Titans: The Lazarus Contract

Titans (2016)

by Christopher J. Priest, Dan Abnett, Brett Booth (Illustrator)

They are the greatest young heroes this world—or any world—has ever known. They are the Titans. And now, from the void between the worlds, one of their most legendary members has emerged.
 
Wally West, a.k.a. Kid Flash, has returned. Powered by the Speed Force, he’s brought the secrets of time and space following in his wake.
 
And with those secrets comes a prize that Deathstroke, the most lethal foe the Titans have ever faced, would do anything to claim: the rebirth of his long-dead son.
 
Now Titans from every team—past, present or future—must unite to stop the killer called Slade from claiming his sinister prize. Can the Titans and the Teen Titans work together to stop this evil? Or will the two teams turn on each other, leaving Deathstroke to seize control?
 
Discover the answer in TITANS: THE LAZARUS CONTRACT! One of the greatest Titans tales ever told, from the creative team of Christopher Priest, Dan Abnett and Benjamin Percy! Collects TITANS #11, TEEN TITANS #8, DEATHSTROKE #19-20 and TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Science Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2017

About the author

Formerly (before 1993) known as James or Jim Owsley.

Christopher James Priest is a critically acclaimed novelist and comic book writer. Priest is the first African-American writer and editor for Marvel and DC Comics. His groundbreaking Black Panther series was lauded by Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice and will serve as the basis for the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe adaption.

Besides Black Panther, Priest has written comics for Conan, Steel, Green Lantern, The Crew and edited The Amazing Spider-Man. He also co-created Quantum & Woody along with Mark Bright and co-founded Milestone Media.

After a decade long hiatus he is currently writing comic books again and recently concluded a stint writing the comic book Deathstroke (2016-2019).

In addition to being a writer, Christopher J. Priest is also a baptist minister.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deathstroke decides out of the blue to go back in time to save his son Grant who died years ago. So he kidnaps both Wally Wests to steal their speed. There's something about a Lazarus Contract between Deathstroke and Nightwing that Nightwing hid from the rest of the Titans but it's never explained well. Robin, of course, goes off half cocked and fouls everything up. The story ends with Slade Wilson setting off in another direction.

[Subham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a weird one.

So Slade decides to go back in time to save his son Grant right and we see the origins of how Grant became Ravager and his death and all that and Slade becoming sympathetic of his son's plight and so he has taken both the Wally's hostage and uses their speed to go back in time and meanwhile in the present both the Titans group up to go after Slade and stop him from comitting another flashpoint and well drama unfolds and something with edler Wally happens, the inclusion of Jeriko and more and the fate of Slade and what extreme steps he takes next aka Defiance and the state of Kid Flash and Teen Titans!

Its a very weird volume and since it has multiple writers it kind of becomes a mess and I kinda hate the priest section as his writing is so un-linear and is boring frankly and the way he writes some characters is just flat out.. just boring. But some sections with Damian were funny and interesting and it will be interesting to see the trajectory of Kid Flash. The art was good in the titans sections otherwise its just meh. Skip it if you want to.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well...this was a something. So you know of Judas Contract right? I mean even if you haven't read of it you know of it. From Slade being a creepy villain who uses one of the teen titans who is sleeping with him (teen people. As in like 15 years old) and then Nightwing emerges from it all. So of course such a big event they had to re-create it.

Slade wakes up one day and says no...I want to save my son. The crazy fuck who died from fighting the titans. How to do that? Try to do some Flashpoint shit. He kidnaps both Wally's (There's the red head and the black Wally Flash now) and uses both of them in terrible ways. The result has the Titans and Teen Titans teaming up but really just to talk. There is almost no fighting in here and really just leads to Slade starting a "new" life.

Good: The ending is easily the best part. I loved seeing where Slade was going and his new direction sounds batshit insane but fun. I also enjoyed the moments of him trying to save his son but no matter what his son would never listen.

Bad: The dialog. Dan...DAN!!!! Why do you keep having characters talk so...unreal like? I mean do we need them to repeat everyone's name 500 times. Ugh, see my Titans volume 1-2 review to get more of my hatred for his writing style of Titans to understand. Also Damien seems WAY off here and does unspeakable things that make no sense.

Overall a lackluster event for three ongoing comics all ranging from bad (titans) to decent (teen titans) to really good (Deathstroke). This doesn't help any of them except maybe the end for Deathstroke. Can't give it higher than a 2 out of 5.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stupid. The best word to describe this whole thing is stupid. Motivation? Stupid. Means of achieving the goal? Stupid. Time travel? Stupid. Conflict? You guessed it, stupid. It skates on thin ice from the beginning and only continues to sink as it progresses. Pretty wasteful of the fantastic roster, it's not worth your time or money.

[Wing Kee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty bad.

World: The art is fine, it's the same artists for the main book so you get what you get. The world building is a mess. This is an event so all these three books come crashing together and then the tone of the world gets fucked. There are so nice little touches here and there about the past but mostly it's just a mess.

Story: The story is dull, cliché and against everything that Slade is which makes me scratch my head. Sure we've been moving towards this for a while with his series but it's a stretch and the end oh man. There is a lot of science gobbledy goop here that's just too much for believability. Then there are the dumb stupid characters who make stupid dumb decisions to force the story. The Titans and the Teen Titans banter which is all over the place. The end...so stupid.

Characters: These are not the characters from the main series. They don't act like they do. They don't talk like they do. All their actions here are for the story and it's ridiculous. I hate event books for this reason. The biggest departure is Deathstroke and Wally they are just...man...I don't know where to start. New52 Wally has been an issue in the the Flash book, he's an issue in the Teen Titans book what is wrong with DC? Why are they making this character so whiney, stupid, and just a brat. Yes we need an arc for him but all he does is blame and whine. He needs better writing. Wally does not deserve this.

This event was stupid. Don't read it.

Onward to the next book

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
I'm a fan of the Rebirth Titans, Teen Titans, and Deathstroke series. They're all very different, and the characters all share a lot of history, so a crossover between them makes a lot of sense. So the fact that it's a little lacklustre is a shame.

The set-up's good enough - Deathstroke wants to use the Speed Force to go back in time and save his son, Grant, from becoming the Ravager and dying. Enter Kid Flash, and Wally West Flash, pursued by bears/Teen Titans & Titans. When it turns out that Nightwing has a brutal secret from his past that ties him to Deathstroke himself, things get very, very tense. And then it kind of ends on a whimper rather than a bang.

The fallout from this event is a lot more interesting than how the event ended, really. There are huge changes for both Wally Wests, and Slade himself, so it's worth the journey, but it feels a bit cheap to have this story act just as a springboard for those rather than being complete in itself. I think I mentioned something similar about another story earlier, but I can't remember which one it was.

The usual suspects from the regular series pencil the crossover, which is a nice change - I always feel like if you're having a crossover, you'd want your issue to be indicative of the series, so people who don't usually read one of the series can look and react accordingly. I'm much more likely to carry on with a series if I know what the quality is like in a crossover than if it's a guest writer/artist. So we get Brett Booth on Titans, Khoi Pham on Teen Titans, and Carlo Pagulayan on Deathstroke, while the versatile Paul Pelletier pencils the special to finish it off. That's a good line-up of artists right there.

So close, and yet so far.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of the cult of Deathstroke: The Terminator. I think he's a fine villain but a lot of comic book characters attempt to portray him as an invincible avatar of badassitude. However, he is a decent enough character when used sparingly. In this case, the THE LAZARUS CONTRACT, is a sequel to the first modern Titans story where Deathstroke attempts to undo the death of his eldest son with time-travel.

It just requires him to beat both Kid Flashes and steal their power, which is already a pretty big leap of faith. Much is made of the "insanity" of trying to alter time so his son doesn't die but I'm not sure this is actually a thing which makes sense in the setting. After all, Professor Zoom alters the timeline all the time in order to screw with Barry Allen. Then again, I suspect the FLASHPOINT PARADOX event is something we're supposed to keep in mind as somehow saving Barry's mother led to the end of the world despite her originally being alive.

One thing I like about this comic, though, is how thoroughly it deconstructs the idea of Slade Wilson as a father figure. The book shows he was a horrific father and even his attempts to warn his eldest son that he's going to die are hampered by the fact the original Ravager absolutely hates him. Slade wasn't so much abusive as simply neglectful, uninspiring, and dismissive--which I like since it gives him serious but believable flaws and expands his characterization beyond being an uber-assassin.

The biggest problem with this story is, aside from the contrivances of time-travel and Slade effortlessly owning two Flashes, is the fact it requires you to know the original story of how Slade Wilson's son died. A recap of the events or flashback to the death of Ravager as well as how it affected Deathstroke would be good for readers who may not know the classic story. It would be a good time to actually retell the story, in fact, as I wasn't even aware of it still being in continuity post-New 52.

What's left is basically a mediocre but serviceable story about how Deathstroke easily defeats the 2nd and 3rd fastest men alive before stealing their powers to alter time. It makes Deathstroke out to be a superpowerful threat to reality but unable to accomplish the simple coal of dealing with his family. That's a good contrast but it relies a little too heavily on the idea Deathstroke is a threat who could defeat the two most powerful Titans.

8/10

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deathstroke resurrects a Lazarus Contract to seek vengeance for his dead son, Grant. This (re)union of Deathstroke, the Titans, and the Teen Titans is a the sort of crossover that benefits all the comics, because it brings the Teen Titans up to the next level, it grounds Deathstroke, and it reminds the Titans of their past. The plotline is also an interesting one, as the relation between Deathstroke and the Titans, and how they "caused" the death of his son is one of the pivotal events in Slade's chronology (and, even with the guest appearances of all the Titans, and even with the labeling of this as a Titans book, this still very much a Deathstroke book).

The fundamental problem with this crossover is that by focusing so much on history it reveals what a shambles DC continuity is. Because it was apparently the original Titans, not the New Teen Titans, who now had the adventures in the late '70s and '80s, so it was the older sidekicks who hunted down HIVE and got involved with Ravager and Slade. And Slade apparently decided to pause his contract against the Titans, rather than completing it, which is what happened in pre-Flashpoint continuity, just before the destruction of HIVE. So does that mean that Terra never existed? That the Judas Contract never occurred? That Geo-Force never had and lost a sister? And why does the real Wally West remember this retconned continuity when he's supposed to be the one who comes from before Flashpoint? And why doesn't he seem to recognize Raven at all? (And why is she now 12 years old?) Sigh.

It turns out that this sort of continuity-laden return to the past has less impact when no one knows what the continuity actually is.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting experience. I get why this crossover is viewed controversially, but since I was coming-off Deathstroke the story featured here worked in my favor. I know that what had originally been wanted was a retelling of The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, one of the most famous stories in superhero comics (for those not familiar, that's season 2 of the 2000s animated adaption of Teen Titans, at least a more kid-friendly version). Priest was over-ruled by editors (a theme of his career) and had to make a new story on-the-spot.

I actually think it was done well-enough for what it was, and it leads into Deathstroke volume 4 perfectly.

[Georgie Zakka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sooooo boring, absolute garbage.

This book proves my dislike of Wallace west, like he literally almost destroys the world giving his powers to deathstroke, he is the cause of the madness.

The writing is absolutely boring these is no good dialogue, no humour, no emotion, just dialogue. It felt like talking to a robot.

The only issue I like is the last one with deathstroke it’s pretty cool and nice and I might give Christopher priest another chance

In the end don’t buy this, get it from the library.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely more enjoyable than I expected it to be. Although, it’s one of those arcs where I don’t understand everyone’s emotional responses.

For instance: it seemed quite clear to me that Damian was right. About pretty much everything.

Was Kid Flash ridiculously gullible regarding Deathstroke? Absolutely- he witnessed Slade kidnapping and harming (old) Wally, knows Slade lies to him for months previously to gain his trust and knows he admitted to murdering other people. (New) Wally should have known better than the trust him.

It sucks that Robin caused Flash to need a pacemaker but he saved the day and no heroes died. Also, Robin was right to leave Kid Flash behind when they went to stop Deathstroke because, at the time, he’d lost his speed.

This story could have been stronger if they’d done a lot more to show that Kid Flash saw this opportunity wit Deathstroke as a way to (somehow) save his father. At least that would’ve made him look a bit more ruled by emotion instead of just bad decision making.

And this results in Damian being treated like a monster when he made the only choices he could have made at the time.

Even worse... no one else made any decisions here? Dick gets yelled at for not telling his team everything (and what else is new? I mean seriously) but no one else makes a decision here. Starfire and Donna briefly talk about how they should be leading the team but the only people to give orders are Dick and Damian and only Damian’s appear to be followed, to be honest.

It’s odd. This reads like an arc where not enough characters have emotions. It’s weird. Tempest, Starfire, Arsenal, Omen, Donna Troy, and Beast Boy are seemingly just here. They may have a few lines but they don’t really stand out in this story.

So, it’s certainly not the worst I’ve read in this series. It’s solid, for the most part. I just think it could have benefited from giving Kid Flash more of a reason to trust someone who was so clearly untrustworthy.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

The Titans and Teen Titans go up against Deathstroke after he wants to bring his son back.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I have been really enjoying the Titans series written by Dan Abnett. So of course I have to read the first Teen Titans crossover event. The story is actually quite good and filled with emotion. Basically longtime Titans foe Deathstroke aka Slade Wilson is plotting to use the Speed force, the secret to the speedsters in the DC comics universe to go back in time and save his eldest son from death. It is a truly tragic coincidence that Slade's son died in battle going up against the earlier team of Teen Titans. What is nice about this story is the interactions between the older titans and Damian's aka Robin's younger titans team. The art was okay but not great in some parts. Though I enjoyed the writing from Priest on the Deathstroke issues I just found them too distracting from the main action of the story. I also found that some of the Titans acted very different from how they are in other DC comics books. I really felt like they took away the original Wally West's power set and had to make him seem like a coward. Long time Flash fans may not like this and even Nightwing doesn't seem like the same character you may be reading in his solo series. I have not read the original Judas Contract Teen Titans story arc so I can not say how this compares. It was a fun read and not a bad crossover story.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I'm not fond of what seems to be forced crossovers. What sells this tale are the Deathstroke, and his supporting cast bits, especially in the epilogue. Writer Christopher Priest has discussed, a little, on line some of the creative freedom he has been given, which really comes to frution, again in the last chapter.

Publisher DC Comics delivers on that freedom in the epilogue. Priest permits Deathstroke to use the Bible and religion as weapons to obtain cooperation from those he is recruiting. Deathstroke may no longer be a villain after the revelations he experienced earlier in the book, but I don't think he is a hero either. Much like Vic Mackey in the television show The Shield, Deathstroke is an engrossing amoral character whose story I end up being drawn into, and even rooting for him when I think I shouldn't.

The story's basic concept is that Deathstroke hits upon a way to time travel with the goal of saving his deceased son (really the dead son I don;t think is a spoiler for anyone who knows anything about Deathstroke). The whole Lazarus Contract is a nice concept, but in many ways is a MacGuffin in this story. The Teen Titans, and Titans were uninteresting characters for me.

If you have ever watched the The Shield, begin reading this title with the start of the Christopher Priest run. I think you'll like it.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 2 out of 5]

To tell who’s the truth I didn’t have any interest in this. I have not read any of the current Titans or Teen Titans so an event centered around them was not something I was signed up for.

However I have been reading Christopher Priests Deathstroke, which is fantastic. And a few issues of this event take place in Deathstroke’s title. So it looked like something I’d have to read before volume 4.

I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying the current Teen Titans line up. This piqued my interest and I may check out that comic now.

However the event is penned by three writers and only one of them has an interesting section in this event, Christopher Priest.

When Deathstroke out of the blue decides to get back his lost son Grant who died in a very famous Teen Titans storyline (Judas Cintract) it’s jarring to say the least, but the pure Deathstroke issues are well written, and the idea is interesting but the characters are all over the place. Damien seems to have lost some of his maturity, Kid Flash is annoying, Starfire is just there, Dick is too much like Bruce here, and Wally seems to have lost his mojo.

It’s not something I’d recommend but is required reading it seems for Deathstrokes title. The ending was pretty well done though.

2 stars

[Eldon Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon reread, I'm upping this to four stars. The artwork alone, merits it.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the world's deadliest assassin acquires access to the speed force, it's a bad time for everyone involved.

Deathstroke might be the Titans deadliest foe. They have battled many times before, but never quite like this, never with Deathstroke able to run as fast as Wally. And how did he get as fast as Wally? He kidnaps both and steals the younger Wally's speed. As always, these types of stories highlight just how deadly Deathstroke is as a villain/fighter. He once again proves that his deadliest weapon is his mind. I thought Priest's take on Deathstroke was especially well suited for the story, as he is more of a no nonsense type of character under his tutelage.

The art on this book is great. It has a rotating case who handles the art including Norm Rapmund, Brett Booth, Phil Hester, Paul Pelletier, Carlo Pagulayan... and really they all did a fantastic job. Even Booth, who's art isn't my cup of tea, did a really good job on keeping the book looking dynamic and exciting.

There were some issues with pacing, as well as just general plot issues as well (why did Deathstroke wait years to do this?) but overall, a good entry into the Deathstroke vs Titans type stories. This volume shows how deadly and scary Deathroke is as a villain - the showdown between (older) Wally and Deathstroke with super speed was revealing, as Wally literally runs away once he realizes he is outmatched, was an especially good highlight of the deadliness of Deathsroke.

Recommended for fans of the Titans and fans of the DC universe in general.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me puse a leerlo porque así me dijo Priest en la serie principal de Deathstroke. Pero estaba más perdido que un renacuajo en el desierto. Para entender este libro, o mejor, para tener un enlace emocional con este libro hay que leer Titans, Teen Titans y Deathstroke a la vez. Sólo lo recomendaría si ese es el caso. Pero lo mejor es evitarlo ya que cualquier cosa que suceda aquí, será resumida en el próximo capítulo de la serie que estás leyendo en caso de que solo sea una.

El dibujo estaba bien pero nada especial. Algo que parece creado en masa. Hubo solo un panel que me llamó la atención. El resto es un montón de nada sucediendo por el problema de tener tantos personajes juntos en un libro de solo un arco narrativo. .

[TehBeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooo boring, I’d rather read Dc superhero girls than this. I honestly was sleeping when reading this. Wally giving his powers to Deathstroke is so dumb. Also most of the time its was just talking, nothing else happening. Only thing keeping me away from two stars was the art. Art by Brett Booth was not bad. (But Flash’s head is humongous). If you really want to buy it.............. don’t its not worth buying

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad but it came out of nowhere. Deathstroke steals the Flash's powers (2 of them actually) in order to travel back in time and his son Grant who died in a battle with the Titans. The Titans didn't kill him, however, he was killed by the superpowers he received from a group known as the Hive.

So we see both group of Titans team up to stop Deathstroke, and we find out there was some shady dealings going on with Deathstroke and the leaders of the two groups. Overall this was a little too convoluted and it didn't mesh well with the ongoing Deathstroke series.

It looks like Deathstroke is supposedly turning over a new leaf and going the superhero route now, but I tend to doubt his sincerity so we'll see.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was my first time reading this since i didn't really get into any of damian's titans stuff at the time. it's pretty good and entertaining if you simply look at it on a moment to moment basis, but coming to this primarily as a damian fan it is distracting how badly he's written in every scene except for him reluctantly comforting raven. in a post-son of batman world, it's truly unforgivable when you miss "kinda abrasive but working on it" and end up hitting "basically evil."

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had its moments, but when the mix of powers of those around is exactly what is needed to fix things, you just can't help but think of a poor plot.

[The Spooky Jedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and entertaining

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot was cool, a few good jokes, but no meat on the bone.

[Roxanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Synopsis: We open on the moment Slade Wilson's son Grant died back when the Titans were still the Teen Titans. In present day, the Titans are fighting some guys that were hired by a contact known as Lazarus to distract the Titans. Nightwing recognizes the name but lies and says he doesn't. Then the Titans notice that Wally is missing, while at the same time the Teen Titans are noticing that their Wally is also missing.

The two teams meet to discuss the missing Flashes. Meanwhile, the Flashes have been captured by Slade because he wants to use their powers to travel back in time and save his son Grant. The older Wally refuses but the younger Wally takes the bait and gets his speed stolen. Slade proceeds to try and save Grant to no avail since Grant hates him and will not believe anything he says. Sidenote: apparently Nightwing made some kind of deal with Slade when Grant died, but honestly couldn't tell you what exactly it was.

The Titans and Teen Titans meet up with Slade's hero son Jericho. Jericho and Wally decide to go into the timestream to find Slade and in the process, cause a time vortex. The younger versions of the Titans appear, but before Nightwing can explain, Damien punches the younger Wally in the chest, causing him to die for a couple of minutes. This "death" in the past disrupts Deathstroke's stolen speed powers and he appears in the present.

Blah, blah, blah, Kid Flash gets his speed powers back and Wally is alive. Slade claims he's done being Deathstroke, but we see him starting a new team at the end of the volume. Meanwhile, Damien has given Wally a heart condition due to the fact that he punched his chest and killed him for a bit. As a result, the doctor advises Wally to not be the Flash anymore. Oh, yeah, and Damien kicks Kid Flash out of the Teen Titans.

Review: DC really should either stop doing this half assed mini crossovers or tighten up the story-telling. Plot details tend to get lost or not elaborated on to the point of confusion. It also doesn't seem to have much of a point to it? I suppose the ending could lead into stuff they're going to be doing in the Deathstroke title, but as someone that doesn't read that title, it means nothing to me and it wasn't a great story to boot.

Another issue is why is Deathstroke just now deciding he wants to use the Speed Force to save his son? I'm not up on my Titans history, but Grant Wilson has probably been dead for awhile, so again, why now? Even if the timing doesn't make sense, they still could have pulled off a better story.

I hate Damien Wayne. I mean sincerely. Maybe he’s different when the book is focused on him, but he just comes off as such a little asshole all the time. The shit he pulled with Wally's younger self was not fucking okay. I'm so tired of Damien running around and doing whatever he wants without repercussions just because he's Batman's kid. Damien constantly hurts other heroes, but when a hero like Kid Flash fucks up? He gets kicked off his superhero team.

I don't know that Damien Wayne as a character has grown at all since his introduction. Other than, not killing people every step of the way, not to say he doesn't still kill. He's still an asshole and as long as he is leading the Teen Titans, I would never even consider picking that title up. Sorry, I realize that sounds harsh, but I get sick of DC allowing Damien to do whatever he wants to other (better, more loved) characters and no consequences.

Well, I did give this two stars, so what did I like? I liked the art - Titans generally I would say has pretty good artists that cycle through. The story was not AS hard to follow as some of the other mini crossovers I've read. Even if the Lazarus Contract wasn't a great story, I suppose it does have some important plot points for future books, mainly for the Flashes. I can't say I would recommend this to anyone unless you're invested in reading this run of Titans.

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a long way to go to get this storyline set up for Deathstroke. Yes, he should lead a team. no, he doesn't have to become born again to have that happen. All the Titans act out of character, when their not just standing around... Kid Flash is the only one to have a crisis of concious worth reading...

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Titans: The Lazarus Contract is a month-long comic book event that pits the Teen Titans and Titans against Deathstroke. When Deathstroke discovers that Wally West's return from the Speed Force holds the key to bringing his son, Grant Wilson, back from the dead, he stops at nothing to do just that – including facing both the Teen Titans and Titans teams. This trade paperback collects Titans #11, Teen Titans #8, Deathstroke #19–20, and Teen Titans: The Lazarus Contract Special.

Titans: The Lazarus Contract opens with Titans #11 in the past with Grant Wilson as Ravenger is fighting against the Teen Titans – Dick Grayson's team. Apparently, he was contracted to kill them by H.I.V.E. and was given a superhuman serum to do so. However, unbeknownst to him the serum proved fatal and Wilson died with a massive heart attack and even with Kid Flash's speed he couldn't save him in time. It was then that Deathstroke arrives to see his son die in his arms and blames the Teen Titans for killing him.

A year later, Deathstroke summons Robin back to Hatton Corners for a parley. He told Robin (Dick Grayson) that he has taken up his son's contract from H.I.V.E. to kill the Teen Titans, but he was willing to go back to H.I.V.E. and tell them he's making this particular contract a Lazarus Contract. In essence, the contract is null and void – essentially dead, but could be resurrected like Lazarus should Deathstorke ever decides to do so. He tells Robin that he wanted to teach his daughter, Rose Wilson, the morals that he has and he will never go near the Titans ever again. (Deathstorke #19)

Fast-forward to the present, Slade Wilson's relationship between his living children, Rose and Joey Wilson, has been disastrous to say the least – deadly even. With the return of Wally West gave him an idea – to go back in time to save the son he couldn't – Grant Wilson. However in order to do so, he must break his promise he made to Robin, now Nightwing – to resurrect the Lazarus Contract.

Deathstroke managed to distract the Titans long enough to kidnap Wally West – the Flash and to give Nightwing a message – the Lazarus Contract is broken. Wilson tries to convince Wally West to lend him the secrets of time travel even willing to promise never to kill again if he could save Grant Wilson, but West refused. Unfortunately, Deathstroke had a backup plan – he also kidnapped the other Wally West – Kid Flash.

With the kidnappings of both Flash and Kid Flash has brought the Teen Titans and Titans together to fight Deathstroke, but too late. Deathstorke has already siphoned Kid Flash's power and now could tap into the Speed Force and with Doctor Ikon's gravity suit can now travel back in time to save his son. However, the Titan teams catches up to him and stops him in time. After saving Deathstroke from the Speed Force, the three series would be changed irrevocably.

With his time in the Speed Force, Slade Wilson found enlightenment and decided to give up being an assassin – instead he formed his own superhero team. Wally West (Kid Flash) was fired from the Teen Titans, because he was too stupid or gullible to fall for Deathstroke's tricks. Wally West (Flash) now has a pacemaker, which he didn't have before, because when Damian Wayne temporary killed Kid Flash (Wally West) in the past has damaged his heart too much. He was given medical orders that he could not use his powers again, because it could cause him to have a heart attack.

Written by Christopher Priest, Benjamin Percy, and Dan Abnett – the currently writers for Deathstroke, Teen Titans, and Titans respectively, Titans: The Lazarus Contract was a good idea – in fact I really liked the premise of the event – the execution however was rather mediocre. Furthermore, some of the characters, particularly the Bat Boys, were written somewhat out of character. Finally, and this is just my preference, is that I'm not a huge fan of how Priest writes – it's just too confusing to me.

Perhaps I was expecting too much – maybe because I've been looking forward to a Titans team-up ever since Titans has been formed and what better foe than Deathstroke? While I understand calling the event the Lazarus Contract would bring memories of The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, but it raised the bar for me too high, which was a determent to me when reading Titans: The Lazarus Contact. In fact, I have totally forgotten what the Lazarus Contract was before I even finished the arc. Personally, I think that besides evoking nostalgia, the Lazarus Contract itself was rather superfluous and could have been edited out of the event entirely.

Titans: The Lazarus Contract had too many pencilers – seven in total. Brett Booth, Phil Hestor, Khoi Pham, Larry Hama, Carlo Pagulayun, Roberto J. Viacava, and Paul Pelletier. While separately they have their own strengths and weakness that makes each pencilers great, but put them tougher in one trade paperback, their strengths and weaknesses doesn't complement each other, but work against each other. The penciling was too jagged from issue to issue and even in some circumstances from page to page.

All in all, Titans: The Lazarus Contract was a mediocre event – thankfully short, but a somewhat crucial read in order to continue reading Deathstroke, Teen Titans, and Titans. While advertised and given the promise of mimicking or modernizing The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract – it barely succeeded (if that) to live up to such a promise or standard.

[DB · Rating 1 out of 5]

What did I even just read? This is barely nostalgia fan fic. Sorry. I like/d these characters and I hate this story. Deathstroke is boring. And he's the most interesting thing going here. The dialogue is bad at every turn. The artwork is inconsistent. The action is muddled and the plot makes no sense. I picked this up with a handful of Rebirth titles, just to see how things are going and wow. Off to a terrible start. "Now it's time for the ultimate conflict," reads the marketing text on the back. Spoiler alert: they don't fight. They barely even disagree.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

uhhhh, so I know now why so many people hate Damien bc after this volume, same. And idk I just think it's in bad taste that the only two ppl left behind on the mission were the only black ppl on the team. Overall Damien just was notttt portrayed in a good light. Other than those pretty important setbacks it would've been a 5, the story was great and I love how Deathstroke interacts with the team.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Titans: A Judas Among Us before you've read this is hilarious because every time Nightwing so much as opens his mouth somebody feels the need to tell him that his opinion is invalid because of the Lazarus Contract and you have zero context for that. Crossing over Titans, Teen Titans, and Deathstroke, Titans: The Lazarus Contract gives Deathstroke access to DC's favourite deus ex machina: the speed force.

The Good

1. I understand why Kid Flash was willing to hear Deathstroke out, I don't think he meant to do anything wrong, and I feel bad for him. Always a win when a story gets me interested in and empathising with a character I haven't thought too much about before.

2. Jackson is glorious and steals every scene he's in.

3. Considering the lack of conflict resolution between the rest of the characters, I'm glad that they took a couple of panels out to have Dick and Damian agree that they needed to work together and not butt heads over who was in charge of their combined teams. It also seemed to get Damian passed the fact that Dick made a deal in the first place.

4. Deathstroke's a pretty complex villain here. He's motivated by love (you know I love it when villains are motivated by love), there are consequences for his previous bad treatment of his children, and he's manipulative rather than violent. Also, he verbally destroys Dick in the space of a single panel, so that was funny.

The Bad

1. So. Little. Conflict. Resolution. Dick made a deal with Deathstroke years ago. The Titans were originally mad that he knew something he wouldn't tell them, but then, the moment the Teen Titans turned up, they didn't seem bothered about it anymore. Come Titans: A Judas Among Us (set directly afterwards) they're salty again. MAKE UP YOUR MINDS.

2. Sure, Damian's solution was crude, dangerous, and had lasting consequences, but what kind of plan is going back in time and sticking together?

3. Everyone gets really cliquey really fast, which doesn't make a lot of sense. The Titans used to be Teen Titans, so they must know what it's like to not be taken seriously simply because of your age, and they're not that much older than them anyway. Simmer down, guys.

4. I'm not overly keen on how Damian is written here. I mean, yeah, he's always a brat, but he's much nicer to his friends in other things I've read. More sarcastic and less cruel.

5. Too many characters and not enough space to give them all something to do, though that's probably a given when you're crossing over two teams of six characters.

Overall, I did enjoy it (hence the three star rating) but I did feel that some of the conflict between the teams was forced and some of the conflict within the teams was pushed aside to make the story move along quicker. It had a cool villain though, and it's piqued my interest in a couple of characters I haven't really thought about before, so make of it what you will.