COMICS!! Review: Flashpoint Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1

As a Painted Ship Upon a Painted Ocean.

The DC Universe is being remade (or revamped, or whatever the heck they're trying to call it), but Flashpoint rolls on. These kinda non-committal, alternate reality stories usually don't do much for me, as I usually can't get into a series if I know that the events will have little lasting impact on the universe as a whole, but pretty much ALL DC books won't have much lasting impact on the universe at large at this point so... WHATEVER, RIGHT?

Anyway, I arrived at the comic shoppe to pick up Citizen Cold #1, but was immediately stricken by the cover of Deathstroke: And the Curse of the Ravager. Maybe it was because I have an unhealthy interest in pirates, maybe it was because of the creative team attached. Hell, maybe it was because the cover made Deathstroke look like he fuckin' just crawled out of Tales of the Black Freighter.

Whatever it was, I picked it up. And it was great.

The Rime of Deathstroke the Mariner.

In the world of Flashpoint, Deathstroke has taken to a life of piracy. He, his crew, and his ship, The Ravager, are among the most feared on tumultuous seas of the seven seas. Deathstroke is motivated by more than just wealth however, as he continually searches for his daughter, Rose. Issue #1 has him picking up her trail and setting off on a quest to gather a crew to take into Atlantean waters.

As I said, I love piratical things, and the way Palmiotti fleshes out the story scratches that swashbuckling itch. Between his fight with the Warlord, his quiet determination to find Rose, and the portrayal of his motley crew, this ONE issue packs in a ton of character development and excitement. Slade is both sympathetic and honorable (for a pirate at least), while maintaining his ruthless and methodical nature. It feels as if this is how the character has always been written, nay, has always MEANT to be written. The artwork by Joe Bennett captures all of this perfectly. He's got an extremely solid style that makes me feel like I want to see the way he renders ALL of the DC Universe. It also stands to mention that the way he draws the action and violence here is dynamic, yet understated. It's not overly gruesome stuff, but you'll definitely know you're reading a Deathstroke-centric story.

Dead Men Tell GREAT Tales...

And while I'd love to now become critical (as a fake critic like myself attempts to do), I really can't complain about anything in this book. This is an enthralling addition to the Flashpoint mythos and your comic library. If you like the character of Deathstroke, stories of grim buccaneers, or introspective narration, pick this one up. You'll be glad you did.

Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1 plunders 5 stars out of 5.