To make it clear, I am not a fan of the Liefeld take over for Deathstroke. I was just starting to like Deathstroke's new outfit, but looking at Liefeld's version, he makes it look ten times worse! and for some reason I have a hard time seeing him illustrating an entire book (at least without giving my eyes a headache... if that's possible). The only positive thing I can say about Liefeld taking over, is that a story with Lobo vs. Deathstroke is original (if not a little crazy), it could be fun... I guess. But as a fan, great action scenes are not the reason I fell in love with Deathstroke, and I'm not sure how well Liefeld will handle developing Slade's character. However after reading the IGN interview with Rob Liefeld on his ideas for Deatshtroke I have to say that I'm cautiously optimistic about his writing abilities:

IGN: In light of yesterday’s news – the cancellation of Hawk & Dove, which you had been writing and drawing – you’ll be moving onto Deathstroke as writer/artist. Was this a project in particular that you wanted to pull double duty on? What attracts you to drawing this character?

Liefeld: Two years ago, when Jim Lee and Geoff Johns were given their new positions, I called Jim and said “DUDE! Congratulations… how about Deathstroke for me??” He laughed and here we are. I could not be more excited. I feel like I’ve won the comic book lottery!!! I LOVE DEATHSTROKE! I was 12 in 1980 when Deathstroke appeared in Teen Titans #2. I wish I could time travel back to 1980 and tell my young self what is happening, he’d freak. I could not be more ecstatic.

IGN: As far as what’s in store for Slade under your guidance, what can you tell us about the direction you’ll be taking the book?

Liefeld: We are going to push Slade. He is at a crossroads. His life up to the point we find him has been driven by tragic events that have taken his family away from him. He has made an eternity’s worth of enemies, people who he has crossed in his role as the most dangerous mercenary/bounty hunter/assassin. These enemies pool their collective resources to bring about the end of Slade Wilson.

But before we can get to that, Slade is contacted by a covert government agency that has a mess on their hands. A breakout at a remote prison facility has occurred and unleashed a group of nasty alien criminals into the populace. Slade is offered triple his going rate but the real challenge is can Deathstroke, the most dangerous hunter on earth, bring down the most dangerous prey in the galaxy?

And it gets personal real fast; it’s the challenge Slade needs to re-awaken his humanity. When we join him he’s about to cash out, he’s numb. There’s no challenge for him, then this. Lobo vs. Deathstroke will be a whopper!

And then there are a group of young hybrids known as the Omegas that Deathstroke is charged with in his hunt for Lobo. It’s big.

IGN: I know you’ve discussed your excitement at drawing Batman for the first time officially during Hawk & Dove. Are there any characters in the DCU that you haven’t been able to tackle that might be making appearances in Deathstroke? More Batman perhaps?

Liefeld: Well between Deathstroke and Lobo and the Omegas, I’m crossing many, many characters off the bucket list. This is my love letter to Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Keith Giffen and Roger Slifer. As to Batman, turns out I really prefer Robin over the Dark Knight.

I think that Liefeld could possibly do the writing for Deathstroke, but definitely not the illustration.

Overall, I'm totally confused by this change. I admit that I haven't been crazy about how the new Deathstroke series began. The set up for the series has been a bit slow and the pacing for the overall story has been weak at points, but this month's issue was amazing. Kyle Higgins really caught all the greatest aspects of Deathstroke, and I am completely in love with Art Thibert's work so far.

Deathstroke #5 excites me, Liefeld does not.

Deathstroke Fandom is the first blog of its kind, fully dedicated the greatest mercenary in the world, Deatshtroke.

Including :

• A character biography
• A list of Family, Friends, and Enemies
• A complete compilation of W.R. Wintergreen's journal entries from the Deathstroke the Terminator 90s series
• An Archive, holding every Deathstroke comic or comic Deathstroke has appeared in since his creation to the present
• An extensive Gallery, containing Art by every known artist to pencil/ pen/ or fully illustrate Deathstroke, from fully colored covers and spreads to mear sketched heads and busts
• A Fanverse page, where you'll find Fanart, Fan-fics, Fan comics and an RPG Template.
• A Merchandise page, where you'll find custom made statues, mass produced action figures, and even plushies
• A video Forum, which will take you to Deathstroke Fandom's you-tube page, where you'll find an extensive collection of tribute videos, artist speed drawings, merchandise reviews, comic reviews, and even episodes from TV shows and movies

and look forward to posts like:

• Comic Previews
• Comic Reviews
• Fan Art and Comic Artist spotlights
• In depth character discussions, essays, and explorations
• Past comic revisions, that catch personal reactions and emotions of past events
• Holiday specials

I've noticed recently that Slade's father is mentioned quite a few times in some of the older comics, but it's always done briefly and always as a side comment. From what one can gather even from what little that has been provided, Slade's relationship with his father was anything but positive, and even more so because he's rarely talked about. In fact none of Slade's own family have ever been introduced, like a mother, siblings, grandparents, ect. (Unless of course you count Frannie, and Slade's half-brother Wade Defarge). So what is the real story behind Slade's elusive family and past. Why has there never been any kind of back story about Slade's childhood, past, or family history?

Of course like most villains, as Slade is often characterized, the subject of family and childhood memories (all that gushy stuff) isn't generally important to such characters. You either hate him for being a villain, or you love him for being bad. Except that Slade's character has been more widely viewed over the years by fans as more of an Anti-hero than a villain, always bordering on the edge of good and evil, which I find to be one of his most intriguing qualities. In many ways he's very similar to an Old Western outlaw. He makes his own decisions based off his own judgments; he takes jobs and kills those he deems worthy of justice or revenge, his world is based on honor, respect, and reputation. But just like any good western, Slade needs a good back story to help explain how he got here, why he does the things he does, and what motivates him to keep his code, to stay solo, and to keep fighting for the things he believes in.

However, even if Slade is a villain, this still shouldn't be an excuse for this blatant absence in character development. To help explain, let us look at another of DC's most notorious villains, The Joker. Though downplayed as the delusions of a madman, The Joker's past has been explored, in multiple ways even. But imagine if the Joker's back story was never postulated, there would be no story about a vat of chemicals, there would be no red hood, or supposed tragic story of a murdered wife and child. There would be no washed up comedian or devilish child who burned down the house with his parents still inside. All these stories make the Joker all the more tantalizing, and attractive, without them can it truly be said that he would be the same clown prince of crime that is so loved and embedded in pop-culture today? When it comes down to it everyone knows a good back story strengthens a character, It's what makes us love them, even those characters that were created to be hated.

Then again, this isn't to say that Slade has never had a back story. There has indeed been a large amount of character development and history with the family Slade has made for himself, with his children, Grant, Joseph, and later Rose, as well as with his wife Adeline Kane, and even with his best friend Wintergreen. And sure we know about his life in the army, where he was practically born and bred, but why not push that further? What happened before that? What made him run away at such an early age of 16 and want to join the army? What did he leave behind? What ghosts from his past still haunt him to this day? As a fan, I can never get enough of Deathstroke. I love his character. But the subject of his own personal history, his own family could be explored a whole lot more (even in flashbacks or a one shot.) Especially in the new 52, when now it seems his character is being completely re-written. If done well, this could re-define Slade's character exponentially to better places and make for some great, memorable stories.

Note: Word to the wise, don't act pretentious around Deathstroke, don't ignore Deathstroke, and most of all, don't disrespect Deathstroke... or you'll regret it. ;)

1. Slade had to take on a horde of Dr. Raiin's cannibalistic mutated monsters single-handed. Although the Titans: Villains for Hire series may not of been all that popular, there were definitely some moments, like this one, that were just plain fun to watch.

2. When Deathstroke went up against the new JLA in Titans Annual 2011.

3. I think it can be safely said that every moment of Flashpoint: The Curse of the Ravager was amazing. But nothing is more memorable than the conclusion of this 3 part comic series, when Slade (The Pirate!) is finally reunited with his beloved daughter, Rose.

4. Deathstroke's appearance in the Trailer for DC Legends Online Game (oh,but that voice... >.<)

5. Watching him prove that he's still the most Badass Mercenary in the World, in the new 52 of Deathstroke issue #1.

6. When he killed a fly with a paperclip. (there's just something about this scene I can not get over.) classic.

7. The shocking (yet somehow pleasing) conclusion of Deathstroke #1, when Deathstroke executes a bunch of up and coming mercs, called the Alpha Dawgz.

8. In Deathstroke #3, when Slade fought the new threat known as Legacy for the first time. Not to mention some sweet inner Slade monolog and a level of character development that hasn't been touched on in years, but long over due.

9. Watching him break out of a high security prison only using a paperclip, and a regurgitated hand bomb (yeck!) in Deathstroke #4.

10. The long awaited reveal in Deathstroke #4 of what was actually in the briefcase, a mystery since issue #1,has got to take the cake for the most memorable moment of 2011 (but maybe not the most favored moment). Fans await the changes this new alteration in Deathstroke's history will bring with this new year, 2012.

 
... What would be a good name/ Title for it?

 
 Funny moments with classic characters...

 Earlier today I found this image, courtesy of one of my favorite fan sites Rancidrainbow.com. I've been keeping up with the Batman: Flashpoint story line and even though I know whats going on and who these people really are, I still can't shake how terribly disturbing it is to see these two characters holding hands affectionately.

When the first announcements were made about DC's revamp, I have to admit I was holding my breath. One: I wasn't sure if Deathstroke would even be part of this new line up, Two: I wasn't particularly sure how they would handle the character, because quite frankly they've been using and abusing his character for far too long, and depending on what direction the new team of writers and artists took, could easily go past the point of no return and forever taint the reasons us fans love the one eyed Merc, and Three: What I was most weary of, the one thing any die hard fan would most assuredly have issues with... a costume change.

But boy was I wrong! A solid 4 out of 5

I love the new costume! very stream-line, and simple, yet edgy. The few issues I have with his new costume are minor but worth mentioning, Aside from it being a bit too top heavy, I've never been a fan of the metal shoulder plate guards, they didn't work for me in the 80s and seeing them in the present day doesn't change much for me (and are those bladed wings???) , also the anime/ fantasy oversized sword is pretty sweet looking, but isn't very practicle, and the scalloped fins are more of a trademark for Batman... but I suppose I could get used to them if they stayed in the style of the second design/ sketch.

Overall I like the new look. They kept the blue and orange, although most of the orange is now at the top, orange folded over boots are replaced by metal blue spiked knight inspired boots, along with even more technical looking gloves, the long out of style orange pants are gone, and nicely replaced by a crossed belt and a big THANK YOU to whomever decided to keep at least some of the cahinmail. This new redesign has sparked a renewed excitement in me, I'm optimistic about Deathstroke's future and looking forward to him having his own series again

A metahuman mercenary who made a living taking out the toughest targets, Deathstroke will reclaim his fearsome legacy by any means necessary in DEATHSTROKE #1, a new series from rising star Kyle Higgins (Batman: Gates of Gotham) and artists Joe Bennett and Art Thibert.

Don't let me down Kyle Higgins! I'll be waiting. Until then, Thumbs up or thumbs down, What do you think of Deathstroke's new threads?