Written by: Christopher Priest & Larry Hama
Art by: Joe Bennett, Mark Morales, & Jeromy Cox
Publisher: DC Comics
After being pretty enthused with Supergirl #6, I was excited to sit down and read Deathstroke #12. I was even pleasantly surprised to open the file to discover this was the start of a new story arc! It seemed that things had aligned in my favor, and I’d chosen the right week to give a bunch of DC books another chance.
And then I read the issue. It felt like every other page had an editor’s note, directing me to a previous issue. And while I admire Priest’s attempts to not over-explain everything that’s come before, the idea that this was a new story arc was a misnomer. It references Deathstroke killing people in Chicago, a foreign dictator Deathstroke toppled, and I guess Deathstroke’s family troubles as well.
Here’s the thing: I went back and read plot summaries of the issues I missed, of which there were eight. I figured that, with an understanding of the events that had transpired previously, I may be able to enjoy Deathstroke #12. Alas, this was not to be. The book still feels like a fragmented mess.
Knowing who the characters are doesn’t change the fact that the book tries to do far too much in the twenty pages that it has. It’s picking up old threads, starting new threads, crossing over with a character from the Nightwing book–yeah, it’s messy.
It doesn’t help that characters lack distinct voices. Sure, Joe Bennett diversifies them visually, but even that is barely enough. Everyone has the same voice, and in some cases, the same sets of problems. That doesn’t make for particularly compelling reading, especially when all it’s doing is setting up events to come.
Despite being key to ensuring I knew who was who, Bennett’s art doesn’t do anything particularly interesting. It’s definitely DC house style, and it ends up feeling kind of bland. Even the action scenes aren’t fun to watch unfold. In fact, they almost feel like a grudgingly-accomplished chore, considering how rote they are.
The same is true of the coloring and inking. They’re fine. Mark Morales and Jeromy Cox do the job they were paid to do. But that’s it. There’s no oomph to it, nothing that really makes the book come alive with the vibrant energy other artists are able to capture. Perhaps that’s more a failing of the script, but at the very least it’s shared blame.
At the end of the day, I don’t necessarily think Deathstroke #12 is bad, but it bored the shit out of me. In a lot of ways, that’s worse than it being comically terrible.
