There are comeback books… and then there are statement books.
What makes this debut hit so hard is that it doesn’t settle for surface-level badassery. Sure, Deathstroke is still a weapon with a pulse. He’s still sharp, savage, tactical, and ten steps ahead of almost everybody breathing. But this issue has something more important than just violence with style. It has weight. It has damage. It has the kind of emotional shrapnel that sticks with you after the bullets stop flying.
Tony Fleecs understands the assignment here. He doesn’t just give us a cool Deathstroke comic. He gives us a dangerous Deathstroke comic. A haunted one. A comic where the man under the mask feels just as lethal as the one holding the blade, because now you’re dealing with pain, memory, guilt, and the kind of personal scars that never really close. That is what makes this book feel alive.
And when the action kicks in? Ohhh, it kicks in.
Carmine Di Giandomenico brings a fierce, aggressive visual energy to these pages that feels tailor-made for a character like Slade. Every movement feels calculated. Every hit feels intentional. Every page has that forward momentum like something terrible is always half a second away from happening. Then Ivan Plascencia comes through with colors that crank the atmosphere up another level, making the book feel tense, dangerous, and cinematic without losing that raw comic-book punch. This team understood the vibe and did not fumble the bag.
What really makes the issue pop, though, is how it balances the chaos with character. Too many books lean on Deathstroke’s reputation and think that’s enough. Not here. This issue actually builds something. It shows the emotional cracks. It digs into the people orbiting Slade, especially the connections that still matter, and that gives the whole story extra bite. Because when a man like Deathstroke is thrown into personal conflict, it’s never just drama. It’s a countdown.
That’s the beauty of this first issue. It feels like the start of something ugly in the best possible way. Not messy. Not random. Ugly the way a storm looks when you know it’s about to wreck everything in its path. The book keeps teasing that whatever comes next is not going to be small, and by the end, it absolutely feels like DC just lit a match in a room full of gasoline.
And let’s be real for a second: this is exactly the kind of first issue a Deathstroke book needs. It respects the legacy, but it doesn’t feel trapped by it. It gives longtime fans the lethal operator they came for, while also digging deeper into the man behind the reputation. That combination is where the magic is. This isn’t just Slade being cool. This is Slade being dangerous, broken, brilliant, and possibly more volatile than ever.
That’s how you make a return matter.
Score:
4.5 / 5
Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 is brutal, emotional, slick, and locked in from start to finish. It gives Slade Wilson a comeback that feels earned, not recycled, and the creative team delivers a first issue with real force behind it. If you like your comics sharp, intense, and carrying that “somebody’s about to get wrecked” energy, this one absolutely delivers! WEPAAAAAAAA….
Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colorist: Ivan Plascencia
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
Author Profile
- I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!
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