We love the adventures of Deadpool, mostly because he gets himself into some pretty crazy situations. In the upcoming series, DEADPOOL THE DUCK, we’ll get to see more of the insanity we enjoy so much. Marvel Comics recently talked with writer Stuart Moore about what readers can expect from this story that sees Wade sharing a body with none other than Howard the Duck.
Marvel.com: How has writing DEADPOOL THE DUCK compared to writing other Deadpool and Howard the Duck stories?
Stuart Moore: It seemed like a really fun idea to put them together. I enjoyed it because I see them as probably two of Marvel’s most well-known humorous characters, but they offer completely different types of humor. Deadpool’s humor centers around violence, things blowing up, and slapstick. And Howard gives us humor that’s a little more character based and intellectual. When you put the two of them together, Deadpool seems like the more violent, nihilistic character, but he’s actually much happier – he likes what he does, he likes his job – whereas Howard always overthinks things.
Marvel.com: Wade’s having trouble both with the Mercs for Money and with his marriage. It seems like this could, at least, give him an opportunity to get away from all that for a while.
Stuart Moore: This will definitely offer him a change from his regular life because, like Howard, we’ll see him out on the road, dealing with things that aren’t part of his normal routine. He may not consider it a break, though, since he finds himself trapped in the body of a four-foot duck. Although, Wade being Wade, he goes back and forth a little. He kind of enjoys it at times, and he likes the idea of having webbed feet. But ultimately, he doesn’t feel too happy about it. They both definitely have to adjust to being trapped in one body, and that’s where the tension and the humor come from.
Marvel.com: In DEADPOOL #17, Wade goes Shakespearean. We also see different takes on the character in DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL, and other stories. Why do you think Wade lends himself so well to such a wide range of different iterations and spin-offs (all of which are pretty fun)?
Stuart Moore: You can absolutely drop him into anything. I wrote a story once with Wade as a 1970s style trucker, and he just threw himself into that completely. He really reminds me of a very enthusiastic little kid (albeit a violent, homicidal little kid). He has that childlike ability to just take something new and throw himself into it 150 percent. And that makes him a lot of fun.
Marvel.com: Can you tell us a little about working with artist Jacopo Camagni?
Stuart Moore: He has an amazing eye for action. He’ll re-stage things sometimes and they always turn out better than the way I wrote them. He has so much skill when it comes to gags and humor. When conveying humor, you have to have an awareness of the facial expressions, but also the timing – how many panels do you insert before you pay off a gag? Do you do it at the top of the page, in a small panel or a large panel? He’s great at making those decisions.
You can check out the rest of the discussion here.
