Who doesn’t want to live out their very own Deadpool adventure? Well, that’s exactly what you get with the new choose-your-own-adventure book, You Are (Not) Deadpool, from Tim Dedopulos and Aconyte Books.
Chitauri weapons have been popping up left and right and if they fall into the wrong hands, the entire country could be in some serious danger. So when Deadpool comes to you asking for help with the situation, you just can’t say no. Well, you can, but then it would be a very short book. Trust me, I tried.
You Are (Not) Deadpool makes you Deadpool’s… assistant. His comrade. His partner in crime fighting. Whatever you want to call it, you work with Deadpool and choose exactly how you want to handle a number of absolutely crazy situations.
While Deadpool is a wildly popular character and this concept is a lot of fun, it was simply done better in She-Hulk Goes to Murderworld. Dedopulos, who writes both books, just seems to have a better feel for that character. There’s still plenty of Deadpool fun in this one, but a lot of his dialogue tends to be difficult to link with what we know and love about the character.
The story also just doesn’t quite his as well as it does in this book’s She-Hulk counterpart. Yes, there are a lot of twists and turns that you may not get to see on your first go around, but even at it’s best, this books just feels like a step below.
As for the good stuff, this book is loaded with fun puzzles and mini-games. If you think you’re going to be curling up to simply read a book, you would be wrong. This book is going to challenge you mentally, and not just when Deadpool pushes you to your wit’s end. Again, the path you take determines what kind of adventure you have, but I found this book to be a bit more interactive than I expected.
And speaking of choosing your path, some of the biggest laughs this book provides are simply nods to the paths you don’t take. Every now and then you will be presented with the opportunity to use an item you may have picked up. However, if you didn’t come across that item earlier in the story, you may be caught a bit off guard when you’re asked if you want to use your Cheery Log or your Artisanal Stick Candy.
And then there’s the action. As you might expect from a Deadpool story, there is a fair amount of violence in this book. Ok, there’s a lot of violence. Obviously, this is a book, so the imagery is all up to your imagination, but when you find yourself playing a game of Jenga with severed human limbs instead of wooden blocks, it’s hard not to let your imagination run wild. Just something to keep in mind if that isn’t really your thing.
Overall, You Are (Not) Deadpool is fun but a step behind She-Hulk Goes to Murderworld. Deadpool is always a fun character and he does provide a lot of funny moments in this book, but it’s just not his best story. Still, it is absolutely worth checking out if you’re looking to create your own adventure in the Marvel Universe.
You Are (Not) Deadpool is available now.