Next week, DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300 marks a landmark moment in the history of the Merc with a Mouth. Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Scott Koblish, Matteo Lolli, and Mike Hawthorne, the issue presents an explosive finish for both this era of Deadpool and for several members of this all-star creative team.

Among those celebrating their final outing alongside the Regenerating Degenerate is Hawthorne, who has drawn more pages of Deadpool comics than any artist in Marvel history since he started with the character six years ago.

Jordan D. White, the editor on every page of Hawthorne’s Deadpool run, says, “Mike Hawthorne was one of the first artists we signed up for Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn’s DEADPOOL, doing main art duties on the second arc of the book. Since then, he’s taken Deadpool up against S.H.I.E.L.D., got him married, made him rich, gave him a new arch-nemesis, shot him into space, and much, much more! He’s been a dream to work with, and honestly, no matter how much praise has been heaped on him for his work on this series, it’s not enough. He’s a star.”

To celebrate the culmination of the artist’s Mercenary activities—and the massive story on the way in DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300—we thought we’d hand the mic over to Hawthorne himself for a look back at his favorite pages and stories.

Mike, over to you…

DEADPOOL (2012) #8, page 2

This page was literally the first Deadpool page I drew (back when I also inked my work on the book), so it holds a special place in my heart. However, it also served an important story point we returned to over and over: Deadpool’s Mind Museum. This “Chuck E. Cheese” inspired mind room was just a front for Deadpool’s actual mind—the Museum itself.

This page also established the tone for how I wanted to approach the book, with a focus on storytelling and tons of visual sight gags to embellish the jokes Gerry was telling. I wanted to set Gerry up as much as I could to sell his story and humor, and I got to show him how I might do that with the very first page.

Most importantly, we have Deadpool together (inside his mind) with Agent Preston. Preston, for me, has been the most important person in Wades life. He’d later get married, have a child (or two), make friends, but no one got as close to Wade as Preston did (…well, maybe one other person did, but we’ll get to him later). I can’t imagine the series without her, and I’m thrilled I got to nail down how important she was from my very first page.

DEADPOOL (2012) #23, page 3

This page is just one of an entire issue where Deadpool takes down a helicarrier full of bad guys. I think we managed to nudge Wade out of the clown territory a bit here and make it clear that he is a very, very dangerous man.

DEADPOOL (2015) #1, page 2

Gerry and I got to relaunch the series with a new #1, and Gerry wrote this incredible action sequence for the new book. I don’t want to give too much away for folks who haven’t read it, but we got to play a little with Wade’s life (rich! Avenger!). We also played with his cast, adding some really interesting players to the roster. This was very much a Team Deadpool comic, no longer just a solo comic. That opened up many story options, expanded the kinds of stories we could do, and gave us new ways to torture our guy Wade. Nothing like giving someone money and friends before taking them away to make a guy miserable!

And boy did we go out of our way to make poor Wade miserable!

DEADPOOL (2015) #5, page 4

Later on, Gerry and I really wanted to give Wade a villain to play against, and Madcap was perfect. After all, who else could out-Deadpool Deadpool?

I think we needed to find a character that could symbolize how being near to Wade can feel like a curse, and maybe also serve as a stand-in for Wade’s self-loathing.

DEADPOOL (2015) #30, page 14

On its face, this spread wasn’t important to the story on a whole. However, when you dig deeper into issue #30, you find that two important things happen here. One is that we get to see Wade expanding his reach beyond Earth-bound fist fights. Seeing Wade having adventures through the galaxy was a thrill for me, and allowed us to show that Deadpool can be Deadpool anywhere.

The second takeaway is the reason Wade is in space: he’s in a desperate search for a way to keep his family safe. He’s quite literally willing to search the entire galaxy to find a way to keep his loved ones from harm.

This issue illustrates the overarching motivation for Wade in our run. He’s willing to do anything—and I mean anything—to keep the people he loves safe…even from himself.

On May 9, catch the finale of a landmark Wade Wilson story in the oversized DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300!

Next week, DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300 marks a landmark moment in the history of the Merc with a Mouth. Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Scott Koblish, Matteo Lolli, and Mike Hawthorne, the issue presents an explosive finish for both this era of Deadpool and for several members of this all-star creative team.

Among those celebrating their final outing alongside the Regenerating Degenerate is Hawthorne, who has drawn more pages of Deadpool comics than any artist in Marvel history since he started with the character six years ago.

Jordan D. White, the editor on every page of Hawthorne’s Deadpool run, says, “Mike Hawthorne was one of the first artists we signed up for Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn’s DEADPOOL, doing main art duties on the second arc of the book. Since then, he’s taken Deadpool up against S.H.I.E.L.D., got him married, made him rich, gave him a new arch-nemesis, shot him into space, and much, much more! He’s been a dream to work with, and honestly, no matter how much praise has been heaped on him for his work on this series, it’s not enough. He’s a star.”

To celebrate the culmination of the artist’s Mercenary activities—and the massive story on the way in DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300—we thought we’d hand the mic over to Hawthorne himself for a look back at his favorite pages and stories.

Mike, over to you…

DEADPOOL (2012) #8, page 2

This page was literally the first Deadpool page I drew (back when I also inked my work on the book), so it holds a special place in my heart. However, it also served an important story point we returned to over and over: Deadpool’s Mind Museum. This “Chuck E. Cheese” inspired mind room was just a front for Deadpool’s actual mind—the Museum itself.

This page also established the tone for how I wanted to approach the book, with a focus on storytelling and tons of visual sight gags to embellish the jokes Gerry was telling. I wanted to set Gerry up as much as I could to sell his story and humor, and I got to show him how I might do that with the very first page.

Most importantly, we have Deadpool together (inside his mind) with Agent Preston. Preston, for me, has been the most important person in Wades life. He’d later get married, have a child (or two), make friends, but no one got as close to Wade as Preston did (…well, maybe one other person did, but we’ll get to him later). I can’t imagine the series without her, and I’m thrilled I got to nail down how important she was from my very first page.

DEADPOOL (2012) #23, page 3

This page is just one of an entire issue where Deadpool takes down a helicarrier full of bad guys. I think we managed to nudge Wade out of the clown territory a bit here and make it clear that he is a very, very dangerous man.

DEADPOOL (2015) #1, page 2

Gerry and I got to relaunch the series with a new #1, and Gerry wrote this incredible action sequence for the new book. I don’t want to give too much away for folks who haven’t read it, but we got to play a little with Wade’s life (rich! Avenger!). We also played with his cast, adding some really interesting players to the roster. This was very much a Team Deadpool comic, no longer just a solo comic. That opened up many story options, expanded the kinds of stories we could do, and gave us new ways to torture our guy Wade. Nothing like giving someone money and friends before taking them away to make a guy miserable!

And boy did we go out of our way to make poor Wade miserable!

DEADPOOL (2015) #5, page 4

Later on, Gerry and I really wanted to give Wade a villain to play against, and Madcap was perfect. After all, who else could out-Deadpool Deadpool?

I think we needed to find a character that could symbolize how being near to Wade can feel like a curse, and maybe also serve as a stand-in for Wade’s self-loathing.

DEADPOOL (2015) #30, page 14

On its face, this spread wasn’t important to the story on a whole. However, when you dig deeper into issue #30, you find that two important things happen here. One is that we get to see Wade expanding his reach beyond Earth-bound fist fights. Seeing Wade having adventures through the galaxy was a thrill for me, and allowed us to show that Deadpool can be Deadpool anywhere.

The second takeaway is the reason Wade is in space: he’s in a desperate search for a way to keep his family safe. He’s quite literally willing to search the entire galaxy to find a way to keep his loved ones from harm.

This issue illustrates the overarching motivation for Wade in our run. He’s willing to do anything—and I mean anything—to keep the people he loves safe…even from himself.

On May 9, catch the finale of a landmark Wade Wilson story in the oversized DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #300!

Tales about sibling rivalries have been the have been the inspiration for stories throughout the ages, even the Elders of the Universe aren’t immune to squabbling between brothers.

In “Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War: The Cosmic Quest Vol. 1: Beginning,” readers get an inside look into family relations as the Collector and the Grandmaster —two characters with great screen presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—come together after both having fallen from grace.

Will the brothers excessive and overbearing determination give them the drive they need to begin the hunt for the elusive Infinity Stones? We talk to author Brandon T. Snider to find out more.

Marvel.com: Fans who’ve seen Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War are sure to find fun in this story involving two Elders of the Universe. For those who may not have seen the movie, will they be able to jump right into the book?

Brandon T. Snider: Absolutely. “The Cosmic Quest” is set after “Thor: Ragnarok” and serves as a prequel to “Avengers: Infinity War.” The Grandmaster is fresh from his dethroning on Sakaar while the Collector is still recovering from the destruction of his museum in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” This story enhances the “Infinity War” experience in a variety of ways.

Marvel.com: Even if you’re just a human being and not a Celestial, people will be able to relate to the Grandmaster and the Collector’s sibling rivalry. How did you come up with their banter?

Brandon T. Snider: Writing these two bickering old Celestials was one of the great joys of my life. Their voices came fairly easily. I love the way they poke and shade each other. They know each other’s flaws and have no problem calling them out. It’s how they steal power out from under one another. A well-placed backhanded compliment is like art to these guys. If the Collector feels like a million bucks, the Grandmaster comes along and tells him he’s just a crumpled up $20…but with well-coiffed hair.

Marvel.com: There are clues that this was written after the film “Ragnarok” came out, was the Grandmaster Goldblum-esque tone purposeful? You can’t help but hear his voice in your heard while you’re reading it.

Brandon T. Snider: Jeff Goldblum is a presence on film and in real life. His Grandmaster was a highlight of “Ragnarok” for sure. I definitely tried to capture his eccentricities. He thinks out loud a lot. The Grandmaster is unafraid to say whatever horrible thought enters his brain. It’s my dream to have Jeff Goldblum read aloud from the book. A chapter, a page, one line…I’ll take whatever I can get. Email me, Jeff!

Marvel.com: Grandmaster’s naïveté about Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and the rest of the Galaxy is comical-as well as annoying to his brother—do you think he chooses ignorance or he’s just not self-aware?

Brandon T. Snider: I think it’s a mixture of both. The Grandmaster is incredibly self-absorbed. Very single minded. If it’s not about him, he’s not interested. I’d call him selectively ignorant. He knows more than he lets on. Sometimes it’s advantageous for him to play the dummy. Pretending not to know or understand something often allows him to escape the immense amount of trouble he often finds himself in.

Marvel.com: In introducing new characters like the Exalted Overseer or Keelan, how did you come up with them? Were they inspired by previous Marvel comics?

Brandon T. Snider: The Marvel Universe is expansive and the opportunity to add new flavors to this world was a career highlight for sure. I was inspired by a mixture of things, some real world and some fictional. Exalted Overseer is a spoiled brat who’s obsessed with Grandmaster as a cosmic icon. He’s a crazed fanboy with a dark side who’s got something Grandmaster wants and isn’t afraid make his idol sweat a little bit. Keelan is the Collector’s newest slave. She came to Knowhere with big dreams and, after a series of unfortunate events, ended up working for the Collector. She’s sharper than he thinks and has a couple tricks up her sleeve. I secretly hope this book is a springboard for Keelan. I’ve got the next phase of her story all ready to go.

Marvel.com: Is there anything hidden in the book that readers should look out for?

Snider: Yes! It wouldn’t be a Marvel story without a couple Easter Eggs.

“Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War: The Cosmic Quest Vol. 1: Beginning” is available now on ShopDisney.com and wherever books are sold.

Tales about sibling rivalries have been the have been the inspiration for stories throughout the ages, even the Elders of the Universe aren’t immune to squabbling between brothers.

In “Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War: The Cosmic Quest Vol. 1: Beginning,” readers get an inside look into family relations as the Collector and the Grandmaster —two characters with great screen presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—come together after both having fallen from grace.

Will the brothers excessive and overbearing determination give them the drive they need to begin the hunt for the elusive Infinity Stones? We talk to author Brandon T. Snider to find out more.

Marvel.com: Fans who’ve seen Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War are sure to find fun in this story involving two Elders of the Universe. For those who may not have seen the movie, will they be able to jump right into the book?

Brandon T. Snider: Absolutely. “The Cosmic Quest” is set after “Thor: Ragnarok” and serves as a prequel to “Avengers: Infinity War.” The Grandmaster is fresh from his dethroning on Sakaar while the Collector is still recovering from the destruction of his museum in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” This story enhances the “Infinity War” experience in a variety of ways.

Marvel.com: Even if you’re just a human being and not a Celestial, people will be able to relate to the Grandmaster and the Collector’s sibling rivalry. How did you come up with their banter?

Brandon T. Snider: Writing these two bickering old Celestials was one of the great joys of my life. Their voices came fairly easily. I love the way they poke and shade each other. They know each other’s flaws and have no problem calling them out. It’s how they steal power out from under one another. A well-placed backhanded compliment is like art to these guys. If the Collector feels like a million bucks, the Grandmaster comes along and tells him he’s just a crumpled up $20…but with well-coiffed hair.

Marvel.com: There are clues that this was written after the film “Ragnarok” came out, was the Grandmaster Goldblum-esque tone purposeful? You can’t help but hear his voice in your heard while you’re reading it.

Brandon T. Snider: Jeff Goldblum is a presence on film and in real life. His Grandmaster was a highlight of “Ragnarok” for sure. I definitely tried to capture his eccentricities. He thinks out loud a lot. The Grandmaster is unafraid to say whatever horrible thought enters his brain. It’s my dream to have Jeff Goldblum read aloud from the book. A chapter, a page, one line…I’ll take whatever I can get. Email me, Jeff!

Marvel.com: Grandmaster’s naïveté about Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and the rest of the Galaxy is comical-as well as annoying to his brother—do you think he chooses ignorance or he’s just not self-aware?

Brandon T. Snider: I think it’s a mixture of both. The Grandmaster is incredibly self-absorbed. Very single minded. If it’s not about him, he’s not interested. I’d call him selectively ignorant. He knows more than he lets on. Sometimes it’s advantageous for him to play the dummy. Pretending not to know or understand something often allows him to escape the immense amount of trouble he often finds himself in.

Marvel.com: In introducing new characters like the Exalted Overseer or Keelan, how did you come up with them? Were they inspired by previous Marvel comics?

Brandon T. Snider: The Marvel Universe is expansive and the opportunity to add new flavors to this world was a career highlight for sure. I was inspired by a mixture of things, some real world and some fictional. Exalted Overseer is a spoiled brat who’s obsessed with Grandmaster as a cosmic icon. He’s a crazed fanboy with a dark side who’s got something Grandmaster wants and isn’t afraid make his idol sweat a little bit. Keelan is the Collector’s newest slave. She came to Knowhere with big dreams and, after a series of unfortunate events, ended up working for the Collector. She’s sharper than he thinks and has a couple tricks up her sleeve. I secretly hope this book is a springboard for Keelan. I’ve got the next phase of her story all ready to go.

Marvel.com: Is there anything hidden in the book that readers should look out for?

Snider: Yes! It wouldn’t be a Marvel story without a couple Easter Eggs.

“Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War: The Cosmic Quest Vol. 1: Beginning” is available now on ShopDisney.com and wherever books are sold.