Eric J. Moreels
Mar 15, 2003, 03:50 am
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/mugshots/jim_calafiore.jpg" align=left alt="Jim Calafiore">Welcome to From The Vault, a new irregular column here @ X-Fan that will take a look at previously announced stories that, for one reason or another, were never published.
To kick things off, X-Fan is proud to present a very special look at artist Jim Calafiore's "Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe" one-shot tale. Take it away, Jim!
Once upon a time, way back in the year 2000, I wrote and drew a story about everyone’s favorite nut-job mercenary, Deadpool. The story was intended to run as a single-issue filler at some point in his book.
It never did.
And here's the whole story:
It began with an idea... or at least the spark of an idea. Although I'd like to claim lofty goals, the inspiration for the story started with a fairly mercenary and self-serving question: How could I get to draw every hero in the Marvel Universe in one book (namely Deadpool)? Not a noble ambition, I admit, but it's the truth.
"How" to get all those characters into a single story was actually easy. Alien invasion. Boom. Done.
Oh, wait, I still needed the actual story didn't I?
Well, since it was Deadpool's book, and the plot would obviously have to revolve around him, I decided to have him cause the invasion. Since he is who he is, it would have to be a funny "why" too, and in fact it's the punchline of the story. Which created the next problem: The punchline, or the payoff, would come at the beginning of the story. Not good. If jokes started with the punchline, there'd be no point of listening to the rest of the joke.
Then I hit on telling the whole thing backwards, in snippets of story each occurring shortly before the previous one. I've always been a big fan of non-linear storytelling, mainly because it's so tough to make it work. (I've used non-linear story structure before, most notably in Aquaman #34 when I convinced Kevin Dooley and Peter David to let me play with the structure of the plot.) Here it was the perfect solution. The story begins with the end, and ends with the beginning.
Simple, right?
Anyway, so I had my idea, and the next step was the pitch. I composed a two-page "springboard", (editors are very busy people, and you never want to drop something on them that looks too long to waste time reading), which Mike Marts & Mike Raicht were nice enough to look over.
And they liked it!
Then came the longer in depth plot, (there were certain restrictions on which characters I was allowed to use, etc, which I had to work out), and before you could say "I was drawing the story," I was drawing the story. We got Pete Palmiotti, friend and excellent inker who added much to my work on Aquaman, to handle the inking; while he was doing his job, I worked on the script. At that point, the dialogue was pretty easy. I had been thinking about it for a while, and making notes on the borders of the pages as I drew. So it went fast as I recall. And it was fun, not only the jokes, but some serious comments on characters I had always loved.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dpC.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dpCt.jpg" align=right alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe rough cover sketch"></a>And then everything was done. It was actually a little anti-climactic, as we now had to sit and wait for the story to see publication.
Which brings us to the sometimes sad life of an inventory issue, whose lot it is to lay in a drawer waiting for a deadline emergency to let it see the light of day. This story had been tentatively scheduled at several points, but Deadpool was a book often in flux around that time. Incoming and outgoing writers, coupled with changes in storylines that didn't really allow for a single-issue interruption conspired to keep the story in its drawer. And then the book was cancelled. The character underwent a major overhaul, including a new look, new name and new book. The Deadpool in my story now bore little resemblance to Agent X, and the story was in essence rendered obsolete.
There had been some discussion about printing the story as a single issue one-shot, but Deadpool's sales numbers just didn't warrant it. The story was, in a brutal editorial term, "killed", and the artwork returned to me (and the inker).
As you might imagine, I was disappointed at this lost opportunity to see my first mainstream writing reach print. (In my previous life in independent comics, I wrote almost everything I drew; I also did some plotting at Valiant and co-plotting while on Aquaman, thanks to some gracious openness and tolerance on Peter David's part.) I looked around, and thought that since I had a Discussion Forum (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=83) here at X-Fan, the Internet presented a perfect solution, a way to at least have the story "out there".
And so I owe a big thanks to Eric Moreels and X-Fan, and their sponsor Ken Baugh and the fine people at X-World Comics for giving me the opportunity to see the story in some form of "print", and to have it reach you, the readers. Also thanks to Mike & Mike for giving me the go ahead!
But before I let you go, just a couple notes:
Firstly, this story was completed almost two years ago. The costumes and some of the characterizations of the guest stars are inconsistent with current Marvel continuity. Similarly, some of the references or jokes might seem dated. Specifically, there is a running gag with Captain Marvel where nobody is sure who he is, and mistakes him for the old Captain Marvel. This story was written when his current book and incarnation had been recently introduced, and the joke made more sense.
You might also notice several characters that you don't recognize. At the time, I had just done some character sketches for a proposal by Jay Faerber for a new mutant team book comprised of established characters with new costumes. I threw three of them into the story just for the hell of it. They are Spitfire, Wildchild and Radioactive Man (who is also guest starring, in his new costume, in a Nocturne inventory story I've been writing and drawing for use in Exiles; hopefully that story will have a better fate than this one).
The title of the story, "A mercenary flaps its wings...", referred to a saying ("a butterfly flaps its wings in South America, and there's a hurricane in Africa"... or something to that effect) which alludes to the idea that small actions can have far reaching consequences. It is an obscure reference, and I probably would've changed the title had it come to print. But since it didn't, you're stuck with an obscure reference.
Lastly, the pages never reached the lettering or color separation stage and are in black and white; some of the pages would have benefited from color if just for clarity sake, especially something like the two-page spread. (You'll see what I mean.)
And I think that that's all that needs saying for now. I hope you enjoy the story.
Jim Calafiore
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/DPSCRIPT.doc" target="_blank">Click here to download the full script for the story (in Microsoft Word format)</a>, then click each page's thumbnail below to see the art as you read along and see how Deadpool would have almost destroyed the Marvel Universe!
<table border=0 align=center><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp01t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 1 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp02t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 2 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp03.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp03t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 3 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp04.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp04t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 4 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp05-06.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp05-06t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Pages 5-6 preview"></a></td></tr></table><table border=0 align=center><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp07.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp07t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 7 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp08.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp08t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 8 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp09.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp09t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 9 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp10.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp10t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 10 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp11.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp11t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 11 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp12.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp12t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 12 preview"></a></td></tr><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp13.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp13t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 13 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp14.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp14t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 14 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp15.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp15t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 15 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp16.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp16t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 16 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp17.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp17t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 17 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp18.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp18t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 18 preview"></a></td></tr><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp19.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp19t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 19 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp20.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp20t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 20 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp21.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp21t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 21 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp22.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp22t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 22 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp23.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp23t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 23 preview"></a></td></tr></table>
To kick things off, X-Fan is proud to present a very special look at artist Jim Calafiore's "Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe" one-shot tale. Take it away, Jim!
Once upon a time, way back in the year 2000, I wrote and drew a story about everyone’s favorite nut-job mercenary, Deadpool. The story was intended to run as a single-issue filler at some point in his book.
It never did.
And here's the whole story:
It began with an idea... or at least the spark of an idea. Although I'd like to claim lofty goals, the inspiration for the story started with a fairly mercenary and self-serving question: How could I get to draw every hero in the Marvel Universe in one book (namely Deadpool)? Not a noble ambition, I admit, but it's the truth.
"How" to get all those characters into a single story was actually easy. Alien invasion. Boom. Done.
Oh, wait, I still needed the actual story didn't I?
Well, since it was Deadpool's book, and the plot would obviously have to revolve around him, I decided to have him cause the invasion. Since he is who he is, it would have to be a funny "why" too, and in fact it's the punchline of the story. Which created the next problem: The punchline, or the payoff, would come at the beginning of the story. Not good. If jokes started with the punchline, there'd be no point of listening to the rest of the joke.
Then I hit on telling the whole thing backwards, in snippets of story each occurring shortly before the previous one. I've always been a big fan of non-linear storytelling, mainly because it's so tough to make it work. (I've used non-linear story structure before, most notably in Aquaman #34 when I convinced Kevin Dooley and Peter David to let me play with the structure of the plot.) Here it was the perfect solution. The story begins with the end, and ends with the beginning.
Simple, right?
Anyway, so I had my idea, and the next step was the pitch. I composed a two-page "springboard", (editors are very busy people, and you never want to drop something on them that looks too long to waste time reading), which Mike Marts & Mike Raicht were nice enough to look over.
And they liked it!
Then came the longer in depth plot, (there were certain restrictions on which characters I was allowed to use, etc, which I had to work out), and before you could say "I was drawing the story," I was drawing the story. We got Pete Palmiotti, friend and excellent inker who added much to my work on Aquaman, to handle the inking; while he was doing his job, I worked on the script. At that point, the dialogue was pretty easy. I had been thinking about it for a while, and making notes on the borders of the pages as I drew. So it went fast as I recall. And it was fun, not only the jokes, but some serious comments on characters I had always loved.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dpC.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dpCt.jpg" align=right alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe rough cover sketch"></a>And then everything was done. It was actually a little anti-climactic, as we now had to sit and wait for the story to see publication.
Which brings us to the sometimes sad life of an inventory issue, whose lot it is to lay in a drawer waiting for a deadline emergency to let it see the light of day. This story had been tentatively scheduled at several points, but Deadpool was a book often in flux around that time. Incoming and outgoing writers, coupled with changes in storylines that didn't really allow for a single-issue interruption conspired to keep the story in its drawer. And then the book was cancelled. The character underwent a major overhaul, including a new look, new name and new book. The Deadpool in my story now bore little resemblance to Agent X, and the story was in essence rendered obsolete.
There had been some discussion about printing the story as a single issue one-shot, but Deadpool's sales numbers just didn't warrant it. The story was, in a brutal editorial term, "killed", and the artwork returned to me (and the inker).
As you might imagine, I was disappointed at this lost opportunity to see my first mainstream writing reach print. (In my previous life in independent comics, I wrote almost everything I drew; I also did some plotting at Valiant and co-plotting while on Aquaman, thanks to some gracious openness and tolerance on Peter David's part.) I looked around, and thought that since I had a Discussion Forum (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=83) here at X-Fan, the Internet presented a perfect solution, a way to at least have the story "out there".
And so I owe a big thanks to Eric Moreels and X-Fan, and their sponsor Ken Baugh and the fine people at X-World Comics for giving me the opportunity to see the story in some form of "print", and to have it reach you, the readers. Also thanks to Mike & Mike for giving me the go ahead!
But before I let you go, just a couple notes:
Firstly, this story was completed almost two years ago. The costumes and some of the characterizations of the guest stars are inconsistent with current Marvel continuity. Similarly, some of the references or jokes might seem dated. Specifically, there is a running gag with Captain Marvel where nobody is sure who he is, and mistakes him for the old Captain Marvel. This story was written when his current book and incarnation had been recently introduced, and the joke made more sense.
You might also notice several characters that you don't recognize. At the time, I had just done some character sketches for a proposal by Jay Faerber for a new mutant team book comprised of established characters with new costumes. I threw three of them into the story just for the hell of it. They are Spitfire, Wildchild and Radioactive Man (who is also guest starring, in his new costume, in a Nocturne inventory story I've been writing and drawing for use in Exiles; hopefully that story will have a better fate than this one).
The title of the story, "A mercenary flaps its wings...", referred to a saying ("a butterfly flaps its wings in South America, and there's a hurricane in Africa"... or something to that effect) which alludes to the idea that small actions can have far reaching consequences. It is an obscure reference, and I probably would've changed the title had it come to print. But since it didn't, you're stuck with an obscure reference.
Lastly, the pages never reached the lettering or color separation stage and are in black and white; some of the pages would have benefited from color if just for clarity sake, especially something like the two-page spread. (You'll see what I mean.)
And I think that that's all that needs saying for now. I hope you enjoy the story.
Jim Calafiore
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/DPSCRIPT.doc" target="_blank">Click here to download the full script for the story (in Microsoft Word format)</a>, then click each page's thumbnail below to see the art as you read along and see how Deadpool would have almost destroyed the Marvel Universe!
<table border=0 align=center><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp01t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 1 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp02t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 2 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp03.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp03t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 3 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp04.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp04t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 4 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp05-06.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp05-06t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Pages 5-6 preview"></a></td></tr></table><table border=0 align=center><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp07.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp07t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 7 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp08.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp08t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 8 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp09.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp09t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 9 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp10.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp10t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 10 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp11.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp11t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 11 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp12.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp12t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 12 preview"></a></td></tr><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp13.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp13t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 13 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp14.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp14t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 14 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp15.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp15t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 15 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp16.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp16t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 16 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp17.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp17t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 17 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp18.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp18t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 18 preview"></a></td></tr><tr><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp19.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp19t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 19 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp20.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp20t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 20 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp21.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp21t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 21 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp22.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp22t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 22 preview"></a></td><td align=middle><a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp23.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/dp/dp23t.jpg" alt="Deadpool Almost Destroys The Marvel Universe Page 23 preview"></a></td></tr></table>