Deathstroke Inc. #9 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Paolo Pantalena, Artist; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Last chapter ended with Slade’s newly discovered “son” Respawn seemingly dying in a hail of bullets—and this issue removes all hope, although the kid’s name makes me wonder if all is as it appears to be. This unleashes Slade like we’ve rarely seen—a Deathstroke truly motivated by rage rather than money or pettiness. He tears through much of the opposition, including a brutal attack on Ghost-Maker’s headquarters to retrieve his team, and prepares for a final march on Talia’s headquarters now that they’ve both lost someone to this war. But as we know, this is all a shell game created by a third party—and Batman finally confronts the masked fake Deathstroke, who drops some intriguing hints as to exactly who he is. A lot of suspects come to mind, but no clear reveals. Overall, this is an intriguing chapter, but definitely feels like it’s setting the stage for something much bigger in the final two chapters.
Robin #14 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Roger Cruz, Penciller; Norm Rapmund, Inker; Luis Guerrero, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: After six chapters, the final showdown is finally here as Deathstroke and Talia face off in the base of the League of Shadows. Before that, there is some great characterization for Batman and Robin as they try to sort out their many, many issues, but this is easily the most action-packed issue of the story yet. Williamson packs it with so many details—such as hints towards Angel Breaker’s past—but the core is that one-on-one showdown, and he subtly makes clear who the real monster is out of these killers. While Talia was out for revenge against Slade, Slade is out for revenge against the whole world, and he doesn’t care who gets caught in the crossfire. But where this issue really takes off is the ending, as the fake Deathstroke is finally revealed—and it’s a completely unexpected reveal that somehow makes total sense. It’s one of the best cliffhangers I’ve seen in a while, just in time for the big finale next week.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
