By Dustin Cabeal
Goddamnit, I’m back again for Deathstroke. One day I’ll take a break from these reviews just to catch a breath from my perspective, but as long as Power Girl is in this series, I’m there. Speaking of which, this was almost a very different review because of something that happened in the issue. It was almost a, “How dare you” type of review. Not really, but I would have been very sad.
This issue has the smoothest transitions. We have one page showing us where the story is going, which I usually hate, but when you leave it so open ended and hilarious, it’s hard not to like it. “You can’t kill me; you’re blind!” Famous last words anyone? The gist is that Slade asks Kyle aka Deadline to stand aside, and he’ll pay him double, but Deadline’s foolish pride gets in the way, and Deadline instead elevates the situation to the next level. From there we get a great scene with Wintergreen stating the three things he knows for sure, which are all very accurate.
Power Girl doesn’t have as big of a role in this issue… which is funny because she grows big, ah you’ll get that later. I would still kill for a series starring just her and written by Priest. All her nerdom is seriously a strange breath of fresh air to this series, but to DC Comics. Too bad it’s all destined to come crashing down at the end, which might make for great stories later on in either character’s series.
The art continues to be great, but there was one coloring mishap in which Power Girl’s circle wasn’t colored gold, but rather her skin tone. Maybe it was to show that it was a different outfit, but I instantly noticed it and had to wonder if it was just a flub. If intentionally, it should have been rethought as it doesn’t end up looking that way. Otherwise, the artwork is very detailed, and the action flows smoothly. Seriously, the action in this series looks so damn good. It’s easy to follow, but it’s dynamic at the same time. As a reader, it’s easier to get invested in the battles because of this because there’s a real sense of them happening.
There’s a lot coming down the pipeline for this series in the next issue. It’s hard to doubt this series as it’s stuck the landing on several storylines already and continues to be the most consistent DC title the publisher is currently releasing. To put it plainly, Deathstroke is not to be missed, but also, not to be fucked with either.
Score: 4/5
Deathstroke #16
Writer: Priest
Breakdowns: Larry Hama
Pencilers: Carlo Pagulayan & Roberto J. Viacava
Inkers: Jason Paz & Sean Parsons
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: Willie Schubert