Deathstroke #10 Review

Written by: Tony S. Daniel and James Bonney
Art by: Tyler Kirkham, Arif Prianto and Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: September 23, 2015

Arc Killer

When I think about this God Killer story, I am sort of conflicted.  While I've had problems with the individual issues, I still have enjoyed the arc as a whole.  Maybe it's because it's what I've wanted from this book since it started...Deathstroke kicking ass.  It doesn't hurt that I love seeing him team up with Wonder Woman (and Superman...kind of) in his mission to take down a god.  I've said it before, but it's been bloody, limb removing fun with a story that had me excited from the get go.  Seriously, Slade going after a god is a great premise and while the reality has been hit or miss, I couldn't wait to see how it ends.  So, did it end on a high note?  Let's find out...




The issue opens with a little catch up and if you haven't been reading, things are not going great for Deathstroke.  His mission to kill the god, Lapetus, hasn't really gone as planned and dead Amazonians litter Themyscira.  Now Lapetus has eyes on taking down Olympus starting with the God of War, Wonder Woman.  It's a nice setup for the finale and everything looks great thanks to Tyler Kirkham's art.

I said that I am kind of a fan of having Superman in this arc, but I did like him in this issue.  First off, he left his shirt and jeans back in the Truth story and is the Kryptonian ass kicker I love...until Lapetus just tosses him aside using magic.  I know I am supposed to be routing against Lapetus, but seeing one of Supes old weaknesses in effect was awesome.  It looks like the three heroes have to go to Plan B which involves Superman flying into an active volcano, Diana rallying the remaining Amazonians and Deathstroke showing us all why his sword is called the God Killer.

While Lapetus actually gets into Slade's head, we finally get a clash of the titans that would make Harry Hamlin proud.  There is the usual trash talking going on, but things get weird when a female spirit exits Lapetus' spear.  If you've been reading the entire arc or just paying attention this issue, you'll know that this is the sister Lapetus has been yapping about.  Slade immediately starts a little psychological warfare by calling her names.  Seriously, I thought the battlefield changed into the old playground and while it was silly, I still kind of liked it.

It's all Slade's plan to enrage Lapetus into doing something stupid and it worked...Deathstroke's sword does what it was made to do.  I've been waiting for months for this to happen and while it looked fantastic, it was a bit anticlimactic.

We then get the cleanup as Slade finds out the who and why the hit on Lapetus was ordered and it was a little too out of left field for my tastes.  It was like finding out a movie's killer was someone not even in the movie.  Boo!  Things get worse when Deathstroke learns that since he killed a Titan, his blood must be spilt.  I guess that one was in the fine print. Instead of his life, Slade offers up something crazier, but also something that gets him back to the Deathstroke I think everyone loves. Talk about an eye-for-an-eye.

This issue started off pretty good, but by the end I was left disappointed.  For all the setup, the final battle between Deathstroke and Lapetus just ended and left me feeling...well, not feeling much of anything.  Plus, we are told what Wonder Woman and Superman are doing, but it really didn't feel like much.  While I liked what happened on the last page, it didn't make much sense in contect to the story.  I already said that my enjoyment of this arc was greater than the sum of it's parts, but adding this issue into the equation just makes it a little above mediocre.

One thing that was way above mediocre was Tyler Kirkham's art.  It had a painted feel, thanks to colorist, Arif Prianto, that really fit the epic themes of the issue.  While all the character models were great, I loved his Wonder Woman the most.

Bits and Pieces:

While I have enjoyed the God Killer arc, this may have been it's weakest link.  That is usually bad news, but because this was the finale, it's even worse.  While I loved Tyler Kirkham's art, the story just ends with a little explanation, but no real emotion.  It's a shame since my feelings on the entire arc hung in the balance and after reading this issue, I can't really recommend the arc as a whole.

5.5/10