Deathstroke #19 (Lazarus Contract Part 3)

[Lady Nightwing]

Joey Wilson is the best Wilson.

Also, I read the issue, it was very good! Damian yelling at poor NuWally though.

After what Joey did to his boyfriend, I dunno. He's very much his fathers son.

I love Damian but I can put my hands up and say that he can be an insufferable little sh*t.It's part of his charm :P I can't help but agree with him in this issue though. KF was unbelievably stupid to trust Deathstroke. Actually, throughout the whole crossover he's been acting very naive. Accepting a lift and hamburgers from a strange man because he said a few nice things to him.

[sakuyamons]

After what Joey did to his boyfriend, I dunno. He's very much his fathers son.

I love Damian but I can put my hands up and say that he can be an insufferable little sh*t.It's part of his charm :P I can't help but agree with him in this issue though. KF was unbelievably stupid to trust Deathstroke. Actually, throughout the whole crossover he's been acting very naive. Accepting a lift and hamburgers from a strange man because he said a few nice things to him.

That's fair, and agreed about Damian! Like, don't get in people's cars young man. Not even little Jon Kent is that naive.

[Lady Nightwing]

That's fair, and agreed about Damian! Like, don't get in people's cars young man. Not even little Jon Kent is that naive.

The crossover is very fast paced and making young Wally so gullible was probably the fastest way to get the story from point A to B but it doesn't come across as very realistic. I imagine when Priest is writing him in Deathstroke, after the crossover, Wally will be a much smarter and balanced character. I don't follow the Flash book myself but is young Wally still going to feature in that while he's also appearing in Deathstroke? Or will there be a temporary vacancy for OG Wally?

[Pohzee]

Here's an interview with Priest about The Lazarus Contract:
http://lamerciepark.com/wp/?p=579

Some takeaways:
-This isn't the story Priest wanted told. He originally intended to revisit TJC but was prevented from doing so because of continuity.
-Priest wanted to use the NTT in the flashbacks, continuity be damned.
-There is no actual reference to TJC in this story, but Priest hints they may do so later.

This means that there is a chance that NTT may soon be back in continuity. On a side note, I think that I'm in love with Christopher Priest.

As I see it, both DC and Marvel (but especially DC) wastes way too much time on process stories. I’m tired of reading process stories– stories that explain why this character is now wearing a red hat instead of a yellow one. Who cares. Entertain me.

Comics fans aren’t idiots and, sadly, they aren’t kids anymore. Rather than go through the whole Rebirth thing, and what seems to be endless process stories being written ever since, I’d simply have had Batman turn to camera, breaking the fourth wall, and be honest with the DC comics fan: “We fucked up.” Now, on with our show.

Comics should be Good Stories Well Told. That’s it. Personally, am not entertained by all of these comics that invest multi-issue story arcs explaining the red hat/yellow hat thing. I don’t care. I’m 56 years old, I understand things have changed.

Somewhere along the way we’ve stopped entertaining and gotten morosely engaged with this continuity stuff. Continuity exists to serve the stories, not the other way around.

Every writer needs to read this. This sums up my issues with Titans and Rebirth in general.

[Pohzee]

It also means that this crossover is a bastardized turd neutered by the lethargic parce of the Rebirth continuity changes. There's no way this story should've been drug out over two years.

[Assam]

Every writer needs to read this. This sums up my issues with Titans and Rebirth in general.

Pretty much agree with everything Priest posted in the quoted message. There are plenty of enjoyable Rebirth books, but instead of 2 years of handcuffing writers and no one really being sure what's canon, they really should have just skipped to where Rebirth is gonna be at its conclusion. (Or better yet, just return to the Pre-Nu52 universe.)

[Alycat]

Man I hope DC doesn't mess up with Priest, he is absolutely right about all of this. He did another interview about Deathstroke 20 about themes and comics as well. Just a smart guy an excellent writer https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/05...birth-control/.

[Caivu]

Man I hope DC doesn't mess up with Priest, he is absolutely right about all of this. He did another interview about Deathstroke 20 about themes and comics as well. Just a smart guy an excellent writer https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/05...birth-control/.

I read that article earlier today, and I'm going to quote here scans_daily commenter mrosa, who summed up my reaction better than I could:

It's a bit embarrassing to read that thing, isn't it? A writer working for a company -industry? - that for the past decade has ridden the progressive bandwagon, faking concern over being fired for being too progressive, when we all know DC now is so controlled that he got the green light a long time ago. He not only pats himself on the back for pushing the envelope others have already pushed - Grant Morrison and Alan Moore were dealing with menstruation in the 1980s already - but by singing his own hype he contributes to overshadow those who have truly made radical changes in comics and who are now forgotten. How much better it would have been if there had been an actual sober discussion about changes in taboo subjects over the years, instead of self-aggrandizing. My God, Slade is quoting from the Bible! How fucking controversial!

[Alycat]

I read that article earlier today, and I'm going to quote here scans_daily commenter mrosa, who summed up my reaction better than I could:

I read that too. I don't agree with it, especially since they seem to think he's full of his own hype for some reason.

[BatmanJones]

Man I hope DC doesn't mess up with Priest, he is absolutely right about all of this. He did another interview about Deathstroke 20 about themes and comics as well. Just a smart guy an excellent writer https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/05...birth-control/.

I don't know how I never appreciated Priest in the past. It's embarrassing actually and I need to track down his past work. What he's done with Deathstroke--a character and family (other than Jericho) I never before cared about but now can't get enough of--has been extraordinary. Give him a Justice League book. Give him anything he wants to write. Give him Didio's spot in editorial while we're at it. I am so impressed with this guy.

[Pohzee]

I read that article earlier today, and I'm going to quote here scans_daily commenter mrosa, who summed up my reaction better than I could:

It's worth noting that Priest is an older writer, first entering the industry in the late 1970's. During this time, the Comics Code Authority still existed, albeit less strict than it was in earlier decades. DC Comics didn't depict on-panel instances of sex until 1985. While I found that Priest's claims of controversy rang a little hollow, it is worth noting that he has an entirely different perspective than most fans and creators. Deathstroke marks his return to Big Two work after a decade for not writing at either company, during which time standards and content put out by these companies have changed.

He also handles modern and sensitive topics in a much more skillful manner than most other DC writers like Ben Percy. Rather than pussyfoot around the issue or strawman sides with stilted allegories, Priest cuts the bullshit and usually presents a rather balanced depiction of both sides of a conflict, not shying away from real topics and real issues.

[Caivu]

I read that too. I don't agree with it, especially since they seem to think he's full of his own hype for some reason.

They did have a point that his whole "Wow, I can't believe DC didn't censor me!" thing in that article was pretty irritating. The stuff he brought up as being taboo is not taboo. Not frequently a topic of stories maybe, but that's different.

It's worth noting that Priest is an older writer, first entering the industry in the late 1970's. During this time, the Comics Code Authority still existed, albeit less strict than it was in earlier decades. DC Comics didn't depict on-panel instances of sex until 1985. While I found that Priest's claims of controversy rang a little hollow, it is worth noting that he has an entirely different perspective than most fans and creators. Deathstroke marks his return to Big Two work after a decade for not writing at either company, during which time standards and content changed.

And the fact that he doesn't seem to be aware that the standards changed doesn't exactly reflect well on him.

He also handles modern and sensitive topics in a much more skillful manner than most other DC writers like Ben Percy. Rather than pussyfoot around the issue or strawman sides with stilted allegories, Priest cuts the bullshit and usually presents a rather balanced depiction of both sides of a conflict, not shying away from real topics and real issues.

That's fine, but the trade-off of presenting a totally balanced view of such things is that you often end up having not a lot to say. I know that "Chicago" basically amounted to:

"Gun violence, what can we do about it?"
*shrug*

Or in other words, "Gun violence is a complex problem." Wow, profound.

[Pohzee]

I'll admit that the interview did come off as trying to promote itself as overly progressive, but he still had many good things to say.

That's fine, but the trade-off of presenting a totally balanced view of such things is that you often end up having not a lot to say. I know that "Chicago" basically amounted to:

"Gun violence, what can we do about it?"
*shrug*

Or in other words, "Gun violence is a complex problem." Wow, profound.

That was the point

As with all good writing, the point is not to tell you what to think or even what to do, but to get the conversation started.

It's certainly better than preaching in most cases, because it is difficult to articulate an argument about a controversial cause in a superhero comicbook. It usually results in poor arguments or strawman opponents.

I have my own opinions on certain topics. Reading a story that tells me that I'm wrong won't change my mind- it'll make me disagree with the story. Ready a story that tells me that I'm right is preaching to the choir. Often the best way to handle these topics is to start comversation with thought-provoking questions.

[ZeroBG82]

That's fine, but the trade-off of presenting a totally balanced view of such things is that you often end up having not a lot to say. I know that "Chicago" basically amounted to:

"Gun violence, what can we do about it?"
*shrug*

Or in other words, "Gun violence is a complex problem." Wow, profound.

Does it really need to be some deep revelation to be meaningful? The issue rather deftly gets at both the crisis posed by normalized violence, and uses Slade to posit that the only people who see easy answers to the problem are the cynical and the clueless. The gun violence issue isn't actually one issue but an entire set of related issues. Poverty, race relations, even things like educational opportunity. I don't think that any writer who can weave a story that points out both some of those issues and the ways in which they inform the larger problem should be criticized for calling attention to them.

No, Priest doesn't offer any solutions in the issue itself. If anything, it's almost a meditation on how desperately he wishes he had some solutions. But anything that gets people thinking about the sheer magnitude of the problem and the weight of the issues that surround it is a win. It's less "Here's gun violence and how to solve it" than it is a plea for aid. "Please, don't be Slade Wilson. Don't just write this off. Don't just turn the page and move on to something else. Please." That is both commendable and yes, profound.

[Caivu]

That was the point

And that's the problem. People act not having an answer is profound.

Does it really need to be some deep revelation to be meaningful?

No. But to bring up any such issue like that, and not take some kind of position beyond "meh, it's complicated"... I can't help but think that that's just a waste of time.

The issue rather deftly gets at both the crisis posed by normalized violence, and uses Slade to posit that the only people who see easy answers to the problem are the cynical and the clueless.

I wish I could buy that this run has any kind of substantial pushback against cynicism... but I can't.

No, Priest doesn't offer any solutions in the issue itself. If anything, it's almost a meditation on how desperately he wishes he had some solutions. But anything that gets people thinking about the sheer magnitude of the problem and the weight of the issues that surround it is a win. It's less "Here's gun violence and how to solve it" than it is a plea for aid. "Please, don't be Slade Wilson. Don't just write this off. Don't just turn the page and move on to something else. Please." That is both commendable and yes, profound.

I can't say I got that from it at all.