What do you think?
Rate this book
Deathstroke: The Terminator (collected editions)
Deathstroke: The Terminator by Marv Wolfman Omnibus Vol. 1
Marv Wolfman returns to one of his most famous creations—now the star of his own stories—in this omnibus collection of the fan-favorite ‘90s classic!
In 1980, comics legends Marv Wolfman and George Pérez introduced Deathstroke the Terminator in the seminal pages of The New Teen Titans—and the deadly villain soon became one of the most popular antagonists in all of comics.
A decade later, Wolfman returned to Slade Wilson, who was now the title character of his own comic book series—Deathstroke: The Terminator! These stories are now collected in the omnibus format for the first time, with Wolfman joined by artists including Steve Erwin and Art Nichols, and fellow writer Steven Grant.
Stories include Deathstroke’s hunt for the Ravager, the man who tried to kill his ex-wife. It's all-out action as these two super-powered soldiers go toe to toe! Then, someone is knocking off the crime bosses of Gotham City. It's up to Deathstroke to eliminate the competition—but Batman doesn't take kindly to him on his turf. And things get even crazier when the masked killer known as the Vigilante enters the fray.
Collects Deathstroke (1991 series) #1-26; Deathstroke Annual #1-2; The New Titans #70; Superman #68; and stories from Showcase '93 #6-11.
In 1980, comics legends Marv Wolfman and George Pérez introduced Deathstroke the Terminator in the seminal pages of The New Teen Titans—and the deadly villain soon became one of the most popular antagonists in all of comics.
A decade later, Wolfman returned to Slade Wilson, who was now the title character of his own comic book series—Deathstroke: The Terminator! These stories are now collected in the omnibus format for the first time, with Wolfman joined by artists including Steve Erwin and Art Nichols, and fellow writer Steven Grant.
Stories include Deathstroke’s hunt for the Ravager, the man who tried to kill his ex-wife. It's all-out action as these two super-powered soldiers go toe to toe! Then, someone is knocking off the crime bosses of Gotham City. It's up to Deathstroke to eliminate the competition—but Batman doesn't take kindly to him on his turf. And things get even crazier when the masked killer known as the Vigilante enters the fray.
Collects Deathstroke (1991 series) #1-26; Deathstroke Annual #1-2; The New Titans #70; Superman #68; and stories from Showcase '93 #6-11.
920 pages, Hardcover
Published December 24, 2024
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Marv Wolfman
2,302 books304 followersMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 27, 2025
(Zero spoiler review) 1.5/5
What a colossal disappointment on all fronts. Featuring some of the worst art I have ever seen in a comic from the early 1990's (or any comic period to be honest), along with colours that would have to improve significantly to simply be garish. I am genuinely at a loss for words to describe the anger I feel at having shelled out a significant portion of money for what I thought would have been rock solid at the very least. If I was Marv Wolfman, I would have a royal case of the shits at being given an art team this bad. Then again, it's about all that his scripts deserve.
The entire thing reads like a C tier indie comic from the late nineties, although even that may be doing a disservice to a considerable number of indie titles around this time.
No one who has their name on this should feel even remotely pleased about this dire effort, much less proud. There must literally be hundreds of other books deserving of the omnibus treatment before this bland and banal fare. Be smarter than I was. Avoid at all costs. 1.5/5
OmniBen.
What a colossal disappointment on all fronts. Featuring some of the worst art I have ever seen in a comic from the early 1990's (or any comic period to be honest), along with colours that would have to improve significantly to simply be garish. I am genuinely at a loss for words to describe the anger I feel at having shelled out a significant portion of money for what I thought would have been rock solid at the very least. If I was Marv Wolfman, I would have a royal case of the shits at being given an art team this bad. Then again, it's about all that his scripts deserve.
The entire thing reads like a C tier indie comic from the late nineties, although even that may be doing a disservice to a considerable number of indie titles around this time.
No one who has their name on this should feel even remotely pleased about this dire effort, much less proud. There must literally be hundreds of other books deserving of the omnibus treatment before this bland and banal fare. Be smarter than I was. Avoid at all costs. 1.5/5
OmniBen.
February 12, 2025
This feels so dated.
This volume collects the first 25 issues of the Deathstroke comic (and a few other things) which was launched in 1991. For a book of the early 90s the artwork is really bad and most of the stories read like a slog.
This is a shame, because Deathstroke has an awesome character design, a solid backstory, a healthy set of supporting characters and he is operating on the threshold between a hero and a villain. There's simply not that many books around like this.
Therein lies another problem: Some stories in here label him as misunderstood hero, while others show that he regrets his course of life, but his code of honour demands from him, that he does things, which heroes won't do. In addition he turns against the help of his friends and family. This sounds intriguing on paper, but when reading this collection it's mostly inconsistent and irritating.
The stories in here don't really matter, lacking an overarching story. There's an agent which hunts him through several issues, but the resolution to that is very lackluster. Then the writer changes and Deathstroke is just doing things in different places.
Then there's some cross overs with other books in here. The parts of the other books are left out and DC didn't even put a summary page of what happened in between in this volume.
I can mention a couple of things that did work. First and foremost he meets an illustrious selection of characters from the DC Universe. There's even a new one being introduced here, which is the new Vigilante. She is desperate and frustrated and seeks help from Deathstroke and does the banging of course ;-). Soon she develops into a full fledged character, I'd even consider pursuing further.
If there will be a volume 2, that is, if DC would ever publish Vol. 2 of an Omnibus), I won't be buying it, because the overall quality of these stories is subpar to other books of it's time and inconsistent.
This volume collects the first 25 issues of the Deathstroke comic (and a few other things) which was launched in 1991. For a book of the early 90s the artwork is really bad and most of the stories read like a slog.
This is a shame, because Deathstroke has an awesome character design, a solid backstory, a healthy set of supporting characters and he is operating on the threshold between a hero and a villain. There's simply not that many books around like this.
Therein lies another problem: Some stories in here label him as misunderstood hero, while others show that he regrets his course of life, but his code of honour demands from him, that he does things, which heroes won't do. In addition he turns against the help of his friends and family. This sounds intriguing on paper, but when reading this collection it's mostly inconsistent and irritating.
The stories in here don't really matter, lacking an overarching story. There's an agent which hunts him through several issues, but the resolution to that is very lackluster. Then the writer changes and Deathstroke is just doing things in different places.
Then there's some cross overs with other books in here. The parts of the other books are left out and DC didn't even put a summary page of what happened in between in this volume.
I can mention a couple of things that did work. First and foremost he meets an illustrious selection of characters from the DC Universe. There's even a new one being introduced here, which is the new Vigilante. She is desperate and frustrated and seeks help from Deathstroke and does the banging of course ;-). Soon she develops into a full fledged character, I'd even consider pursuing further.
If there will be a volume 2, that is, if DC would ever publish Vol. 2 of an Omnibus), I won't be buying it, because the overall quality of these stories is subpar to other books of it's time and inconsistent.
April 8, 2025
First of all, I have to say I was really looking forward to this Omnibus. Deathstroke is an interesting character on his own — a killer antihero with his own moral compass — and the fact that we’re getting an ’80s/’90s series is a very welcome bonus. I love ’90s art because that’s how comics looked when I was a kid. That’s exactly how I love my comics to look! And yes, the art here is fantastic — clean, action-packed ’90s style!
Wolfman, who actually created Deathstroke, delivers great stories, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single issue. Wolfman’s Deathstroke the Terminator is an excellent series that will make you love this cold-blooded one-eyed mercenary.
However, not everything is perfect when it comes to this Omnibus!
My only — but significant — complaint is that in two or three story arcs, we don’t get the full story. These are arcs that crossover into other series, mainly New Titans. For some reason I can’t understand, the Omnibus only includes the Deathstroke issues, so we end up with incomplete stories full of confusing moments. Many times I felt like I was missing something — and in fact, I was! A lot gets lost for the reader this way.
And I just don’t get it — they had no problem including a single Superman issue in the book, so why couldn’t they add those few Titans issues too??
I hate to say it, but I have to be honest… this is the worst-mapped DC Omnibus I’ve ever held in my hands. And that’s a shame, because otherwise, it’s a phenomenal read.
Wolfman, who actually created Deathstroke, delivers great stories, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single issue. Wolfman’s Deathstroke the Terminator is an excellent series that will make you love this cold-blooded one-eyed mercenary.
However, not everything is perfect when it comes to this Omnibus!
My only — but significant — complaint is that in two or three story arcs, we don’t get the full story. These are arcs that crossover into other series, mainly New Titans. For some reason I can’t understand, the Omnibus only includes the Deathstroke issues, so we end up with incomplete stories full of confusing moments. Many times I felt like I was missing something — and in fact, I was! A lot gets lost for the reader this way.
And I just don’t get it — they had no problem including a single Superman issue in the book, so why couldn’t they add those few Titans issues too??
I hate to say it, but I have to be honest… this is the worst-mapped DC Omnibus I’ve ever held in my hands. And that’s a shame, because otherwise, it’s a phenomenal read.
March 2, 2025
I really enjoy the character and the first overall story arch was really well written by Wolfman. The story is they handed to Grant that makes the book more little stories than one over all story like Wolfman did. Still classic stories of Deathstroke, the only downside is any interference of DC mega events.
I am hoping DC publishes Vol. 2 to complete the series
I am hoping DC publishes Vol. 2 to complete the series
June 28, 2025
I finally finished reading Deathstroke the Terminator by Marv Wolfman Omnibus Volume 1, a 1000-page collection I started reading a few months ago. As a Deathstroke mark, I had to grab it—and reading it now, I actually dig the stories more than I did back in the early '90s when I read them as single issue comics.
This omnibus collects the first half of Slade Wilson’s solo series, framed through Wintergreen’s journal entries. It gives the book a Punisher War Journal vibe—grounded, introspective, and focused on Slade’s code as much as his contracts. The one stumble is the mapping: it includes a Superman issue but skips key Titans chapters, leaving some arcs feeling incomplete. A strange choice for an otherwise strong collection.
Wolfman puts the spotlight on Slade’s messy past—dead sons, ex-wife turned enemy, and his evolving bond with new Vigilante Patricia Trayce. City of Assassins (#6–9) is the clear standout, pitting Deathstroke against Batman in a rooftop chess match.
Steve Erwin’s art holds the book together visually. His style is clean, expressive, and built for movement—action scenes hit hard, and quieter moments still carry weight. There’s a strong, workmanlike quality to his layouts that keeps the story grounded, with just enough flair to match Slade’s larger-than-life presence. Think Jerry Ordway with a bit more edge.
If you're into anti-heroes, character-driven action, or missed this run the first time around, this is worth the time.
This omnibus collects the first half of Slade Wilson’s solo series, framed through Wintergreen’s journal entries. It gives the book a Punisher War Journal vibe—grounded, introspective, and focused on Slade’s code as much as his contracts. The one stumble is the mapping: it includes a Superman issue but skips key Titans chapters, leaving some arcs feeling incomplete. A strange choice for an otherwise strong collection.
Wolfman puts the spotlight on Slade’s messy past—dead sons, ex-wife turned enemy, and his evolving bond with new Vigilante Patricia Trayce. City of Assassins (#6–9) is the clear standout, pitting Deathstroke against Batman in a rooftop chess match.
Steve Erwin’s art holds the book together visually. His style is clean, expressive, and built for movement—action scenes hit hard, and quieter moments still carry weight. There’s a strong, workmanlike quality to his layouts that keeps the story grounded, with just enough flair to match Slade’s larger-than-life presence. Think Jerry Ordway with a bit more edge.
If you're into anti-heroes, character-driven action, or missed this run the first time around, this is worth the time.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews