DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Titans (2008) #31 by Fabrizio Fiorentino

This edition of DEATHSTROKE COVERED spotlights the cover to Titans (2008) #31 penciled by Fabrizio Fiorentino. This was just one of a line-wide slate of DC Character Spotlight themed covers that graced comic book shop shelves in January of 2011. The simplistic design more than accomplished the goal of highlighting Deathstroke by eliminating the visual background noise of scenery and background characters in favor of minimal branding and title graphics, not unlike the current crop of DC Comics minimum graphics variant covers. Fiorentino's Deathstroke is rendered in the foreground like a coiled cobra ready to strike at any moment. But the background logo, which prominently incorporates a sniper scope's crosshairs has since become synonymous with Deathstroke, so much so that I chose it for this blog's Favicon. Despite the inverted direction of the guards on the Deathstroke sword, this is one of my favorite Deathstroke-centric covers.

Art by Fabrizio Fiorentino

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Booster Gold (2007) #22 by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

This edition of DEATHSTROKE COVERED features a 2009 cover from Booster Gold (2007) #22. Deathstroke dominates this cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund with his sword drawn and Booster Golf and the Teen Titans reflected in the dark half of his mask. This issue itself is described in its solicitation text as "'Day of Death' part 2! Booster Gold travels back in time to prevent the Black Beetle from killing the New Titans, but who will save Booster Gold from the Black Beetle — and what role will Deathstroke play?" What role will Deathstroke play? Any role he wants! The cover to Booster Gold #22 is posted below both with and without title graphics.

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Joe Bennett and John Dell's Flashpoint: Deathstroke And The Curse of the Ravager (2011) #1

This cover that was chosen for this edition of Deathstroke Covered from Flashpoint: Deathstroke And The Curse of the Ravager (2011) #1, absolutely reinforces three essential truths. Truth number one: Penciler Joe Bennett and inker John Dell should work together as often as possible as this cover is stunning. Truth number two: In almost every DC reality (be it an alternate universe or an alternate timeline), Deathstroke is a major badass!!! And truth number three: For the sake of the integrity of its cover artwork, DC Comics should stop whoring out its comic book covers to promote their movies, especially a universally panned dumpster fire that was the Ryan Reynolds-contaminated Green Lantern (2011). ARGH!

In any event, Bennett and Dell's cover for Flashpoint: Deathstroke And The Curse of the Ravager #1 is posted below. 

(DISCLAIMER: DC Comics is solely responsible for the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern content in the following cover image and in no way reflects the views or values of The Deathstroke Files.)

Pencils by Joe Bennett with inks by John Dell

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Villains United (2005) #1 by J.G. Jones

If you want to know what those within the DC Comics villain community, look no further the cover to Villains United (2005) #1 posted below. In a group portrait composed of Talia al Ghul, Black Adam, Doctor Psycho, the Calculator, and Lex Luthor, it was Deathstroke the Terminator and his blood-drenched sword that commanded center stage. Cover artist J.G. Jones arranged the villains so that they were all looking down, denoting a position of superior power, and all had their eye/s trained squarely on the reader as if to say, "We're coming for you next!" I for one am glad I live on Earth-33 so the bad people from Earth-0 can't hurt me.

Art by J.G. Jones

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Deathstroke the Terminator (1991) #6 by Mike Zeck

For this edition of DEATHSTROKE COVERED, we turn to the 1991 cover to Deathstroke the Terminator (1991) #6 by Mike Zeck. This issue was the first chapter of the "City of Assassins" story arc that saw Deathstroke make his way to Gotham City to ferret out another assassin who was taking out Gotham mob bosses. What was special about this story was that it marked the first-ever confrontation between Deathstroke and Gotham's own Dark Knight, Batman. This landmark moment was not lost on Zeck as he rendered Deathstroke on a rooftop gargoyle, a usual haunt of Batman, in the middle of a storm-filled night. Deathstroke's pose beneath the specter of the Bat Signal conveys that he knows a confrontation with Batman is inevitable, but that he is more than ready to take down the Caped Crusader in his own city. Given the result of their first physical altercation, he was absolutely right to think so.

Art by Mike Zeck

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: New Teen Titans (1980) #34 By the Legendary George Pérez

The cover for New Teen Titans (1980) #34 is amazing in multiple ways. First, it is a prime example of a trademark George Pérez multi-character scene. Secondly, it is jarringly symbolic as it clearly illustrates Deathstroke's desire to terminate the Teen Titans. Thirdly, this comic marked only the fifth ever appearance of Deathstroke, still commonly referred to as "Terminator," and, despite his popularity with fans, Deathstroke had not appeared in New Teen Titans in two years, though Chris Claremont and Walt Simonson did use him for Marvel and DC Present: The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans (1982) #1. 

And lastly, (bear with me here as I admit that this one is a stretch) if one looks at the cover as a photograph taken in the middle of an in-progress action, Deathstroke is firing at the Titans from the viewer's left to right. If the action continued along that path it is reasonable to assume that all of the Titans would be struck by Deathstroke's gunfire. That is, all of the Titans except one. Raven, Robin, and Kid-Flash had not yet been shot because the line of fire had yet to reach them. But the line of fire had already passed through Terra, and she had not been shot. In a certain context, this cover foreshadows the yet-to-be-revealed relationship between Deathstroke and Terra as well as Terra's role as a mole within the group as the reason she was not shot on the cover (I know, it sounds a little conspiracy theorist on my part, but it was fun to speculate). Anyway, the cover is posted below and as always, for best viewing results, open the image into its own tab.

Art by the Legendary George Pérez

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires (2013) #3 by Amanda Connor

In the shadow of the Finacial Crisis of 2008, the idea of a world divided between the ultra-wealthy "1%," and everyone else, the "99%" took strong roots within the world consciousness. A world in which the "one-percenters" structured economic, political, and social policy to benefit themselves while leaving the remaining "ninety-nine percenters" to bear the burden of paying for it all through various financially painful means.  This was a popular notion in the early 2010s as the world economy was still reeling from the devastating effects of the Finacial Crisis of 2008. Many within the 99% lost jobs, homes, retirement savings, and the ability to borrow money while those in the 1%, many of whom were responsible for the conditions leading to the Financial Crisis via reckless and irresponsible investment tactics, were either insulated from the brunt of the crisis by extreme wealth or were "rewarded" for  crashing the economy in the form of "golden parachute" clauses in their employment contracts were they ever to leave their companies, while facing no criminal or civil charges as a result of their callous disregard for the consequences of their actions for millions of innocent people. 

Watching those that they held responsible for the worldwide financial calamity go unpunished, many within the 99% decided to make their voices heard, loudly. The Occupy Wall Street Movement took its first real action in July of 2011 by physically occupying Zuccotti Park in Manhatten after the New York Police department blocked off other locations. The park was the site of many protests, speeches and other forms of demonstrations designed to both bring attention to issues like income inequality and political and financial systems "rigged" to favor the wealthy. Over the next months, the protesters continued to make their voices heard, though their numbers did wain over time. Diehards kept the protest at Zuccotti Park going until finally they were forced to vacate the park by early in November of 2011.

DC Comics house ad for The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires (2013) and
The Movement (2013)

But years after the last protester left Zuccotti Park, the issues between "have everythings" and the "have-not-a-lots" were still part of the public consciousness. Enter Gail Simone, Art Baltazar, and Franco Aureliani to examine issues of the 1% versus the 99% for DC Comics. Simone explored the plight of 99%ers who were abused and exploited by an unfair system in The Movement (2013). Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani's title, The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires (2013) looks at the 1%er perspective by addressing the question that if money can buy power, can it also buy super-powers?

Baltazar and Aureliani's Green Team reboots a 1975 Joe Simon and Jerry Grandenetti concept about a group of super-rich teen-agers that use their vast financial resources to go on super-heroic adventures. Unlike the original version of boy millionaires, the new Green Team featured a mix of young men and women trillionaires (I'm assuming they are adjusted for inflation) like Commodore Murphy, J.P. Houston, Lucia Lynn "L.L." Houston, Cecilia Sunbeam, and Mohammad Qahtanii. In issue #3 of The Green Team, Commodore hires Deathstroke to put a stop to Riot, villain who had been coming after members of the Green Team for months. The cover of issue #3 spotlights a less-than-enthused Deathstroke flanked by Commodore and Prince Mohammad (Mo) with art by long-time Harley Quinn artist, Amanda Connor, which is posted below with and without title graphics.

Art by Amanda Connor

Art by Amanda Connor

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Comics Scene Vol. 2 #24

Predating both Wizard: The Comics Magazine and Hero Illustrated, Comics Scene was one of the first professionally produced magazines about comic books and comic book properties. Like its sci-fi and horror-themed sister magazines, Starlog and Fangoria, Comics Scene focused on movies and television shows about comic book characters as well as the hottest comic book stories and characters. February 1992's Comics Scene vol. 2 #24 prominently featured Deathstroke the Terminator on its cover. The Deathstroke art, which dwarfs Marvel Comics' Punisher and Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a piece recycled from 1991's loose leaf Who's Who #9 by Steve Erwin and Will Blyberg, with colors by Anthony Tollin. 

Comics Scene vol. 2 #24 cover dated February 1992
Art by Steve Erwin, Will Blyberg, and Anthony Tollin. 

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Dave Johnson Gets His Sterenko On Again for Deathstroke (2016) #41 Variant... And It Is AWESOME!

I know I just posted a DEATHSTROKE COVERED feature a few days ago, (I normally like to put a week or two between feature posts) but I just read Deathstroke (2016) #41, got my unworthy eyes full of Dave Johnson's groovy variant cover, and just couldn't wait to share it. This neon head trip of a cover is a spiritual companion piece to Johnson's Grateful Dead-inspired variant for issue #40, which was spotlighted in a previous DEATHSTROKE COVERED post. Johnson's newest variant evokes both the imagery of a James Bond film's opening montage and a Jim Sterenko Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. cover simultaneously. Johnson's newest psychedelic variant is posted below both with and without title graphics.

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

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: So Grateful (Dead) for Dave Johnson's Deathstroke (2016) #40 Variant

WOW! Deathstroke (2016) #40 was released yesterday and I'm still basking in its figurative glow. But speaking of glow...ing in the dark, this issue also featured a Grateful Dead-inspired neon, psychedelic variant cover by the dynamic Dave Johnson that would make Jim Steranko proud. Why do I get the feeling that this cover will soon be a black light poster? This far-out cover is pictured below both with and without title graphics.

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: DC Bombshells Ravager Variant Cover by Emanuela Lupacchino

In August of 2015, DC Comics released a series of variant covers featuring their DC Bombshells characters. For Deathstroke (2014) #9, Emanuela Lupacchino penciled a stunning movie poster-inspired Bombshell version of a pirate Ravager. This outstanding cover is pictured below both with and without title graphics.

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Carlo Pagulayan's Deathstroke (2016) #1

Today's featured cover is a recent one, but also one of the best ones I've seen in quite a long time. Deathstroke penciler, Carlo Pagulayan put together an instant classic for Deathshtroke (2016) #1. Featured below is the cover both with and without the title graphics.

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: John Romita, Jr.'s Deathstroke (2016) #17

Today's featured cover is for Deathstroke (2014) #17 by John Romita, Jr.

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Phil Noto's Birds of Prey (1999) #45

Deathstroke has had some pretty cool covers over the years and the DEATHSTROKE COVERED feature will spotlight some of the best. Today's feature is the awesome cover for Birds of Prey (1999) #45 by Phil Noto.

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Slappin' Leather with Yosemite Sam

Here it is folks! The showdown you've been waiting for between "the World's Greatest Assassin," and "the Hootinest, Tootinest, Shootinest Wild-Tailed Bobcat in the West!" Deathstroke the Teminator has his hands full when he "slaps leather" with Yosemite Sam: The Fastest Gun North, South, East, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand West of the Pecos in this Looney Tunes Variant Cover for Deathstroke (2014) #12 by Ryan Benjamin and Spike Brandt.