Originally Posted by
K. Jones
This was a lovely run. Clear and concise, a perfect amount of issues (50 + the vs. Batman, yeah, and I mean ... People vs. Justice League, sorta?). I think Priest did the best job of keeping his run ... His Run ... while still not only acknowledging and incorporating the shared universe going on around him, but just making it fit into the story he was telling, not making his story fit into the DCU. Interestingly Slade's social connections throughout the DCU are kind of what made it possible. I also think he pulled off the best pure Crossovers. They weren't necessarily the high point storylines in the Deathstroke Rebirth saga ... but they were probably the most consistently well constructed multiple-title croxxovers in the Rebirth oeuvre.
Consistent art, too.
I want to know where Priest goes from here. I want him in the DCU. I want him paired with a great character - perhaps even an underserved or underrated one. Deathstroke is a weird one because he's both overrated and underrated. Modern appearances: Overrated. OG Wolfman characterization: Underrated. I think Priest fused them so that the Wolfman character matched the pop culture HYPE iconography. Then made the whole thing better. Like, there will never be a better Deathstroke comic.
He also played well not just in the ongoing current events sandbox where events and crossovers were thrown at him ... he played expertly well with Canon and Continuity as well, adhering and reminding us of the crucial stuff a lot, but bringing in lots and lots of little bullet points from continuity. Particularly, again, Wolfman's original stories ... but also what surprised me a bit, offering us another facet of Genuine Sequel to the Grant Morrison Batman Run. The only other title that has done that quite as purely and methodically has been Grayson. Which is why my mind immediately wanders to giving him NIGHTWING as a book.
I'd read that for 100 issues.
But I still can't help but wonder if somebody less obvious and more under the radar would be better served with Priest at the helm. Damian would be a fantastic choice. The sky's really the limit. And of course I can dream that with Tynion on Batman, and King moving to Bat/Cat, maybe Tomasi gets weirder with a different bat-something and let's Priest come in and give us a good and proper real DETECTIVE Comics.
So yeah. Great great run. Low key and morally questionable to the end. Deathstroke vs. Terminator worked as a finale concept for me.
Did anyone else try to read the ultra tiny Adeline text at the end? The only thing I could make out was "relaunch Project Defiance" repeated in there.