I have another volume one for you guys. This is another character that I know, but I have not read anything that centers around him. I know that Deathstroke is mostly a Teen Titan enemy. I also know that he is some kind of meta, with healing powers and that he mostly cares about money. If you haven't already guessed, this week I am covering Deathstroke Vol. 1: The Professional, it includes issues #1-5 and Deathstroke Rebirth #1. I am going to try and stick to my briefer recaps, but with a volume one it seems to be a little tougher. Wish me luck, as today I am recapping Rebirth #1 and issues #1 & 2.
Professional Prologue: (Disclaimer this issue jumps back and forth in time, instead of doing that, I am just doing to tell the past stuff then the happening now stuff.) A younger Slade and his two son's, Grant and Joey are camping in what appears to be winter. Grant slept in the truck running the heat and killing the battery. Grant does not like his dad and it seems to be mutual. Grant, not paying much attention after running off, has a run in with a bear. Slade kills the bear saving his son, he then much to the horror of his sons, kills the baby bears as it would have been cruel to leave them motherless. We meet a young Wintergreen who thinks Slade is too hard on his sons, but also is mostly there to take Slade off on a mission.
Years later, somewhere in Africa, Slade has completed a mission for Mathew Bland, aka "The Red Lion" and Mathew tells us all about Slade's powers. (Rapid healing, enhanced strength and reflexes, and enhanced intellect.) Mathew seems to be a warlord or terrorist of some kind, but he paying Slade 9 million to not only take out his enemies but to make sure that the US doesn't interfere. Slade has a tech guy (kid really) whose name I think is Hosun. Tech guy basically makes it so that the person in power will want to ignore what is happening. Slade wanted more than money though, he was also looking for information on someone else he has been hired to kill. Some people who are helping him find said person bring up having sons and Slade gets soft for like two seconds and then goes back to being a cold blooded jerk.
Slade's mission seems to be to kill The Clock King (a classic Batman villain). Clock King has some leverage though, he knows about a loved one of Slade's that is being held hostage nearby (maybe important note: Clock Kind looks old and like he is about to die anyway). Said hostage is in a cave watching old home movies of Slade seeming to have a good time with his sons. The reader is led to believe this person might be Grant. With his info from The Clock King, Slade as two guys take him to the site where the hostage is being held. They put his outfit on a dead guy so he can sneak in and kill a bunch more people thus saving his loved one, who turns out to be his old pall Wintergreen.
Professional Part One: Among Thieves: (Time jumping seems to be the name of the game with this comic so I'll just do my best here.) In the present, a senator who was paid off by Slade to ignore all the bad things Matthew is doing in Africa is also being black mailed by Slade. Poor guy doesn't handle the stress well and kills himself. In the past, a young Slade and Wintergreen argue about directions in New Jersey. Next we get a quick recap of the life of Slade Wilson, soldier, husband, father, worrier, POW, and lastly assassin. Back in Africa, Mathew is being tortured by a now young and healthy looking Clock King who goes on a lot about double crosses. In the cave we last saw Slade and Wintergreen, we learn that Wintergreen faked his death and was supposed to be retired. Slade had left a lot of things with Wintergreen, including photos, videos and an old suit of his (the Ikon suit). Seems this suit enhances all his powers and is powered by kinetic energy (much like T'Challa's suit in Black Panther). Wintergreen powers up Slade's suit by shooting him with a machine gun (you know...like you do.)
They make their escape and head back to the palace to help Mathew. (Important note, the two guys tell Slade they tossed the dead guy in his old suit to help convince everyone Slade is dead.) They try a peaceful approach sending Wintergreen in with a white flag, but the Clock King is not feeling it. Just to the past again and we see a young mostly naked Slade fighting a mostly naked woman named Adeline. Said woman is his wife and mother of his sons. She also used to be an agent and in fact trained Slade. She is not happy that he is off on another mission with Wintergreen. Downstairs, now teen Joey and Grant are ignoring the fight until Grant is over it and leaves. The fight ends with Adeline kissing Slade and calling him a jackass (I think everyone except maybe Joey as now called him a jackass) and then of course they have sex that Wintergreen eventually interrupts. In the present again Slade begins attacking Clock King and we see he is still old and dying, this time Slade finishes the job? (Honestly not totally clear.) Anyway, Slade threatens Mathew then leaves with Wintergreen. The issue ends with Mathew chatting with an admiral while he finds Deathstoke's old suit. It seems all the events that have happened were just to get Slade back in his old Ikon suit.
Professional Part Two: Band of Brothers: In the past, Adeline tells Joey she is off to find Slade and Grant is still gone (she also doesn't seem to be much of a mom) so Joey throws a party. Adeline returns home to find the house a wreck and a photo of Joey under a knife and a painted sign saying "Call me Deathstroke." She tries to get ahold of Slade, but he is busy being in a plane crash (Note: there are four guys in the plane). In the present, in Edinburgh, Wintergreen and Slade wander into a bar to accuse the owner, by the name of Fredric of spilling the beans on Wintergreen not really being dead. Only five people knew Wintergreen was still alive, but first Fredric has a story to tell. We have another time jump (or maybe time goes back, unclear) and we see Slade knock on the door of the house of a nice couple. Turns out they are not so nice and Slade has to kill them, but he is too late there pal Rax is dead. So now only four people could have known Wintergreen was alive.
Flashback to a mission in Cambodia, where we meet Lillian Worth. She seems to be the madam that Slade has some history with. They used to use it as a safe house but while there Fredric quickly finds himself in trouble. They are there to grab Lillian but Fredric gets shot by a 10 year old with silver hair (just like her dad?). In the present we see that Fredric was paralyzed in that fight, he is angry and bitter, and was the one who betrayed Wintergreen. Slade has peaced out though to talk to another member of the original group. Now we meet the Canuck, aka Isherwood, aka Dr. Ikon (this guy was in the plane, he is also the one who made Slade's fancy suit.) They argue about what the suit is (a gravity sheath not a force field) and are fighting the whole time (Dr. Ikon is wearing an even better version of Slade's suit). Ikon claims he doesn't know anything about the kidnapping and is a good guy now who "walks with the lord now." This issue ends explaining all the things. So Slade was never in Edinburgh just another guy wearing a similar suit, Fredrick is dead, someone calling himself Hosun sends a text showing there is a hit out for a girl with silver hair who is also wearing an outfit in the colors of Deathstroke but she goes by the name The Ravager.
Thoughts: Once again that was a lot and I did try to keep it short without missing anything important. I am once again not sure this comic is for me. I feel like I am missing a lot of information and backstory. I think they tried to pepper it in, in the form of flashbacks, but the format left me a little confused at times. Also, I think maybe comics where the leads are jerks or jackasses are not my cup of tea. I am curious if this is a journey for Deathstroke to become an anti-hero? I am going to keep reading it, both out of curiosity and because sometimes the villain can prove to be the more interesting character.
The writer for this volume and in fact for this entire run of Deathstroke just goes by Priest, but Google was kind enough to tell me his name is Christopher Priest. He is a singer songwriter and has also written for many many comic lines dating back to 1983. Fun fact: he lives in Denver, Colorado! This is fun because I too call Denver my home. He doesn't seem to be a social media guy but I do recommend looking him up. He was the first black writer-editor in mainstream comics and is still working on projects for both Marvel and DC.
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