Deathstroke #13 Review

Night of the Crime

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Joe Bennett, Mark Morales, Jeromy Cox and Willie Schubert
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 22, 2017

I always start off my Deathstroke review by telling everyone how much I hope that I'll like the current issue.  It kind of points out my biggest problem with the series...inconsistency.  I will love one issue only to hate the next two and this sort of thing just keeps happening.  Maybe this issue will break the streak as I really liked last issue even though the addition of Raptor made me roll my eyes a bit.  So, do I love two issues in a row?  Let's find out...


The issue starts with some jitters from Etienne and some confessions from Jericho.  I still am not sure I trust Etienne, but my problem with Jericho is a bit different.  I want more of him!!!  We keep getting bits and pieces of him and it's starting to upset me.

We then head off to Deathstroke and a character I don't care about at all...Raptor.  He's in the Ikon suit and it's cool to see him and Slade fighting, but still, it's Raptor.  This does lead to an awesome exchange between Deathstroke and his son, but then we are back to Raptor...and the same "right of salvage" line from last issue.

As things progress, Slade figures out this all was Red Lion's plan all along.  That's when we get a whisper down the lane bit of conversations...Jericho to Adeline to Dex to a bunch of military guys...all headed to the ship our three "wheelons" are on.  I have to admit, hearing Red Lion detail his plan to get his country back was pretty kick ass and makes me like the character even more.

The issue continues with Deathstoke and Raptor working together to get Red Lion's ship and plan kick started.  It's another criss-cross applesauce as Deathstroke uses their current situation as a way to get back his Ikon suit.

The plan works...kind of...at least for Red Lion.  Deathstroke may have shown that he doesn't care about despots and what they do to their countries, but he does care about family...even ex family.  Well, at least that's what I thought until the ending which gives us a shocking bit with Jericho and than a jaw dropping cliffhanger.

Okay, I liked this issue a lot.  Christopher Priest continues dealing with double and triple crosses so much that it's sometimes hard to keep up.  I still am not sure I can even guess at what the "big picture" is anymore, but as long as the characterizations and dialogue are as good as in this issue, I am happy to just ride out the wave.  The only things I had problems with in this issue were Raptor just getting away and the cliffhanger not being a "I didn't see that coming", but a "what the fuck is going on here" situation.  Yes, it fits the bat shit crazy narrative we've already gotten, but at some time I want to be able to get a grip on what is going to happen next.  Just a little bit.

Joe Bennett continues the clean art that is more about helping tell the story than impressing readers on it's own.  I appreciate it and really love the character models Bennett keeps giving us.

Bits and Pieces:

Christopher Priest shows the reader how smart everyone in this book is with double and triple crosses flying around at all angles.  While I wish I could get a better grip at the overall story, Priest certainly keeps everyone on their toes and this issue is no exception.  I'm not sure if this is an action packed book with every one's favorite anti-hero or the most messed up family reunion ever...maybe it's both and even more!  The art and story are impressive and I am finally ready to punch my ticket on the Deathstroke trolley.

8.0/10