA/Avengers HC (2004) Oversized Slipcase Edition
JLA/Avengers TPB (2008)
JLX (1996)
JLX Unleashed (1997)
Legends of the Dark Claw (1996)
Lobo the Duck (1997)
Magnetic Men Featuring Magneto (1997)
Magneto and the Magnetic Men (1996)
Marvel and DC Present the X-Men and the Teen Titans (1982)
Marvel and DC present the X-Men and the Teen Titans (1995 Reprint)
Marvel vs. DC (1996)
Marvel vs. DC Preview (1995)
Marvel vs. DC TPB (1996)
Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics The DC Comics Collection TPB (1997)
Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics The Marvel Comics Collection TPB (1997)
Silver Surfer Superman (1996)
Spider-Boy (1996)
Spider-Boy Team-Up (1997)
Spider-Man and Batman (1995)
Super Soldier (1996)
Super Soldier Man of War (1997)
Superman and Spider-Man (1996 comic-sized)
Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man (1976)
Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man (1995 Reprint)
Superman/Fantastic Four (1999)
Thorion of the New Asgods (1997)
Unlimited Access (1997)

[Devil Scans]

considering how many issues that Marvel & DC have each published in their long histories, that is VERY FEW, even with the ones you left off

and note that they have not collaborated on squat in a long time and HC and TPB reprintings of previously released work does not really count