EXCLUSIVE: Cullen Bunn Takes Deadpool And The Mercs For Money Ongoing

Deadpool and the Mercs for Money are here to stay! Marvel today officially announced that Deadpool [...]

By Jamie Lovett

Deadpool and the Mercs for Money #1
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)

Deadpool and the Mercs for Money are here to stay! Marvel today officially announced that Deadpool and the Mercs for Money will relaunch as an ongoing series this July. Cullen Bunn, writer of the current Mercs for Money miniseries, will remain onboard as the ongoing series' writer. He'll be joined by artist Iban Coello.

While the current miniseries has the Mercs dealing with a mysterious Rigellian Recorder, the new series will have Wade Wilson's team that is totally not the Heroes for Hire – consisting of Deadpool, Foolkiller, Masacre, Slapstick, Solo, Stingray, and Terror – will be hunting radioactive villains.

ComicBook.com spoke to Bunn about what to expect from the ongoing adventures of Deadpool and the Mercs for Money. Check out what Bunn had to say, along with the full solicitation and two covers for Deadpool and the Mercs for Money #1, below.

How did the extension to ongoing series come about? Was the miniseries always envisioned as a kind of pilot episode?

Cullen Bunn: I don't think we set out for the miniseries to act as a pilot episode. I mean, whenever you do a limited run, you hope the reaction will be strong enough to warrant a continuation, and that's what is happening here. I don't want to be too cryptic, but this new series offered some unique challenges and opportunities that I just couldn't pass up. I really think this will be something very different than what you might expect. It's safe to say that the tone of this series is pretty different from the tone of the mini. I wish I could say more, but I think all will be made clear by the end of the first arc.

You'll see. I'm not just being mysterious for the sake of being mysterious. I don't want to ruin any of the surprises for you!

The solicitation for the first issue of the relaunched series tells us that Deadpool signs the team up to hunt down "radioactive" villains. What can you tell me about who the Mercs' benefactor is and what villains are on their hit list? Radioactive Man recently escaped the Avengers, so he seems like a likely candidate.

Radioactive Man is a candidate! In fact, you'll most certainly be seeing him in our second issue. In the first issue, though, you'll be meeting a character who is probably a little unexpected, someone who might not have been seen as radioactive up until this point. We're really turning some preconceived notions on their ears with the Mercs first target.

Will the Rigellian Recorder of the miniseries play into the new ongoing in any way?

That's a distinct possibility. I'm setting some stuff up with the Recorder that will likely play a role in this new series. The first arc of the new series, though, will be introducing a different challenge for our heroes.

What are some of the joys and challenges you've discovered in dealing with this cast, which is an ensemble of some of Marvel's most eccentric killers? Have any in particular emerged as a personal favorite?

A couple of these characters were longtime favorites of mine. Terror and Foolkiller in particular are characters who sold me on this concept. I think the challenge in a book like this, especially a book starring Deadpool, is giving each supporting character an identity and a voice all their own. It's easy for them to get lost in the shuffle if I'm not careful. Surprisingly, though, it was not one of my longtime favorites who emerged as one I enjoyed writing the most. That honor goes to either Slapstick or Masacre. Not sure I could narrow it down to one or the other just yet. I love them both so much.

Do you have a long-term goal or story in mind for the Mercs, or will this series be more about episodic adventures?

Whereas I've approached all the Deadpool limited series that I've written as episodic adventures, writing an ongoing will give me the opportunity to do some different things with the cast. Even though we'll be seeing several different adventures in the first few arcs, I'll be seeding a number of long-term character arcs and story seeds throughout the book.

Do you have any plans to give members of the team spotlight issues, where we see them away from their teammates on a kind of solo adventure, or will the series remain focused on the team dynamics?

Certainly a possibility. I'd love to write a few issues focused on specific team members. The big question, though, is if the team you know from the first miniseries will stay the same or not. Not to spoil anything, but you'll see some shake-ups in the first arc.

Or I might be lying.

But I'm not.

DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY #1
CULLEN BUNN (W) • IBAN COELLO (A)
Cover by Iban Coello
VARIANT COVER BY GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
HIP-HOP VARIANT COVER BY TBA
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

Deadpool is one of the best mercenaries on the planet. He may even be a passable Avenger—jury's still out. But one thing's for sure—Deadpool is a terrible team leader. Think we're lying? Ask the Mercs for Money! Deadpool's taken on a new high-paying mission to take out radioactive super villains...and his Mercs aren't nearly as immune to radiation as his healing-factored heinie is. Deadpool veteran Cullen Bunn brings us mo' mercs, mo' money and naturally, mo' problems.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

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