Graphic novel review

Deathstroke: Legacy is interesting in the fact that it's based on a super villain. title character, deathstroke, aka slade wilson, is an aged veteran who became superhuman through government experiments and later an infamous mercenary. in, Legacy, the villain constantly finds himself besieged by upstarts, hoping to make a name for themselves as the person to have killed the master assassin. meanwhile, wilson's health is slowly failing, but his pride refuses to allow him to retire and give up his spotlight.

as the volume progresses writer, kyle higgins, proves over and over that deathstroke is badass, but more complex then readers might expect. when wilson kills a would-be competitor, her wealthy family vow to eradicate deathstroke by hiring a long list of contract killers, each one tougher than the last. for every new killer, wilson comes closer and closer to loosing and begins reflecting on his past and the events that lead him to his life of near solitude and menace. higgins sets up his star to imagine himself a twisted type of samurai warrior, with a defined code of conduct. this later comes back to bite deathstroke, but it's not made clear if the lesson truly sinks in. towards the end of Legacy, karma does create a feasible rival for wilson, who slaughters through several wanna-bees most of the graphic novel.

Deathroke: Legacy is a lot like an inane quentin taratino movie where there's plenty of action for mayhem's sake. it would have been more enjoyable to see deathstoke battling worthy foes, rather than b or c level criminals. especially chapter after chapter of the same thing. though the absolutely epic art of joe bennett, art thibert, and eduardo pansica is worth every penny of this book! neither artist is afraid to show every gory detail of deathstroke's many slaughters and higgins is not afraid to point out that wilson is with few redeeming qualities. what i found most interesting with Legacy was the final chapter, which truthfully had little to do with the main story, but does provide a final clue that led deathstroke to become such an evil man. had this bit been plotted out more thoroughly throughout it would have tied each chapter cohesively. if you don't like violence, if you don't enjoy carnage, and expect intricate stories, this is not for you. rather this a fun romp of what it's like to be the baddest of the bad.