Without a doubt, this has been a decade like no other when it comes to mainstream exposure for the character of Deathstroke. Having appeared on the hit CW series Arrow, the Batman: Arkham video game franchise and (I hope) the upcoming film The Batman, Slade Wilson has reached a broad audience like never before.
Thankfully, the world’s deadliest mercenary has also had a comic book series to call his own since 2011, although it did endure some relaunches. Even so, readers have seen the likes of Kyle Higgins, Rob Liefeld, Tony Daniel and, most recently, Christopher Priest put their own unique stamp on the supervillain – or anti-hero, depending on who’s telling the story.
Since the Rebirth era kicked off, Deathstroke was counted among the series fortunate enough to enjoy a twice-monthly shipping schedule. But for reasons unknown at this time, which could be anything ranging from less than desired sales numbers to an editorial decision, the title will switch to a monthly schedule, as editor Alex Antone recently stated on Twitter:
Yes, Deathstroke's bi-monthly schedule ends with "The Lazarus Contract." Epilogue in June with a bold new direction in July! (And thanks!) https://t.co/oaZ4ubRZnW
— Alex Antone (@Alex_Antone) March 20, 2017
While none of us know what this “bold new direction” after “The Lazarus Contract” entails, we do know that Priest will still be behind the wheel, as Antone later confirmed:
Priest ain't goin' nowhere. https://t.co/K6JSq6bdB0
— Alex Antone (@Alex_Antone) March 27, 2017
Considering that the current author’s run has garnered much acclaim (check out our review of the first trade paperback here), we can only hope there’s no pressure on him to streamline or simplify the content. With Deathstroke being every bit as smart as it is violent, it’s hard to imagine a formula that’d be in such stark contrast to the current one from the same writer working just as well. All we can do is keep reading and hope for the best.
