Writer: James Bonny
Artist: Paolo Pantalena
This week, James Bonny closes the current chapter of Deathstroke as the world’s deadliest mercenary goes to war against his enemies with his children – Rose and Jericho – in tow. Oh yeah, he’s brought Ra’s al Ghul along as well.
You see, Ra’s has managed to coerce the Wilsons into joining the League of Assassins, as he has some leverage over Rose’s life. It complicates matters, much to the extreme chagrin of Slade, but the readers obviously win. Would you want things to go smoothly with these guys being in the same room? Didn’t think so.
The aforementioned war contains all the bloodiness that you have come to expect from this series and it’s fully realized by the tremendous artwork of Paolo Pantalena. This guy continues to astonish me and I seriously hope that DC lines up another project for him in the very near future. Trust me, I’ve done a decent job of picking out who will be the next big talents and I think he’s one to watch.
Slade commits an act of defiance that doesn’t sit well with Ra’s, causing them to turn on each other. Long story short, Deathstroke enjoys a rather bittersweet victory in what I thought to be a satisfying conclusion, even if it did seem a bit hurried.
I do hope that incoming writer Christopher Priest, who will handle the new Rebirth series as of next month, plays to Deathstroke’s strengths and lines up appropriate villains. Ra’s al Ghul is a natural fit, but I continue to think Lawman is quite silly. All we can do is hope for the best.
