DEATHSTROKE #20
With the conclusion of Deathstroke it is the final fight between the Wilson family and Terra. Joseph before was cold, unfeeling and was unnecessarily villainous. In this issue he seems to finally start to show that feeling as though he was trying to fix their family, but it didn’t quite pull through. In two ways as we still don’t see that complex, tortured father/son dynamic, and you just didn’t feel any sympathy for him. Even when Adeline died, you didn’t feel much sympathy for her or for Slade because it was rushed. If they were trying to make the story feel dramatic, then it was only to say that reconciling with his family was never really an option for people like them. It just seemed like a wasted effort when you knew the end result.
The only character you really do come out liking is Terra. She maintains the same attitude and presence as she takes the fight to Jericho. Without her involvement in the fight or story overall, everything would’ve fell flat. If anything this story arc shows that Slade is better when he isn’t working with a team. As a solo issue you would expect him to do his thing being an assassin, but Jordan didn’t deliver on this, especially up to the end. The artwork remains solid, though that is the only thing that held up aside from Terra’s presence.
