Slade Wilson is many things: a deadly mercenary, a frequent opponent of the superhero community (particularly the Teen Titans), and nearly unstoppable thanks to the super-soldier serum coursing through his veins. What he isn’t good at is being a father. His oldest son, Grant, died trying to follow in his footsteps; his other son, Joey, was rendered mute when his enemies came after him. It’s Slade’s relationship with his daughter Rose, aka the Ravager, that takes up the bulk of Deathstroke: The Terminator #4, and it’s not a happy family reunion.
While Rose does save Slade from Deathblow and Deadshot, she seriously considers killing him, as she also believes he took out his old friend, Wintergreen. She also has no problem pointing out how damaged Slade really is, as he seems incapable of change. It’s in these moments that Tony Fleecs chooses to twist the proverbial knife, as he’s never shied away from showing how Slade’s dedication to his mercenary work has ruined his life with his family. Perhaps the most soul-wrenching moment is when Rose asks Slade if he even loves her as his daughter, and his response is “I would kill every person on Earth for you.” That’s not the kind of thing anybody wants to hear from their dad.
Fleecs also finds a sort of dark humor in Deathstroke: The Terminator #4, as it becomes an impromptu Wilson family road trip. Perhaps the most hilarious moment comes when Slade learns that the car Rose is driving is borrowed from the Red Hood; he immediately freaks out and leaps out of the car, which is the right reaction to the idea that Jason Todd might hunt him down and shoot him through the face. Another hilarious moment features Slade walking into a diner wearing a massively oversized hoodie over his Deathstroke uniform, emblazoned with a cartoon mascot from a Gotham sports team by Carmine Di Giandomenico. It’s ridiculous to see, but for a moment you think Slade’s just a grumpy old man instead of one of the DC Universe’s deadliest killers.
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Di Giandomenico also takes a different approach to Deathstroke: The Terminator #4. While the first three issues were mostly chock-full of intense fight scenes, this issue slows down to focus on the characters’ emotional state. The look on Rose’s face says it all: she crosses from anger and annoyance at her father, to despair at the fact that he might never change his ways, to pure anger when he crosses yet another line. Slade is no different, as despite his insistence that he’s not in tune with his feelings, he inflicts brutal retribution upon a man who says insensitive things about his daughter.
Ivan Plascencia also switches up his color style, as Deathstroke: The Terminator #4 shifts from harsh reds and orange to a more golden yellow sunlight and more pleasant tones. It’s a brief respite before the mysterious figure who’s been wrecking Slade’s life makes an appearance, at which point things start to slide back into fiery hues. Color, more often than not, sets the mood in a comic, and the mood is all over the place in this one.
Deathstroke: The Terminator #4 trades action for introspection, as Slade Wilson has a less-than-happy family reunion with his daughter. It also hints that Slade is about to come face to face with the person who ruined his life, but will he wreak his vengeance or actually follow Rose’s words and change for the better?
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