[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Writer: Priest
Artist: Fernando Pasarin
Summary
Slade Wilson still finds himself trapped inside the walls of Arkham Asylum! As the mercenary attempts to contemplate his next move, he finds himself visited by one of Arkham’s doctors. As Slade tells his story of his escape in the last issue, he finds the doctor confused by his story–stating that he hasn’t left Arkham at all! Has Slade Wilson finally lost his mind?
Positives
If you’ve read Deathstroke’s last issue, you’d know that Slade, thanks to fellow inmate Devon had escaped Arkham Asylum. However as soon as they reached the gate, the pair find themselves kidnapped by aliens! Trapped on an hostile alien world–Slade fights in a war until suddenly he finds himself awake back in his cell in Arkham. His doctor, named Candace informs Slade that he’s never escaped at all, and that there’s no patient named Devon on record. As the issue progresses, Slade even goes through the escape plan that his virtual computer “Wintergreen” gave him. However Candace informs him that it’s all false. I have to admit it’s during this moment where you have to wonder if it’s actually Arkham Asylum itself that makes it’s patients insane? It seems that everything that Slade went through to escape in the previous issue never happened–and it makes you question if you as the reader are even crazy or not!
Negatives
I have no complaints about this issue! The story gets even more interesting when Two-Face, better yet his better half, Harvey Dent volunteers to defend Slade Wilson for release from Arkham! It seems that Dent has been working on Slade’s case for awhile in secret, and he actually has a valid point for Slade’s release–but at what cost? Slade wants release from Arkham, but a deal with Two-Face definitely would be “double-sided”–yeah, I had to make a pun somewhere! Elsewhere we have Joseph and Rose–Slade’s children out doing a mission that has disastrous consequences! Priest does a wonderful job of showing the sibling relationship between these two, but the twist at the end left me at a shock! It’s one of the reasons why I had to give this issue an automatic 5 stars– I never saw it coming at all!
Verdict
Overall Deathstroke #37 is a great read, especially if you love any books talking about the depths of Arkham Asylum. Although this place is just housing for the criminally insane–it’s one of the most prominent places in the DC Universe and anytime any villain goes there I love to see what’s inside from the artist’s point of view. I’m eager to see just what will Dent do to get Slade out of Arkham– and once Slade finds out what happened to his children, I can only imagine the hell unleashed in the next few issues!
