SYNOPSIS: Deathstroke finally meets his match: Arkham Asylum?! Now an inmate, Slade Wilson must prove his sanity so he can stop an alien invasion (what?). Before he can even attempt a breakout, he’s got to face off against angry Arkham inmates out to get him. And what’s Two-Face’s role in all this mayhem? He keeps showing up in two places at once! Meanwhile, Deathstroke’s daughter, Rose Wilson, is kidnapped! Can Jericho save his sister?
Deathstroke #38 is off the wall, in a great way. Priest really does an impressive job balancing the book and all the craziness. One moment you are reading psychoanalysis journals the next you would think this is an issue of Deadpool. Deathstroke: Arkham is an action lovers dream; an intense melee in a padded cell provided by artist Fernando Pasarin stealing the show.
Priest continues to prove he is in the top of his game. What he is doing with Slade and Rose is still mind-boggling to me. Seeing Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, this broken is something I have never seen before. In Arkham getting beat by prison guards is an unfamiliar situation for the World’s Greatest Assassin.
It’s unsettling, you don’t expect this from Slade Wilson and I applaud Priest for doing it. Not only is there great depth in this issue with the Shutter Island/Slade, Death Masque provides some great humor in various panels. Providing more entertaining and laughs than all of Red Tool’s appearances in Harley Quinn. This is how you spoof Deadpool properly without going too far over the top. That’s not all, seeing Rose spar with Two-Face is a comic book lovers dream. Not only is the sparring session action packed but Priest allows us into the psyche of Two-Face. This feels like Priest is piggybacking off what James Robinson was doing with Two-Face recently in Detective Comics. There are a ton of things going down in this book and you can’t take your eyes off the book when you start. This is old school comic book fun!
Fernando Pasarin is our artist this issue. His work is very clean and a pleasure to look at. The action panels are the highlights of the book. Deathstroke vs Arkham security is everything you would want it to be, really stunning. Then we are lucky enough to get some more involving Two-Face and Rose, and it is a crazy spectacle to behold. Seeing Slade move around Arkaham gives me vibes of horror films like House on Haunted Hill. Death Masques’ introduction was also hysterical on both sides; I let out a deep belly laugh. I really enjoy the creative combo of Priest and Pasarin, they are a team that works very well together.
Deathstroke #38 is the best issue in this new volume since it debuted in Rebirth. This book has everything a comic book fan could want in one issue. I believe you could jump on this issue headfirst and really dig it. It’s mysterious, action-packed, and humorous from page one. You can’t go wrong with adding this issue to your pull list. You will have to pick up this one! – Pete Verra