Joe Kelly broke into Marvel in 1997, adding his own style of irreverence to Deadpool and turning the title into a cult sensation. After runs on Daredevil and X-Men, Kelly departed for DC Comics, where he delivered award-winning work on Action Comics and Superboy. He subsequently returned to Marvel, collaborating with the "Spider-Man Brain Trust" and penning several memorable arcs on Amazing Spider-Man. Kelly combined the two Marvel characters with which he is most closely associated in the riotous team-up series Spider-Man/Deadpool. Along with several fellow comic creators, Kelly established Man of Action, the studio that has produced the Ben 10 animated series.

Artist Ed McGuinness came to prominence with his work on Harris Comics' Vampirella and Marvel's Deadpool. At Awesome Entertainment, McGuinness participated in a Fighting American revamp with writer Jeph Loeb, who would become a longtime collaborator. A short run on WildStorm's Mr. Majestic led to a longer one on DC Comics' Superman and the launch of Superman/Batman with Loeb. Back at Marvel, McGuinness reunited with Loeb for Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America, Hulk and Avengers: X-Sanction before launching Amazing X-Men with Jason Aaron. McGuinness has reteamed with his Deadpool scribe Joe Kelly for Spider-Man/Deadpool and with Aaron on a blockbuster relaunch of Avengers.