Deathstroke #19

Are we finally going to see how Rose Wilson fits in? I bet everyone just pretends she was part of the family from the beginning. Especially since you just have to ignore Rob Liefeld's stuff to believe it.

Hopefully nobody will ask Deathstroke to kill for free this issue. I don't want Slade to have to be offended.

Deathstroke begins five years ago with Grifter, Slade, and Steve Trevor escaping the place where the island of Gamorra used to be.

Slade's non-war Journal continues with his story about tracking Lynch down to kill Lynch for sending the 10,000 ninjas after him but then talking with Lynch instead of killing him and learning that Majestic was coming back from wherever he had been. Perhaps Majestic knocked himself out for five years when he hit the water at meteor speeds? And now that he's coming back, Lynch doesn't trust him in the same way that Batman doesn't trust Superman. Lynch tries to kill Majestic with a nuclear missile which probably just pissed off Majestic. I don't know what Batman would do if Superman ever went bad since Batman doesn't kill. Would he contain Superman in some kind of Kryptonite prison? Has Batman already built a Kryptonite prison? Batman has to be ready, right? I wonder if it's underneath Gotham?

Anyway, that's the basic premise of what's happening although I'm a bit confused by it because I think a little bit of the story has been told in both Team 7 and Deathstroke with some flashbacks here and there. I believe the bottom line is that Deathstroke has decided to help Lynch try to kill Majestic instead of trying to kill Lynch.

And then Deathstroke walks in with Rose Wilson and Terra and I stop reading this comic book to read The Ravagers #11. I already put this comic book aside once to read Team 7 #7 after the initial opening of underwater Gamorra. Now I have to read Ravagers too! Be right back. Again!

*soft, annoying music*

Well, that didn't explain anything! It was the best issues of Ravagers yet. Hmm, that means it still could be really, really shitty. So let me rephrase: Issue #11 of The Ravagers was really good and I could see the comic being successful with this story! Too bad it's over in Issue #12. So whatever happens after Issue #12, it looks like Rose Wilson and Deathstroke have dealt with their family issues and Terra is once again hanging about his side because she probably betrayed Beast Boy. Again.

I think I understand the plan! Unless Majestic is gay. Then I don't understand the plan at all.

The other people Lynch brought in to stop Majestic are Adeline Wilson, Jericho Wilson, and Grant Wilson. Slade seems shocked that Lynch brought them here but he doesn't seem shocked to see his wife and Jericho alive. I don't know when he found out they were still alive. I'm not even sure if anybody at DC knows why he knows they're still alive. Perhaps everybody just decided to ignore Liefeld's take on the Wilsons. Rose is happy to see her mother though. So Rose is the daughter of Adeline and Slade. I guess if everyone is ignoring Liefeld's history, they can ignore the part where Rose didn't exist when Adeline and Joseph were apparently killed.

Lynch thinks the reason the Wilsons are here is so Joseph, now going exclusively by Jericho, can control Majestic for Lynch. But Jericho has other plans. He's taken over his mother and brother. He accepted the deal so he could take over Rose and Slade as well but he finds they're minds are too hard to take over. He also can't control Lynch. But he's hoping he can take over Majestic for his own use. So even though Lynch thought he was in control, he was wrong. Jericho is a great big evil jerk (like Liefeld reintroduced him!) who is manipulating everybody for his own ends.

He means he'll become nonexistent bullshit?

All hell breaks loose as Lynch, Slade, and Rose try to stop Jericho and his mind-zombies. Eventually Rose gets her sword up to Jericho's neck and threatens to kill him if he doesn't let everyone go. Or make him mute with a slit throat, right?! Except Jericho can still talk right now and before he loses his voice, he tries to convince Rose to join his side.

This directly contradicts Deathstroke #0 where Adeline and Baby Joseph were presumed killed by an explosion. While Narration Boxing about the night she and Joseph supposedly died, Adeline says, "If birthing two children had slowed me down, it wasn't by much." So no Rose when she "died". Joseph was a baby when he "died". So no honey and banana sandwiches for the baby before Slade "left" them. And although I didn't mention it in my Team 7 #7 commentary, that whole Gamorra fight and the way Slade gets his powers (I'm presuming a bit here but I'm sure it was from Lynch and the Genfactor) doesn't add up to the story in Deathstroke #0.

Lynch decides to just end it all and telekinesis everyone out of the way, TKs a gun into his hand, and shoots Jericho in the face. At least, that's his intention.

Gotta love the next month tease!

Deathstroke #19 Rating: No change. I think the bad balances out the good in this issue. The good is making up a new back story for Deathstroke and his family because Liefeld forgot about Rose and fucked up just about everything he touched anyway. The bad is that I was confused because I'm trying to remember all the history and stories of The New 52 and then they just keep changing shit willy nilly. But also the good is that tag line and a big brawl with Majestic. But the bad is that this whole story with Lynch and Slade across Team 7 and Deathstroke was a bit confusing at its best and barely comprehensible at its worst.