Deathstroke #42
Cody White
Recap
As we enter the second chapter of "The Terminus Agenda", we find Slade imprisoned in Robin and Red Arrow's makeshift (and ill-conceived) prison complex... for a little bit, at least. Deathstroke promptly escapes his restraints and his cell, while rebuffing Jericho's offer of assistance but then promptly decides to stick around!
As a dangerous harbinger of things to come, Slade hacks into the Teen Titans' comms array and talks the team through an incredibly botched attempt to capture the newest incarnation of Blackrock, a villain incidentally on his way to turn himself in.
Upon returning to headquarters, Robin comes face to face with Slade who seems to have no intentions to expose Robin's rogue plot or stand in the way of it. Instead, Slade seems focused on helping Robin see his plan to the fullest execution-- the execution of prisoners, that is!
Review
From the beginning of Glass’ run on Teen Titans, the most wide-spread critique has been that there is no way this secret prison doesn’t blow up in Damien and Emiko’s faces. It is a plan born out of the arrogance of youth– an idealism that nobody thought of this before and everybody who didn’t was an idiot. Seeing the development of “The Terminus Agenda” play out now, however, it seems a brilliant plot-device for the exploration of the “Teen” in Teen Titans. With the plan to stop the “revolving door for criminals” exposed to a man who believes the children are right, I believe we are poised to see the resolve of Robin and the rest of the Titans tested in a very real way. It’s difficult to tell at this point what Slade would get out of such a gambit but it is clear that Deathstroke’s weak spot for children, including young Master Wayne, will serve as a driving force for this narrative. Given the focus given to said weak spot in the previous Deathstroke arc, everything seems to be lining up to examine the limits and nature of the battle of good versus evil– black and white solutions in a gray world.
Final Thoughts
There is a distinct feeling building in this arc that either "The Terminus Agenda" will fade into the background of the rich history between Deathstroke and the Teen Titans or it will exceed all expectations and change the trajectory of both titles for years to come.
Deathstroke #42: Blessed are the Children
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10