The Deathstroke Files Celebrates the 134th Birthday of Crayola

Today marks the 134th birthday of a company that's launched the careers of millions of burgeoning young artists. Crayola has produced billions of the waxy little tools that facilitate artistic expression, whether inside or outside of the lines, since March 31, 1885. In honor of Crayola's contribution to everyone's inner child, posted below are some Deathstroke-related Adult Coloring Book variant covers by Emanuala Lupacchino, Scott McDaniel, Sanford Green, and Aaron Lopresti. So print out some images from below, grab a box of Crayolas, and enjoy.

Art by Emanuela Lupacchino

Art by Scott McDaniel

Art by Sanford Greene

Art by Aaron Lopresti

DEATHSTROKE COVERED: Neal Adams' Deathstroke (2014) #15 Variant Cover

Neal Adams
Image Source: ComicVine.com

Neal Adams role in the history of American comic books is without question. Beginning his career as a newspaper comic strip artist, Adams soon garnered a stellar reputation because of his realistic, mature artistic portrayals within the context of a supposedly "childish" medium. He soon enjoyed seminal runs providing dynamic and emotionally expressive artwork to such iconic characters as Deadman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the X-Men, and the Avengers. Adams also brilliantly penciled the now legendary, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978) one-shot, which holds a special place for him personally. In 1984, Adams formed his own comic book company in Continuity Comics, which brought us the adventures of new heroes like Ms. Mystic, Megalith, Samuree, and Valeria the She-Bat.

Though Continuity Comics folded in 1994, Neal Adams contributions to the industry did not. Adams returned to DC in the 2010s to continue the adventures of some characters with which he is most closely associated. From 2010 to 2012, Adams wrote and penciled volumes one and two of Batman Odyssey, in 2016 he produced Superman: The Coming of the Supermen, and then he returned to his own co-creation for Deadman (2017).

For April of 2016, DC Comics commissioned Adams to create a series of variant covers for many of its current-running titles. These variants were homages to some of Adam's most famous covers of the Silver age. His cover for Deathstroke (2014) #15 was inspired by his own cover for Strange Adventures (1950) #207, featuring Deadman. The Deathstroke variant cover, the original cover that inspired it are posted below.

Art by Neal Adams

Neal Adams' cover for Strange Adventures (1950) #207

I don't know if the people in the Strange Adventures cover were based upon real people that Adams knew, but the people in the Deathstroke cover certainly were. Posted below is an image of the finished artwork for Deathstroke (2014) #15 without title graphics to obstruct any of the faces. A key to the faces is provided below the image. Oddly enough, though Deathstroke co-creator Marv Wolfman is included, missing from the background headshots is Deathstroke's other co-creator, the legendary George Pérez.

Finished art without title graphics.
Art by Neal Adams

Background Headshot Key:

Top Row: Bob Haney, E. Nelson Bridwell, Jenette Kahn, Joe Orlando, Joe Kubert, and Marv Wolfman
Second Row: Dan DiDio, Paul Levitz, and Julius Schwartz
Third Row: Bob Kane, Jim Lee, and Jack Adler
Fourth Row: Len Wein, Dick Giordano, Carmine Infantino, and Jerry Siegel
Bottom Row: Archie Goodwin, Karen Berger, Denny O’Neil, and Joe Shuster.

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: Dark Nights Metal #3 Variant by Romita, Jr., Miki, and White

This edition of Deathstroke Covered features a variant cover for Dark Nights Metal (2017) #3. The deliciously vicious cover features Deathstroke and the Batman Who Laughs with pencil art by the legendary John Romita, Jr., inks by Danny Miki, and colors by Dean White. The original pencil and ink art along with the final cover are both posted below.

Art by John Romita, Jr. and Danny Miki 

Art by John Romita, Jr., Danny Miki, and Dean White

UPDATE: Richard Friend was erroneously credited for inking the above images rather than Danny Miki. Miki's signature is clearly on both images. I whole-heartedly apologize to Mr. Miki for the mistake.

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: 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.