Review: Deathstroke #31

Synopsis:

This chapter begins with a little background on Slade Wilson then segues into an awesome plane crash scene. Slade and Major Wintergreen are on board the plane discussing a mission when some ground troops fire what appears to be a LAW weapon and the plane goes down. A great opening scene that gives way to the first appearance of Batman in this issue. After the obligatory splash we see Robin in a sort of reminiscent stage once again as he remembers what it’s like to be a ward of the Dark Knight. This chapter is better than part one and grips you from the very first page. I loved it.

The Creative Team:

Priest knows how to tug at the heart-strings of Batman readers. Once this issue takes a minute to slow down we see Bruce in a contemplative mood once again as he stares at a picture of his parents. We relive the moment with our hero. Many critics diss these trips down memory lane in that we’ve seen Batman’s origins a thousand times, do we really have to see it again? Well, the answer is yes, and Priest knows this. This is the tragic moment that defined the Caped Crusader and scarred him for life. He’s also contemplating Deathstroke’s words from last issue; “You fight crime because I allow it…Robin only breathes because I allow it.” As Bruce fights his memories Commissioner Gordon arrives and drops another bomb shell on our hero. This is a great issue filled with character study and intrigue. Great stuff includes: Deathstroke pouncing on what he perceives to be the Batman only to get fooled by an imposter and Bruce Wayne shaking down a thug for information.

Pagulayan, Viacara, Hama and Paz have crafted a mini master piece here and their panels really bring the characters to life in a special way. The female Russian Agent looks a lot like actress Scarlett Johansen, I don’t know if that was a conscious effort or not but it did provide a chuckle on my part and the noir atmosphere (have I ever mentioned that I love noir, lol) brings a certain depth to the proceedings. Highlights include the opening plane crash and Batman’s first appearance, but is it Batman?

In Conclusion:

I love where Priest is going with this title. If he keeps the momentum up and gives us some good shocks this could become a classic along the Dark Knight Returns or the new 52’s owl cult storyline in Batman’s 1 – 10. Right now the Shadow/Batman TP is my favorite book that I’ve reviewed since I started reviewing comics, but the more in-depth this title becomes, it could match, or even overtake that for me. Keep up the great work team and make the next book even better than this own. Oh, by the way, great ending for this chapter setting us up for… to be continued. **** 1/2 (9.4 rating)

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Writer – Christopher Priest
Art – Carlo Pagulayan, Roberto Viacara, Larry Hama, Jason Paz
Colors – Jeremy Cox
Letters – Willie Schubert
Publisher – DC

Author Profile

Kevin Given

Kevin Given has studied with â€œ Longridge Writers Group â€ and â€œ Writerâ€™s Boot Camp â€ a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the â€œ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter â€ franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of â€œ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter â€ # 1 and â€œ Files of Karl Vincent â€ # 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series â€œ Dracula Rising â€ (working title) and developing â€œ Foul Blood â€ into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given