The start of veteran writer (Marvel Knight’s Black Panther, Captain America & Falcon) Christopher Priest run on Deathstroke starts not with a bang, but with a suicide of politician.
Congressman Hasgrove after (blackmailed with photos of private S&M antics ) during his comeback in the political race. One thing to know whenever reading a story by anyone of the likes of Ed Brubaker, Rick Remender, Jonathan Hickman, and especially Christopher Priest, is that there is a lot of set up being developed that will eventually come full circle in the end. The comic shows flashbacks to the past while simultaneously focusing on the present, laying out the foundations and relationships that will be relevant as the series goes on.
Notable moments such as examining the dynamic between his old time war buddy Wintergreen assists Slade (Deathstroke) in taking down Clock King before he kills African President Matthew Brand (who obviously hired Deathstroke to protect his kin). Clock King plans to kill President Brand due to brand double-crossing his deal with Clock King by having Deathstroke assassinate him, in which would help cover his tracks. There are Other notable flashbacks such as Slade’s relationship with his ex-wife Adeline, his sons Jericho and Grant, showcase how fractured his family is and how that correlates in the long run of this new series. In the present, Wintergreen distracts Clock King from Deathstroke’s upcoming attack. Deathstroke manages to uphold his part of the contract by protecting President Brand’s children and dismantles Clock King out of action. As the comic reaches its conclusion, a new character enters the fray trailing the whereabouts of our anti-hero Deathstroke.
Personally for me, if you’re the kind of reader that’s a good slow burn story that will eventually pick up the pieces, guaranteed that this series will be something for you. He’s the kind of write that you must give your full on attention to, because if you don’t pay attention, you’ll miss some details that will end up becoming more important down the line. It’s interesting seeing him write a character, let alone, a villain,(or now a days) an anti-hero such as Deathstroke. His banter with Wintergreen is witty and displays how well they know each other. Although for a first issue, I was expecting a bigger villain than Clock King for Deathstroke to face off against. But then again, it’s a first issue, so we’ll have to wait and see the kind of heavy hitters that Priest will throw at Deathstroke. The artwork by Pagyulayan is well handled. There are moments where I get Alex Maleev vibes when it comes to the hard outlines but that’s only in the first page. The rest of the pages are well panned out, displaying a lot of cinematic shots that would look good for a HBO The Wire sort of style. Overall, a good first issue. I’m interested to see what Priest and company will deliver down the line.
Newsdesk