Creator says Deadpool character by far his most popular ahead of Calgary Expo appearance

The creator of the hugely popular, unorthodox superhero Deadpoolsays the character and Ryan Reynolds' portrayal seems to connect with a fans across the board, ahead of a second film instalment coming next month.

"When Deadpool first appeared, Marvel called me and said, 'Rob, this is the most mail we've gotten on a new character in 20 years,' and I mean, he was in the book for 10 pages," Rob Liefeld told The Homestretch on Tuesday.

"People love the devil-may-care attitude. You put that with a strong visual and then, honestly, Ryan Reynolds made him into a global, worldwide phenomenon.Men, women alike, they love Ryan as Deadpool."

Where does Deadpool come from?

Liefeld will be on hand at the 2018 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend to interact with and answer fan questions, and he's got some idea what to expect.

"Where does Deadpool come fromis by the far the No. 1 question."

Deadpool 2 hits theatres in May, and Liefeld says his inspiration for the Deadpool character, in the motion picture version, was in response to another character.

"The movie is as funny as the first one. I'd say funnier. Tons of new characters. A great new adventure, but most importantly, the movie has tremendous heart," he said.

"In the comic book world, Cable was introduced first and Deadpool followed a year later. In movies, we are reversing that. Cable had bought me a ton of goodwill because he was this badass new man of mystery. The fans just poured themselves into this character, so I need a new foil. I already had my straight man in Cable, so now I needed my insane, lunatic, bounty hunter, mercenary."

'Have to tell a story'

Liefeld's advice to aspiring content producersis give publishers what they want.

"If you want to draw comics, draw comics. Don't draw pin-ups. Don't draw one shot of Spiderman slinging. That's not going to get you the job. You have to tell a story. When I got hired, I had eight pages of storyboards. That's what our business is about, telling stories," he said.

"The hunger for graphic novels and comic books is at an all-time high."

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With files from The Homestretch