Deathstroke #4

Deathstroke has quickly crept up my list of titles I’m reading, “if it’s on the shelf” and is making its way closer to being on my monthly pull list. The story started out a little rocky, with the whole Total Recall meets R’as Al-Ghul’s Lazarus pit- but it has found even keel and is moving right along.

I was disappointed that the story on the cover features “Bloody Fun with Harley Quinn” but that there is very little blood OR fun had with her this issue. I understand that will be what happens next issue when Deathstroke faces off against **SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS** Batman, but I would have liked there to be a little more of a back and forth, even more of a playful hand-to-hand combat sequence where Harley is venting her frustrations with Deathstroke by swinging at him with the giant mallet featured prominently on the cover (and then not a single image of it shows up in the issue…).

I really like Tony Daniels’ voice for Deathstroke in this series, and I have so many questions about the Wilson’s family tree, with Odysseus (Slade’s father) and Jericho (Slade’s son) and Rose aka Ravager (Slade’s daughter) and what is going to happen to… well, basically ALL OF THEM. I did like all of the reveals from this issue, with the return of Angelica, and the identity of Red Fury finally being revealed, and the fact that Odysseus was working very closely with the League of Assassins was really interesting, but what really got me was the ease with which both Jericho and Rose fell in together AND how quickly Harley and Slade got into talking casually after Deathstroke had last turned on the Suicide Squad. I really wasn’t expecting it, because from what I remember of Ravager, she doesn’t really like much of her family (or maybe all that has changed since Flashpoint… its hard to keep track sometimes), and I never figured Harley for the soft type. Though the end of this issue really does show that she’s not quite such a helpful person, and that she does not let go of her grudges.

I really liked how Harley behaved in this issue, because she was kind of goofy and fun-loving, but also psychotic, manipulative and double-crossing: all of which are very well defined traits of hers. I also really liked the set up of the story with Odysseus and Jericho, with Odysseus basically seeing Jericho as a commodity to be used at his will. But I am fairly certain that with Ravager and Deathstroke both looking out for Jericho, even with the might of the League of Assassins on his side, Odysseus will have a pretty rough time getting his hands on what he wants. Though if that last page splash is any indication I’m sure there will be a major throw down between Batman and Deathstroke, and I am hoping Harley, some assassins and maybe even some other as-yet-unrevealed party joins the fracas and #5 can be a no-holds barred knock down, drag out battle royal that this series has been waiting for.

This series has gotten off on the right foot, and when this arc wraps up and Convergence is over, I expect we will be seeing a whole lot more of this brand new Slade Wilson, and my expectation, like the body count, is going to be very high.