Sunday, February 24, 2019

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Justice League (2016) Covers by J.G. Jones and David Yardin

Deathstroke writer, Christopher Priest's run on Justice League (2016), was the title's final one before it was canceled to make way for Scott Snyder's then-upcoming one, which would restart the title with a new #1 issue. In Priest's final Justice League story arc, titled "Justice Lost" [Justice League (2016) #s 39-43], Priest brought with Deathstroke him as well as with his on-again-off-again partner-in-crime, The Red Lion (aka President Matthew Bland of the African nation of Buredunia) to push the Justice League to its limit. If anyone reading this post has yet to read "Justice Lost," I can't recommend it enough as Priest ended this story and the title itself with a bang (both literal and figurative). And at the risk of dropping a pretty big spoiler, it should also be noted that at one point, Deathstroke "took care of" a HUGE problem that nearly brought the Justice League to its collective knees.

During Priest's "Justice Lost" arc, two of the issues featured covers that put Deathstroke firmly in the spotlight. The first of which was a striking variant cover for Justice League (2016) #41, which frames the split-images of Deathstroke and the Red Lion within the outline of the African continent, by famed cover artist, J.G. Jones. This cover is posted below.

Art by J.G. Jones

The second cover was the primary one for the series' final issue, #43. This cover was a fitting showcase for Deathstroke allowing all fans to bask in all his bad-ass glory by cover artist, David Yardin, and is posted below.

Art by David Yardin