Everything old is new again

Deathstroke the Terminator Nos. 6-9
DC Comics
Creators: Marv Wolfman, Steve Erwin and Will Blyberg
Cover date: January-April 1992

Among the April 2018 solicitations for DC Comics is this blurb for Deathstroke No. 30: "'Deathstroke vs. Batman' part one! Beginning this month, a six-issue series-within-a-series featuring the ultimate showdown between DC’s fiercest rivals!"

I've read some issues of the current Deathstroke series and enjoyed them, so I mean no disrespect to writer Christopher Priest or artist Carlo Pagulayan when I raise the question: Are fans really clamoring for this face-off? Isn't this a bit of old news? These two characters squared off long ago in a truly excellent tale that avoided a number of potential pitfalls. Go check it out; it's well worth your time!

Let's give this tale a little bit of context. Deathstroke debuted alongside Marv Wolfman's and George Perez's The New Teen Titans in 1980. Longtime Titans foes the H.I.V.E. tried to hire the mercenary, Slade Wilson, to slay the teenage heroes, but he refused, preferring to avoid conflict with costumed vigilantes. So the H.I.V.E. set about engaging Deathstroke's services by involving his estranged son, Grant. Grant accepted the contract, but died while attacking the Titans, and Deathstroke, a man of honor, felt bound to complete his son's contract against his own better judgment.

This touched off a long antagonistic relationship between the Titans and Deathstroke that reached its conclusion in "The Judas Contract" storyline in 1984. Deathstroke finally fulfilled the terms of that original contract by successfully capturing all of the Titans and turning them over to the H.I.V.E. The heroes survived and escaped, but Deathstroke saw his obligation as fulfilled when he turned the Titans over. That wasn't the end of the character's history, however.

Deathstroke proved popular and was used as a villain in many other DC Comics. Some of those appearances made for good stories; some were less well conceived, especially in light of the character's ongoing appearances in the New Teen Titans title. Deathstroke made amends with the various Titans characters following "The Judas Contract" and even served as an ally to the team in the "Titans Hunt" storyline several years later. The character was still a mercenary for hire, but one with a rigid code of honor and ethics. Not everyone, especially a superhero, would agree with all of Deathstroke's decisions and actions, but the character was given more depth by Wolfman's continued use of him. He certainly wasn't a hero, but he could be someone readers could root for in a number of situations.

Following the "Titans Hunt" storyline, Deathstroke was given his own title. Many of the stories in this book took Wilson to foreign countries, often ones at war, where killing and mercenaries could be viewed outside the moral absolutes of most superhero stories. Wolfman's continued great writing and characterization made Deathstroke a more multi-faceted character, and Steve Erwin and Will Blyberg gave the art a crisp, clean, dynamic appearance.

The first story arc of the title re-examined Deathstroke's origin and added details to it while taking Wilson on an emotional journey through all of the tragedies of his life. I'm sure the addition of Batman in the second story arc was an attempt to pull in more readers with a more superhero-centric tale. But including a character like Batman could have backfired for the book.

Deathstroke is the title character of the book, which is also a new book to comic stands. It wouldn't be good to have the title character losing a fight. But neither is Batman a character DC would want to see put to shame in a matchup. Remember, the height of Batmania began in 1989 and is still going very strong in 1992. So they could fight to a draw? That wouldn't be satisfying for fans.

Instead, Wolfman smartly avoids having the characters go head-to-head. Remember, this Batman was very different from the Batman of today in one key regard. He's the world's best detective, an excellent combatant and a brilliant tactician. That has been — and always should be — a part of the Batman mythos. But in the early 1990s, Batman was still willing to work alongside other heroes, to trust other heroes and to listen to what other people had to say. Also, remember that Deathstroke at this point had very recently been an ally of the Titans.

In the "City of Assassins" storyline, Wolfman has Batman and Deathstroke working toward a common goal rather than at odds. There is an initial confrontation, and Deathstroke, an enhanced human, does have the upper hand against the Dark Knight, who while in peak form, is still human. But from the outset, Batman suspects that Deathstroke might be on the side of the angels after consulting with Nightwing for information about the mercenary. When others are quick to assume Deathstroke to be one of many bad guys in the scenario, Batman looks at the evidence of what has happened and rightly concludes that assumption is incorrect.

As an added bonus, this storyline also is the one that introduces the third character to bear the name Vigilante in the DC Universe. I strongly recommend it if you've never read it before. And even if you have, it is well worth another look if you haven't read it in a while!