REVIEW: Deathstroke #20

Writer:  James Bonny
Artist:  Paolo Pantalena
Colorist:  Arif Prianto
Letterer:  Dave Sharpe
Review:  Art Bee

On the last trip to the LCS my daughter looked through the boxes of back issues and chose Deathstroke #20 for me to review. The first thought that came to my brain was, “I know very little about this guy.” Granted, I am just this side of ignorant in the DC world.
Please, no pointing and laughing…

This comic was very surprising from the start, and by the start, I mean the cover. It’s wickedly brilliant and screams action. We see Ra’s Al Ghul standing over Deathstroke, dealing a death stroke. The cover just portrays the contents very well.

The exceptional artistry continues on every page of the book. My favorite is page two with a full spread of Slade Wilson and Ra’s with swords pressed together in combat. The detail on this page and every other is very intricate and detailed. Here on page two, Pantalena had the presence of mind to tell us which blade was made of harder steel by showing it biting into the other sword. Prianto’s colors and shading playfully tease the mind and add so much more to all of the details. These two artists were strategically paired.        

This issue is the last of the series. As this is a series featuring Slade Wilson it definitely delivers the action it should have, but it almost seems compressed. The action of this final battle as a culmination of 19 issues of conflict seems a bit light.

Anyway the issue starts as Slade Wilson and his two children, Rose and Jericho, swear allegiance to the League of Assassins. Once accepted they are off to the battle. As most DC loyalists will know Deathstroke usually has his own target and agenda, and guess what, Ra’s does not share it.
Surprised! Neither was I, and like I said, I am just this side of ignorant.

The writer has an issue with using Slade Wilson’s full name. After his introduction I would expect to hear Slade, Wilson, or Deathstroke in dialogue, but not with Bonny’s writing. Almost every time, we read, “Slade Wilson”, and it actually got cumbersome, if that is believable.
Aside from that I really enjoyed the comic book.

For those of us anti-villain lovers, this is a great read. I know Deathstroke is a villain who toes the line to hero sometimes, but it is neat to read a story with him as the focus. This series may just make my list to hunt for in dollar boxes.
Remember to adopt a homeless comic and to have your comics spayed or neutered.