Master Tactician Is Back
The Story:
Deathstroke is hired for a mission to take out some arms dealers while airborne and recover an item. Deathstroke soon finds out they're not exactly "arms dealers."
My Thoughts:
With the new 52 arriving, Deathstroke not only gets his own series, he gets an update to his costume. It was long overdue in my opinion, but I'm not fully pleased with the update. The shoulder pads and spikes seem a little overboard. If they toned it down a little bit it would be almost perfect. It still isn't horrible and it doesn't by any means ruin the story.
Kyle Higgins writes a pretty good Deathstroke who accepts a mission that turned out different then it was expected to be. He was told to assassinate some arms dealers but instead found them to be involved in biological weapons. Of course Deathstroke doesn't take kindly to being set up. At the end we saw him assassinate the entire teenage team he worked with on the mission. That for me, was the icing on the cake. Higgins couldn't have scripted a better first issue. We also find out towards the end that Deathstroke's reputation has sort of diminished. Deathstroke is eager to prove any nay-sayers otherwise believing he is still in peak condition. I think that's an interesting approach to take. Higgins will no doubt have some awesome ideas in the future that will show Deathstroke is still second to none when it comes to bad asses in the DC Universe.
Joe Bennett did the art and was one of the main attractions that persuaded me to pick up this series. I love his work and he was on point in this issue. Bennett was a great choice for this series which is expected to be action-packed. He captured Slade in all his glory as he unveils some well designed action scenes. I look forward to seeing more of his work on this series.
I know Deathstroke's costume has received a lot of criticism leading up to this new DC reboot. I'd advise everyone to put aside their opinions towards his costume change and pick up this first issue. It definitely speaks for itself. I think longtime Deathstroke fans will appreciate this and new readers of his character will instantly become fans. I'm glad the series isn't relying on action alone. There's a story unraveling, and I for one am intrigued to keep reading and find out what's going to happen next.
Rating: 4.5/5