Okay, not literally dating Deadpool. See what I did there? I made pun out of the double meaning? That's funny.
But I thought I'd point out a few things since it all showed up in ONE panel--
From Deadpool Team-Up #899 (2009) by Fred van Lente and Dalibor Talajiic
You see, here's the problem if your intended audience is supposed to be teenagers:
- "Say 'ello to my liddle friend'"-- Scarface, 1983, i.e. 26 years ago.
- "How do you like them apples?"-- Good Will Hunting, 1997, i.e. 12 years ago.
- "Heeere's Johnny!"-- The Shining, 1980, i.e. 29 years ago, riffing off of Johnny Carson's Late Night show, of which he stopped hosting in 1992, i.e. 17 years ago.
Of the above, all the jokes still *work,* of course, but putting them all together shows an intent by author van Lente to include a layer of meaning that only is only really driven home if you understand the references. And of the above, only The Shining's might be the most recognizable, as it's probably a movie more familiar to all and has been riffed more often.
Van Lente/Deadpool's jokes within this comic also refer to:
- Steve Reeves
- 2 Girls 1 Cup
- the word 'grody'
- a Britishism of "redundancy"
- Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity
Unless, of course, comics' intended audiences are not meant to be teenagers, in which case, carry on. (Youngsters, just use wikipedia, as you are apt.)
To be fair, van Lente also includes a score of references to not-so-mundane items or otherwise things not-so-pop cultured:
- various names and stories of Greek mythological figures, including extensive references to minotaur and mazes as well as Hercules' many trials and family trees
- the grotto at Lourdes
- And one funny line about having Deadpool's left foot "tap ... when you have to wait anywhere for more than ten seconds" -- a line anyone playing video games will understand.
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