Deathstroke: The Terminator, Vol. 4: Crash or Burn

Deathstroke: The Terminator (collected editions) #21-25

by Steven Grant, Len Wein, Steve Erwin (Illustrator)

Slade Wilson — known to his enemies and allies as Deathstroke, the Terminator — is the world’s deadliest assassin. But this time, the legendary mercenary has been tasked with saving a life. A rogue neo-Nazi group called Fire and Blood is building a deadly army hell-bent on killing countless people. Deathstroke has been hired to rescue an ambassador’s son who was abducted by the group. Can Deathstroke take down an entire army of lunatics while keeping the young political prisoner safe?

Find out in Deathstroke, the Terminator Vol. 4: Crash or Burn, featuring classic stories about the man who kills for a living, written by Steven Grant with art by Steve Erwin, Gabriel Morrissette, John Statema, Will Blyberg and others. Collects Deathstroke, the Terminator #21-25 and Annual #2.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Crime, Superheroes, Graphic Novels

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Steven Grant is an American comic book writer best known for his 1985–1986 Marvel Comics mini-series The Punisher with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-owned character Whisper.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_...

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very solid tales of Slade hiring himself out as a mercenary. First, Deathstroke has to protect a bank robber from the woman he trained, the Vigilante. I loved the ending to this one. Then, Slade gets involved with the CIA and everything is not what it seems. In the last of the regular issues Slade has to track down a rapist hiding out in a sealed biosphere. This was the only one I didn't care for of Grant's stories. Stephen Grant does a great job of showcasing Slade's unique code of honor while dipping into gray areas. These reminded me a lot of Mike Grell's run on Green Arrow.

Also included is a Bloodlines annual where Len Wein introduces us to Gunfire. None of these Bloodlines annuals were very good. The whole premise was kind of dumb. Aliens come to Earth to suck out our spinal fluid. In 1 in 10,000 people it creates a metahuman instead of killing the person.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories..
But hasn't aged all that well

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this series showed Deathstroke to be more than just a mercenary for hire or a man that kills for money. I enjoyed the stories showing his human wants and failings, desires and rages. He became more than just a villain for the supers to fight, he became a person. Recommended

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Switching from Wolfman to Grant as writer changes the tone of the book. Lots of first person narrative. Some of the ideas here are solid, although the exchange with the Vigilante was tiresome. The Bloodlines tie in with Annual #2 was pure shit, though.

[Ottery Chocolat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very 90's comic. Now that can either be seen as praise or condemnation. For myself, I have a fond memory and love of the 90's and comics from that era, but your mileage may vary. That being said, there are some ridiculous things from the 90's that all the nostalgic love in the world will not gloss over and they clearly were ridiculous then, and even more so now.
This comic is not a disaster, but neither is it really a masterpiece. It's a solid comic in places. The storytelling is all over the place. It is an interesting spy book. It doesn't try to play Slade Wilson as a hero, he's a mercenary and he will do what he's paid to do. In some instances that is to protect questionable people, in others to assassinate them. But whatever side of the angels he's playing, he is still our beloved Slade Wilson, a villain at heart. Given that, the stories aren't anything too amazing, and they range from the moderately amusing to the very cliched and horrid. Criticism which I refer to the last issue, the 2nd annual which sadly was a part of the DCU Bloodlines storyline which ran through their annuals. It involves aliens sucking spinal fluid from humans and one in a million becoming a new superhero. None of which actually took, if memory serves. So as far as the writing goes, it's okay, nothing spectacular happens here.
As far as the artwork is concerned, here again the art is very 90's style, and very fond of characters with pouches, bullets, belts and in the character of Gunfire who is introduced in the annual a ton of pouches. Doubtless, the author was trying to be funny. At the moment when his friend is handing him weapons he comments, "You want to strap on a few more weapons on me, Ben? I'm afraid I can still move!" and towards the end Gunfire ditches all the pouches to reveal his real armor. The story in the annual however, comes off as trite and is riddled with cliches. In one panel we even get an "homage" to Aliens when blood, colored green because DC editors were squeamish then, plops onto Gunfire's chest from above. Obviously, that's where the alien creature is hiding. The artwork is middling at best, not too horrible, but neither can I identify any singular artist as none of them except the cover artist have any actual distinctive style of their own. Throughout the book we go through four separate credited pencillers all of whose styles differ but none of whom's style is anything memorable.
It's an interesting book, fun in places, and the artwork is mostly competent and good, but the Annual at the end storywise at least brings down what is an ordinary book into a less than extraordinary read.

[Brendan Mckillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steven Grant is close, but he doesn't quite make Deathstroke feel like Deathstroke. The stories read a little generic. Besides the first story, the rest were lackluster in story and art. The final story in the collection had stellar art from Steve Erwin, but unfortunately was part of the forgettable Bloodlines crossover from the early 1990s.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolfman's departure from the series robs Deathstroke of the nuance that makes previous volumes so fascinating. Slade Wilson never comes across in this volume with the nuances he possesses in Volumes 2 and 3. Steven Grant's narrative is fine, serviceable even, but action and betrayal serves this story more so than inner-conflict.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Slade Wilson Badass Goodness! Reads like an 80's action film in all the good ways!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bulk of this is decent enough, until the Bloodlines tie in annual which is pretty rough - as all of them from that event seem to be. Its a shame a lot of the page count is devoted to it.

[Chris Buensuceso · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting switch from Wolfman to Grant. The changes of this aged comic's narrative are solid although the story with the mission to save the kid was reeking of boredom.

[Piotr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deathstroke: The Terminator Vol 4
Collects: Deathstroke: The Terminator #21-25; Annual #2

(4⭐) Personally an upgrade on a previous comics in this series. More interesting, fun and shorter plots with beautiful art. Entertaining and enjoyable.