Batman vs. Deathstroke

Deathstroke (2016) #6

by Christopher J. Priest, Carlo Pagulayan (Illustrator), Ed Benes (Illustrator)

Finally! The World's Deadliest Assassin takes on the Dark Knight himself in Batman vs. Deathstroke.

When Batman discovers a mysterious package containing DNA test results proving that he is not Damian Wayne's biological father, the Dark Knight sets his sights on his son's true father--Deathstroke! But Damian Wayne can't really be Slade Wilson's son--can he? And who sent the package--and why? The ultimate custody battle ensues as the World's Greatest Detective and the World's Deadliest Assassin clash in this instant classic!

The Eisner Award-nominated series kicks into high gear in this standalone hardcover volume of Christopher Priest's critically acclaimed run. Collects Deathstroke #30-35.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Batman, Fantasy

152 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2019

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

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok to good story arc. I have to say, I really did not get some of the side stories in the book. The dynamic between Batman and Deathstroke was overly complicated. However, all that could have been forgiven if the fight lived up to the promised fireworks. It did not quite do that.

These two are the two most tactical and technical fighters in comics. This is one of the few times I would have preferred less story and just had these two go at each other. Instead of the short bouts of action, with them going at each other as brawlers.

The artwork was good, theme of how different Batman's attitude is from Deathstroke. Something I really did like was Batman in action as Bruce Wayne. As good as the story and technical was I bought this for the fight that I don't think it delivered. The book also contains the cover gallery with the varient issues.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman discovers a paternity test showing Deathstroke is Damian Wayne's true father. Batman declares he'll shutdown Deathstroke's business until he helps determine where the results came from. I love the Spy vs. Spy nature of this book, with Batman and Deathstroke coming up with new ways to piss each other off, continuously one upping one another. It makes the book a lot more fun than if it was just one big fight. I also liked how Priest established an ongoing relationship between Alfred and Wintergreen. There are some nice father and son moments as well. Carlo Pagulayan's art is top notch.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman: --Until I have a complete understanding of this potential threat--Deathstroke is closed. I will shut down every mission--block every assignment--until I am satisfied.
Deathstroke: Don't start this. Neither of us can know where it will end.

Batman vs. Deathstroke pits two of the DCU's most brilliant tacticians, the Dark Knight and Slade Wilson, against each other, with mixed results. I haven't had as many thoughts about a book in a long time as I have about this one; a pros and cons list may help illustrate my experience with this versus battle:

PROS:

1. There are a decent amount of fight scenes between Batman and Deathstroke, and some of them are pretty good.

2. The art is very well done. The writer Christopher Priest says in the Afterword, when thanking penciller Carlo Pagulayan for his contributions, that almost every page is "worthy of framing", and I agree completely.

3. The distinct aspects of the personalities of Batman and Deathstroke are brought to life tremendously in this book, as are the similarities in their personalities.

CONS:

1. In the Afterword, writer Christopher Priest says he had to "put them on a collision course in a way that wouldn't seem trite and contrived." I think he failed in this respect, because although not trite, the way they are put on a collision course definitely feels contrived.

2. The story is unnecessarily convoluted. Somehow Alfred, Batman/Bruce Wayne's beloved butler, is involved in his own sub-plot with Deathstroke's associate William Randolph Wintergreen that involves Batman and Deathstroke. This makes absolutely no sense. Alfred loves Bruce like a son. Why would he be involved in contriving something that could potentially kill him? Even more frustrating, near the end of the book Alfred tries to explain his involvement to Bruce...and then Bruce shrugs him off and the book ends! Weak! Aside from this, there are two female characters in the book that may or may not be involved in their own separate plots to have the two square off, numerous Robins from Batman's past and present are involved in the story, Nightshade (who I've never encountered before) is part of the story, etc. There's just way too much going on.

3. You need to have read the Deathstroke comics and Batman comics to understand everything that is going on: I've read a decent amount of Batman comics, but as I mentioned before there are multiple generations of Robins in this book and the one who is currently Robin I've never even heard of before. There are also a number of events alluded to throughout this book where the editor says things like "See Deathstroke #4" in the margins. This book is sold as a hardcover that looks very standalone, but it isn't and relies on you knowing things from books you may not (as in my case) possess.

4. The writer used acronyms that the editor would then need to explain in separate text areas. Here is a real example from the book to explain an acronym N.O.C. used in the dialogue: *Non-official cover intelligence operatives. --Alex. That seemed really out of place to me, and isn't something I've seen in comics before; I thought it was a bit tacky.

5. Batman and Deathstroke have long, detailed conversations when they're fighting. Instead of text boxes outlining what's happening during a fight, Deathstroke speaks it as dialogue. Here is a real example from when they were fighting (Deathstroke is speaking): My titanium staff's energy only charges your super-mittens--which, from their wallop, I presume you designed to fight Superman. Things like this are being spoken when they are literally punching each other, shooting at each other with weapons, grappling with each other, etc. Unrealistic, bizarre, and a bit ridiculous, given how many times it happens throughout the book.

6. The book seems like it could have used more editing. For a comic book, there were a lot of misspelled/duplicate/out-of-place words. Also, at one time it shifts panels and Batman is saying something like "Envy you? Envy you?!". No one had said, anywhere in the sequence that came before, that he envies anyone...I'm not sure if a panel was missed or what happened there, but it made no sense.

Overall, this book was a bit of a disappointment. The art is phenomenal, and Batman and Deathstroke are well represented, but that can't cover up a contrived, convoluted story where the premise is repeated throughout the book ad nauseam. Seriously, why do writers always make versus battles so needlessly labyrinthine? This isn't hard. Deathstroke is an assassin. Have him kill someone Bruce Wayne cares about as part of one of his contracts. That's a far more natural and effective way to pit them against each other. I won't spoil anything but you'll see what I mean if you read the book. It simply didn't need to be this complicated.

I commend Christopher Priest and company for trying to deliver a great versus battle between these two legendary foes, but this was a bit of a miss for me. Recommended for die-hard Batman and Deathstroke fans only; there isn't much of value here for anyone else.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno why they are doing this as a "Batman vs Deathstroke" volume instead of just naming in Deathstroke volume 6. Ugh...

Anyhow, Damien's father. Who is he? Someone has sent Bruce some papers proving Damien is Slade's son. So the Batman decides to change down deathstroke and find out what the fuck is up. Deathstroke and Batman go to war, both filled with tons of resources, and both fully pissed at each other for fucking with each other's life. The ending results in a flawed but pretty fun little arc.

Good: The art stays consistent and really well done. I thought Damien and Slade teaming up was both fun and silly. I also enjoyed seeing Batman and Slade teaming up a bit at the end. The funny lines, especially, and surprisingly from Batman, had some great self reflecting moments of burns throughout the arc.

Bad: The story is a bit dumb and over the top. I mean, they could have talked this out and be done with it all quickly. I also thought the ending, very ending, was not very well done and kind of made the whole thing pointless.

Overall, it's fun for sure. It's not deep or as impactful as the last volume, but it's good none the less if like both characters. A 3 out of 5.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok read with good art, I feel like I could get more of it if I was reading Deathstroke's ongoing series, but it was still worth it, by the way, why is Black Widow on this book?

[Molly™☺ · Rating 1 out of 5]

An extremely pointless story which also happens to have the displeasure of being terribly written. It's a conflict with an extremely easy resolution, but one that Priest feels the need to drag out for the sake of boring fight scenes. Batman is smart, that's one of his main characteristics, and it just doesn't feel right to have him go on this 'who is the real father' goose chase when all he needs to do is a DNA test. The most aggrivating thing is the fact that it's resolved BY A DNA TEST any way in the end. A book so boring you might cry, this is a waste of the characters and your time.

[Sud666 · Rating 2 out of 5]

First the good: The art. It's quite well done. Now the bad: the story. Basically this is the baby-daddy story. Someone has DNA reports showing Damien is Slade Wilson's brat and not Batman's brat. This causes Batman to become truly annoying and chase Slade around like a stalker. Meanwhile, Slade doesn't seem to care about Damien either way..or maybe he does? I didn't know Deathstroke had a decent streak in him..but apparently he does.

Now there are some changes. Red Robin (Tim Drake) is allegedly dead, but this is comic land and I truly doubt he is permanently dead and expect to see him pop up in a year or two. Meanwhile Deathstroke has some dumbass IKON armor thing...what? I have no idea but it sounds dumb as hell. Also Batman and Deathstroke clash a lot, since Batman peeved that Damian may not be his brat says no more contracts for Deathstroke until the sperm is identified. Why not just arrest the guy? Well then it'd only be one issue..so instead they keep clashing. We also have Alfred and some other geriatric named Wintergreen who apparently play the same role, Alfred for Batman and Wintergreen for Slade.

Overly complicated, a shallow premise and strange behavior from Batman all lead to a resounding meh. The artwork was good though.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never shied away from stating that I'm a bit of a Christopher Priest fanboy. So, some of you might be going why a three star review?

Because the action, as brutal as it is, becomes almost numbing at a certain point. Some of this could have been my frame of mind while reading this, because when the reader gets to the final fight scene both men should appear to be battered broken, and barely hanging onto to life.

I mean come on, neither Bruce Wayne nor Slade Wilson are known for taking it easy on themselves or their opponents.

What works really well here is when the two men are using their brains to take the other one down. Slade gets all of Wayne's assets frozen, and Bruce gets Slade's clients to drop him as examples. You don't win fights long term by punching someone in the face (usually) you win by deleting their ability to fight.

Recommended for fans of Priest, and those who would enjoy the small characters bits that happen in between fight sequences.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damian Wayne is Batman's son...right? But what if...No, surely not. The truth may be stranger than fiction however, as both of Damian's potential fathers declare war on each other in this mini-event series that pits Batman against Deathstroke, with Robin as the prize.

Christopher Priest gives no fucks. I've decided that. So whether DC management decided he should be telling Deathstroke as a series of mini-series (although continuing the series numbering, just to confuse everyone) or if he decided it himself, it means nothing - he's just getting on with everything he's been getting on with since Deathstroke #1. This volume is no different - it may be billed as its own thing, but it draws on all of the battles and continuity that Priest has built up between Deathstroke and Batman and Deathstroke and Damian in the earlier issues as the action gets higher and higher pitched until the inevitably explosive conclusion.

Possibly more interesting is the side plot involving Wintergreen and Alfred that gives them some surprisingly clever connections, and Priest's Damian is just as much of a little shit as he is everywhere else, which is delightful.

Carlo Pagulayan has been probably the most constant of Priest's Deathstroke collaborators, and he pencils the majority of these six issues - dropping back to a monthly schedule has definitely put Deathstroke's art on a more consistent streak rather than swapping over every month or so when it was fortnightly.

You can grab this if you're a fan of either character - but if you've not been reading the rest of Deathstroke (and you really should) you're not going to get as much out of this as you would otherwise. It's a fun little adventure, but some context definitely enhances the experience.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title really says it all! These two are arguably two of the best fighters in the DC Universe - well human fighters that is - and putting them against each other is a great prospect for a story.

But we cant just have them fight just because though, so the story has to do with Damian. A folder appears with information contained within that claims that Bruce Wayne is not Damian's dad, but instead, Slade is. This causes Batman to kind of go into a tailspin, demanding answers from Deathstroke. Deathstroke brushes him off, but Batman pushes for answers until the inevitable fight(s). It was an interesting way to start off the matchup, and by the end of things, it's wrapped up pretty neatly. A little too neatly in my opinion.

I think this was pretty solid, but you have to be a fan of the way Priest writes. If you're familiar with his style, then this will be par for the course for you. But for those who are not, he has this kind of broken narrative thing going, and he doesn't hand hold, so you may find yourself wondering if you missed a scene or two. I wonder if a new reader would find this easy to follow and enjoyable.

The art is the best thing about the book in my opinion. Carlo Pagulayan gives us some solid, solid pencil work, with each issue looking as good as, if not better than the last. He has a dynamic style that is heavy on detail, and it works really well with these two. It was a treat to see his work on this.

Overall, the plot is a bit convenient, and I'm not the biggest Priest fan, but the art really made me enjoy the book.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this because it's hard to do Batman Vs. Deathstroke and not have it be at least mostly entertaining. However, it did have some faults. For one thing, this was taken out of continuity and broke up the Deathstroke series. This entire "limited series within a series" takes place at some point outside of current Deathstroke continuity, but still sometime recent. That being said, it was still interesting to how the two battle each other both physically as well as mentally. The entire battle is sparked by information surfacing that indicates Damien Wayne may in fact be Deathstroke's son rather than Batman's.

Overall this was a great "Vs." series and may have worked better as a stand alone limited series. Regardless, if you are a Deathstroke and/or Batman fan you should enjoy this, and if you like both characters you'll be doubly pleased.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passados três anos do início da iniciativa Renascimento, da DC Comics, os quadrinhos do Exterminador por Christopher Priest continuam sendo um dos melhores, senão o melhor deste esforço. As histórias são intrincadas em espionagens e nas relações familiares entre traições e alianças. Os desenhistas da série, o brasileiro Diógenes Neves, Carolo Pagulayan e outros, parecem estar em sintonia, fazendo um trabalho regularíssimo. Neste encadernado, o Batman confronta o Exterminador porque ele acredita que Slade Wilson pode ser o pai de Damian, o Robin, e não Bruce Wayne, como ele pensava. Segue-se um combate tenso e em vários cenários entre o maior mercenário e o maior detetive do mundo. Isso sem falar nas alianças forjadas entre Wintergreen e Alfred, que dá um sabor maio à trama, além das maquinações de Adeline Wilson e Tália Al Ghul, que também forjam pistas para confundir o morcego e o homem do tapa-olho. Enquanto isso, acompanhamos as subtramas de Jericó e Rose Wilson, para desvendar quem realmente matou a noiva de Joseph Wilson. Exterminador é um quadrinho que deve ser lido por mais gente, recomendadíssimo!

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot to review this when I read it (holiday season was leaving me in a mood). I see I am in the extreme minority opinion on Goodreads that actually enjoyed this book. This volume is--in truth--a diversionary-tale that gets us to the next start in the eternally messy world of Deathstroke. I don't mind it, because I've loved this title since Christopher J. Priest started writing it and will probably continue to love it as I now attempt to get caught up with it. I don't read as many new comics as I use to, but certain authors will get me to cough-up the dough when I have it.

For now though, I have enough of a to-read list of comics, graphic novels, and manga that I am not actively looking to dive into new titles, but I will read writers that I like and check in on anything that gets my attention.

[Georgie Zakka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m half and half on this book, it’s not really a bad book but it’s not that great, Christopher priest seems like he’s a good writer but i think I didn’t like this because don’t read deathstroke and I don’t really know a lot of the character in the book.

The art is another problem of mine, it’s really hard to tell who’s who because they’re all old men with gray and black hair in suits, the only two characters that were easy to identity were Joseph and slade but another than that the art was fine.

As much as the book revolves around Damian he’s not in this book much, not even Batman gets a lot of screen time. The reason this gets a three are the fight scenes and because of the last issue where they work together.

Overall good book.

[Brandon Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a little odd. There were a lot of moving parts (maybe too many) and maybe a subplot or two that was a bit over the top. Having said that, I genuinely enjoyed the ride, even if I didn't always understand where it was taking me or why.

Looking back on it, there could be an easier way to put Batman and Deathstroke on a personal collision course, but putting Damian in the middle was a good way to establish an emotional connection.

I loved the art. I thought Alfred's journey was fun and a different take on a familiar character. There was a lot to like here, but I found myself lost a few times, which is saying something, as I know Batman's world pretty well.

If you're engrossed in the world, you'll probably love it. If you're not, it holds your hand enough to still be fun. It's a high-wire act that stumbles a bit, but is worth the time it asks for.

[Andy Zell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, but I think I enjoyed it more because I had already read Grant Morrison's run on Batman that introduces Damien Wayne and James Tynion's Detective Comics run that includes some events that affect this story. Besides pitting the detective against the assassin, the story is preoccupied with fathers and sons.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really solid read. I'm not really a Deathstroke fan, but what really stood out in this comic for me were the themes about fatherhood: What a father means to his son, what a son means to his father. Pair that with nice action, and some surprisingly complicated manipulations, and you get a pretty darn good read.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very out of place story that would have been much better in continuity published under the Detective Comics title with a better, more Batman experience creative team. Great idea, poor application.

[Dominika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naprawdę dobra kreska - i to chyba jeden z niewielu plusów.
Ten komiks pokazał mi, że zarówno Batman jak i Deathstroke to totalni debile.
Nie mam pojęcia jak ktoś mógł sądzić, że drama o ojcostwo między tą dwójką będzie ciekawa. Miałam wrażenie, że Batman próbuje wcisnąć Deathstrokowi dziecko, a ten za wszelką cene stara sie uniknąć alimentów.
Idiotycznym jest, że Batman nigdy wcześniej w żaden sposób nie potwierdził, iż Damian jest jego synem - ten komiks próbuje mi wmówić, że typ po prostu zaufał Talii i wziął dzieciaka do siebie bez żadnych testów DNA.
Na plus wstawki martwego Tima.
O nieśmiertelnym kminieniu kto kryje sie za maską Batmana nie wspomnę, bo Slade jakieś 3 razy mógł się tego w komiksie domyślić, ale chyba nie chciał, ja nie wiem.
Komiks ma jakieś 150 stron, a ja czytałam go dwa dni, bo miałam ogromnego laga mózgu przez większość czasu.

Było okej, po prostu okej.
Ale jestem psychofanką Slade'a, więc 3 gwiazdki.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

TODAY ON MAURY: BATMAN, YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!
-
This interesting take on parentage pitting the paternity of Damian between Batman and Deathstroke was a story that I didn’t think I’d ever see, but am glad I read. The art was great in this book and I actually didn’t hate the story. Seems like the characters of Deathstroke and Batman were upheld pretty well. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I’d read the previous 30 or so issues of Deathstroke that came before this volume, but it still read fine as a stand-alone. I did really enjoy the ending of this story and the flaws that this book brings to light in Batman’s character.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Priest's Batman vs. Deathstroke is an old-school crossover in the best way, the kind of true miniseries-within-a-series we just don't see any more. It has all the hallmarks of Priest's great Deathstroke series, where it appeared, but reflecting a skill for writing Batman and his ilk, too. Priest is no stranger to writing the larger DC Universe, though his recent Justice League foray was perhaps a bit too stylized for some's tastes; Batman vs. Deathstroke shows that Priest can still write a straighter DC Universe piece that equally has some of Priest's trademark edge.

There are elements for which Batman vs. Deathstroke couldn't and wouldn't work in the modern comics landscape, but Priest pulls it off with aplomb, not that that's any surprise at all.

Loopy use of place and time has been present throughout Priest's Deathstroke, so the fact that this story escapes the narrative present in medias res and instead tells a tale set a year or so back is not wholly out of character. It is surprising, however, since we last left Slade Wilson confined to Arkham and it seemed perfectly logical that that would bring him in conflict with Batman, but that's not the case. Instead, as grows increasingly apparent, Batman vs. Deathstroke takes place entirely in the past. Were this any other series, I might even guess that Batman vs. Deathstroke is a kind of "lost" or speculative story, not perhaps meant to be mentioned again in the book, except that knowing Priest's penchant for mixing and matching elements of past and future here, I'd be surprised if some detail didn't factor later on (e.g., when Deathstroke next faces Damian Wayne's Teen Titans).

That Priest has an afterword at the end of this book is itself a throwback, and in that afterword he talks about this story as a throwback itself, originally conceived as a crossover between "old-school guy" Priest's Deathstroke and "young gun" Scott Snyder's Batman. (Were DC to have writers pen introductions or afterwords to all their books, it would be a glorious thing, a return to the days when collections were just for "event" stories.) Snyder's schedule didn't work out and so Priest ended up writing both sides himself — given Batman vs. Deathstroke's out-of-time story, one wonders if between the lines we understand the story was once supposed to be an independent miniseries before it became part of Deathstroke proper. Irrespective, the fact of it popping up here reminds very strongly of Batman: Year One, and Year Two and Year Three and on for that matter — particularly within the Bat-titles — when a guest-team would come on to deliver a one-off, whiz-bang story that immediately joined the canon.

What Batman vs. Deathstroke turns out to be is a character study of Batman and Deathstroke, cracked mirror images of one another as Priest conceives them. Admittedly, for as many doppelgängers as Batman's had over the years, I never thought of Bruce and Slade like this, but it enlightens among other things (unremarked upon in this story) the attraction Slade has long held for Nightwing Dick Grayson. One point Priest makes in his afterword, which I thought particularly interesting in light of Cory Doctorow's essay in Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman, is that Deathstroke is the dark side of Batman's wealth, where Bruce Wayne uses his money to fight for justice while Slade Wilson accumulates money he doesn't even need through the use of violence. That's a unique duality that Superman, for instance, can't personally share with Lex Luthor.

In the spirit of great crossovers, Batman vs. Deathstroke is not just a conflict (and eventual teaming) between the title characters, but also involves a partnership between Batman's Alfred and Deathstroke's Wintergreen (the direct pairings end there, though there's plenty more matches suggested between Batman and Deathstroke's supporting casts). Arguably this is the most ludicrous aspect of the story, that Alfred especially would endanger Batman's life and waste his time by forcing a team-up with Deathstroke, but it's also hilarious and touching and not wholly out of line in the Priest-verse, where characters tend to act more like real, fallible people (see Priest's aforementioned Justice League) — and also too the manner in which it just rolls off Bruce's back in the end, much like Priest's Slade and company have forgiven any manner of familial sins.

Christopher Priest launches Batman vs. Deathstroke from a throwaway line in one of Grant Morrison's Batman comics from over 10 years ago, and there's a small nod within to one of Dan Curtis Johnson's Chase stories, too. These kinds of details make Priest's Deathstroke a joy — the clear indication that the writer is also a fan (not to mention that great Vigilante business a few volumes back!). On many books, my tolerance for completely abandoning the main story for six issues might be low, and basically I'm just not thinking about the fact that this makes it even longer until we find out what actually happens to Slade Wilson next — but Priest's Deathstroke is so smart and so creative, I'm happy with whatever comes. This book was not what I was expecting but I'm glad to see a "miniseries-within-a-series" once again.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited for this. The art work is outstanding. Unfortunately the story is a contrived mess.

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Argh. It didn't grab me as much as I wanted it to. Is Damien really Deathstroke's son? Only Batman cares. We learn Slade has had a vasectomy. Hee hee.

[Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un Comics qui répondra enfin à la question que tout le monde se pose : Qui est le plus fort entre l’éléphant et l’hippopotame ?

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman kontra Deathstroke. To powinno być przesycone jakimiś emocjami, bo obaj panowie to inteligentni wojownicy, władający technikami, które mogą przeważyć o zwycięstwie tego drugiego na zasadzie chwili. NIE JEST. Ba, to chyba jeden z bardziej wypranych z emocji strać, z jakimi miałem do czynienia w ogóle w tej dekadzie.

Ale... początek tej draki zaczyna się od znalezienia papierów, które wskazują, że biologicznym ojcem Damiana Wayne'a nie jest Bruce, a Slade Wilson. Batman pod wpływem słusznych emocji zaczyna sprawdzać sprawę. Konfrontuje się z Slade'm, który wyjaśnia kwestię, ale Detektyw nie odpuszcza. Albo ktoś ewidentnie ich podpuszcza do konfrontacji, albo to prawda, a tej Gacek nie chce przyswoić.

Bawiło mnie tu wiele rzeczy, a już na pewno takich, które nie powinny. W końcu chodzi tu o Damiana i rozumiem, co mógł czuć Bruce, który nieco rozpaczliwie próbuje poznać prawdę i oby była to prawda, że jego syn JEST NAPRAWDĘ JEGO. Z kolei Damian... stanowczo za mało go tutaj, a jak już jest to podejmuje "niemądre" decyzje. Na początku przyjmuje domniemaną prawdę objawioną za pewnik i klęka przed "nowym" ojcem w pokazie szacunku, tak szybko zapominając o starym tatku, który do tej pory tyle dlań poświęcił... Serio?

To Batman nie mógł od razu zrobić badań DNA, tylko teraz wynika z tego draka (chyba takowe kiedyś podobno zrobił, ale pal go licho, na co wierzyć starym danym!), która sprawia, że Batman nieco próbuje sprzedać syna Deathstroke'owi, a ten nie chce przyjąć "prezentu" i dochodzi do mordobicia w siedzibie Gacka. Tak w ogóle to miałem Wilsona za najinteligentniejszego płatnego mordercę na świecie. Już nie mam.

Tu gość ewidentnie robi wszystko, aby NIE PRZYJĄĆ do wiadomości, kto kryje się pod maską Batmana, choć prawdę rzuca mu się tutaj prosto miedzy oczy. Jakże oświecony dochodzi do wniosku, że Batman tak się spina, bo Robin to najprawdopodobniej jego syn. Noż, k%$#a, geniusz. Tu ta kwestia pada chyba ze trzy razy i naprawdę tak trudno dojść do jednego możliwego, logicznego wniosku? Wszystko to sprawia, iż ten komiks jest zwyczajnie zły, żeby nie rzec, że "gupi".

Nie mogłem uwierzyć ani na jotę w tą intrygę, którą zresztą bardzo łatwo odkryć... Niemniej jest tu kilka pomysłów za które podnoszę ocenę o oczko, ale to i tak dużo, bo ten tytuł trochę urąga inteligencji czytelnika. Szczęśliwie wygląda nieźle. Priest zaczął naprawdę nieźle z postacią Deathstroke, ale teraz już nie wiem w jakim kierunku to zmierza...

[Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman vs. Deathstroke by Christopher J. Priest takes the challenge on that questions, what if Damian wasn't the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia ah Ghul? What if the father was someone completely different. Someone that the Batman despises?

A mysterious envelope is left at the scene of a bank robbery addressed to the Batman. Inside are DNA results that suggest that Damian Wayne is not the son of Bruce Wayne but instead, is the son of the international assassin, Deathstroke. Is it possible? Can Damian be Slade Wilson's son? If so, who could have sent the package in the first place? Now, the Batman must unravel a mystery that threatens his own family.

There was a lot that didn't work for me in this book. Beginning with the fact that the mystery was already solved from the outset. Bruce Wayne had a DNA test done when Damian first came to him. So this second test was obviously fraudulent. Second was the why this was happening and that never really gets answered. It is also another in the current Batman line that paints Talia as something of a cold and vindictive killer who never really loved the Batman. A twist that runs contrary to her original back story.

Damian is Damian of course and by default comes off as completely unlikable. He seems to have learned very little at the side of the Batman.

What is interesting her is the backstory of Deathstroke in all of the this and for those who aren't in the know. Slade Wilson is one of the more interesting DC villains around. If only for the fact that he is a killer for hire. A mercenary. The Wilson's are also one of the more dysfunctional families in the comic book universe as well.

But overall this book rates lower than most Batman titles to be found.

[Rolando Marono · Rating 2 out of 5]

No esperaba mucho de este tomo y no obtuve mucho tampoco. Es interesante porque SMASH México lo trajo porque se trataba de una historia de Batman, ignorando completamente que en realidad no es ni una miniserie o una historia corta autoconclusiva sino un tomo de la serie de Deathstroke. ¿Se puede entender sin haber leído los tomos anteriores? En teoría si, pero a mí me gusta realmente entender las historias que leo, y tuve muchas interrogantes sobre el status de Deathstroke en Rebirth que desconocía. Al final entendí lo que estaba pasando, obviamente, peor hubo muchas cosas que no entendí y creo que pude haber disfrutado más este tomo si hubiera leído lo anterior.
El arte me gusta y narrativamente el autor intenta hacer cosas curiosas al dividir su historia en capítulos con nombres concisos y atractivos.
El tema que detona la historia, si Damien es hijo de Deathstroke es ridículo porque es obvia la respuesta. Al final, el autor tuvo la oportunidad de dar un final abierto que hubiera sido frustrante pero que al menos hubiera tenido sentido porque el autor lo construye así: nos muestra un último estudio de ADN conclusivo y Batman lo quema porque prefiere no saber. Y en la siguiente página nos muestran el resultado medio quemándose pero se alcanza a leer el resultado. El autor se dispara en el pie y arruina el final abierto que había construido. ¿De qué sirve que Batman decida no saber si tú como lector lo sabes? Esto es narrativa básica.
No recomiendo esta historia porque al final tiene cero consecuencias y se resuelve regresando al mismo punto del principio.
La batalla final de Deathstroke contra Batman es entretenida, pero tienes que leer 5 números que no sirven para nada para poder llegar a esa batalla.

[Christopher Sanchez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wait so this has two of my favorite DC characters going head to head? AWESOME! I pick it up, read it and find this book to be a little stupid. Here are my grips with this book-
Batman being out of characters and a huge dick throughout the story. He starts off by getting a file that matches Damian Wayne's blood to Slade Wilson and then he is the one that confronts Slade about it. When he denies that Damian is his son Batman keeps harassing him for no good reason. The real Batman would investigate further and see if someone is setting them up *cough cough* Talia Al Gual with some help from Slade's wife, but while still keeping an eye on Deathstroke. I really had to side with Deathstroke on this one. Also their fight at the end in the bat cave was not the best, nothing close to the fight Marv Wolfman gave us early on in his run. Batman even says to Slade quote- "We're not here because of my obsession, but because of yours. YOU CAME TO ME." Um bro, weren't you the one that got the file and went up to Slade at the docks in the first place? Aside from Batman being a dumbass Talia's motivations were dumb and in the end she didn't prove or gain anything by having Batman and Deathstroke go at it. It is also super dumb how Deathstroke actually believes that Wayne and Batman are two different people. Bro you were in his house and you have access to 90% of your brain power! Come on! The only thing that kept me locked into this was the art and that Batmobile chase scene in issue 1 was dope. Plus my love for Batman and Deathstroke is beyond the skies, but this was horse crap.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Que viaje! De verdad hay que darle una serie de Batman a Priest. La cosa con personajes como este, es que hay que ser muy inteligente e informado para escribirlo. Y Priest tiene el calibre para ello.

El dibujo es prácticamente infalible. La secuencias son super impactantes y los colores… regulares, nada que me llame la atención. Pero lo que no hace falta esta de más. La historia tiene un tono "realista" y no creo que colores locos sea preciso y por eso no lo veo como una queja, sino que es algo que busco en mis cómics regularmente.

En cuanto a la historia, es algo parecido a lo que hizo Priest con Pantera Negra en Enemy of the State 2. Una pelea que se lleva a cabo en lo físico, psicológico y económico. Y todo por un niño. Batman y Deathstroke tienen la capacidad de burlar el uno al otro con sus habilidades detectivescas. Son prácticamente el mismo personaje con distintas morales y motivaciones. Así que cuando la pelea principal estalló, no solo se dieron golpes y tiros, sino también se cuestionaron el uno al otro el motivo de su existencia e intentaron ponerla en ridículo. Lo lindo de todo es que Priest no da una respuesta absoluta, sino que deja que el lector llegue a la conclusión que quiera, ya que cada aumento fue fuerte (no el correcto, solo fuerte).

Este es el punto más alto de la serie. Si ven mi reseña del volumen próximo, es posible que diga lo contrario.

[Jed Kudrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if it's because of how complicated both these men are and the elaborate schemes they use to trick each other or whether I was just really tired, but I struggled to make sense of this story sometimes. Obviously, I love Batman and I think Deathstroke is a very good villain as well, but I was very confused as to the point of why they were fighting at times. Like I get that they were arguing over who was Damian's real father and it was all organized by Talia, but Batman seemed to be wrong in the end when he thought it was Adeline or whatever Deathstroke's ex-wife's name was. It kind of just seemed to me that Batman and Deathstroke were just two kids throwing a tantrum that Alfred and Deathstroke's "friend" had to try to keep contained at all time, not even starting on what the relevance of Deathstroke's son had to the story at all. Anyway, overall still a very good story and pretty well-written, although much more confusing that it probably needed to be, but I always love a good Batman comic book, so it is what it is.