Deathstroke #4 Review

On the Road Again

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Joe Bennett, Mark Morales, Jeromy Cox and Willie Shubert
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 12, 2016

I will admit that at first, this book confused me.  I don't know if it was me, the story or a combination of both, but once I realized that this book demanded multiple readings to understand, I started liking it more.  Sure, I'd rather get it all down right away, but Christopher Priest has been sly with his story and characters and his story is peppered with little nuances that show themselves after repeated visits.  So, whether I am lazy or not, I will go into my Deathstroke reviews after at least two reading, if not more.  Do those readings tell me that this week's issue is kick-ass or a disappointment?  Let's find out...


It's road trip time for Slade and Rose and as they head for Gotham, they are doing so in disguise.  Slade has a glass eye and I was waiting for Rose to say, "Oh Yeah, You Blend" at least once.  While Slade has laid down the "going dark" rules, Rose just doesn't get it and talks to Richard before her father throws her phone out of the car.  I mentioned in my last review, I love the interaction between these two.

When they stop at a motel, Slade surveys the surroundings in the nude and Rose gets a hold of Wintergreen.  We learn a couple of things from Slade's old pal...Deathstroke isn't an anti-hero, he is a straight up super-villain and he expresses his emotions in code.  You know, the code where if he says, "you're an idiot" he means he's concerned about your choices.  I think that all father's talk in a code to some degree, it's just Slade's is way over the top!

We then get a little Flashback of Rose training with Nightwing and it's nice to see her so happy, but weird to see Deathstroke there.  This may be one of those moments that are going over my head, but it seems like Slade is just there checking in on his daughter.

The action picks up as the two get involved with a biker gang and after Rose has a precog moment, it turns into a bloodbath.  Rose kicks ass, but doesn't go far enough for Slade and in the end, it looks like she was wrong about it all anyway.

The issue then shifted to a book-like narrative explaining both Slade's and Batman's moves leading to a head on confrontation between Deathstroke and Batman and Rose and Damian.  It's quick and ends with Batman more on the losing end than I am used to seeing him.  I loved it!  I am starting to really enjoy this book.

Christopher Priest continues his slow burn story that's more about "who is Deathstroke" than anything else.  While it kind of feels like a gimmick having Batman in the book this early, I liked it all the same.  I really like Rose and Slade together and love seeing the father/daughter relationship grow before our eyes.

The art in this book always takes a backseat to the characters and story, but that doesn't stop Joe Bennett from doing a good job here.  He knows what's going on and concentrates more on the characters than anything else.  It's compliments the story so well.

Bits and Pieces:

I keep liking this book more and more.  While Batman's appearance feels a bit forced, it's fun and promises even more fun in the near future.  The characters, story and art are top notch and I can start recommending this series to everyone.

8.0/10