DC Comics 2016
Written by Christopher Priest
Penciled by Carlo Pagulayan
Inked by Jason Paz
Coloured by Jeromy Cox
Lettered by Willie Schubert
To be honest I wasn’t planning on getting this one. I like Deathstroke and all but he’s a bit overplayed sometimes but then I’d heard that this was kind of going to be like the Soprano’s and I thought okay that’s different. So when I was in my local Shoppe I glanced through it and lo and behold here we are. Two things stood out for me here one was that it opened with Grant and Joey and a very classic character is in this complete in his original costume and I was in right then.
I’m also very impressed with the interiors here. The attention to detail is absolutely incredible and personally i’m a huge believer in backgrounds to help set the mood, feel and tone of the overall story, they give it that larger picture and ambiance and they are used well here. The use of pages and panels to tell the flow of the story is impressive. So yeah this has a lot of promise for me.
I think by having us see Slade’s relationship with his sons here is extremely important to establishing his overall personality. If he’s even remotely like the original then it’s on track for me to get into it. There’s a good deal of then and now happening throughout the issue and both do wonders to really give the reader an opportunity to get to know Slade Wilson. From his treatment of his children to the way he fulfills his obligations we get to see the type of man he is.
I do like that you kind of see a difference in the two scenarios. Harsh and unforgiving as a Mercenary but that’s in the treatment of his sons. It’s obvious this is a time before he lost an eye and Joey’s throat was cut, if that’s still cannon, when there were no mistakes in his game. Also when his activities were a secret which doesn’t help two boys understand or accept the fact that their dad is always gone and when he’s not he’s mean, cold and treats them like soldiers. By contrast he shows more compassion to those who hire him, at least in the now. Money is a factor but while he’s still the best there is his sense of honour and commitment to a job is very important to him.
I also really liked the way this book ended. Wintergreen needed saving and Deathstroke’s done just that. Though if he completed the prior contract I don’t know and you’ll have to read that to decide for yourself as well as see who the surprise villain was that appeared here.
So as far as setting up the series i’m not sure how well that went however it does give us a fantastic look at Slade himself and the kind of man he is. Through events of the past and actions in the present they paint a pretty clear picture for us to understand. I’ll give this a few issues when it starts to see if it’s anything like I’d heard it would be. Plus i’m a sucker for old characters and seeing that one here in that costume please keep throwing those in for us and i’m here.