Deathstroke Inc #8 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Paolo Pantalena, Artist; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The first of two chapters of Shadow War out this week, this installment mostly follows the bad guys—although that’s really almost everyone in this series. On the run with his clone/son Respawn, Slade has gone deep undercover to try to avoid the wrath of Talia. This leads some great segments that show what his secret lair looks like and what grudges he’s been holding. It also raises the question—is Slade actually trying to be a better parent with this second chance? There are some positive indications, but it’s hard to tell what’s what when Deathstroke is concerned. At the same time, the new assassin Angel Breaker is tearing her way through Deathstroke’s associates—starting with old Nightwing rogue Raptor. This brings her into conflict with Batman, as he tries and fails to pull Talia back from the brink. It feels like this issue is more about putting the pieces into place, as the cliffhanger hints towards a much bigger showdown in this issue’s installment of Robin.
Robin #13 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Roger Cruz, Penciller; Norm Rapmund, Artist; Luis Guerrero, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: With Josh Williamson writing all chapters of this event, I was wondering if it would all start to feel the same and lose the individual touch of his three series. I didn’t need to worry, as this is clearly a Robin issue, with a bit of the lighter touch that Williamson brings to the book. Particularly, the showdown between Damian and Respawn has some hilarious dialogue—but takes on a more emotional edge once Damian finds out who Respawn is. This new character is painful to watch in the best way—he’s got a lot of potential, but is so consumed by his anger that he rejects the people reaching out to him. As Deathstroke tries to manipulate his way out of being captured and Damian and Batman try to reconcile, the scale of the event escalates yet again and we see just how far Deathstroke will go to remain free. The return of a pair of fan-favorite characters from the Tynion run at the end of the issue adds another wrinkle to the event, as we head into the second half and it doesn’t slow down at all.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
