Deathstroke: The Terminator #3: Dead to Rights

Deathstroke: The Terminator has already promised and delivered on its violent and gritty premise. However, instead of using shock value to sell copies and manufacture hype, the series is slowly taking a deeper and deeper look at the psychology of Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. Issue #3, on the other hand, is more action than character study, albeit with its moments of world-building that give readers a look into the assassin’s side of things, which is normally only hinted at in other titles.

From the very first page the action is set, and each scene is written with its inevitable explosive page turn in mind. Because of how fast and brutal the action gets, a sense of pressure builds on the story that makes Deathstroke, a character as indomitable as Batman, feel mortal. That undertone is then hammered in by flashbacks to a time when Slade was on the front foot rather than the back, which contrasts the present day that is currently keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

Slade and Deadshot have this colorful back and forth on the issue that accelerates and decelerates at the right times to let the story flow naturally. It’s an interesting way to give character-driven dialogue in an issue that focuses so heavily on its action beats. That overt use of action is graphical and violent in a way that fits the character of Deathstroke and the tone of this particular revenge story.

Carmine Di Giandomenico sets the stage with a claustrophobic panel layout that is filled to the brim with subtle details and violent artwork. The characters are drawn with thin silhouettes of their own designs and bulky lines around their various weapons such as guns or swords. It works as its own contrast, making each page feel visually condensed. One page, roughly halfway through the issue, has over a dozen individual characters all realistically spaced apart across an impressive 10 panels, with characters being literally punched, stabbed, and even kicked out of the scene by flying into a different panel. It’s the exact kind of chaotic art that Tony Fleecs’ writing needs to bring out the sheer carnage of assassin versus assassin combat.

Ivan Plascencia’s colors do all they need to and more in this issue. The opening scene is a chaotic mess of explosions and gunfire while the League of Shadows appears out of that signature green smoke they buy in bulk that adds onto their natural mystique. The lighting is vivid and intense, with each scene being lit by its environment rather than one obvious object like a nearby lamp. Textures are sharper than Deathstroke’s knives, as metallic body armor and weapons have a reflective gloss while characters themselves have more of an adult animation aesthetic to them with smoothed over textures.