The Good
Sometimes, when a creative team is working on their final issue of a series, they do one of two things: Phone it in or give a sappy final story that really reflects how the creative team feels about leaving the project. Now, I'm not sure whether or not this team knew their run was coming to a close, but I simply loved this final issue. They don't phone it in, and it's not sappy.
The whole issue revolves around Slade delving into his past at the moment that changed his life forever, when his father gave him up to some gangsters in order to settle a $10,000 debt. His dad was a scumbag, piece of trash, gangster, which explains a bit of Slade's psyche, except he has a hidden heart of gold.
It has great transition between the past and the present, giving more insight into what makes Deathstroke who he is and his relationship with his deadbeat dad. While there are some other loose ends being tied up in this issue, the best moment of issue 8 is when Slade visits his sick father and gives him a piece of his mind and lets him know "I'm better than you, father. And I always will be." A nice "F-U" moment to a horrible person.
Great art team on this issue featuring Eduardo Pansica on pencils, Art Thibert on inks, and Jason Wright on colors. There's great attention to detail from the facial expressions, to the crumbling bricks on the wall. All three of these artists come together to paint a vivid picture for a character who usually just kills people left and right. A couple of great splash pages as well that you will enjoy.
The Bad
Last issue with Higgins as the writer... I'm a bit bummed. I really enjoyed where he was taking the book and the character. He made me care about a character I felt was a joke in the past. I'll keep my head up, since I can still catch his work on Nightwing, but it just won't be the same. Thanks for your time on this book Kyle. It was awesome.
The Verdict
A great ending to a great run by this creative team. They truly made this a character that was accessible to new readers in the DCnU, and I applaud them for paving the way for the future creative teams and building on an already well developed character.
I loved how this issue dealt more Slade's past and his father. It gave the character a lot of depth and gave new readers more insight into his past. The issue flowed incredibly well and I loved the art team on this issue because there was great attention to detail.
On the downside, I'm a bit bummed that Higgins will not be writing this series anymore because he got me excited about a character I never cared about.
Overall, I highly recommend this issue not because it's the last issue of a great run but because it stands out on its own and actually adds something to the character.