Deathstroke #22 Review

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Diogenes Neves, Jason Paz, Sean Parsons, Jeromy Cox and Willie Shubert
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 2, 2017

I have really been enjoying this book, but I have on big problem with it...the team should be called the Stroke Squad, not Defiance.  I mean, Stroke Squad is just so much cooler and there may be a song based on Billy Squier's The Stroke that I really like.  Other than that, though, I've liked just about everything Christopher Priest has done lately and having Terra show up last issue had me really excited for this issue.  So, do the good times keep rolling?  Let's find out...




We start off the issue with a crime scene.  Yea, remember the cold open that started last issue?  Well, we see a bit of the aftermath and it looks like the grocer was more than we thought (even though it seemed like he was a big deal from the past) and the shit is about to hit the fan.

That's going to have to wait, though, because in the Chetland UAI, the shit has hit the fan and already sprayed all over the walls...gross!  Defiance is busy fitting the Radiant Men and Deathstroke is nowhere to be found.  While Tanya Spears shows off her big brain, she also gets clocked in the face and the team is not having their best go on their first big mission.

We finally see Deathstroke as he makes his way to what only can be the origin of the Radiant Men and when he gets there, we meet the big bad...Dr. Light!  Holy Shit!!!  I guess "big bad" is a stretch as Light invites Slade in for coffee.

We continue on each front with Defiance trying to free the hostages while Deathstroke tells Dr. Light that he has changed his evil ways.  Jericho comes up with a plan to get the hostages to safety and bring down the Radiant Men while Slade asks Light for a favor...it seems he's been reported to the Society by Deadline (from earlier in the series) and that is not a good thing.  It's a really good moment when you realize that Deathstroke is afraid of the Society...not for what they will do to him, but what they will make him do to someone else.  Before that sinks in, though, Deathstroke kind of screws with his Defiance team...what is going on here?

We get a little more about the 'grocer" and the "willow" which really intrigues me even though we still don't have a whole lot to go by...maybe that's why it intrigues me.  Back with Defiance, things look really bad...until Terra arrives to save the day!

The issue ends with the question of whether a hero/villain would miss the thrills and excitement of playing the game and while Deathstroke may talk the talk, it does seem like he is stuck in it for the time being at least.

This issue continues the goodness of the Stroke Squad.  Christopher Priest gives us a team learning the ropes as their leader tries to figure out his new life and how to finally get out of his old one.  It doesn't look like it is going to be easy, but I can't wait to see more.

Diogenes Neves' art is really good and this book continues to be one of the better looking ones in all of Rebirth.  The action scenes all look great, but it's the awesome character models that win the day here.

Bits and Pieces:

Everyone should be reading this book.  Seeing Deathstroke struggle with his new lifestyle is great and throw in the team building of Defiance and we have a winner.  I's say that Diogenes Neves' art is icing on the cake, but it's so good and such an integral part of the story that I don't want to sound like I'm discounting it at all. Like I said, everybody should be reading this book so get to it!

8.0/10