Deathstroke #17 Review

White Wedding?

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Joe Bennett, Norm Rapmund, Jeromy Cox and Willie Schubert
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 19, 2017

I have really been getting into Deathstroke and with the Lazarus Contract on the horizon, that should continue.  I love the Power Girl that Christopher Priest is giving us and seeing Deathstroke trying to be the good guy for her is so great.  Of course, this is Deathstroke and underneath it all, he still is a piece of shit, but we can all enjoy this other side of him while it lasts.  Speaking of lasting, how long is he going to stay blind?  I guess we will just have to wait and see while I get on with my review...


The issue starts off with a little recap of Deadline's Infinity Rifle...a gun that can kill Superheroes.  I'm guessing that will come into play soon enough, but in the meantime, Slade is having some problems remembering things, which is both odd and intriguing.

That's put aside for a bit as we visit Tanya Spears who herself has a visitor...Beast Boy!  I know it's just setup for the Lazarus Contract story, but it's still cool.  Christopher Priest has quietly turned this book into a crossover haven and Beat Boy is just the latest guest star to hit it's pages.

The scene starts with a cool callout to why Tanya is not on the new Teen Titans team, but turns nasty when Beat Boy sees Deathstroke in the adjacent room.  Now, you have to remember that Power Girl still has no idea that Slade is Deathstroke and thinks fast to get Gar out of there before confronting Deathstroke.  Confronting him in a very cute way.

We then get a quick scene with Rose heading back to Minneapolis to find out the what's what with her "Family".  They may not be blood relations. but they are related to Rose's mother in a way that may be stronger than blood.  Yet another, we will have to wait and see moment.

Back with Tanya and Slade, we get a little discussion of the grey area between hero and villain before things get crazy.  Tanya wants to turn Deathstroke in and...well, he doesn't want that to happen.  I don't want to spoil too much, but poor Roscoe!  We get some awesome art and some more examples of why Tanya is awesome before heading off to Dr. Ikon.  Man, I hate these scene wipes.

Maybe "hate" is too strong a word because we see a now alive Dr. Ikon!  Holy crap!   Before that can sink in, though, it's back to Tanya and Slade and while Slade doesn't want to hurt her, Power Girl steps up her game...a little too late.

The issue ends with Slade heading off to Jericho's wedding, Rose still trying to wrap her head around her father's love and one of the most messed up cliffhangers since Rebirth started.  I can't say I love it, but it sure is interesting.

Yea, this is another really good issue of Deathstroke.  In fact, this is one of my favorites of the series because so many things come together and for the first time, you can at least see where things are going...kind of.  Christopher Priest isn't one to write the obvious, but we get the setup to the Lazarus Contract and a peek at the ending of this long running, overall story.

The art has always been good in this series and this issue is no exception.  It's the emotions that Joe Bennett gives his characters that sells it all to me.  It really compliments the story in such a great way.

Bits and Pieces:

Deathstroke #17 does a lot of heavy lifting and Christopher Priest makes it a joy to read...in a messed up, Deathstroke kind of way.  We see the beginnings of the upcoming Lazarus Contract crossover even as the well laid plans of Jericho's wedding come crashing down.  It all seems par for the course, but I can't wait to see the crazy things set up by this issue come to fruition.  If you have stuck with this book, this issue is the first of what I hope are many rewards.

9.0/10