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Deathstroke (2014)
Deathstroke, Volume 4: Family Business
DEATHSTROKE'S LAST STAND!
Slade Wilson, the unstoppable mercenary known as Deathstoke, has left more than his fair share of bodies in his wake.
And now one of them has come back to return the favor.
Five years ago, Deathstroke left his former partner Wardell Chambers for dead on a contract gone wrong in Kahndaq. Now calling himself Lawman, Chambers has returned, this time with the power to bend minds to his will, manipulating everyone around Slade in an elaborate game of deception in order to exact his revenge.
With the lives of his children, Rose and Jericho, at stake, Slade is forced to form an alliance with the last person he ever thought possible--none other than Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins. But Ra's al Ghul never makes a move without an ulterior motive...
Caught between the League of Assassins on one side and an army of mercenaries led by Lawman on the other, there's only one question left for Deathstoke to answer:
Who will be the last killer standing?
From writer James Bonny (THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN) and artists Tyler Kirkham (TEEN TITANS) and Paolo Pantalena (RED HOOD/ARSENAL), DEATHSTROKE VOL. 4: FAMILY BUSINESS brings the baddest villains in the DC Universe to the ultimate showdown! Also including DEATHSTROKE ANNUAL #2 by GREEN ARROW scribe Phil Hester.
Collects: Deathstoke #17-20, Annual #1 and Deathstoke: Rebirth #1.
Slade Wilson, the unstoppable mercenary known as Deathstoke, has left more than his fair share of bodies in his wake.
And now one of them has come back to return the favor.
Five years ago, Deathstroke left his former partner Wardell Chambers for dead on a contract gone wrong in Kahndaq. Now calling himself Lawman, Chambers has returned, this time with the power to bend minds to his will, manipulating everyone around Slade in an elaborate game of deception in order to exact his revenge.
With the lives of his children, Rose and Jericho, at stake, Slade is forced to form an alliance with the last person he ever thought possible--none other than Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins. But Ra's al Ghul never makes a move without an ulterior motive...
Caught between the League of Assassins on one side and an army of mercenaries led by Lawman on the other, there's only one question left for Deathstoke to answer:
Who will be the last killer standing?
From writer James Bonny (THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN) and artists Tyler Kirkham (TEEN TITANS) and Paolo Pantalena (RED HOOD/ARSENAL), DEATHSTROKE VOL. 4: FAMILY BUSINESS brings the baddest villains in the DC Universe to the ultimate showdown! Also including DEATHSTROKE ANNUAL #2 by GREEN ARROW scribe Phil Hester.
Collects: Deathstoke #17-20, Annual #1 and Deathstoke: Rebirth #1.
157 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 26, 2020
(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: Drowned in double-dealings, it's dizzying duplicity, directionless detours: dismembering danger and dulling drama.
Notes: Drowned in double-dealings, it's dizzying duplicity, directionless detours: dismembering danger and dulling drama.
November 10, 2020
Deathstroke Saves Rose, gets into a pickle with Ra's al Ghul and has to stop Lawman and Nova Council. Really all you need to know is that the story really is terrible.
The Good: Phil Hester actually writes an interesting annual included about two crime families at war with one another in some made up version of Afghanistan.
The Bad: These Nova Council guys who "stop metahuman criminal activity, and target those who use metahumans for their powers and currency". What the hell does that even mean? They even repeat that nonsense in multiple issues. And the council appears to be one woman who has hired two criminals (Lawman and Snakebite) to go around and murder people for her. The plot seems to be an afterthought with James Bonny.
The Ugly: This guy calling himself Lawman goes around murdering tons of people. It makes no sense for him to have this name.
The Good: Phil Hester actually writes an interesting annual included about two crime families at war with one another in some made up version of Afghanistan.
The Bad: These Nova Council guys who "stop metahuman criminal activity, and target those who use metahumans for their powers and currency". What the hell does that even mean? They even repeat that nonsense in multiple issues. And the council appears to be one woman who has hired two criminals (Lawman and Snakebite) to go around and murder people for her. The plot seems to be an afterthought with James Bonny.
The Ugly: This guy calling himself Lawman goes around murdering tons of people. It makes no sense for him to have this name.
November 26, 2016
In this volume we finally got a mostly satisfying conclusion of the series. Ra's Al Ghul gets involved and we get a nice final batte. The art is good as it has been for this entire series. Overall not a bad Deathstroke series but I still think the character has untapped potential.
If you're a Deathstroke fan this series is definitely worth checking out. It starts out a little rough but gets better as it goes.
If you're a Deathstroke fan this series is definitely worth checking out. It starts out a little rough but gets better as it goes.
July 11, 2017
Deathstrokes ,sans an eyeball again, his son Jericho and daughter Rose go up against the Dead Bastards and Ras Al Ghul. Lots of action. Good art. Not much plot. Meh.
June 22, 2022
Not the worst read but man there are some problems here however first the positive.
I think the artwork here is very good. I love the colors that were picked and the whole aesthetic of the book, fights are bloody and action packed and the characters look really well drawn too. I also believe that the final issue (not preview) is very well written and ultimately saves this book for being straight garbage. And while that story is disconnected from the main plot it is still a good one and I really enjoyed the characters and artwork as well.
However I do have a lot of gripes with the book. In terms of the main story, I feel this is a unfit disappointing end to the overall story. It doesn’t help that Tony Daniel the original writer is no longer writing with James Bonny taking over. Not saying that either of them are bad writers but when a new writer just suddenly replaces another one it’s difficult to keep the writing headed in the same direction. This is also apparent with the dialogue. I feel like the dialogue was very repetitive and when the characters have something to say often times it was it was pretty cliché or a different variation of what they already have said.
Characters also seem to appear and leave out of nowhere without any explanation at all. A minor spoiler but for literally a page Batman appears and leaves never to be heard from again. This is the same with the red hood. Some other decisions that some of the characters make are very confusing. There is a Point where red hood is in a gun fight with lawman and red hood just decides to stop and leave the fight while the law man just let’s him. Decisions like this just don’t make sense to me because i feel if you were in a gun fight with someone and they decide to leave you wouldn’t just let them go.
Finally I feel that the story was very by the numbers and because of this it makes the story frankly boring. I’m not going to spoil anything else here but it’s pretty easy to guess beat by beat what happens in the story before it even does. I understand that DC needed to finish this run and sell more issues but man was this a hard book to read and a disappointing ending to a pretty decent run.
Ultimately what saves this book is the final disconnected story and the artwork. I would not recommend buying this book for full price I would not pay over five dollars for this book I just happen to pick this up because it was 2.99 at a bargain bin outlet I just happen to go to. And for that price I believe it was worth it. I would also recommend getting this book if you’re into collecting books because the artwork is great.
I think the artwork here is very good. I love the colors that were picked and the whole aesthetic of the book, fights are bloody and action packed and the characters look really well drawn too. I also believe that the final issue (not preview) is very well written and ultimately saves this book for being straight garbage. And while that story is disconnected from the main plot it is still a good one and I really enjoyed the characters and artwork as well.
However I do have a lot of gripes with the book. In terms of the main story, I feel this is a unfit disappointing end to the overall story. It doesn’t help that Tony Daniel the original writer is no longer writing with James Bonny taking over. Not saying that either of them are bad writers but when a new writer just suddenly replaces another one it’s difficult to keep the writing headed in the same direction. This is also apparent with the dialogue. I feel like the dialogue was very repetitive and when the characters have something to say often times it was it was pretty cliché or a different variation of what they already have said.
Characters also seem to appear and leave out of nowhere without any explanation at all. A minor spoiler but for literally a page Batman appears and leaves never to be heard from again. This is the same with the red hood. Some other decisions that some of the characters make are very confusing. There is a Point where red hood is in a gun fight with lawman and red hood just decides to stop and leave the fight while the law man just let’s him. Decisions like this just don’t make sense to me because i feel if you were in a gun fight with someone and they decide to leave you wouldn’t just let them go.
Finally I feel that the story was very by the numbers and because of this it makes the story frankly boring. I’m not going to spoil anything else here but it’s pretty easy to guess beat by beat what happens in the story before it even does. I understand that DC needed to finish this run and sell more issues but man was this a hard book to read and a disappointing ending to a pretty decent run.
Ultimately what saves this book is the final disconnected story and the artwork. I would not recommend buying this book for full price I would not pay over five dollars for this book I just happen to pick this up because it was 2.99 at a bargain bin outlet I just happen to go to. And for that price I believe it was worth it. I would also recommend getting this book if you’re into collecting books because the artwork is great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2023
This story begins like crap and keeps on stinking up the pages. Things jump around so quick it'll make yo' head spin right outta its socket. As in, the story has bad pacing and more deus ex machinas than characters. And it has plenty of characters, good and bad, readying themselves for the final battle. Or for several 'final' battles, each one more insulting to my intelligence than the last. Come on, die already so I can move far away from this mind-numbing slugfest. Rarely have I stumbled into such crap. You have been warned.
Lawman was one of Slade's comrades from years before. He was left behind, thought dead, and now wants Slade dead. It's all about 'dead' in this story. He is joined by Snakebite. Red Hood attacked Slade in the last volume as a job paid for by Lawman, but now he joins Slade - cause it's his free time. Then he has a vision (I think?) of Batman and he walks away. Plenty of that to look forward to. Then Rose snaps out of Lawman's mind control and attacks him. Both she and Slade get run through by Lawman - completely through, none o' that scratchy 'Ill be fine' nonsense. Surely they're dead, right? NO!?!? They still walk it off when Jericho saves their bacon by making them invisible to Lawman and Snakebite. Hey, it's a good time to kill the bad guys! I mean, they can't SEE you thanks to Jedi-cho's mind tricks. Jericho/Jedi-cho - see what I did there? Yeah, whatever, I have to get some entertainment out of all this mediocrity. So instead of killing the bad guys, Slade, Rose, Jericho and Ra's al Ghul (cause we need more big names) escape. Pathetic and completely illogical.
Lawman was one of Slade's comrades from years before. He was left behind, thought dead, and now wants Slade dead. It's all about 'dead' in this story. He is joined by Snakebite. Red Hood attacked Slade in the last volume as a job paid for by Lawman, but now he joins Slade - cause it's his free time. Then he has a vision (I think?) of Batman and he walks away. Plenty of that to look forward to. Then Rose snaps out of Lawman's mind control and attacks him. Both she and Slade get run through by Lawman - completely through, none o' that scratchy 'Ill be fine' nonsense. Surely they're dead, right? NO!?!? They still walk it off when Jericho saves their bacon by making them invisible to Lawman and Snakebite. Hey, it's a good time to kill the bad guys! I mean, they can't SEE you thanks to Jedi-cho's mind tricks. Jericho/Jedi-cho - see what I did there? Yeah, whatever, I have to get some entertainment out of all this mediocrity. So instead of killing the bad guys, Slade, Rose, Jericho and Ra's al Ghul (cause we need more big names) escape. Pathetic and completely illogical.
July 7, 2019
(Read as Individual Issues)
All the idiocy of the previous volume culminates in a series of battles between Deathstroke, new villain Lawman (whose face goes from skull to black to white depending on the issue), His traitorous former crew, leader of the Nova Council Mystasia, who I've never heard of before, his kids, and Ra's Al-Ghul. And if that doesn't seem to make any sense, you're right. Well, it's all laid out in the story, but the alliances are pretty stupid, as is Deathstroke's approach to just try to fight every one head on belies his 'strategic' mind. The whole story is pretty stupid, including its ending. The only thing even slightly redeeming is the Deathstrike Annual, which at least shows off some of his sneakiness, as he and assassin 'The Balkan' escalate an interfamily conflict within an opium-selling country. It's a grittier story with a little more bite to it, and less pointless battles.
This entire Deathstroke run has been an embarrassment for the character, and for DC. Pointless overwrought violence and lots of whining about family does not an interesting assassin character make. He's never been my favorite character in general, but he deserves better than this series gave him.
All the idiocy of the previous volume culminates in a series of battles between Deathstroke, new villain Lawman (whose face goes from skull to black to white depending on the issue), His traitorous former crew, leader of the Nova Council Mystasia, who I've never heard of before, his kids, and Ra's Al-Ghul. And if that doesn't seem to make any sense, you're right. Well, it's all laid out in the story, but the alliances are pretty stupid, as is Deathstroke's approach to just try to fight every one head on belies his 'strategic' mind. The whole story is pretty stupid, including its ending. The only thing even slightly redeeming is the Deathstrike Annual, which at least shows off some of his sneakiness, as he and assassin 'The Balkan' escalate an interfamily conflict within an opium-selling country. It's a grittier story with a little more bite to it, and less pointless battles.
This entire Deathstroke run has been an embarrassment for the character, and for DC. Pointless overwrought violence and lots of whining about family does not an interesting assassin character make. He's never been my favorite character in general, but he deserves better than this series gave him.
March 11, 2019
Silly.
Rose is about to die, so Deathstroke has to pledge loyalty to Ra's al Ghul so he will give her a vial of Person Healer.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
There's one part where Snakebite, Lawman, and Mystasia (woof on this name, you guys) have Deathstroke on the ground and literally are about to make the killing stroke when Rose stands up and threatens if they kill him, they will die at Rose's hands. So they leave!! And the next issue Mystasia is killed by them BECAUSE THEY ARE HUNTING THEM DOWN. So...they didn't kill Deathstroke...for literally nothing.
Also, Snakebite calls him D-Stroke even though that doesn't shorten a damn syllable.
Rose is about to die, so Deathstroke has to pledge loyalty to Ra's al Ghul so he will give her a vial of Person Healer.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
There's one part where Snakebite, Lawman, and Mystasia (woof on this name, you guys) have Deathstroke on the ground and literally are about to make the killing stroke when Rose stands up and threatens if they kill him, they will die at Rose's hands. So they leave!! And the next issue Mystasia is killed by them BECAUSE THEY ARE HUNTING THEM DOWN. So...they didn't kill Deathstroke...for literally nothing.
Also, Snakebite calls him D-Stroke even though that doesn't shorten a damn syllable.
December 30, 2018
not sure what to say about this volume...cut short?
though i still have the back half to read, "The End" appeared halfway...not sure what th eother stories
are bout but seems like the volume series ended. Will try to finish the others.
though i still have the back half to read, "The End" appeared halfway...not sure what th eother stories
are bout but seems like the volume series ended. Will try to finish the others.
May 10, 2022
Last entry, overall it's OK. It struggles to find meaning behind the violence that Deathstroke can dish out. It's a fun read, but the lack of stable characters/over plot driving devices really drag it down in it's quieter moments.
November 10, 2017
A bit of a disappointing end to the series, with the annual and Rebirth issues tagged on the end when the four issues themselves would have worked better.
April 4, 2018
1* for the majority of the book but the Phil Hester story is a highlight. [note: I skipped the Rebirth issue as I have it with a separate volume]
November 5, 2018
Storie super tamarre. Tutti i volumi sono adatti ai neofiti, in quanto semplici e dirette. Anche i disegni sono validi. Nel complesso storie molto leggere, piene di cazzotti, spari e sangue.
August 20, 2024
I absolutely loved this run! So much better than what I expected, considering I didn't like the first volume at all. I'm glad it got way better!
November 24, 2025
A good way to end the Deathstroke’s the new 52 series. Also got a sneak peek into DC Rebirth’s Deathstroke. Can’t wait to get my hands on it in a few months!
March 12, 2017
The main story was somewhat predictable, but had some sweet spots, and the book as a whole greatly benefited from that annual and the Rebirth one shot. It's because of those that I give this 3 stars. Not a bad ending at all to an overall mediocre run.
April 8, 2018
Parece que nem tentaram mais contar uma história.
Jogam fora uma ideia boa, que é a do Ra's querer os filhos do slade.
É o volume que mais me deixou com raiva.
Todos os problemas dos 3 primeiros estão aqui, só que pior.
Jogam fora uma ideia boa, que é a do Ra's querer os filhos do slade.
É o volume que mais me deixou com raiva.
Todos os problemas dos 3 primeiros estão aqui, só que pior.
April 19, 2017
4 stars for the art which was great. 2 for the boring story. 3 average.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews