Deathstroke #15 Review
***SPOILER FREE REVIEW***
I admit that I bought this issue with some hesitancy. I enjoyed Higgin's run on Deathstroke due to his pedal-to-the-metal approach to Deathstroke with nonstop action and an overarching theme about legacy throughout his run. However, Liefeld's terrible run turned me off completely, and the preceding two issues looked thoroughly mediocre when I thumbed through them at my LCS. Also, Jordan's run on Team 7 has been rather mediocre to me, so the bar wasn't too high for me when I picked this up. I can luckily say I was pleasantly surprised by this issue.
The strong part of this issue is Jordan's characterization of Deathstroke. Not only does Jordan write a thoroughly bad@$$ Deathstroke, but he writes a very tactically sound Deathstroke as well. Jordan shows why Deathstroke is one of DC's most feared mercenaries: he's not only super strong and resilient, but he has tactically sound, no-nonsense approach, as exemplified when he fight's this issue's villain. While the villain chats away, Deathstroke keeps his mouth shut and analyzes his opponent. It's nice to see someone shut up and just fight for once in comics! We get a solid ending to this issue and a good hook for the next issue, making me want to pick up the next issue as well.
As mentioned elsewhere, there are 2 pencilers and 5 inkers for this volume! Surprisingly, the art is highly consistent throughout the title; I wouldn't have guessed that so many artists worked on this title. While the art is technically competent, it's nothing spectacular. However, it does do a solid job of storytelling. Hopefully going forward, we can slightly trim down the number of artists needed to finish an issue of Deathstroke. With a slimmer cast, maybe the art can differentiate itself more and bring a unique perspective.
I am happy to admit that I enjoyed this comic, and may be one of the best reads of the week. Jordan does a great job here and really should be commended. If he can keep the strong momentum going, Deathstroke is a series you should consider adding to your pull list. I'll be back for the next issue for sure, and hopefully you'll give this comic a chance as well.
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