Deathstroke Inc., Vol. 2: Year One

Deathstroke Inc.

by Ed Brisson

Deathstroke and Respawn are on the run!

Deathstroke Inc. has been destroyed, and his villain associates killed by the Demon’s Shadow! Deathstroke must explain to Batman why he killed Ra’s al Ghul…but first he must survive the hundreds of deadly killers coming for him!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes

160 pages, Hardcover

Published March 14, 2023

About the author

Comic book writer.

Credits include: COMEBACK, SHELTERED, THE FIELD (Image Comics), SECRET AVENGERS (Marvel), ROBOCOP, SONS OF ANARCHY, HELLRAISER (BOOM!) and X-FILES/TMNT: CONSPIRACY (IDW). Plus, you know, a bunch of stuff I can’t talk about yet.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the year one story of Deatthstroke and it was amazing!

I love the way it shows the origin of Slade and like how he got the powers and all and the testing and his family life and his first contract and how it involves hunting the people who made him/sort of experimented on him and its fast paced which is great, then vs Green arrow which maybe my favorite part and Dexter draws him so well and recovering from that and then when new rival assassins comes in, how does he react to that and stick to his principle? Plus Adeline has some big news and we get to see the emergence of the World's greatest Assassin by the end!

This is like one of the best "Year one" stories DC has done and like these days they do it for almost everyone and its awesome and really well done here. Brisson gets into what makes Slade well himself and he leans into that heavily, establishing his code and like a man who finishes the contract no matter what and then showing his ruthlessness and that no-emotion thing where he will finish off his target or people who get in his way and that's just cold and captures Deathstroke perfectly!

Also Soy's art here is just amazing, he makes each page look like a million bucks and there are some action scenes which are just astonishing to even look at!

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the book, especially the second half, as that was where all the action was. I don't agree with the quote:

"If you thought you knew everything about Slade Wilson, you are dead wrong!"

This was pretty much exactly what I thought I knew about Slade/Deathstroke. The book starts directly after Slade wakes up after being experimented on, his recovery, his family support, and his choice between family life and the life of a mercenary.

The book has a good story and good artwork. Amazing artwork on the hardback cover and the variant gallery at the end. I don't think there are any really new revelations about Slade. He is what he is a violent and flawed man.

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

​​Після того як Вільямсон покинув "Корпорацію Дезстроука" та пішов мучити Слейда в "Темній Кризі", новим  сценаристом серії став Брісон. Новий автор вирішив розповісти нам про рік перший Слейда у ролі Дезстроука. Чи вийшло у нього? Як на мене більш-менш.

Перш за все вартує сказати, що цей сюжет не приносить нічого нового в оріджин Слейда, про, майже, усі основні події з цього коміксу ми так чи інакше знали тому якогось великого твісту тут немає. Записувати це в мінус чи ні тут вже справа кожно, все таки можливо люди як незнайомі з персонажем можливо не погодяться з такою думкою. З мінусів також виділю невелике відчуття затягнутості в деяких моментах.

В усьому ж іншому Брісону вдалося написати хорошу історію. Він зумів цікаво прописати як самого Слейда так і взаємодію нашого гг з дружиною, сином та Вінтерґріном. З того, що мені також сподобалося це те, що тут Слейда інколи показують не сильно досвідченим. Суть у тому, що сюжет розповідає про найперший контракт Дезстроука тому коли наш герой допускає якусь помилку або отримує на горіхи від Зеленої Стріли (я аж ностальгію за другим сезоном "Стріли" відчув коли Оллі побачив) то в таких не виникає жодних питань. Крім того багато плюсів коміксу накидує малюнок Декстера Соя. Він тут вийшов дуже і дуже хорошим і дивитися на нього одне задоволення. Єдине, що в деяких моментах мені здалося, що Сой малює маску Дезстроука схожою на маску Червоного Ковпака.

Взагалі, дочитавши цей сюжет за "Корпорацію Дезстроука" стає обідно. Обідно за ту писанину Вільямсона, обідно за те, що з Слейдом відбувається в "Темній Кризі" і обідно за те, що Брісон більше нічого не напише найближчим часом про Слейда оскільки цю серію закрили. Тим не менш я дуже раджу ознайомитися з цим сюжетом. І сподіватимуся, що наступна серія про Дезстроука буде хорошою і не заставить на себе довго чекати.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deathstroke's origin is re-re-re-re-re-explored in this latest retelling, which is kind of just a decent excuse to get a second arc out of Deathstroke Inc. now that the character's tied up in Dark Crisis.

There's nothing wrong with this arc. It hits all the right beats - Slade joins the army, things go wrong, he gets experimented on, his wife and kids hate him, Wintergreen is there. But it's all kind of safe and wrote, there's nothing new or exciting that we haven't seen before. The biggest wrinkle to the origin is an appearance by Green Arrow that's neither here nor there.

Dexter Soy's artwork is a nice inclusion though, I'm glad he's still popping up on stuff. It's slick in style and execution, and he never disappoints.

If you've read a Deathstroke origin before, knock off a star. If you haven't, you can probably add one on. Either way, this is fine, if unadventurous.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

They could’ve retitled this series after Shadow War because it’s no longer about Deathstroke Inc., but it’s a good telling of his origin anyway. As I said with my review of volume 1, I like when Deathstroke books don’t lie to me. He’s a bad person, he knows he’s a bad person, and he’s not interested in doing better. He’s not interested in looking like a hero, and it is extremely hard to believe him when he says he cares about his family. That’s what you get here. It covers his waking up after the procedure that made him a super soldier through his first mission. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it sums up everything you need to know about the character and would make a good introduction for people who are interested in learning more about him.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. This is just a Year One story than a second volume to Deathstroke Inc which I didn't mind because that one fell a little flat for me.

It manages to be more interesting than a basic retelling by showing Slade's progression into Deathstroke, and his personality and motivations. I wasn't sure what to expect but this is a decent character exploration and I like the way it was fleshed out.

The events/action are fine, I doubt anything will be new or surprising to those who know the backstory like me, so I could see this as a start for new readers though it just covers the very start, before Joey/Jericho.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finishing off the series, this is a retelling (reset?) of Deathstroke's origin story.

Nothing fancy or flashy involved. His expanded backstory is essentially excised. He's now just a soldier who got experimented on and was discarded as a failed experiment. SURPRISE! The experiment worked and the people who created him have payback owed to them.

Bonus: There's big things coming for Deathstroke. Best clean up that history and get people ready

[Jos Trinidad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool re-telling of Slade Wilson's backstory, but it provided literally nothing to the storyline set up in the previous volume. I liked it in a vacuum, but I was hoping that this origin story was going to be connected to the greater plot established in Vol 1.

Overall, not a bad volume, just doesn't do anything for people looking for answers for the previous volume's loose ends.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

High flying antics, taking of contracts, eye popping art that works brilliantly with the events, three dimensional characters from the start, great epic world building and events you won't see coming! :D

[Highland G · Rating 1 out of 5]

With every reboot they make his origin less impactful and turn Slade into more of a jerk. This one is basically just weapon x or the first deadpool movie but with Deathstoke rather than Logan or Wade.
Just skip it.

[عاشور الناجي · Rating 2 out of 5]

استكمال للقصة الاولانية ، الرسم حلو بس انا محبتش القصة خالص ومعرفتش اتفاعل معاها ، يمكن لو كان بطل مستقل عن عالم دي سي كان يبقي افضل لكن كونه جزء من عالم لسه متعمقتش فيه قفلني منه ، هبقي اجرب في قصص تاني لنفس الشخصية مستقبلا لعل وعسي

[Belfry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

[Jim Cira · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much toxic masculinity for me.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but I'm not sure we needed it?

[Alex Kozokin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my personal best comics

[Martin $ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This shit was fye. This feels like the definitive origin for Deathstroke, both the art and story was amazing.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deathstroke Inc Vol. 2

Another great dc comic book. Deathstroke one of the better characters anti-hero I enjoy reading. Just catching up on comics book s I miss out on.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing pains. Accepting that orange is not a stealthy colour. The family life becomes the cover. Testing limits.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the artwork in the opening issue, and I found this retelling of Slade's origins to be one of the more accessible ones.