Professor Hugo Strange's 1986 Who's Who Entry

Renegade psychiatrist and/or mad scientist (depending on the era and medium), Professor Hugo Strange is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized villains in all of comics. "Officially created" by Bob Kane with Bill Finger for Detective Comics (1937) #36, Strange was nearly the first recurring super-villain to plague the life of Batman, debuting just after Doctor Death and the Monk (aka the Mad Monk). A master of psychology and psychological warfare, Strange holds the distinction of being the first super-villain to correctly deduce the secret identity of Batman as millionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne and has driven the Dark Knight to the very edge of insanity on more than one occasion, most recently during the "Night of the Monster Men" crossover.

But Hugo Strange didn't restrict his malicious machinations to just the Caped Crusader. Deathstroke (2016) scribe, Christopher Priest brilliantly used Strange during the instant classic "Deathstroke: Arkham" story arc to push Slade Wilson to the brink of lunacy in an effort to "fix" him by executing a maddeningly sadistic gaslighting campaign that has to be seen/read to be truly appreciated. It can honestly be stated that given Slade's fate after "The Terminus Agenda," Deathstroke was never the same after Strange was through with him. Posted below is a scan from Professor Hugo Strange's 1986 Who's Who entry from issue #18 (XVIII) featuring art by Denys Cowen and Art Nichols.

Art by Denys Cowan and Art Nichols

Priest Confirms Departure From Deathstroke (2016) After Issue #50

"'Deathstroke: RIP' will, however, have at least one permanent casualty -- me. The story arc will be my last for Rebirth Deathstroke as I take my bow with the double-sized issue #50."

Deathstroke super-scribe, Christopher Priest

The above quote is from current Deathstroke (2016) writer, Christopher Priest, confirming his departure from the series to CBR.com's Tim Adams (Click here to read the full article). Priest killed off Slade Wilson in the final issue of the "Terminus Agenda" story arc setting up "Deathstroke: RIP" in which his children, Rose and Joseph, come into conflict from the ways that they deal with their father's death. Rose wants revenge and to preserve Deathstroke's professional honor while Joseph wishes to distance himself from his villainous father by becoming the best hero he can be.

Undoubtedly, Priest has left the most indelible impact on both Deathstroke and his mythos since his legendary co-creator, Marv Wolfman. The welcome return of Wintergreen, the incredible Ikon Suit, the comingled origins of his trademark sword and his infamous nom de guerre, a Black Panther-reminiscent frenemy in the Red Lion, a Deadpool-adjacent ally in Death Masque (with a "Q"), a genuine "evil twin" variety villain in Doctor Ikon were all welcome additions to the assassin's canon. Most importantly, Priest readjusted the character locus of Deathstroke so that he was first and foremost a villain and not some ersatz anti-hero. Priest's story "Chicago" from Deathstroke #11, which addressed street-level gun violence in America, has been hailed as a modern classic.

Priest took Deathstroke, that many people wrote off as only a full-throttle action villain and wrote the character intelligently, with depth, nuance, sophistication, and dare I say....humanity (admittedly the darker side of humanity). Many writers took the straight action approach with Deathstroke, and it can work for him, but Priest turned the world of Deathstroke into one of international intrigue and mystery, which was more closely related to James Bond adventures than, say, the standard mindless Stallone/Schwarzenegger fare. Priest artfully and adeptly crafted rivetting "cat and mouse" games played with the likes of Batman, Superman, Adeline Kane, Doctor Ikon, the Red Lion, the Justice League, the Secret Society (of Super-Villains), Two-Face, and Hugo Strange. Priest portrayed Deathstroke and a cold-blooded killer, but not an inhuman one. Though he was never comfortable expressing positive emotionality, Preist showed during the "The Professional" and "Defiance" arcs that Slade Wilson was capable of loving Rose and Joseph and caring about other young heroes like Kid-Flash and Power Girl, though he ultimately sabotaged those relationships in an effort to save them all from the pain and suffering that he felt he would inevitably bring them.

All told, Priest's run with Deathstroke is one of the best that the character has ever been honored to have. I'm sad that Priest is moving on as I feel that he has considerably raised Deathstroke's stock as a character and elevated his overall gravitas as one of the most dangerous forces in the DC Universe. The only good news is that Priest has six more issues remaining on Deathstroke (#s 45-50), one of which being double-sized, to which I am eagerly looking forward. Furthermore, Priest is set to begin a run on a new volume of Vampirella (2019) for Dynamite Entertainment this July, which I will definitely be including on my pull list.

Though Priest confirmed his departure from the series, it is unknown at this time if the Deathstroke title itself will end with #50 or if it will continue on with a new creative team. Whatever the case may be, given Deathstroke's involvement with season two of DC Universe's Titans and CW Seed's development of a Deathstroke animated series I think that there is indeed a bright future in store for Deathstroke in DC Comics going forward.

Arkham Asylum From 1985's Who's Who #1

Christopher Priest's "Arkham" story arc from Deathstroke (2016) #s 36-40 was figuratively insane in its portrayal of the literal insanity within the tortured walls of Gotham's Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Slade Wison found himself an unwilling patient/inmate in the infamous institution courtesy of his ex-wife, Adeline Kane, and colleague, Wintergreen following his disastrous confrontation with Doctor Ikon. Without giving away too much of the story, let's just say that the next six issues of Deathstroke are full of deep character examination and therapy, copious amounts of gaslighting, sanity-doubting, new friends (Yay, Death Masque "with a 'Q'"), alien invasions (maybe?), an accidental (?) murder, and all of the twisted, tormented Batman villains one could want in a Deathstroke tale. In honor of Priest's brilliant "Deathstroke: Arkham" story, posted below is a scan of the 1985 Arkham Asylum Who's Who entry from issue #1 (I) with art by Steve Bissette and John Totleben.

Deathstroke DC Rebirth Era HeroClix

It's been well over two years since I've covered any WizKids HeroClix merchandise so I felt it was time to delve back in the little plastic warriors to see what was new. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I found DC Rebirth era HeroClix derived from some of my favorite story arcs from Christopher Priest's critically-acclaimed  Deathstroke (2016) run. Imagine my joy as I discovered not one, but three versions of Deathstroke representing "The Professional," "The Lazarus Contract," and "Defiance" story arcs. In addition, there was a Rebirth design Ravager, Adeline Kane, Jericho, Kid Flash (Wallace West), Power Girl (Tanya Spears from the "Twilight" arc) and the inexplicably back-from-the-dead, Terra. Furthermore, all of the above characters, save for Adeline Kane, also had a separate HeroClix depicting their short-lived Defiance costumes. Images of the Rebirth era HeroClix and their accompanying stat cards are posted below. As always, for best viewing, open each image into its own tab.

THERE'S NO "EYE" IN TEAM: Deathstroke on Team Entropy

Cover to Justice League: No Justice
(2018) #2 featuring Team Entropy
Art by Francis Manapul

This is the first of a new feature series that I'm calling "THERE'S NO 'EYE' IN TEAM." This feature will explore Deathstroke's varied (but admittedly brief) tenures on super-teams. Some teams were fighting to save the world. Some teams were trying to take over the world. Some teams were all about the money. But whatever the team's purpose, 

When it was clear that Scott Snyder's insane Dark Nights: Metal (2017) was a smash hit, Snyder and DC wanted to investigate what other crazy directions stories could take in Metal's wake. Snyder had a wealth of tales to tell that spawned directly from Metal, but they would require the entire Justice League cast, and then some. DC had Christopher Priest wrap up his run on Justice League (2016) to make room for Snyder's post-Metal upcoming Justice League (2018), but Snyder first needed to set the stage. Enter Brainiac and Justice League: No Justice (2018).

In Snyder's No Justice, Brainiac abducts numerous heroes and villains from Earth and informs them that because the heroes' actions during Dark Nights: Metal broke the Source Wall, the universe was now vulnerable to numerous threats of universal proportions that had been locked safely behind the wall. The first of these threats to emerge was the celestially powerful Omega Titans. Each Omega Titan was powered by one of the four aspects of sentient life; wonder, mystery, wisdom, and entropy and held that their specific aspect to be superior to the others and devised a way to test these notions. The Titans planted four seeds, one containing a different aspect of sentience on myriad planets that had yet to develop sentient life. Over millennia once sentience and civilizations had evolved on these worlds, the Omega Titans would return to see which of the four aspects had become the dominant one on that world. With the superior aspect determined, the "winning" Titan would then consume the world. This process would continue until all sentient life in the universe had been destroyed. 

Brainiac successfully convinced his assembled metahumans that he had formed a plan to stop the Omega Titans. On Colu, wisdom reigned supreme rendering mystery, wonder, and entropy weaker there. Brainiac reasoned that in order to stop the Wisdom Titan from destroying Colu, that the other aspects would need to be strengthened. To strengthen the weaker aspects, teams would be sent to the "Cosmic Trees," which grew from the aspect seeds that the Omega Titans planted eons before. To further "motivate" the abductees, Brainiac also informed them that if they failed on Colu, he made sure that The Omega Titans would target Earth next as he placed Titan Seeds there to attract them.

To succeed on Colu, the collected heroes and villains would have to abandon their previous alliances and rivalries and assemble into new teams of Brainiac's design. Brainiac regrouped the abducted heroes and villains based on the personal attributes that aligned best to each specific Titan aspect. For the Entropy Titan, Brainiac formed Team Entropy composed of Batman, Lex Luthor, Lobo, Beast Boy, and, of course, Deathstroke the Terminator.

Team Entropy initial design art featuring Beast Boy, Lobo, Batman, Lex Luthor,
and Deathstroke the Terminator
Art by Francis Manapul

Unfortunately, before Brainiac could communicate details about what to do at each tree location, his head literally exploded due to the foolish interference of Amanda Waller, who was trying to covertly extract all the knowledge held within Brainiac's mind from Earth. This turn of events left the assembled teams on Colu with clearly defined destinations, but without clear courses of action for when they all arrived. Luckily for each team, the costumes that Brainiac made for them contained "nodes" that drew each team to their designated Cosmic Tree.

Team Entropy was drawn to the Entropy Tree, which had sprung up in the middle of Colu's mega prison, the Ultra Penitence. Lex Luthor reasoned that the Entropy Tree, "must feed off of the chaos inside" the Ultra Penitence, therefore to boost the Entropy Tree's power, per Brainiac's plan, Team Entropy had to cause as much chaos as possible by freeing all of the prisoners. Once Team Entropy began freeing prisoners, they met resistance in the form of guard drones. While Batman called for an orchestrated counterattack, it was Deathstroke that suggested a more chaotic approach as illustrated in the image below.

No one thinks violence quite like Deathstroke.
Art by Francis Manapul

Team Entropy continued to fight deeper and deeper into the Ultra Penitence, but the farther they infiltrated into the prison, the noticed that the robotic drones were guarding one cell in particular. Surmising that this prisoner was the true source of chaos, Team Entropy focused their efforts on that cell as the key to their mission. But once they open the cell door, what Team Entropy found inside was none other than Brainiac's son, Vril Dox, aka Brainiac 2.0. Needless to say the introduction of Vril Dox to this already seemingly impossible equation only served to further complicate matters for our ad hoc team of protagonists, but I'm not going to spoil the ending to this tale. To see how it all turns out, I suggest reading Justice League: No Justice for yourself.

Though I love that Deathstroke was chosen for this event, I wouldn't say that he stood out. I know that it is impossible for every character to be a star in an ensemble cast, but it felt like Snyder chose Deathstroke simply because he was a popular character rather than for any reasons pertaining to the story. Deathstroke has outstanding leadership and strategic sensibilities, they can never be exploited to their fullest potential for any team on which Batman and Lex Luthor were members. Like the other characters, Deathstroke's inclusion on Team Entropy made sense given the squad's theme and objective, but for no bigger role part than he played in the overall story, Deathstroke's role could have been filled by any number of other entropic/chaotic characters, such as the Creeper, Deadshot, Plastic Man, or even the Heckler making Deathstroke's inclusion here feel somewhat forced. At the very least, Snyder represented Deathstroke competently and respectfully, though his dialog vernacular seemed at times to be lowbrow compared to his usual characterizations by Marv Wolfman or Christopher Priest. In any event, Justice League: No Justice is a worthy read regardless of its use of Deathstroke as a "look, he's here too" background character.

Deathstroke In the House...Ad: Part 4: The Terminus Agenda

This edition of Deathstroke in the House...Ad takes a look at DC Comics' in-house ads for "The Terminus Agenda" story arc written by Christopher Priest and Adam Glass. As always, for best viewing results, open the images below into their own tabs.

The one-page ad posted below, teasing a schism within the Teen Titans, used cover art from Teen Titans (2016) #29 by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, & Ivan Plascencia. 

"The Terminus Agenda" one-page house ad.
Art by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, & Ivan Plascencia

DC also ran a two-page version of the add that includes an issue checklist to the story arc, which features cover art for Teen Titans (2016) #28 by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, & FCO Plascencia.

"The Terminus Agenda" two-page house ad.
Art by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, & FCO Plascencia

Deathstroke Trades the Ikon Suit For Pink Bunny Slippers, And It's AWESOME!!!

This post will be short and (too) sweet. Deadpool comics get lauded for their (supposed) humor, but the image posted below from Deathstroke (2016) #42, (the second part of the Terminus Agenda) written by Christopher Priest and penciled by Carlo Pagulayan, made me laugh so hard that my eyes watered when I first saw it. I'm not going to give any story details for fear of spoiling an arc in-progress but given Priest's penchant for multi-level storytelling, the overall tone of the issue, and the characters involved in the scene below, this panel hit the target hard as both irony-laden sight gag and sinister, next-level mind-game. I mean, pink bunny slippers? But hey, Slade can make almost anything work.

Not your typical slumber party guest making himself feel a little too
at home.
Art by Carlo Pagulayan

When Only the Best Will Do: How to Acquire the Lethal Services of Deathstroke the Terminator

You too can hire Deathstroke for all
your assassination needs.

Make no mistake, Deathstroke is the greatest assassin in the DC Universe. According to the website of current Deathstroke writer, Christopher Preist, "He always fulfills his contract, no matter what it takes." The solitary exception to this, of course, was the H.I.V.E. contract his son Grant, the original Ravager, accepted to eliminate the Teen Titans, which Slade assumed after Grant's death. Because of his almost impossible success rate in fulfilling his contracts, to paraphrase ACDC, Deathstroke's dirty deeds are not done dirt cheap (unless, of course, you have dirt under which there are vast reserves of petroleum). And, to paraphrase the narrator from the opening of the A-Team, if you have a problem... if no one else can help... and if you can find him... maybe you can hire... Deathstroke the Terminator.

So, how does one such as yourself go about acquiring the services of the assassin of all assassins: Deathstroke? There are three requirements. First, one must navigate one's way through the DC Multiverse from Earth-33, where we live, to Earth-0, where Deathstroke the Terminator plies his lethal trade. The most efficient route is through Rock of Eternity, but be careful because at times the Rock can be more trouble than it's worth (refer to the Multiverse map below). If you cannot arrange this journey, then seek other assassination arrangements on your homeworld.

Text and concept by Grant Morrison
Illustration by Rian Hughes

The second requirement is to be obscenely wealthy as the price tag for Deathstroke's services tends to be exorbitant. According to Priest, "Deathstroke's fee is in the seven figures." Given Deathstroke's tendency to take extremely difficult and dangerous assignments, coupled with his own lavish lifestyle replete with palatial homes and the finest of wines, one must assume that his fee would be on the higher side of seven figures. But, if one can afford access to a mode of Multiversal travel, coming up with the funds to hire Deathstroke probably shouldn't be an issue either.

The final requirement once one arrives on Earth-0 is to establish contact with Deathstroke. Again, according to Priest, "You hire him by posting an offer on the Dark Web along with a six-figure deposit in untraceable Bitcoin." Though Bitcoin is flexible and (so far) anonymous, Earth-33 Bitcoin accounts do not transfer to Earth-0, so be sure to bring sufficient quantities of gold or other precious metals with you to Earth-0 for conversion to Earth-0 Bitcoin. This also should not be a problem due to your obscene wealth.

An artist's interpretation of the Dark Web. Your experience may vary.
Image Sorce: Cointelegraph.com

If Deathstroke accepts your offer, your intended target will be terminated. All you have left to do is to transport him to Earth-33, await confirmation that the job is done, transport him back to Earth-0, transfer the balance of his fees, and return home to enjoy your life free of a much-loathed thorn in your side.

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

TOOLS OF THE TERMINATOR: A Sword Called...Deathstroke!

The Deathstroke
Art by ACO

Since Deathstroke the Terminator's debut in the pages of The New Teen Titans (1980) #2, there has been at least one constant companion (with the exception of stints during the New 52) for Slade Wilson and his business of blood. That faithful companion is none other than his iconic battle sword with the yellow/orange cross-guard. Over time, this sword has become as closely associated with Deathstroke the Terminator as the trademark bifurcated color pattern of his mask so I thought that it was time to take a closer look at this infamous instrument of death.

When Christopher Priest took the reigns of the Deathstroke (2016) title as part of DC Comics' Rebirth publishing initiative, he not only returned the sword itself, which had been missing for much of the "New 52" and "DC You" runs, he greatly expanded its history and its connection to Slade himself. On Priest's own website, he wrote detailed new information including the origin of the sword and how it came to be owned by Slade (much of this information can also be found nearly word-for-word in dialog from Deathstroke (2016) #9). Priest wrote about the sword as follows:

Deathstroke's sword was originally named "Scrymgeour." Eòsaph Mar cut down a thousand of King Charles' men with it after Jenny Geddes threw her stool at the head of the minister in St [sic] Giles' Cathedral, inciting the Bishops' Wars. Or, at least, that's the story Deathstroke told. One of dozens. Slade Wilson actually won the sword from a rich collector in Glasgow with a full house, queens full of nines. An antique Grete war sword the blade was forged of three seperate pieces hammer-welded together, the bottommost a flattened diamond cross-pattern. The blade became mangeled during the "Judas Contract" incident and HIVE re-cast it in Type-II, or "Volatile," Promethium—a dangerous mutagen capable of absorbing unlimited amounts of energy—which Deathstroke  stole from S.T.A.R. Labs. It is suspected that particle bleed may have played a role in activating dormant metagenes in Slade's children. The blade cannot be damaged or destroyed by any known means.

An additional piece of information about the sword was revealed during a flashback scene in Deathstroke (2016) #9 when one of the other card players explained that the sword was eventually named "Deathstroke" as illustrated in the image below.

Slade Wilson seated at the bottom of the page...and the rest is history.
Art by Cary Nord

Slade used the sword for years, but it was all but destroyed during the events of the "Judas Contract." As described by Priest in the quote from above, when H.I.V.E. repaired the sword they added the super-metal Promethium giving it extra-physical properties (think of Promethium as a combination of Marvel Comics' Adamantium and Vibranium). The sword became virtually indestructible and capable of cutting any substance. It also gained incredible energy absorption abilities, the limits of which have yet to be seen. The sword's new abilities are illustrated below.

Deathstroke's Promethium sword is capable of cutting Superman
Art by Carlo Pagulayan

The sword can easily handle Superman's powerful heat vision.
Art by Carlo Pagulayan.

So to recap:

• The sword was originally called Scrymgeour, named for the medieval Scottish clan to whom the warriors that wielded it belonged.
• The sword was eventually renamed "Deathstroke," and was, therefore, the inspiration for Slade Wilson's professional nom de guerre.
• Slade won the sword in a card game. The sword-winning hand was a full house of queens and nines.
• The sword's extra-physical properties, granted by the super-metal, Promethium, make the sword indestructible, capable of absorbing massive amounts of energy, and may be partially responsible to the emergence of superpowers in Slade's children, Joseph (Jericho) and Rose Wilson.

Priest's Pastiches Part Two: Death Masque

Death Masque (with a "q)
Art by Fernando Pasarin
& Carlo Pagulayan 

Christopher Priest's current run on Deathstroke (2016) is easily one of the finest that the character has ever had. The most recent story arc, "Arkham," could be accurately described as equal parts action adventure and gaslit head trip. But Priest's "Arkham" introduced a pretty cool, yet familiar (and I mean really familiar) new addition to the Deathstroke supporting cast in the form of Death Masque ("with a 'q'").

To set the stage for Death Masque's debut without spoilers, I'll just say that Slade found himself a patient/inmate at Arkham Asylum after being declared criminally insane. Once inside, Slade is drugged to the extent that his reflexes and rapid healing abilities are compromised, In addition, even though Slade can still hear Wintergreen's simulated voice via an implant containing his Ikon Suit AI, he was told repeatedly by Arkham staff that the implant doesn't exist and instead the voices that he hears are nothing more than hallucinations. During a holographic virtual group therapy session with some of Arkham's most notorious residents (Mr. Freeze, Dr. Destiny, Prof. Hugo Strange, Victor Zsasz, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum), session leader, Dr. Candace Evans, asked Slade if he could hear Wintergreen at that moment. Slade replied that his combat AI implant was not compatible with the group therapy system, making it appear that he was making excuses with his sanity looking to be further in question. But one member of the therapy group appeared to be more than a little out of place amongst Gotham's murderous elite, was a young man known only as Devon.

Devon began the session having a bit of fun (at least unwelcomed by Dr. Evans) by assuming the virtual form of Harley Quinn. Devon assumes a his "true" form and claims to the group that he has been in hiding inside Arkham for 87 years, with the exception of his recent "zapping" to the planet, Pulor where he was the subject of, what one must assume was unwanted experimentation. Later in the session when Slade asked the group that if given the chance, would anyone not kill him, only Devon raised his hand in the affirmative. Later when trying to escape, Slade encountered Devon, who was also keen to escape. Upon reaching the asylum grounds, both Slade and Devon were caught in an apparent Zeta beam and transported to who knows where.

Death Masque after accidentally
scaring an old man to death.
Art by Fernando Pasarin

When we next see Slade, he is laying on the floor of his cell dazed from the drugs used to pacify him. Dr. Evans visits his cell to check up on him. Slade asked the doctor how he got back to Arkham, but she informed him that not only had he not left Arkham, but that he had been there for 23 straight days. Slade told Dr. Evans that he had been gone to two weeks fighting the Pulorians with Dev, only for her to ask, "Who's Dev?" To prove he is not insane, Slade guided Dr. Evans and a security force along the route he used to escape, only this time there was a brick wall blocking the way. At this point, Slade was questioning his own sanity. But Dev...well...

Dev is next seen very much on the outside of Arkham Asylum searching for Deathstroke, but he is wearing a strange black and white amalgamation of Deathstroke's costume with a suspiciously looking ill-fitting cowl, not unlike that of Marvel's own resident #*&%@$$, Deadpool, and is calling himself Death Masque ("with a 'q'"). Death Masque next locates Slade's son-in-law, Hosun, (but not before he inadvertently triggered an old man's heart attack by appearing full costume in his bedroom due to breaking in a house at the wrong address) to aid in his search for him and the rest of the story can be found in Priest's recently completed "Arkham" story arc.

Death Masque is definitely the most "meta" character that Priest has introduced into Deathstroke's mythos. With his quick quips and his propensity to break the fourth wall, Death Masque is an obvious parody of Marvel Comics' Deathstroke rip-off, Deadpool. But Priest's use of Death Masque works at the story-level and at the meta-commentary level as well. Priest uses his own Marvel past to reference his stints on both Deadpool and Black Panther to really great comedic effect, which a title like Deathstroke needs from time-to-time. One particular battle scene, pictured below, is such an overt meta-reference to Priest's own Deadpool writing debut, that Death Masque himself ponders the possibility of a Marvel lawsuit just for mentioning it. Other meta-zingers include declaring"Wakanda forever," after calling Dr. Evans "hot," addressing Deathstroke, "Mr. Liefold," as an obvious nod to Deadpool's "creator" Rob Liefeld, and even while criticizing Slade himself after they both got caught in a Zeta beam by declaring that, "This is why you'll never get a movie!" I won't spoil the remainder of Death Masque's misadventures with Deathstroke as "Arkham" concluded, but let's just say I can't wait for more of Death Masque's brand of...heroics? We'll go with heroics.

Death Masque channeling Christopher Priest and his Marvel past.
Art by Fernando Pasarin & Carlo Pagulayan

Priest's Pastiches Part One: The Red Lion

President Matthew Bland of Buredunia
Art by Carlo Pagulayan

After a celebrated tenure at Marvel Comics, writer, Christopher Priest, came aboard the re-launched Deathstroke title in 2016. In his first issue, Deathstroke Rebirth (2016) #1, Priest (with penciler, Carlo Pagulayan) introduced a new on-again, off-again ally/client for Slade in the form of the despotic President-for-Life of the small African nation of Buredunia, Matthew Bland, aka "Ja Zaki," aka the Red Lion.

At first, it seemed that the Red Lion was simply Priest taking a good-natured shot at his former employer and the character with whom he was so closely associated: The Black Panther. The similarities were obvious; intelligent leaders of African nations that wished to avoid wider global contact, who also took on alter egos inspired by predatory big cats, and donned suits of armor derived from super metals with extraordinary properties. But the similarities end there as the Black Panther and The Red Lion are entirely different characters.

When we first see Bland, he had hired Deathstroke to rig a Congressional election in favor of the incumbent, Dennis Hargrove, as Hargrove regularly worked to block US intervention in African nations like Buredunia. Without US interference, Bland was free to further consolidate his presidential power by orchestrating the ethnic genocide of Islamic rebels. 

Another reason for Deathstroke's presence in Buredunia was to fulfill a contract on the life of the Clock King, who was under Bland's protection. Once Bland was assured of Slade's compliance in the Hargrove election, he then allowed Deathstroke to pursue the Clock King, but not without his hand-picked escorts. As Deathstroke and the escorts reach the Clock King's location, Bland's men begged for their lives and the lives of their sons because Ja Zaki could not have any witnesses that he broke his promise to protect the Clock King nor could he allow their sons to grow up to one day seek revenge. An unsympathetic Deathstroke told his escorts that they had killed their sons the second they put on their uniforms to serve their president.

Slade entered the building Where the Clock King was held, but just as Slade was about to land the literal death stroke, Clock King bought himself some valuable time when he uttered the word "Kenilworth," which was a code word that meant that someone that Slade cared for was in mortal danger and needed to be rescued. Clock King informed Deathstroke that this "loved one" was being held close by.

Slade left the Clock King and demanded all the cash the men had as payment on a contract to protect the escorts and their families from Bland. With further intel from the Clock King himself, Slade made his way to the rebel camp that was holding his "loved one." The rebels were aware that Bland had often hired Deathstroke, so Slade removed his Promethium armor and placed it on a corpse so that his escorts (and new clients) could prove that they had turned their backs on Ja Zaki because they claimed that Bland had their sons killed, thereby gaining entry to the rebel camp. Deathstroke, without his armor, would infiltrate the camp and rescue a rather perturbed Wintergreen.

Wintergreen told Slade that when he was captured, those responsible also took his old weapons locker. At the bottom of this locker was the prototype Ikon Suit. After Slade donned the suit, Wintergreen shot him to charge the suit, showed him to a motorcycle in storage, and the two old friends made their escape. When they met up with Slade's escorts, the corpse they had used to fool the guards was gone. The escorts told Slade that they threw the corpse into the river bed, along with Slade's Promethium armor to throw the rebels off their trail. Deducing that the Clock King would next move on Ja Zaki, Deathstroke, Wintergreen, and the escorts raced back to the presidential palace.

The Red Lion in the Promethium armor
Art by Cary Nord

Slade's contract with the escorts required him to save Bland from the Clock King as his death would further destabilize Buredunia, putting the escorts' families in danger. Deathstroke killed the Clock King, fulfilling that contract and threatened Bland that he would be back to deal with him if any harm came to the escorts or to their families, thus fulfilling that contract. Bland was furious with Slade as Congressman Hargrove had committed suicide (after Slade had mailed him evidence of his homosexuality, which would have ended his political career). Deathstroke pointed out that his contract was for Hargrove's re-election, not his continued existence, and thus that contract was also fulfilled.

Despite the coming US intervention to his country, Bland had accomplished his real objective for which he was handsomely paid; forcing Slade to operate in the Ikon Suit. Furthermore, Ja Zaki recovered the lost Promethium armor and customized it to better suit his Red Lion persona. Adding new features to the armor (such as rocket boots based upon the designs of Steel) the Red Lion has accomplished some impressive feats including rescuing Deathstroke from Federal custody, acquiring an aircraft carrier formerly owned by a drug lord, defeating the Justice Leaguer, Cyborg, in combat, and manipulating the League into looking like a belligerent, aggressor to the entire world for "attacking" his small African nation.

The Red Lion freely admits that he and Deathstroke are not friends, but one has to admit that things sure get interesting when these two get together (professionally, of course).

TOOLS OF THE TERMINATOR: The Ikon Suit

When the character designs for the DC Rebirth Deathstroke series by ACO were released, it was assumed by many that the new, streamlined look was simply a cosmetic choice designed to differentiate the series' look from the heavily armored, Liefeldish motif used in prior series. But, in issue #2 of Deathroke (2016), the world was introduced to the "Ikon Suit."

The Ikon Suit was designed by Deathstroke's former special ops associate, David Isherwood. Once Isherwood presented the prototype suit to him, Slade casually dismissed using it, instead choosing just to store it in a footlocker. Isherwood would go one to perfect a version of the suit, which he used to fight crime in Canada as the hero Doctor Ikon. Isherwood's completed suit would find its way to Jericho, Isherwood's former lover, after Isherwood's apparent suicide. Jericho continues to use Isherwood's own suit for his own superhero activities. Slade would later be manipulated into donning his prototype Ikon Suit complete with an artificial intelligence system programmed with his old friend, Wintergreen's, voice and personality, which Isherwood included simply to irritate Slade. Deathstroke now wears an upgraded version of his Ikon Suit.

According to the encyclopedia entry on the DC Universe streaming service, the “'Ikon' suit absorbs kinetic energy and blocks it, making it impervious to bullets or the fist of a superhuman opponent."

The Ikon Suit in action against Superman

Art by Carlo Pagulayan

The FANDOM-hosted DC Database provides even more details:

The Ikon Suit is a gravity sheath, a point defense system which creates a gravitational tidal effect: the greater the surface area, the weaker the defense shield. The suit is virtually impenetrable against anything around the size of a human fist. It is controlled by gestures — along with the EEG (Electroencephalography) leads in the mask. By overclocking the system, one can even attain flight. The suit also has a sophisticated A.I. programmed into it. The Ikon suit also has a major drawback: each suits' programming can be manipulated by any other suit with the master programming. This allows one Ikon suit user to activate or deactivate other suits at their discretion.

Another fault point of the Ikon is it's [sic] Gravity Sheathe can be disrupted and penetrated by Inertron, a heat and light absorbent material that has anti-gravity properties which easily enable it to penetrate it's [sic] point defense shield. Dr. Isherwood developed the Ikon Suit for Deathstroke. He gave the prototype a glance and tossed it into his footlocker, not taking their work seriously at first. A more advanced version of the Ikon Suit is currently worn by Slade, while Jericho proceeded to use the model that Ikon wore.

In any event, Deathstroke's Ikon Suit is one of the cooler additions to the Terminator's mythos.


UPDATE: This post was originally titled "Ikonic: Deathstroke's Ikon Suit."

DC Essentials Deathstroke Figure by Entertainment Earth

Entertainment Earth has produced a new line of DC Essentials action figures, which includes pretty cool Deathstroke. This Deathstroke figure is notable because of its depiction of the Ikon Suit from Christopher Priest's DC Rebirth Deathstroke series. Also in the series is Batman, featuring the Greg Capullo designed bat-suit (pictured below), Superman, Brainiac, the Red Hood, Cyborg Superman, Supergirl, Aquaman, Black Manta, Nightwing, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Cheetah, the Joker, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, Shazam, and Black Adam.

The product description for the Deathstroke figure from the Entertainment Earth website reads as follows. "The DC Essentials line of 6 3/4-inch scale action figures based on DC characters with universal appeal, accessible to both long-time collectors and those just starting out. This DC Essentials Deathstroke Action Figure goes back to basics with amazing detail and designs based on the designs of Jason Fabok all with an impressive 19 points of articulation."

The Deathstroke figure (Item Number: DC05009) is currently in stock and priced at $22.95.

Image Source: Toyark.com

Priest's Deathstroke to Look at Real World Gun Violence

Deathstroke scribe, Christopher Priest announced at the New York Comic-Con that he would be tackling a serious, real-life issue in January's Deathstroke #11. During the DC Comics Secret Originals panel at the convention, Priest announced that the theme of the issue would be that of epidemic gun violence and that the story is to be set in the city of Chicago. 

Chicago has been the focus of much media attention, specifically during the presidential election for its high rate of gun violence and gun-related deaths. It remains to be seen how Priest will craft an anti-violence story in a comic starring a character known for cold-blooded killing and high bodycounts, but I have every faith in Priest that it will be outstanding.

Christopher Priest's Out With The New and in With The Old Continuity.

DC's Rebirth initiative is attempting to keep the things about the New 52 that worked, while at the same time returning certain bits of traditional continuity to the DCU that fans had vehemently voiced displeasure with their alteration or outright elimination following Flashpoint. Having returned Wintergreen to the fold in an earlier issue, this week's release of Deathstroke (2016) #3, writer Christopher Priest returned three more classic elements of the pre-Flashpoint continuity to Deathstroke's post Rebirth title by way of a simple, yet powerful two page flashback which is pictured at the end of this post. The three returns to previous continuity are as follows.

1. Joseph Wilson's throat was once again slashed in retaliation for Slade's assassination of a Quraci army colonel. This retcon seems to eliminate the New 52 version of Jericho, who could speak because his throat was never cut.

2. As eluded to in issue #2, issue #3 confirmed that Rose Wilson is once again Slade's daughter with Lilli Worth, not his wife Adeline as had been depicted in numerous issues within the New 52 continuity.

3. Adeline Wilson was again the one that took Slade's eye in a failed attempt to kill him for allowing his secret life as an assassin being responsible for the abduction and attempted murder of Joseph. This effectively negates the North Korea explanation for his missing eye as detailed in Teen Titans (2011) #23.2.

Clock King's Who's Who Entry from 1985

Considering his recent involvement in Christopher Priest's early Deathstroke issues, here is a scan of the 1985 Who's Who entry from issue #5 (V) for the Clock King with art by Dan Spiegle.

Priest's First Two Issues Are CBRU Certified...Green?

Much like Rotten Tomatoes does for films, Comic Book Round Up is a critical review aggregator for the comic book industry. Comic book reviews from industry leaders like Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, ComicVine, IGN, Adventures in Poor Taste, Comiciosity, and too many more to name here are collected and averaged together to give readers an overall sense of a book's perceived quality within the professional critics' community (Though why reviews from hack sites like Comic Bastards and Slackjaw Punks are included in critics' ratings is beyond me). 

The Comic Book Round Up verdicts are in on Christopher Priest's first two issues of Deathstroke and the reviews are averaging positive for both books. As of this writing, Deathstroke: Rebirth (2016) #1 has an average score of 7.8/10 from 26 reviews, placing it firmly in the green rating zone of green is good, yellow is ok, and red is crap fame. Likewise, Deathstroke (2016) #1 is also holding strong at 7.8/10 from 19 reviews. Given that these issues are mainly set up for the first story arc and are still getting aggregate scores in the high 7s, I have to think that there are still big things to come from this run.

Deathstroke (2016) Rebirth #1 Out Today!

Deathstroke Rebirth #1 cover art
by ACO

I don't generally like to promote products for companies that are capable of doing it themselves, but today I'll make an exception. Deathstroke (2016) Rebirth #1 is available now. This issue marks the long-awaited writing debut of Christopher Priest on Deathstroke. Priest has vowed to rebuild the Deathstroke mythos and it all starts here as the solicitation copy teases...

"A thousand enemies, a thousand kills-Deathstroke is the world’s greatest assassin. Stalked by an unseen foe, Slade Wilson is confronted by his own troubled past and challenged to reinvent himself before he loses everything and everyone in his life. Can Deathstroke be redeemed? Or will his addiction to violence destroy him?"

Deathstroke (2016) Rebirth #1 lays the groundwork for the new series that begins with Deathstroke (2016) #1 available on August 24th, and continues twice monthly thereafter. This looks to be the start of a special run for the world's greatest mercenary/assassin.

THE TERMINATOR TAKEAWAY: Christopher Priest's DC Comics.com Deathstroke Rebirth Interview

Deathstroke Rebirth #1 cover art by ACO

Recently DC Comics. com conducted an interview with new Deathstroke scribe, Christopher Priest, called, "Blood Bonded: Christopher Priest Sets His Sights on Deathstroke," in order to give fans a sneak peek at what to expect from the world's greatest assassin going forward. If you wish to read the interview for yourself, you may do so by clicking/tapping here. Here are my takeaways from the interview broken down for blog consumption.

• Priest is writing Deathstroke as a villain, not as an anti-hero. So think Golgo 13, not Wolverine.
• Priest is giving Deathstroke a supporting cast again. Wintergreen returns in Deathstroke #1 after the Rebirth issue with others cast members to follow.
• Priest looks to bring Deathstroke's character more in line with the "evil version of Batman" approach used in the Marv Wolfman and George Pérez days. Less mysticism and more real world action and intrigue.
• Priest is embracing Slade's sociopathic nature and the difficulty it brings to his personal relationships with his children. As the series progresses both Rose (issue #3) and Joseph (later in the series) are mentioned specifically as appearing. Even Slade's long-time right-hand-man, Wintergreen, starts to question Slade's actions at some point.
• Priest will explore the ideas of heroism vs. villainy as well as super-heroism vs. vigilante justice.
• Priest also looks at Slade's relationship with all of the blood-money he has earned over the years as the world's greatest assassin.

I can't wait for Priest's take on Deathstroke to unfold beginning with Deathstroke: Rebirth #1, scheduled to go on sale on August 10, 2016.