Sometimes the week just blurs right on by and before you know it, it is Friday again. Today I am going to be wrapping up my coverage of Deathstroke Vol. 1: The Professional. This post will include issues #3-5. If you still need to read part 1, you can click the link at the bottom of this post. Time to see what trouble Slade is getting into now.
The Professional Part 3: By Any Other Name: Slade is creepily standing over a couple. The woman, Rose, wakes up seeing and recognizing Slade, but she rubs her eyes and he is gone. Elsewhere in a park, a woman thinks she is stopping an assassination, but it is actually an ambush where she get shot up. But wait, she saw it happening because she is clairvoyant. So she tries again and this time she takes out all her would-be killers only to run into Slade. She removes her wig and we see that it is Rose from this morning. Slade explains about the hit out on her and takes her to Wintergreen, who she is actually happy to see. Later the two of them are both suited up and on a roof, Slade's buddy Hosun tells them the hit on Rose was on the dark web for a year but the encryption was only recently broken. Rose talks to Slade but he is a jerk. We get a quick flashback revealing that Joey was killed as revenge against Slade, we also see how he lost his eye. His wife shoots him in the back of the head. (Not saying she wasn't justified but it was kind of her fault too.)
Back on the roof Slade belittles Rose a bunch, then he leaves her to break into place looking for Ricky who accepted the hit on Rose. (I'm not sure exactly what is happening, this is all a lot of assassin talk I guess). Ricky is an old lady, Slade doesn't take revenge just takes some of the money so he can track down who actually wants to kill his daughter. He calls Rose telling her to pack up, they are heading for Gotham, because for some reason Slade thinks that a Bat might be involved.
The Professional Part 4: American Gothic: A heavily disguised Rose and Slade are heading for Gotham and arguing like a typical father and daughter who are too similar. Later in a hotel, Slade being really fucking awkward is just standing naked at the window giving Rose a rundown of all the other people in the hotel. She calls Wintergreen who has to remind her that her father is a villain but he does love her in his weird way. Also pointing out that Slade doesn't need her there but wants her there. We flash back real quick to Rose training with Nightwing. Slade creeping in a tree watching. (See he does care.) Back on the road again our team is stopped by a biker gang. Rose sees a flash of one shooting Slade so she attacks, Slade is behind now but quickly catches up and they kill them all. The car gets destroyed in the tussle so they take a bike. The next few pages are almost written like a report. It is Batman and Slade playing a game of who is smarter, but Slade seems to get what he wants as Batman shows himself to ask Slade what he wants.
Elsewhere, Rose and Robin are fighting, but while Damien might have won the fight, they have drugged him and are going to use him as leverage to get Batman to do something for Slade. Slade then blows up a car and it is enough of a distraction for him to get away.
The Professional Part 5: Mirrors: Rose turns on the Bat-Signal (fun note: she keeps trying to chat with her boyfriend and being interrupted). Batman shows up and she tells him that they will let Robin go if they do a thing for them. Batman just says nope and jumps off the roof, telling Rose to go home and stop hanging out with her dad. Rose gets back on the phone with her BF and they discuss life stuff, like their cat. (It is cute.) Rose catches up with Batman and he just says all right. Meanwhile Slade as Robin in a deathtrap, classic water filling a chamber. It is fun as they insult each other back and forth. In the Bat-Mobile it is now Batman's turn to give Rose a lecture. Slade doesn't need Batman's help, best guess is Rose is meant to be a distraction and he isn't worried about Robin. He seems more concerned with trying to help Rose not be a villain like her dad. Robin is really pushing Slade's buttons, but Slade isn't taking the bait.
So it seems while Batman is driving Rose around he is fighting other crimes including stopping a nuclear attack and fighting some gangsters. Rose steps in to help but he stops her because she was going to kill them and he is not into killing. Robin is about to drown and Slade points out that Batman is late, but never worry because Robin is always prepared and gets out just in time for Batman and Rose to show up. Slade is already gone. Batman figures that Deathstroke is the one who put out the hit for Rose back in the day (not the one who reactivated it though? Unclear). Later Rose tries to call her BF but has to leave a voicemail about how her dad is trying to kill her. Meanwhile BF (whose name is Louis) is talking on the phone to someone about how he paid to have Rose killed because he wants revenge on Deathstroke. Before Louis can finish his conversation Deathstroke arrives putting a knife to his throat.
Thoughts: I think that maybe I am not one of those people who loves a villain. It could also be that I don't love a bad dad, but that might be more of a personal issue. I do like Rose though, she is kind of funny and I don't know a ton of her backstory so it is easy to just go with the now version of her. I think I liked the second half of this a little more because of the Batman and Robin cameo. I do plan to keep reading this and I know that later he puts together a sort of team and I am a sucker for a team.
I really liked the art in this volume. Rebirth #1 and issues #1 and 2 were done by Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz. Issues #3-5 were done by Joe Bennett, Mark Morales, and Belardino Brabo. I liked the second half art a little more but overall all of these guys make great stuff, so feel free to check out their socials (the ones I could find) for what they are working on now.
My favorite cover this week is mostly because of the tongue and cheek. The artist just goes by ACO (Alex Cal Oliveira).
I think it is not surprising that my favorite line goes to Batman. He is just chill as he carries off a nuke that might have leveled his city. (Made funny because we didn't even see this fight, also the face Rose is making.)
Thanks as always for reading this and next week will be a much more light hearted story as I cover a Raven stand alone.
Previous Posts: Deathstroke Vol. 1: The Professional, Part 1
The Professional Part 3: By Any Other Name: Slade is creepily standing over a couple. The woman, Rose, wakes up seeing and recognizing Slade, but she rubs her eyes and he is gone. Elsewhere in a park, a woman thinks she is stopping an assassination, but it is actually an ambush where she get shot up. But wait, she saw it happening because she is clairvoyant. So she tries again and this time she takes out all her would-be killers only to run into Slade. She removes her wig and we see that it is Rose from this morning. Slade explains about the hit out on her and takes her to Wintergreen, who she is actually happy to see. Later the two of them are both suited up and on a roof, Slade's buddy Hosun tells them the hit on Rose was on the dark web for a year but the encryption was only recently broken. Rose talks to Slade but he is a jerk. We get a quick flashback revealing that Joey was killed as revenge against Slade, we also see how he lost his eye. His wife shoots him in the back of the head. (Not saying she wasn't justified but it was kind of her fault too.)
Back on the roof Slade belittles Rose a bunch, then he leaves her to break into place looking for Ricky who accepted the hit on Rose. (I'm not sure exactly what is happening, this is all a lot of assassin talk I guess). Ricky is an old lady, Slade doesn't take revenge just takes some of the money so he can track down who actually wants to kill his daughter. He calls Rose telling her to pack up, they are heading for Gotham, because for some reason Slade thinks that a Bat might be involved.
The Professional Part 4: American Gothic: A heavily disguised Rose and Slade are heading for Gotham and arguing like a typical father and daughter who are too similar. Later in a hotel, Slade being really fucking awkward is just standing naked at the window giving Rose a rundown of all the other people in the hotel. She calls Wintergreen who has to remind her that her father is a villain but he does love her in his weird way. Also pointing out that Slade doesn't need her there but wants her there. We flash back real quick to Rose training with Nightwing. Slade creeping in a tree watching. (See he does care.) Back on the road again our team is stopped by a biker gang. Rose sees a flash of one shooting Slade so she attacks, Slade is behind now but quickly catches up and they kill them all. The car gets destroyed in the tussle so they take a bike. The next few pages are almost written like a report. It is Batman and Slade playing a game of who is smarter, but Slade seems to get what he wants as Batman shows himself to ask Slade what he wants.
Elsewhere, Rose and Robin are fighting, but while Damien might have won the fight, they have drugged him and are going to use him as leverage to get Batman to do something for Slade. Slade then blows up a car and it is enough of a distraction for him to get away.
The Professional Part 5: Mirrors: Rose turns on the Bat-Signal (fun note: she keeps trying to chat with her boyfriend and being interrupted). Batman shows up and she tells him that they will let Robin go if they do a thing for them. Batman just says nope and jumps off the roof, telling Rose to go home and stop hanging out with her dad. Rose gets back on the phone with her BF and they discuss life stuff, like their cat. (It is cute.) Rose catches up with Batman and he just says all right. Meanwhile Slade as Robin in a deathtrap, classic water filling a chamber. It is fun as they insult each other back and forth. In the Bat-Mobile it is now Batman's turn to give Rose a lecture. Slade doesn't need Batman's help, best guess is Rose is meant to be a distraction and he isn't worried about Robin. He seems more concerned with trying to help Rose not be a villain like her dad. Robin is really pushing Slade's buttons, but Slade isn't taking the bait.
So it seems while Batman is driving Rose around he is fighting other crimes including stopping a nuclear attack and fighting some gangsters. Rose steps in to help but he stops her because she was going to kill them and he is not into killing. Robin is about to drown and Slade points out that Batman is late, but never worry because Robin is always prepared and gets out just in time for Batman and Rose to show up. Slade is already gone. Batman figures that Deathstroke is the one who put out the hit for Rose back in the day (not the one who reactivated it though? Unclear). Later Rose tries to call her BF but has to leave a voicemail about how her dad is trying to kill her. Meanwhile BF (whose name is Louis) is talking on the phone to someone about how he paid to have Rose killed because he wants revenge on Deathstroke. Before Louis can finish his conversation Deathstroke arrives putting a knife to his throat.
Thoughts: I think that maybe I am not one of those people who loves a villain. It could also be that I don't love a bad dad, but that might be more of a personal issue. I do like Rose though, she is kind of funny and I don't know a ton of her backstory so it is easy to just go with the now version of her. I think I liked the second half of this a little more because of the Batman and Robin cameo. I do plan to keep reading this and I know that later he puts together a sort of team and I am a sucker for a team.
I really liked the art in this volume. Rebirth #1 and issues #1 and 2 were done by Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz. Issues #3-5 were done by Joe Bennett, Mark Morales, and Belardino Brabo. I liked the second half art a little more but overall all of these guys make great stuff, so feel free to check out their socials (the ones I could find) for what they are working on now.
My favorite cover this week is mostly because of the tongue and cheek. The artist just goes by ACO (Alex Cal Oliveira).
I think it is not surprising that my favorite line goes to Batman. He is just chill as he carries off a nuke that might have leveled his city. (Made funny because we didn't even see this fight, also the face Rose is making.)
Thanks as always for reading this and next week will be a much more light hearted story as I cover a Raven stand alone.
Previous Posts: Deathstroke Vol. 1: The Professional, Part 1
Next Post: Raven, Part 1
Note: All images belong to DC™
Note: All images belong to DC™
Dang, that's a low blow for your boyfriend to put a hit out on you so he can make your dad pissed. Like, damn.
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