Deathstroke #43
Cody White
Recap
The prisoners of Robin and Emiko's prison are free in the building and it's up to Robin and the rest of the Teen Titans to try to contain the situation. Deathstroke's tutelage of young Damian is nearly at an end. Mid-battle, Slade manages to link Damian to his Wintergreen AI as Robin's vision of a new way forward in the war against crime crumbles before his eye(s).
As the rest of the team becomes aware of the faulty and arrogant "prison" plan, the bombs continue to drop on the team. Slade exposes the true meaning of the "Terminus" protocol-- the administration of a deadly poison that would kill any escaped prisoners outside of the prison walls-- and the team will never be the same again.
The hits continue to come as Deathstroke attempts to goad Damian into killing him in an attempt to "fix" Robin, but you'll have to read the comic to believe what happens next!
Review
“The Terminus Agenda” crossover has managed to take some of these characters into very uncharted territory, particularly in the cases of Emiko and Damian. In recent years, both characters tend to be very much defined by the men in their lives and their attempts to live both in and out of the shadow of those men (Oliver for Emiko, Bruce for Damian). Priest and Glass arrive to instead turn the formula on its head by reversing course and exploring the shadow of these characters’ mothers. Both children (and yes, its crucial to remember that they are both still kids despite their protests) were raised by assassin mothers with absent fathers. As we progress through Priest’s run, the question of Damian’s parentage was addressed in the “Batman vs Deathstroke” arc leading many to believe that Damian views Deathstroke as a “father that could have been.”
In fact, Slade stands in for Talia in this narrative of Damian’s transference, a startling but completely logical twist. We see a number of sequences where a young Damian is training with his mother on hand. As he runs the course of his training and completes the exercise, however, she is gone before she can see him triumphant. There is no mother’s pride, no positive reinforcement, no joy. Deathstroke, on the other hand, is here and stays to see it out. He’s there at the end, waiting patiently for the final lesson to take root. Unfortunately, in a twist of events, that final lesson is stolen by another. In terms of the emotional development of Damian, this arc may have provided more insight to Damian than anything post-Grant Morrison.
Final Thoughts
The conclusion to "The Terminus Agenda" in Deathstroke #43 promises a major change in status quo for both Teen Titans and Deathstroke.
Deathstroke #43: And, in the End, the Lives You Take…
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Writing - 10/1010/10
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Storyline - 9/109/10
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Art - 8.5/108.5/10
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Color - 9/109/10
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Cover Art - 8/108/10
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