Booknote: Deathstroke, Volume 1

Tony S. Daniel, et.al., Deathstroke, Volume 1: Gods of War. New York: DC Comics, 2015. ISBN: 9781401254711.

Genre: graphic novels and comics
Subgenre: antiheroes, assassins
Format: e-book galley
Source: Provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Deathstroke is one of the big bad guys of DC. He is the deadliest assassin around, and his reputation precedes him. In this new series, his friend and handler betrays him, and he is left for dead. When he awakens, he has a new look, and he finds himself on a new quest: he has to find the man known as Odysseus. Odysseus is seeking a boy with great power and building an army. Will Deathstroke be able to stop him?

If you like action and intrigue and dark ops stories, then this is one you will enjoy reading. Deathstroke here becomes more an antihero. He is a bad guy you want to root for. The story begins with a lot of action, and once it starts, it does not let go until the end as Deathstroke tries to put the pieces together of the mystery he is trying to solve. Who is Odysseus? How does his Deathstroke's son come into play? And who really is the masked person with the red letter on the mask? Questions arise, and some of them will be answered as you read. The volume provides a great combination of action and intrigue to keep readers reading. I have to add that the art on this one is really good. It has color, and a lot of good attention to detail. A big part of reading this I have to say is in the art.

There are also some guest appearances. Harley Quinn, a personal favorite, appears. For those who have been following the comics, this comes after the new Suicide Squad series. However, you do not have to have read that other series to read this one. This stands on its own fine. Also, while in Gotham, Deathstroke has a confrontation with Batman that, although very rough and tumble, is also brief.

As this is the first volume, it is setting up a new series. This was definitely a great read, and I will seek out more. So far, it looks like it can only get better from here, and I do recommend it. This is a good choice for libraries with graphic novel collections. If you already collect titles like Batman and Suicide Squad, then you want to add this one to your collection as well. As it does feature violence, it is for older teens and up.

5 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2015 Reading Challenges: