Deathstroke #4

Alright, here's an interesting comic book... I enjoyed the HELL out of the first issue of this series. It did EXACTLY what the DC reboot needed to do. It took a character that had become stale and revitalized him. Instead of leading around The Worst Titans Ever, Deathstroke had become a MEGA bad-ass again, killing suckas left and right. And then the second issue dropped. And it was more of the same. And then the third issue came out. And it was the exact same thing... The first issue established Slade as a beast, it did it's job perfectly. We don't need the same comic book ad nauseam! Hopefully this issue actually has more than the regular, “Slade takes a job, has minor difficulty and then dismembers people.” Oh yeah, and if we don't get to find out what's in that suitcase, I'm going to be mighty pissed...

Deathstroke #4:

What Happened: Deathstroke takes a job(killing a prison warden IN his prison), has minor difficulty and then dismembers people... What? That's pretty much what happened! Bottom line though, Slade makes good and kills the warden and escapes the prison. From there he gives his ally, Christoph some time off, at least until Slade is met by his tech man, Peabody. Peabody, having examined the contents of the suitcase, returns and tells Slade that the contents appeared to be genuine. And what are the contents? The mask and knife used by Slade's son, Ravager(!!!). Peabody points Slade to the Blackhawks(specifically one named Attila), so that's where Slade goes. Slade manages to track down Attila, but it seems Attila doesn't know anything about Ravager, Attila was only interested in shutting down Peabody. Meanwhile, somebody breaks into Christoph's home and stabs him in the eye with a big knife as a message for Slade.

The Good: The good? We finally discovered what was in that goddamn suitcase! That's the good! Not only that, but it was something relatively interesting. For the most part, the story was good, as was the art. The first half of this comic was really quite enjoyable. The ending with Christoph was interesting and should lead to a VERY angry Slade when he finds out what happened.

The Bad: Unfortunately, the second half of this comic was less enjoyable... The Peabody/Blackhawks stuff didn't really lead anywhere or make much sense.

The Verdict: I really liked this issue. It seems that I can simply turn my brain off when I read an issue of this series and just drift through all of the senseless violence without having to really think too hard about stuff. Every now and then, it's good to have a comic like that to just veg out on. Add finally finding out what was in the suitcase, and the fact that the contents actually could lead to something interesting, and I'm a happy camper. See, I don't ask for too much!

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.Well, it wasn't a mini Wally West, but it wasn't that bad either.

Deathstroke #3

Next up tonight, the third issue of the surprisingly solid Deathstroke series... So far this series has done a great job of establishing Deathstroke as a major bad-ass in the new DCU, but unfortunately, that's about all it's done... Let's see what we get this issue...

Deathstroke #3:

What Happened: This issue begins with Deathstroke killing some goof named Legacy. From there he meets with his weapons expert and shows him the contents of the shocking, amazing, unbelievable suitcase he got back in issue number one. The weapons expert agrees to examine the contents of the suitcase, and Deathstroke leaves on a mission to kill some rich guy who was fooling around with various villain's technology. Deathstroke heads to the man's headquarters and ends up running into Legacy again, but this time a more skilled version. While Deathstroke is battling Legacy #2, somebody else murders the rich guy. Ultimately, Deathstroke murders Legacy #2 and upon learning that somebody else killed the rich guy, leaves. In the end we discover the parents of one of the wannabe mercs Deathstroke killed in the first issue had put a $20 million dollar bounty on Deathstroke's head, with the only caveat being that they had to kill Deathstroke while wearing the Legacy armor.

The Good: Deathstroke killing idiots is always fun to see. We have some enemies for Deathstroke(the dead merc's parents) as well as another mystery with who killed the rich guy for Deathstroke. The Legacy idea is kind of cool, with a different person donning the armor to kill Deathstroke.

The Bad: We STILL don't know what the contents of that damn suitcase is... At this point, I'm more annoyed than curious. There's no way the contents of the suitcase can match the hype that's gone into it unless a frigging miniature version of Wally West is in there... This issue was very similar to the first two issues... Deathstroke takes a job, Deathstroke kills some people, rinse and repeat. I mean it's a fun read, but it's getting repetitious.

The Verdict: This comic was okay. It was a fun, brainless little romp, but that's kind of the problem... The first three issues were ALL fun, brainless little romps... Like I said, it's fun to see Deathstroke chopping idiots to pieces, but by the midpoint of the issue, you KNEW what fate was going to befall Legacy #2. Here's hoping things change up just a bit come the next issue, because I really don't know how I'll feel sitting through a FORTH issue of this series nearly identical to the first three issues.

Score: 7 out of 10.Don't worry, by the next page, Deathstroke has chopped this guy up...

Deathstroke #2

The first DC book I'm reading this week? None other than Deathstroke! The first issue of Deathstroke was one of my favorite rebooted titles, so I'm expecting relatively good things from this issue. Although the cover doesn't look very promising...

Deathstroke #2:

What Happened: Deathstroke, still toting the mysterious suitcase from last issue, meets with the man who gave him the job that led him to the suitcase. The man doesn't tell Deathstroke who was behind the suitcase job, so Deathstroke goes on a killing rampage while the man runs for his life. After killing a mess of people and destroying a highway, Deathstroke kills the man before threatening a cameraman. With that he tells his associate Christoph that there should be plenty of jobs rolling in for him on account of the destruction he caused, but is still a bit pissed that he was no closer to discovering who was behind the suitcase job.

The Good: This comic was a blazingly fast read! I mean I probably polished it off in under 5 minutes! Deathstroke killed lots and lots of people, thus solidifying his bad-ass credentials. The threat to the cameraman was a smart ploy to drum up business.

The Bad: We STILL don't have the slightest idea what's in the suitcase, nor do we know why everybody's eyes bug out when they see the contents. At this point the reveal is going to be quite underwhelming. Besides establishing that yes, Deathstroke is indeed a stone cold killer, this issue didn't give us anything else. If you didn't read this comic you really didn't miss much. What the hell kind of reporter and cameraman would go walking up to Deathstroke after he murdered an entire highway?!

The Verdict: I liked this comic, but didn't love it... There wasn't enough meat here for me. Sure, it's always fun when Slade goes on one of his patented killing sprees, but I can't say the story was advanced in any significant manner. So while this was a fun way to kill like 3 minutes, that's about all it was.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Yep, Deathstroke is still a killing machine.

Deathstroke #1

Well, I was a fan of Deathstroke(for the most part...) before the DC reboot, here's hoping this series gives us the killer, bad-ass Deathstroke, not the manipulative, team player Deathstroke...

Deathstroke #1:

What Happened: Just to remind us who exactly Deathstroke is, this issue opens with Deathstroke(Slade Wilson) killing a bunch of armed men in Moscow in order to assassinate his target. Deathstroke's contact, Christoph, gets Slade an assassination job, but there are two catches... The first is that Slade has to work with three newbie mercenaries, the second is that Slade has to do the assassination while the target, an arms dealer, was on-board an airplane. Slade goes through with the mission, and upon getting onto the airplane carrying the arms dealer, kills a few bio-weapons, which leads to the arms dealer handing Slade a suitcase. The mystery contents of the suitcase seems to momentarily surprise Slade, but he regains his composure, drops an explosive on the plane, and jumps out right before it blows up. Later on, Slade kills the mercs he was forced to do the mission with before showing Christoph the contents of the suitcase. Christoph seems surprised by the contents, and tells Slade that “they” didn't think Slade could handle himself on the field anymore. This issue ends with Slade declaring that he had some work to do to prove “them” wrong.

The Good: Um, everything? Seriously, I had no complaints here. I mean the only real complaint I DID have was that those mercenaries were annoying, but Deathstroke took care of them for me, eliminating that particular gripe. Slade was the ultra-serious, uber-cool bad-ass he SHOULD be here. There was no fooling around with children, or manipulating junkies. It was Slade killing the hell out of people and proving why he was called the Terminator.

The Bad: I was a bit annoyed that we never saw what the suitcase Slade got from the arms dealer contained. It was never really made clear why “they” thought Slade had lost a step. Was it because he had done some bodyguard work? Was it because he failed some big mission or something? That was never revealed.

The Verdict: This was, by FAR, my favorite rebooted DC series thus far. It told us who Deathstroke was, and set the stage for future issues. On top of that, it was a great read with really good art. This is the first DC comic I've read since the reboot that I'd say was great. Not really good, but great. This series is definitely a keeper.

Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.There's the Deathstroke I know and love!

The Best of the Rest!!! May 22nd edition.

It's Saturday, which means it it's time for me to give my uninformed, overly sarcastic and at times offensive opinion on comic books and their creators, that's right, it's time for a new installment of The Best of the Rest(copyright pending)!!! And yes, I am going to use that opening line EVERY single week, so get used to it! Five books to get through tonight, and much to my chagrin, I enjoyed them all! I know, what's a Best of the Rest post without a whole bunch of complaints!?! Oh well, hopefully I'll read a bunch of horrid comics for the upcoming week and next week's post will be full of venom and fun! Enough babbling X, get on with the post already! Umm, okay I will...

Brightest Day: Titans: Villains for Hire Special #1... Wow, that's a long title!: Before we get into this comic I need you all to do me a favor. Forget the Faces of Evil: Deathstroke comic, as well as the Teen Titans Blackest Night x-over stuff, because it seems as if Deathstroke sure forgot about those comics! Anywho, Deathstroke hires the Tattooed Man(who REALLY needs a better codename!), Cheshire, Osiris and some girl named Cinder to be his... well, villains for hire(as is obvious from the title here!). The 5 villains/pseudo-villains get a contract to kill the Atom(Ryan Choi, not Geoff John's beloved Ray Palmer), and after some difficulty, they do just that... That slight sobbing sound is probably Kello, just so you know. So the villains kill the Atom and Deathstroke refuses to tell his team why they are called the Titans, or what his masterplan is... Well okay then.... Score: 8 out of 10.You see, Osiris broke my number one rule, NEVER trust a one-eyed man dressed fully in spandex.

REBELS #16: This comic kicks off with Starfire attacking some of the REBELS(or are they LEGION again?)because of the good old, “super-heroes meet and have general misunderstanding” law. After Adam Strange explains that the fight was a simple misunderstanding, Starfire goes to meet Vril Dox(AKA my hero). Dox tells Starfire that since her homeworld Tamarian(Tamaria? Tamariananar?)had been blown up good, he was having the planet Rann teleported into its place. There's a very good reason for all of this, but you'll have to trust me on that, 'cause I don't feel like getting into it! In a few weeks time, Dox has managed to transform Rann from a barren wasteland to a thriving planet again. And why did he do that? Because he's awesome! Well, that plus he plans on restarting his LEGION police force, and with the people of Rann now beholden to him, he figures he can base LEGION from Rann. Starfire's insane sister Blackfire learns that another planet had appeared in Tamarian's orbit, so she decides to attack it, because she's insane and all. Oh, and somewhere along the way Starfire joins with the REBELS/LEGION team and starts to flirt with Captain Comet. Eventually Blackfire(who is insane)and her evil Tamarians attack Rann. What happens next? I'll tell you next month. Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.If I was a songwriter I'd write a song and dedicate it to Vril Dox... I really would too!

Booster Gold #32: Booster Gold was sent into the distant future by Rip Hunter(that has to be THE best porn star name EVER! Not that I know anything about porn star names... *ahem* moving on...)to retrieve the helmet of Dr. Fate so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of Darkseid. After some VERY hit or miss comedy(much like this post!), Booster winds up bringing the helmet, as well as a small girl back in time with him. It seems the small girl is there to make potty jokes, because in the DCU, nothing is funnier then toilet humor. This issue ends with Booster learning from Rip Hunter that Max Lord was alive again, which Booster is none to pleased to find out. You know, because he killed Booster's good buddy Ted Kord. Back during Infinite Crisis. In the Countdown to Infinite Crisis comic. With a gun. In a castle. There, I spelled it out for you! Score: 7 out of 10.My GOD are there a lot of words on this page!!!

Gotham City Sirens #11: This comic follows two different storylines, Catwoman and Harley Quinn hunting for missing dogs and Poison Ivy starting her first day at her new STAR Labs job. First off, you'd think somebody named CATwoman would be glad that a bunch of dogs had gone missing, but apparently not... Go figure. CW and HQ(you can always tell I'm getting close to the end of a post by how many abbreviations/initials I start to use)wind up solving the case of the missing dogs when they discover that HQ's hyenas were eating all of the neighborhood pets. Oh the humanity! Or should I say oh the hilarity? Umm, I'll go with hilarity. Oh the hilarity! In the other story, Poison Ivy arrives on the job(but obviously NOT as Poison Ivy, because that would just be dumb), and fires a few people because she read(from Lex Luthor no less)that's the way to garner respect in the corporate world. Sure, if international super-criminal Lex Luthor says that's the way to go, them by gum, that's the way to go! Eventually one of the women Ivy fired returns and locks Ivy in some sort of evil plant oven thing because she was angry about being fired. I bet THAT never happened to Lex. And well, that's the end of this issue. Will Ivy be cooked? Will Catwoman rename herself Dogwoman?? Will I end this pseudo-review with a modicum of self-respect??? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding no! Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.See, just like I said, Ivy was trapped in an evil plant oven thing.

Dark Avengers #16: I'm gonna tell you right now, NOTHING in this comic matters except for the very last page. But don't you worry, I'll get to that soon enough... This is the final issue of Dark Avengers, because Dark Reign is over and Marvel must finally be over it's love of the word “dark”. Don't you worry though, I'm not over my love of the word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”! This issue follows Siege #4, and shows all of the Dark Avengers(except for Daken, because he's too smart)being arrested by the heroes. The villains get locked away, Steve Rogers decides to hire Victoria Hand to be his right... umm, hand woman, and Norman Osborn gets to act crazy one more time, this time blaming all of his failings on his Green Goblin persona. So that's how Dark Avengers ended. On the very last page, series writer BENDIS writes his farewell address. And he signs it, “BENDIS!”!!! That's how I've been typing his name for over a year now! This can mean one of three things... Either BENDIS is so crazy that he actually DOES sign his name in block letters with an exclamation point(as I always suspected...), that he's is a frequent reader of my blog, or that I have been BENDIS all along, and have been bashing most of my... I mean BENDIS'S comics simply to see who would agree with me... him, and then have those cretins... I mean readers destroyed. All hail the Dread Lord BENDIS!!! Score: 8 out of 10.So he really DOES sign his name "BENDIS!"... I don't know whether to laugh or cry...

Teen Titans #78 & Blackest Night Wonder Woman #2

It's another day, which means it's time for me to check out MORE Blackest Night x-over issues! While DC's Blackest Night hasn't become as massive as Marvel's Civil War from a few years back(I don't think there was a single Marvel title that didn't x-over with Civil War in one way or another!), I've got to admit, after 6 months of Blackest Night mayhem, I'm getting a little burnt out... I mean, it's a good story and all, but does it have to be SO long? OK, end rant. Tonight I'll be looking at Teen Titans #78 and Blackest Night Wonder Woman #2. You've been warned.

Teen Titans #78: Writer: J. T. Krul. Pencils: Joe Bennett.
Picking up from last issue, Jericho explains to Ravager that he's no longer crazy and that his eyes somehow grew back after Vigilante poked them out... OOOOOOK then... The two siblings wind up getting attacked once again by their Black Lantern brother, Grant, while Deathstroke is trying to deal with the Black Lantern versions of Wintergreen and his wife, Adeline. Jericho and Ravager's battle with BL Grant spills over into the next room, and BL Adeline and BL Wintergreen wind up getting the upper hand on Deathstroke, but they are unable to elicit a strong emotional response from Deathstroke. However, upon seeing Ravager and Jericho, Deathstroke winds up feeling love, and the Black Lanterns begin to tear his heart out. Jericho and Ravager save their father and Deathstroke leads his kids to a panic room filled with weapons. Deathstroke locks them in the panic room and tries to kill the Black Lanterns on his own, but fails miserably, and the BL's break into the panic room and attack Ravager and Jericho anew. Finally having enough, Jericho possesses the body of his Black Lantern mother(Adeline)and attacks the other Black Lanterns while telling Ravager to escape with the beaten Deathstroke. Jericho winds up tricking the Black Lanterns into killing each other, ending their threat. This issue ends with Jericho making amends and forgiving his father, which Ravager is still unable to do.

This was a completely acceptable comic book. Nothing more, nothing less. I like the entire Wilson family, so it was nice to see them spotlighted these past two issues. While I was a bit baffled by the way the Black Lanterns were able to kill each other(reaching into another BL's chest kills it? Huh???), I was pleased to see Jericho and Deathstroke make up. It was also nice to see that Jericho wasn't crazy anymore, although his explanation for how his eyes grew back(he has no idea how that happened!)definitely annoyed me. All in all though, this was a pretty enjoyable comic which I'd happily recommend to any fans of Deathstroke and his family.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Awww, see that, Deathstroke isn't just a killing machine, he's also a good father... Kind of...

Blackest Night Wonder Woman #2(of 3): Writer: Greg Rucka. Pencils: Nicola Scott.
This issue takes place between the pages of Blackest Night #6 with Wonder Woman now running amok as a Black Lantern. BL WW attacks Mera and manages to get the better of her for the most part. However, BL WW hesitates slightly(WW is trying to fight her transformation into a BL), which allows Mera to toss WW away. BL WW then runs into Wonder Girl and BL Donna Troy. WG gets distracted by BL Donna and BL WW tears WG heart out, much to the horror of WW who is still trying to fight the transformation. BL Donna taunts the dead WG, which leads to BL WW snapping and hacking BL Donna to pieces with her axe... Huh... At that point, Batman(?!?)arrives on the scene, and he proceeds to make out(?!?!?)with BL WW, which helps WW regain some semblance of control over herself. From there, the Greek goddess Aphrodite appears before WW and tells her that nothing I just described actually happened, that WW imagined everything from making out with Bats, to killing WG. Aphrodite explains that she was just keeping WW from harming anybody until the Star Sapphire ring of love was ready to find WW. With that, the Star Sapphire ring latches onto WW, destroying the Black Lantern ring that WW had been wearing, as well as ending this issue.

Well, that was kind of meaningless... After reading this comic, I had to wonder what the purpose of this issue was. I mean, let's face facts, NOTHING HAPPENED! Wonder Woman(thanks to Aphrodite)imagined everything! Hell, as long as you read Blackest Night #6, you already knew what was going to happen(WW becoming a Star Sapphire). I'm not going to say this was the worst comic I've ever read, because it wasn't, but it WAS a big waste of time. If you've already read BN #6, then I'd definitely recommend skipping this issue.

Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.Even lost in time, Bruce Wayne is STILL the man!

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1

Overall- I liked this comic, but I was hoping for a little bit more from it. But alas, allow me to elaborate. This comic book picks up where DC Universe: Last Will and Testament left off. Deathstroke has been nearly fatally wounded after his encounter with Geo-Force, and is recuperating at Belle Reve prison. It seems that Slade has lost the will to live and has forced his healing factor to work in reverse, in effect, slowly killing himself. Slade asks to see his daughter Ravager(Rose Wilson)one final time before he kicks the bucket.

Rose doesn't buy the fact that her father has suddenly become suicidal, but goes to see him anyway. Slade is alone in a wheelchair looking out of a supposedly unbreakable window when Rose arrives. Upon entering Slade's room, Rose immediately breaks the controls for the door, making it impossible for anyone to enter or exit the room. She then walks up behind Slade with a plastic garrote and begins to strangle the life out of him, not believing for a second that Slade doesn't have some type of escape plan in mind, and wanting to spare the world from Slade's next evil act.

It turns out Rose is right, and Slade has orchestrated the entire meeting with Rose as a means to escape. After turning the tables on Rose, Slade manages to break the supposedly unbreakable window(I guess they just don't make then like they used to...)and hijack a military helicopter that was there to prevent Slade from escaping... Whoops! Slade decides by the end of this issue that #1, he will no longer murder for hire, he will kill whoever he feels deserves it, hero or villain and #2, that he will create a new family, one who will not betray him, and one that he can shape and mold in any way he deems fit.

I'm an unabashed fan of Deathstroke. As far as villains go, he's definitely one of the deepest/best in my eyes. With that said, I was hoping for just a little bit more from this comic. That's not to say I didn't enjoy reading this book, because I really did, but I just wanted a little more... I'd guess that Deathstroke is planning on creating a Titans East sort of team again, meaning a group of impressionable kids he can mold into his "family" as he put it. All in all, I'd recommend this comic and I'll give it a score of 8 out of 10. Like I said, I liked this comic alot, but there was just SOMETHING missing...

Nightwing #117+A look back at Devin Grayson's work on "Nightwing".

So, this was the last issue of "Nightwing" written by Devin Grayson. What a long, crazy trip it's been. Let's take a brief look back... Dick was a competent hero, standing on his own two feet when Devin took over the writing duties for this book. As time went on though, Devin decided to turn Dick into a bumbling moron, who instead of fighting crime was bouncing around Barbara Gordon's kitchen, spilling spices all over the place. Dick also became a lousy super hero as well, with his idiotic actions resulting in the death's of several people around him as well as his arch-nemesis, Blockbuster. I'm going to overlook the whole "rape/non-consensual sex" episode completely, for my sanity and yours. From there, Dick continued to show horrible judgement and wound up getting shot and almost killed. After getting shot, Dick decided to work for a mafia family, followed by working for Deathstroke the Terminator, apparently turning his back on law and order completely.

However, in the last few issues, we learn that Dick was only infiltrating the mafia family to take control of them internally, and was manipulating Deathstroke to his own ends. As much as I hated the middle of Devin's run on this comic book, I have to admit that I have been really enjoying the end of her run on this series. Why Devin didn't write the entire run like the past few issues is totally beyond me. I like looking at Nightwing as a successful hero as opposed to watching him act like an idiot. I guess I'll look back at these last 50 issues or so of Nightwing and think about what could have been. I really feel that if Nightwing himself was handled differently, these comics would have been A LOT better. Oh well, with that out of the way, onto the review of Nightwing #117.

Overall- Dick wakes up to find himself laying on a gurney in the Batcave, being tended to by Alfred. Dick, still visibly suffering from radiation burns and not being altogether there, admits to not stopping Tarantula from killing Blockbuster when he had the chance to. Naturally, as Dick says this, The Batman is standing behind him... I hate it when he does that! Imagine how that must scare the hell out of people. No wonder half of the villains in Gotham are criminally insane! I'd go crazy too if I was always looking over my shoulder to see if The Batman was standing there. The Batman asks Dick why he didn't stop Tarantula and Dick responds that he didn't want to. Batman tells Dick that it was one thing to not step in front of a bullet to save Blockbuster, but it was another thing to try to throw his life away because he didn't prevent Blockbuster's death. Thank you Batman! Batman tells Dick that before anybody else can forgive Dick for not saving Blockbuster, Dick has to forgive himself. Bats finishes by telling Dick that he made a mistake by not saving Blockbuster, but it doesn't have to be his last mistake. Wow, it's like Batman was saying all the things I was thinking! Scary!

Dick realizes that Batman is right, and begins to fix the mess he created the last few months, starting with Sophia. Dick visits Sophia in the hospital where she is still recuperating from the radiation poisoning, and tells her that he doesn't want her to run the Bludhaven mobs for him anymore. Instead, he tells her to go back to school and get a real education. After saying goodbye to Sophia and Capt. Amy, Dick decides to hunt down Deathstroke and Ravager.

Dick locates Deathstroke and his daughter and crashes in on them during a sparing session. Dick tosses Ravager a Geiger counter that goes crazy when it gets near Ravager. Deathstroke and Nightwing fight, and Deathstroke promises Ravager that the Chemo bomb was not effecting Deathstroke's hide out, telling her that Dick was playing mind games. Dick tells Ravager that the Geiger counter wasn't reacting to the Chemo bomb, it was reacting to the Kryptonite eye Deathstroke forced Ravager to wear... OUCH! Dick then tells Deathstroke to tell Ravager the story about Lex Luthor losing a hand because he used to wear a Kryptonite ring. When Deathstroke doesn't respond, Ravager finally realizes what kind of a man her beloved father is. Deathstroke tosses a grenade at Nightwing, but the grenade just gives Dick an opportunity to escape. Ravager also takes off, leaving Deathstroke standing alone amid his destroyed hideout.

Finally, Dick pays a visit to Barbara Gordon, meeting her plane as it comes down for a landing. Barbara exits the plane and asks Dick what this was all about. Dick apologizes for his awful behavior the past few months, and tells Babs that he wasn't ready to be in a relationship with her before, but that he is now. With that, Dick produces a ring and asks Babs to marry him. Needless to say, Barbara happily accepts.

Wow, that was one hell of a well written comic book. Devin Grayson sure did herself proud in her last issue on this series. The next issue is the One Year Later comic, which I always thought was a stupid idea... Why would you throw away one whole year of a comic book character? Meh, go figure. Bruce Jones takes over the writing chores, so I'll be interested in his take on Nightwing. The only other thing I've ever read that was written by Bruce was the OMAC mini-series, which I liked, so we'll see what he can do with Nightwing. Since the next comic is supposed to be from 1 year after the events of this issue, I'll be interested to see why Babs and Dick never wound up tying the knot. For a score on this comic, I'll go with a 9 1/2 out of 10. I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this issue.

Nightwing #115

Overall- Dick meets with Sophia and tells her that he wants her to take her father's place as the leader of her father's mafia family. Sophia agrees to do it, because she is enamoured by Nightwing. Sophia leaves Deathstroke's hideout, and meets with some members of her father's crime family. The mobsters are shocked and angered by Sophia's announcement that she was now the head of the family, but ultimately, the mobsters agree to listen to Sophia.

Meanwhile, Deathstroke and Ravager plot against Dick in a secret laboratory underneath Deathstroke's lair. Deathstroke gives Ravager vague instructions on meeting with somebody. Deathstroke implores Ravager not to tell Nightwing anything about the meeting, and to make sure that Nightwing is wearing a certain glove during the meeting. What's Deathstroke up to here?

Dick and Ravager leave and meet up with Superman of all people. Dick tells Superman that he is evil now, and that Superman should get lost. Superman seems genuinely upset, which surprises Dick, because he figures that Superman should know that he was lying, since Superman can hear Dick's heartbeat. Superman goes to attack Dick, after asking Dick why he was recording the conversation which confuses Dick, but Ravager takes off her mask and eye patch, revealing a Kryptonite eye in the place of her missing eye. Ravager knocks Superman off the rooftop they were on, but falls off with him. Dick dives off to save them, but can't stop Superman from smashing into some propane tanks, causing a large explosion. Superman, even though he is weakened due to the Kryptonite, tells Dick to leave with Ravager while he tries to put out the fire the explosion caused. Ravager wants to finish off Superman, but Dick holds her back, telling her that Superman could have attacked them, but didn't, instead choosing to help people. Ravager agrees with Dick, and the 2 head back to Deathstroke. It looks like Dick's good influence is starting to rub off on Ravager. Deathstroke's not going to like that...

Dick tells Deathstroke that he figured out that the glove he was wearing was altering his heartbeat, which was why Superman tried to attack him. Dick also tells Deathstroke that he left the glove with Superman. Deathstroke finally has enough of Dick and decides to kill him. Before Deathstroke can carry out the act, Dick tells Deathstroke that they both know that Deathstroke wouldn't be able to kill Dick. Dick also mentions that Deathstroke should tell Ravager about Kryptonite poisoning. Ravager asks what that means, and Dick tells Deathstroke that he'll leave Deathstroke and Ravager alone if Deathstroke promises to keep all super powered criminals out of Bludhaven. Deathstroke asks what exactly Dick was trying to accomplish, and Dick tells Deathstroke that he wants to keep Bludhaven safe. Dick then finally tells Deathstroke what his master plan is! Well finally!!! Dick intends to keep super heroes out of Bludhaven, and leave the streets to the people of Bludhaven. Dick figures that since he cleaned up the police department, and now has Sophia as the head of one of the crime families, Bludhaven should be a much safer place, provided no super villains or heroes entered the 'Haven. Deathstroke angrily agrees to keep super villains out of Bludhaven, as long as Dick left Deathstroke and his daughter alone. Dick agrees and leaves returning to Bludhaven.

You know what? I really liked this comic! I was so glad that Dick's plan was finally revealed. It took forever for the plan to come out, but I actually liked Dick's plan and his motivation behind it. Dick cleaned out the police department, had Sophia in a position of power in the mafia, and had plans to keep the super heroes and villains out of Bludhaven. If everything would have worked out like Dick planned, things in Bludhaven would have looked pretty good. Unfortunately, things didn't work out like Dick planned, as we see in the next issue. For this comic, I'd give a score of 7 1/2 out of 10.

Nightwing #114

Overall- This issue continues to see Dick training Ravager. Dick, even after being threatened last issue, is still training Ravager contrary to the way Deathstroke wanted him to. Dick takes Ravager to a fancy dance Lex Luthor was attending. Dick tells Ravager that eventually the Secret Society would turn on her father so it was in her best interest to learn as much as she could about how her father's eventual enemies operate. Ravager doesn't like the idea, but agrees to follow his lead, because she, like practically every female in Dick's comic is smitten with him.

Dick decides to try to screw up some of Lex Luthor's plans, and attacks a shipment of the steroid Venom that Lex was having shipped in. While attacking the ship's goons with Ravager, Dick runs into Roy Harper, Dick's longtime teammate. Roy helps Dick and Ravager take down the goons, but is attacked by Dick, who knocks Roy out before escaping with Ravager and the steroid's.

Dick returns to Deathstroke with Ravager and the steroids, and tells Deathstroke what he did. Deathstroke is angered by Dick's antics, and tells him that he should stop disobeying the orders Deathstroke was giving Dick. Ravager sticks up for Dick, which seems to annoy Deathstroke some more. The issue ends with Dick slipping Sophia a note, saying he wants to meet with her privately in the middle of the night.

Once again, I liked this comic book, which is a bit of a surprise to me. It seems that Devin Grayson's writing is actually starting to grow on me, which is funny, because she only writes the series for about 3 more issues! For a score, I'll go with a 7 out of 10. It seems that Dick's plans are FINALLY being revealed. It took about 8 issues, but hey, better late then never right?

Nightwing #113

Overall- Dick is still training Ravager, and along with her, he busts up a stolen car ring. Dick also makes sure to remind Ravager repeatedly that she has to stop trying to kill everybody she fights. Dick and Ravager continue to fight street thugs, which annoys Ravager, because she considers common thugs to be beneath her. Ha! I like Ravager a lot here! Dick continues to try to temper Ravager's violent tactics throughout the course of the comic.

Meanwhile, Deathstroke tracks down Capt. Amy, and threatens to kill her husband and children if she doesn't tell him where Sophia was. When exactly did Capt. Amy get a hold of Sophia? Anyway, Amy reluctantly tells Deathstroke where the girl is, and Deathstroke takes Sophia back to his place. Dick and Ravager return back to Deathstroke's base, and Deathstroke tells Dick that if he doesn't start to train Ravager better, it would be Sophia who would pay the price.

It seems to me that Dick is going out of his way to dull Ravager's killer instinct, which is the opposite of what Deathstroke wanted him to do. I was glad to see Deathstroke realize what was going on and take steps to stop it. So far, I am pretty happy with this storyline, and although there are some things that do annoy me, such as Capt. Amy suddenly having custody of Sophia, this story is pretty sound for a change! For a score, I'll go with a 6 1/2 out of 10.

Nightwing #112

Overall- Deathstroke arrives at Dick's hotel room, and asks Dick why he wanted to see him. Dick acts crazy, and tells Deathstroke that he was no longer one of the good guys, he now considered himself a mercenary. To prove how "crazy" he was, Dick attacks Deathstroke, knocking Deathstroke's head through a mirror, which brings Deathstroke's daughter, Ravager, into the fight. The arrival of Ravager distracts Dick long enough to allow Deathstroke to knock him down and out of the fight. Before leaving, Dick mentions Deathstroke's lousy record for keeping his children alive. With that, he wishes Ravager luck, and turns to leave.

Deathstroke, who is stung by the comment about his 2(at the time)dead sons, tells Dick that if he wants to prove that he is a bad guy now he should train Ravager. Deathstroke tells Dick that if he teaches Ravager everything he knows, he'll consider Dick an ally. OK, I'm not sure where this is going, but I'll roll with it...

Dick, who is now dressed in a new costume, takes Ravager to the boarding house the mobsters daughter, Sophia, was placed in. Dick then proceeds to rescue Sophia, and stops Ravager from killing one of the guards. After leaving, Dick disciplines Ravager for using excessive force. Ravager explains that that's the only way she knows, and Dick tells her that she has to learn self control. Dick takes the girls to Huntress, but Huntress says she can't babysit the two girls. She tells Dick to take care of the girls himself, since they are his responsibility. Dick drops Sophia off somewhere, and returns to Deathstroke with Ravager.

All in all, this wasn't a terrible comic, and I really liked the addition of Ravager to this comic(plus Deathstroke was in it, which always pleases me). At this point, I still don't know what Dick's plan is, and why he has decided that he's a villain, but I'm willing to give this storyline the benefit of the doubt, as long as Deathstroke sticks around. For a score, I'll go with a 6 1/2 out of 10.

The New Teen Titans #2 (Dec. 1980)

Overall- Well, this sure arrived quickly. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to read this comic. For the uninitiated, this comic book heralds the first appearance of the one and only(if you don't count Deadpool), Deathstroke the Terminator! So, with that said, what was this comic book all about?

We open with the HIVE, some terrorist organization as I understand it, telling Deathstroke the Terminator they want him to kill the New Teen Titans. Deathstroke tells them the terms of his services which includes getting paid in advance, but the HIVE refuses to pay Deathstroke his rate until he kills the Titans. Deathstroke goes to leave, but the HIVE members open fire on him with machine guns that popped out of the walls. Deathstroke easily takes out the guns, and realizes the HIVE members were just illusions. Deathstroke then leaves, unsure if the HIVE was trying to kill him, or if they attacked him for some other reason. We learn that the HIVE was testing Deathstroke, and wanted to watch him in action. The HIVE members then decide they are going to attempt to create their own Terminator.

The scene shifts to an apartment in Manhattan, where Grant Wilson is having a pretty nasty argument with his girlfriend, Carol. Carol tells Grant she wants to break up with him, and Grant responds by grabbing Carol's arm, and telling her she can't get rid of him that easily. With that, Starfire walks in and blasts Grant away from Carol, spouting something in her native tongue at Grant. Wonder Girl arrives and tells Grant that he shouldn't have put his hands on Carol, and tells him to leave. Grant leaves, but warns the 3 girls that he'll be back, and he'll take care of all 3 of them, thanks to some powerful friends he claims to have.

Later, the whole Titans team, except for Raven, sight some strange characters in pink masks and outfits stealing equipment from a water front warehouse. The Titans handily defeat the pink team, and discover that the pink guys were actually robots. The Titans decide to have Cyborg take one of the robots to STAR Labs to try to discover it's origin. Off in the distance, Deathstroke is seen watching the battle, and scouting the Titans, looking for any potential weaknesses.

Grant Wilson apparently was referring to the HIVE as his powerful friends, and the HIVE begins a process on him that is supposed to not only duplicate Deathstroke's abilities but surpass them. Grant tells the HIVE that he understands the risks, and wants to go through with the procedure, in order to become somebody important.

The Titans meet up at Changling's mansion and have some fun at the pool, while Cyborg takes the robot to his father at STAR Labs. Cyborg's father isn't able to tell Cyborg anything about who sent the robot, or why. As Cyborg leaves the lab complex, he is attacked by the Ravager, who during the battle reveals that he is actually Grant Wilson, and that he was hired to kill the Titans. The two battle to a standstill, until Cyborg is able to stun Ravager with a sonic blast. Before Cyborg can make a move though, Deathstroke arrives and incapacitates Cyborg, before taking Ravager away with him.

Upon awakening, Grant discovers he was rescued by Deathstroke. Deathstroke warns Grant that the procedure he underwent was slowly killing him. In other words, the more Grant uses his new abilities, the closer to death he comes. Grant tells Deathstroke he could care less, and that he was hired to kill the Titans by the HIVE, and no matter what, he was going to fulfill his obligations. With that, Grant takes off.

By this time, Cyborg had recovered, and told the Titan's that Grant was coming after them to kill them. The Titans suit up and are waiting for Grant when he arrives. Robin tells Grant to get lost, and that he is hopelessly outnumbered. With that, Deathstroke arrives, telling Grant he was there to help him. With that, the two sides battle, with Deathstroke and Ravager taking the battle to the Titans. As things begin to look grim for the Titans, Ravager begins to feel dizzy, and collapses. Deathstroke rushes to his side, and Raven teleports to the scene of the battle telling the Titans to stop fighting. Deathstroke takes off Grant's mask to reveal that his face and body had aged rapidly, and that he was dying. Grant asks Deathstroke if he had succeeded in killing the Titans, and before Deathstroke can answer, Raven shows Grant an illusion of the Titans laying dead all around him. Feeling content that he had completed his mission, Grant dies peacefully in Deathstroke's arms.

Deathstroke blames the Titans for Grant's death, but Raven tells Deathstroke that he should blame the people who gave Grant his faulty powers. Deathstroke counters that Grant died because he was fighting the Titans, and that he held them personally responsible for Grant's death. With that, Deathstroke takes Grant's emaciated body and leaves. The comic concludes with Deathstroke and Wintergreen, Deathstroke's friend and confidant, standing at the grave site of Grant Wilson. At this point that it is revealed that Deathstroke was actually Grant's father, and that he was going to take on Grant's contract and kill the Titans for the HIVE.

I liked this story. It was better then I thought it would be. Deathstroke is established as a major bad guy, who could take on the Titans singlehandedly and stand a chance. This comic also gives Deathstroke his motivation for repeatedly trying to kill the Titans, the death of his son. The comic doesn't reveal much about Deathstroke's origin, but this issue really didn't have to, this comic accomplished what it set out to do, which was introduce Deathstroke as a reoccurring enemy for the Titans.

Now for some of the stuff I didn't like... Grant's girlfriend Carol, during their argument, makes reference to Grant's father and brother as being trouble. Looking back, this comment makes no sense, because to my knowledge, the only other brother Grant has is Jericho, who was definitely not a bad guy. Grant also has no idea that Deathstroke is actually his father, so I don't really know what Carol is referring to. Deathstroke is pretty emotionless about the death of his firstborn son at Grant's tombstone, but I guess that can just be chalked up to his demeanor in general... Still, you would think Deathstroke would have been a little broken up about Grant's death, especially considering the fact that Grant died in his arms. Then again, if Deathstroke was sobbing uncontrollably at Grant's grave, he wouldn't seem all that threatening in future comic books, so I can understand Deathstroke's detached attitude.

For a score, I'd go with a 9 out of 10. The story was pretty good, and Deathstroke acted exactly how I would have expected him to. Marv Wolfman(series writer)left himself with a lot of story potential in regards to Deathstroke. I knew before I read this comic that Grant dies and that Deathstroke takes up Grant's contract to kill the Titans, but I never knew that Grant went by the code name of Ravager. I always thought Rose Wilson was the first Ravager. Huh, knowing that Rose took up Grant's old code name is actually pretty cool, and a nice touch. Anyway, for its historic content, this comic is a must read, especially for a fan of Deathstroke or the Titans.

Deathstroke the Terminator tells it like it is.

This might be one of my favorite comic book quotes of all-time. Well, besides Batman's infamous, "Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the Goddamn Batman!" From All-Star Batman and Robin #2

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Deathstroke the Terminator is one evil bastard! Oh, and for the record, I mean that in the nicest way possible. Damn, Slade Wilson is one awesome character...

New Teen Titans #2, Deathstroke's 1st apperance

HA, I just brought this comic off eBay! I wanted this comic so badly for just about as long as I've been collecting DC comics(about a year), but could never afford it. Most comic stores I've checked have this issue for between $58.00 and $32.50. I was able to pick this comic up for $15.32! Seeing as that Deathstroke is my favorite DC villain, I can't wait to get my hands on this comic!!!