[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Priest
Pencils: Joe Bennett
Summary
Deathstroke is still fighting Raptor over control of his Ikon suit, which Raptor now wears. As the fight between them intensifies, Slade soon realizes this is all just a brilliant distraction made by someone else — but who?
Positives
Priest throws us right into the action in this latest issue of Deathstroke and I enjoyed every page! Priest even gives us Slade’s “throwback” look in his older uniform since Raptor took his! It was pretty funny how Red Lion notes that Slade looks like a pirate in the old uniform! Slade gives Raptor a major beatdown for taking his suit. However there’s a larger scheme going on that Deathstroke soon finds out, and it leads to the two rivals working together at some point. Priest shows a lot of supporting characters in this book from Dex, the JAG officer assigned to Slade Wilson’s case, to Slade’s ex wife, and of course Slade’s own son Joe. I’m loving how even the supporting characters have their own motivations and goals in the book and some such as Red Lion for example, are just as determined as Slade to get the job done no matter what or who is in the way. Deathstroke is never sure who’s exactly on his side as I’ve learned from these previous issues, as it seems even when his friends have intentions to help him in reality they’re using him to suit their own purpose–but Deathstroke thinks ahead and already knows this!
Negatives
I missed Rose in this issue, but Priest makes up for it by giving us a little more insight into the life of his son Joe and his relationship with his fiancé. Slade even makes a call to his son for a favor right in the middle of his fight with Raptor! Towards the end of the book Joe’s fiancé will have a secret to hide from Joe and it’s big! I definitely wasn’t expecting Slade to pull something so bold and cruel at the same time! I hope the reveal at the end of the book doesn’t damage the already tense relationship between Joe and Slade, but I have a feeling that it will and it’ll definitely be for the worse.
Verdict
Deathstroke #13 is an awesome read but I really missed seeing Rose in this issue. I know Priest can’t include her in every book though so I completely understand. Overall the pacing is great, the action was flawless, and the pencils by Joe Bennett were amazing. His eye to detail of every scene was perfect and combined with the writing of Priest it makes for a good overall story. The ending is what really still gets me as it shows how low sometimes Deathstroke can be. When is a villain not ever a villain?
