DEATHSTROKE VS: The Janissary

The Janissary
Art by Gabriel Morrissette

In March of 1993, writer, Steven Grant stepped in for Marv Wolfman for four bi-weekly issues of Deathstroke The Terminator (1991). Grant's first issues (#s 22-23) made up a two-part story titled "The Quality of Mercy," in which Deathstroke was hired by a U.S. government agency to take down a Neo-Nazi leader named deHaan for kidnapping the son of an American diplomat and holding him prisoner at his militaristic compound. Slade, wary of the offer, ultimately accepted the job because he wanted to, in some way, make up for losing his own two sons. 

Slade managed to infiltrate deHaan's compound and free the boy but found himself confronted by deHaan. deHann claimed that he himself was working with the agency and begged for an explanation as to why he was being "burned," specifically mentioning a man named Campbell. But out of nowhere, the rescued boy shoots and kills deHaan before Slade could get any more information.

Slade was right to be suspicious of this job as the real purpose for his involvement in this operation was simply to flush the boy put into the open. Once the boy was free, the government agents killed him at their first opportunity. The same agents then tried to take out Slade in an effort to cover their tracks, but, being ridiculously overmatched by the Terminator, failed miserably. Having been both deceived and double-crossed on this job, Deathstroke was out for blood.

In Deathstroke The Terminator #23, once Campbell found out that his men failed to eliminate Deathstroke, and fearing for his life, he hired a young, "up-and-comer" assassin known only as the Janissary to terminate the Terminator. The self-professed "Top Five" mercenary, while recognizing the monumental task put to him, was so confident he could handle Deathstroke that he offered Campbell a money-back guarantee.

After a few days, Slade made his way to a Los Angeles Federal building to infiltrate the offices of the Defense Intelligence Agency. After tearing through the D.I.A., Slade kidnapped and "aggressively interrogated" Agent Shea in a secluded desert location until he learned where Campbell was holed up. By the time Slade returned to L.A. word was out that he was in town resulting in an unplanned car ride with an old government contact named Kleiner. Just as Slade explained to Kleiner that he and deHaan were set up by Campbell, the Janissary launched his first surprise attack on the Terminator.

Janissary getting the drop on Deathstroke.
Art by Gabriel Morrissette

After a short, but incredibly destructive melee on the streets of L.A., Slade made his escape as he felt that taking care of Campbell was a higher professional priority than dealing with the hotshot merc. Slade next boarded a train in an attempt to keep a low profile while zeroing in on Campbell's safehouse. Unfortunately for Slade, Janissary tracked him to the train and took a hostage demanding that Slade change into his professional gear so it wouldn't appear that he killed a normal "helpless fossil." Slade obliged and the two assassins left the train for their decisive battle, which is depicted below with art by Gabriel Morrissette.

After besting the Janissary, Slade showed uncharacteristic mercy toward him by allowing him to live. Though it was never explained in the story, it seemed that Slade probably saw a lot of his son Grant in the Janissary, which was probably a callback to the reasoning Slade used to accept the original job in Deathstroke The Terminator #22. It seems to me that this version of the Janissary would be a pretty intriguing foil for Deathstroke at some point in the future. He was shown to be skilled enough to hold his own against Slade hand-to-hand in this story, but add some time, experience, and a burning desire for a face-saving rematch and it could add up to a story I'd definitely be interested in reading.

On an unrelated note, is it my imagination or does this version of the Janissary bear a striking resemblance to Marvel Comics' Death-Stroke? I wonder if that was intended? Nah!

Marvel Comic's Death-Stroke and DC Comics' Janissary. Hmmmm.
Art by Steve Leialoha and Gabriel Morrissette

Liefeld's Claim That Deadpool Was Not Based on Deathstroke Fails the Smell Test...Because He's Full of Crap!

Rob Liefeld: In denial, delusional,
or full of crap?

Rob Liefeld based Deadpool on Deathstroke. For years comic book fans have openly acknowledged, in one way or another, that Marvel Comics' Deadpool is, at the very least, an "homage" (I'm being polite) to DC Comics' Deathstroke the Terminator, a fact that Deadpool's co-creator, Rob Liefeld vehemently denies. As of this writing, the Google search string "is Deadpool a ripoff," yielded close to 74,700 results. About 30,900 results are returned if the prepositional phrase "of Deathstroke," is added to the end of the original string. Even the animated film, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018), riffs on the notion that there is more than just a passing similarity between the two characters. I have even addressed the "homage" phenomenon before on this blog (click here to read the "Deadpool and other Deathstroke 'Homages'" post).

Please don't misunderstand, I kid about this topic from time to time on this blog relative to Deadpool and Deathstroke, but I'm not saying that this is practice is by definition a bad thing. Comic book companies and creators have a long tradition of "borrowing," or to put it more rudely, "ripping off," character archetypes or other such defining characteristics from industry competitors dating back to the earliest days of the super-hero genre ("SHAZAM!"). If not for these homages/ripoffs we wouldn't have characters like Wolverine (Timberwolf), Aquaman (Namor the Sub-Mariner), Black Cat (Catwoman), Swamp Thing (Man-Thing), Quicksilver (the Flash), Miracle Man (the original Captain Marvel/Shazam), or even Thanos (Darkseid). Recently DC Comics launched The Terrifics (2018), which is basically a send-up of Marvel Comic's Fantastic Four, and I'm having a blast reading it. Given the long-standing practice of "homaging" characters in comic books, why does Rob Liefeld continue to deny that he did essentially the same thing when creating Deadpool?

At the 2018 LA Comin-Con, Liefeld was asked point blank "Did you, for the first issue of Deadpool, did you ever use Deathstroke as your...?" Liefeld didn't even let the question come completely out of the fan's mouth before he launched into a histrionic fit/diatribe that began thusly:

I DID NOT! I CAN DO THIS! If we had Deathstroke here: buccaneer boots, buccaneer gloves, half an effin’ mask, chainmail! WHERE IS THE CHAINMAIL?

Let me tell you guys how it went: "Hey guys, Todd McFarlane, he’s kind of blowing up on Spider-Man. I need a Spider-Man in my book. Oh, wow, so, I also like Wolverine. He’s my favorite character. Black and red, black and red. Can I tie him into Wolverine’s origin? So, can I do Spider-Man with guns and knives?” "Liefeld, Cable’s blowing up for us. We’re selling a million copies of New Mutants. Whatever you want to do Liefeld." YEAH! 

I didn’t even hear about this until 10 years ago when it became cool to (unintellegible). I don't see it. I never have seen it! Like, strap me up! I'll do the lie detector that [Brett] Kavanaugh wouldn't! I'll sit there; ask me that question! Give me, give me the golden lasso! I really don't get it! That's why it's like, I just look at people and I go, "How are...I don't, yeah." There's your answer.

To view the question and Liefeld's answer in their entirety, the video is posted below.

OK. At this point, Shakespeare might have said that the gentleman "doth protest too much, methinks." First, I'd like to address Liefeld's statement, "If we had Deathstroke here: buccaneer boots, buccaneer gloves, half an effin’ mask, chainmail! WHERE IS THE CHAINMAIL?" Liefeld seems to be making the argument that just because Deadpool doesn't look like Deathstroke, then that means that Deadpool can't be based on Deathstroke. Unfortunately for Liefeld, that argument has already been proven deficient in a court of law is it was used by Fawcett Publications when they were sued by National Comics Publications (who would become DC Comics in the 1970s) for copyright infringement [National Comics Publications Inc. v. Fawcett Publications Inc. et al, 191 F.2d 594 (2d Cir. 1951)]. Even though some cosmetic details were changed, like Captain Marvel's suit was red instead of Superman blue and his cape was white instead of Superman red, the court ruled that Fawcett's Captain Marvel was too similar to the core concept of National's Superman to be coincidental and therefore was plagiarized. So Liefeld basing his argument that Deadpool could not be based on Deathstroke because Deadpool didn't have buccaneer boots and chainmail wouldn't even come close to holding up in a court of law. 

For the sake of argument, let's take Liefeld at his work that it was Spider-Man that played a huge part in his creating Deadpool. This is obvious, especially in Deadpool's red-and-black color scheme and the large eyes thickly outlined in black. But when Liefeld added the guns and swords motif in addition to making him an assassin it made him a little too close to Deathstroke for Deadpool to be at least a factor in his creation. Apparently, Liefeld feels that it is completely acceptable to homage Spider-Man, but not Deathstroke? Additionally, his lie detector and golden lasso comments were nothing more than toothless quips to elicit laughs from the crowd. So, Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE ONE!

Deadpool's first appearance in
New Mutants (1983) 

Next, let's examine statements made by those directly involved in Deadpool's creation including then New Mutants co-plotter, Fabian Nicieza and Liefeld himself. When Liefeld sent his original concept art for his new character to Nicieza, he called Liefeld and stated bluntly that, "this is Deathstroke from Teen Titans." Nicieza further acknowledged the similarity between the characters by giving him the name "Deadpool," which is not unlike "Deathstroke." Nicieza further connected the characters by giving Deadpool the real name of Wade Wilson, which was a straight-up riff on Deathstroke's name, Slade Wilson. So while it was Nicieza that came up with names "Deadpool" and "Wade Wilson", it was Liefeld's "original" design that first made the obvious association with Deathstroke.

Liefeld himself took a stab at writing Deathstroke (2011) in early 2012. As part of promoting his run, Liefeld was interviewed by Jeffrey Renaud for Comic Book Resources (CBR). In the interview, Liefeld admitted to an affinity for Deathstroke, confirming that he chose to write and pencil his title. Later in the interview, Liefeld confessed that he passed on working with other characters because he had no connection to them. His connection to Deathstroke was further cemented when Liefeld said, "I've always been in awe of Hawkman and Deathstroke -- and 'always' means since I was a child." This comment from Liefeld corroborated earlier statements by Nicieza that both he and Liefeld were huge fans of the Teen Titans comics growing up. Because childhood "awe" drew Liefeld to work professionally on Deathstroke as an adult, it is reasonable to think that some of that same Deathstroke "awe" found its way into the creation of Deadpool. Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE TWO!

The third piece of evidence I'll present against Liefeld's claim that Deadpool wasn't based on Deadpool is that if you look at other characters Liefeld has created, it becomes apparent that Liefeld definitely has a signature character type that looks suspiciously like Deathstroke. In my earlier post, "Deadpool and other Deathstroke 'Homages'", I included the aforementioned Deadpool and the character Deadborn that he created for his run on Deathstroke (2011), based upon a loosely assembled list of Deathstroke traits. Those traits included being an assassin or mercenary, utilizing a full-face mask, having an ominous or foreboding character name, preternatural skill with firearms and melee weapons, having superhuman strength, agility, or reflexes, and having white hair. I wanted a way to objectively compare these "homages" to Deathstroke himself. Using the six traits described above, I came up with an admittedly ridiculous scale that gages a character's similarity to Deathstroke. The Deathstroke Homage Scale (or DHS) awards one point for each characteristic that a given character has in common with Deathstroke. Using the 2/3 standard, if a given character gets a score of 4 or higher, the character will be considered an "homage" (not a "ripoff") of Deathstroke.

So what happens when characters are evaluated with the DHS? Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha's Death-Stroke was by design an homage to/parody of Deathstroke the Terminator, so if any character would score high enough to be considered an homage to Deathstroke on the DHS it should be him. Marvel's Death-Stroke earned a DHS score of 4, making him a Deathstroke homage. I next took a character that I knew could not possibly be a Deathstroke homage, Superman. Superman's DHS score was 1, making him definitely not a Deathstroke homage.

Now let's see what happens when seven different Liefeld-created characters are evaluated using the DHS. The characters evaluated were Deadpool, Cable, Bloodstrike, Deadborn, Lethal, Jagger, and Crypt. The results appear below.

All seven Liefeld characters that I evaluated with the DHS were, in fact, Deathstroke homages, including Deadpool (DHS score of 5). Some will say that not every single character that Liefeld has ever created can be considered a Deathstroke homage so this exercise is flawed and should be discounted. But, this exercise was not about showing that every single character that Liefeld ever created was a Deathstroke homage, but was instead just to illustrate that a large number are and that Deathstroke-like traits are ubiquitous in Liefeld creations over his entire career. Liefeld is so drawn to the Deathstroke character type that during his run on the Savage Hawkman (2011), he pitted Hawkman against the Jim Lee and Brandon Choi-created mercenary Pike, himself a Deathstroke homage (DHS score of 5). Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE THREE!

With three strikes, Liefeld should be out as far as his claims that Deadpool was not based on Deathstroke. But Deathstroke is not the only character that Liefeld has homaged over his career. The following list represents a number of other Liefeld-created characters and the established characters from which they were homaged.

• Avengelyne: (Angela, Vampirella, Warrior Nun Areala)
• Badrock: (the Thing)
• Bloodwulf: (Lobo)
• Brigade: (X-Force)
• Copycat: (Mystique)
• Cougar: (Timberwolf, Wolfsbane, Tigra, Talon, Feral)
• Deadlock: (Wolverine)
• Diehard: (Captain America, Deathlok)
• Domino: (Longshot)
• Feral: (Tigra, Talon)
• Glory: (Wonder Woman)
• Masada: (Giant Man, Colossal Boy, Giganta)
• New Men: (the X-Men)
• Riptide: (Mera)
• Shaft: (Green Arrow, Hawkeye)
• Suprema: (Supergirl)
• Supreme: (Superman)
• Troll: (Puck)
• Vogue: (Black Widow)
• Youngblood: (Freedom Force, JLI, Suicide Squad, G.I. Joe)

Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE FOUR! Out for real this time!

Rob Liefeld based Deadpool on Deathstroke. He continues to deny this and I don't know why. The evidence is clear. Liefeld's claim they don't look alike so Deadpool can't be based on Deathstroke utterly falls apart under historical and legal scrutiny. Both Liefeld's and Fabian Nicieza's previous public statements on Deadpool's creation and Deathstroke as a favorite character of both men contradict Liefeld's own recent, and very public denial. When quantifiably compared to Deathstroke, Deadpool, and many other Liefeld creations are too similar to the Terminator to be simply coincidental. Lastly, Liefeld has a long and proven track record of borrowing character designs and characteristics from other well-established characters. Rob Liefeld based Deadpool on Deathstroke and it is 100% OK that he did. I just wish Liefeld would believe that himself.

The Terrible Tale of Marvel Comics' Death-Stroke

Yep, Death-Stroke just said that $#!+.
Art by Steve Leialoha

If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then Marvel Comics writer, Chris Claremont must have really loved Deathstroke. In 1981, Claremont was more than five years into his seminal run on Uncanny X-Men (1963), which had experienced a revival and was one of the most popular and best selling comic book titles of the late 1970s and into the early 80s. 

But in the fall of 1980, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez relaunched DC Comics' Teen Titans with the New Teen Titans (1980). Wolfman and Pérez returned popular DC teen characters such as Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash in addition to a newly renamed Changeling, the angst-filled Cyborg, the dark and mysterious Raven, and the alluring alien sex-symbol, Starfire. And by issue #2, Wolfman and Pérez introduced an extremely charismatic, one-eyed, Terminator in blue and orange battle gear. The popularity of the New Teen Titans heroes (and a certain bad-ass villain) skyrocketed the title to the top of the sales charts and made itself serious competition to Claremont's band of mutant heroes.

By 1981, in addition to his duties on Uncanny X-Men, Claremont also wrote Marvel's Spider-Woman (1978) title. In Spider-Woman #39, Claremont decided to poke a little fun at his "distinguished competition" by lampooning Wolfman and Pérez's breakout villain, Deathstroke. Claremont's "master assassin," Death-Stroke (the hyphen means it's original), was contracted by Yakuza gangsters to murder Dan Ishima, a friend of Spider-Woman's alter ego, Jessica Drew. To assist Death-Stroke in his deadly work is his murderous crew of mercenary assassin named, the Terminators (that's correct: Death-Stroke and his Terminators). Once Spider-Woman arrived on the scene and engaged Death-Stroke in hand-to-hand combat, she made relatively quick work on him, despite his use of self-described "snazzy moves," and an always dangerous, "energy blade" that was capable of slicing a steel girder in twain. Death-Stroke would not make another appearance until his final one about a decade later in 1991 in the pages of Captain America (1968) #395 where he was killed while auditioning for a spot in the Red Skull's Skeleton Crew. That's right, Death-Stroke died during a job interview.

Whether it's his cleverly (?) hyphenated name or the ease of his defeat at the hands of Spider-Woman, Death-Stroke was clearly Claremont having a bit of fun at Wolfman, Pérez, and DC Comics' expense. Marvel apparently got the joke as evidenced by his ridiculous death. But I suppose as a parody character Death-Stroke isn't the worst I've seen. I mean he's no Red Tool...or Death Masque for that matter (I know; I'm sorry). In any event, enjoy the eight panels of glory that was Death-Stroke vs. Spider-Woman posted below.

Art by Steve Leialoha