The Corruption Of The Children: Deathstroke #46 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Jericho has kidnapped and hidden Red Arrow, and he thinks he’s doing it for her own good. He wants to protect Emiko from Rose, but he’s also undergoing rapid and frightening changes thanks to “the gift” granted to him by Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom. Red Arrow tries to convince Jericho that what he’s doing is wrong, but he won’t listen. Adeline is shocked by what’s happening to her son. Meanwhile, Rose has gone after Shado in the hopes that she can lead her to Red Arrow.
Deathstroke #46 focuses on the children of Slade Wilson still picking up the pieces after his death. Deathstroke loomed heavily in the world, and that responsibility is falling upon his children, whether they know it or not.
Rose feels the only way to honor her father is to kill the person who slew him–that being Red Arrow/Emiko Queen. Jericho tries to stop Rose from doing this, but he’s giving himself over to forces he doesn’t understand –and they may be corrupting him beyond reckoning.
Both stories are quite compelling. Rose is trying to more directly fill Slade’s shoes even though she’s not a killer. Jericho is trying to be the new patriarch to a degree, and it’s subtly making him as morally bankrupt as Slade himself. It’s a damn good character study on the children of Slade and, even though Deathstroke himself isn’t currently leading his title, I can’t help but still find it all quite compelling.
Fernando Pasarin continues to provide top-notch artwork, and he makes the mental and physical transformation of Jericho quite unnerving to watch. Beyond that, the artwork is well-stylized and detailed impressively throughout the comic. Cam Smith’s inkwork is damn fine too, and Jeromy Cox’s color art is brilliant.
Deathstroke #46 is another fantastic showing from Christopher Priest and Fernando Pasarin. This title has been one of DC’s strongest since Rebirth kicked off about three years ago, and it shows no sign of stopping now (despite some concerns that the book may be ending soon that I voiced a couple of reviews back). Priest continually show that he can write brilliant character studies of iconic figures, and Pasarin is an impeccable artist. This comic gets another recommendation. Check it out.
Deathstroke #46 comes to us from writer Priest, artist Fernando Pasarin, inker Cam Smith, color artist Jeromy Cox, letterer Willie Schubert, cover artist Ed Benes with Richard Friend and Dinei Ribeiro, and variant cover artist Skan.
Final Score: 8/10