Prelude to Deadpool Corps by Victor Gischler, Rob Liefield, Whilce Portacio, Jamie Mendoza and others

Deadpool is on a mission from the Elders of the galaxy, but this is one he can't make alone, so he decides to recruit a group uniquely suited to the mission- himselves.

Deadpool travels to four alternate universes to recruit different versions of himself, as watched over by Uatu, the watcher, who also narrates some of the stories. His first recruit is a female version of himself with long blonde hair, who is in the middle of a fight with their Version of Captain America, Major America. After a fight, the two subdue Major America, and Wanda Wilson signs on to the mission.

A few Universes over is Kid Wade Wilson, who is stuck in Professor Xavier's Orphanage. Xavier is more interested in trying to bed Emma Frost than in taking care of his kids, but Kid Wade is proving to be a thorn in his side. Not that things are looking so great from Kid Wade's perspective, either. He's stuck with Kid Cyclops, who wants to meet Kid Marvel Girl at the big Dance between the two orphanages of Professor X and Emma Frost. Just when it looks as if things might get a little heated, Adult Deadpool shows up to whisk his kid number off to the mission. Kid Wade, who has clearly worn out his welcome, is eager to go.

Next comes the tale of Dog Wade, the Merc with a Bark. After the sinister scientists do their experiment on him, he appears dead, so his body is thrown into the dumpster out back. When he comes back to life, he crawls from the dumpster, and through a series of coincidences, ends up working in a circus as a death-defying dog. But when the scientists discover what became of their experimental pooch,they become determined to get him back with the aid of their success, Wolverine, an even larger, scarier dog. But when Wade shows up, he helps Pooch Deadpool against "Wolverine", and takes him back to his own dimension.

Lastly, Deadpool goes after the zombie version of himself, reduced to just a head, and therefore known as "Headpool". Headpool had been thrown into the ocean, put his head is fished up from the sea by a band of pirates, and he is with them when they enter the island of Dr. Killcraven, whom they work for. But when Deadpool shows up, Killcraven thinks that Headpool is a ploy by his enemies to steal his inventions. Can Deadpool save Headpool from Killcraven, or has he met his match in the Doctor's Daughter, who thinks Deadpool is her husband returned from the Jungle?

Finally, the team is assembled, but to prove their worth to the Elders, they must take on one final mission, to prove that they can do the job. But will their collective madness help them win the day, or will it hinder more than help them?

Well, this was an... interesting book. I'm not a massive fan of Deadpool as a character, so having five of them only promised more madness than anything else in the story. And there was plenty of madness. As if to signal this, each section of the story, and each Deadpool had their own penciller and inker, and the last section, where the multiple Wilsons get together, is done in something like futuristic 3-D computer graphics and features cute furry animal aliens who are bent on murder and destruction.

It's not often that I am truly weirded out by a comic, but this one was so out there that I felt like I should run a line of floss through my ears and floss out my brain afterwards. The story is entertaining, but like Deadpool himself, completely crazy. Some of the characters have apparently been introduced before, while others, like Doggie Deadpool, are completely new in this comic.

I did find it mildly entertaining, but as a person who doesn't consider themselves a fan of Deadpool, I have to say that this is a graphic novel/series that will really only interest Deadpool fanboys. And there are certainly a lot of them around. I just really don't consider myself to be one of them and this book left me feeling more turned off than anything else. If you like Deadpool, you are going to want to buy it. If not, there is nothing that attractive to find here. Overall, for me, not recommended.