Deathstroke: Rebirth 1 (October 2016)

All right, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve got to open this discussion of Deathstroke: Rebirth with the following disclaimer–I’m probably not going to read another one of these comics. I hope other people buy it, I hope other people read it, I hope Priest sticks around at DC. I would love to read more new Priest books, especially ones with good artists like this series. Carlo Pagulayan draws a beautiful espionage thriller with a little bit of DC Universe connection.

It’s a modern day spy thriller, nothing more, nothing else. Slade is haunted by whatever happened to his two sons and whatever happened to his old handler. But he’s a mercenary in Africa now and there’s this whole Deathstroke mystique going with the locals. It’s kind of cool. Priest writes the dialogue well. But it’s nothing a solid Deathstroke story from twenty years ago wouldn’t have had.

And that solid feel is where I can’t get excited, can’t get motivated for the monthly commitment. I’m glad DC can make this book though. You go back a few years, they wouldn’t have–pretty sure I read the New 52 Deathstroke. It would’ve either been lame or terrible. Not a good mainstream super-anti-hero book.

I just need to remember to check in when the first arc gets collected.

CREDITS

The Professional, Part One; writer, Priest; penciller, Carlo Pagulayan; inker, Jason Paz; colorist, Jeromy Cox; letterer, Willie Schubert; editors, Brittany Holzherr and Alex Antone; publisher, DC Comics.

Deathstroke 3 (January 2012)

Oh, silly rich people, you think you’ll ever kill Slade? He has such a cool name. Slade.

This issue of Deathstroke is better than and worse than the previous ones. Higgins has some story, but really… it doesn’t matter. Deathstroke is out to kill someone for something, probably money. But he runs into a seemingly deathless opponent and yada yada.

The issue moves because of the fight scenes, which are very long and badly done. Bennett’s proportions on Deathstroke make me wonder if this comic’s for the Cable audience. Bennett flirts with the Liefeld school of anatomy on occasional, or he just doesn’t know how to draw someone crouching.

There’s also Deathstroke’s sidekick, his Q. He shows up for some banter. It’s not terrible banter either.

The fight scenes make the book pass quickly and the cliffhanger’s not too terrible.

Either Deathstroke is less loathsome or I’m a tad disinterested.

CREDITS

Legacy; writer, Kyle Higgins; penciller, Joe Bennett; inker, Art Thibert; colorist, Jason Wright; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Rickey Purdin and Rachel Gluckstern; publisher, DC Comics.

Deathstroke 2 (December 2011)

I’ll get to the horrors of Deathstroke in a minute, but first I wanted to cover one of the issue’s revelations about the new DC Universe. Its cable news network is apparently called DCNN. You know, DC News Network.

This “Easter egg” is the kind of lame detail from a bad superhero startup press in the nineties. Shared universe and all that nonsense.

Okay, on to the issue. I’m not being uncomplimentary enough and it’s boring me.

The cover to this issue makes it look like Deathstoke might fight a Transformer.

He doesn’t. He fights a boring guy in a suit for a page. A page is enough, since it at least doesn’t go on long enough for Higgins to write dialogue.

The comic gets stupider this issue. Higgins can’t plot well either. The issue takes place over about ten minutes. All for three bucks.

Deathstroke‘s terrible; let’s move on.

CREDITS

The Carpocalypse; writer, Kyle Higgins; penciller, Joe Bennett; inker, Art Thibert; colorist, Jason Wright; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Rickey Purdin and Rachel Gluckstern; publisher, DC Comics.

Deathstroke 1 (November 2011)

DC Comics, as a major publisher, “proudly presents” Deathstroke? Really?

First off, the writing. Let me get through it. Kyle Higgins isn’t as bad as some of the writers DC has on the New 52. Oh, sure, he’s really lame and can’t write dialogue, but at least he tries. He does try to sound conversational and not declarative. He even succeeds. He writes bad conversational dialogue. He’s leagues better than the guys who can’t write like anything but Frank Miller knockoffs.

But he can’t plot either, maybe because the concept would require some understanding of the human condition to succeed.

And the art? Joe Bennett is a diet Ed McGuinness; he doesn’t sell the forced style. Plus, his references are all Marvel—both J. Jonah Jameson and the Vulture cameo in the book.

Maybe Deathstroke’s all supposed to be a joke.

Even if it is… it’s a bad one.

CREDITS

Back to Basics; writer, Kyle Higgins; penciller, Joe Bennett; inker, Art Thibert; colorist, Jason Wright; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Rickey Purdin and Rachel Gluckstern; publisher, DC Comics.