The comic book industry may have been built on the shoulders of superheroes, but sometimes it’s so much more satisfying to root for the bad guys. And that’s what DC Comics is counting on when it launches its new "Deathstroke" series in October.
The new book will be written and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel (“Detective Comics”) with co-artist Sandu Florea lending a helping hand. The book will focus on the titular assassin, who is coming off of high-profile appearances in the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us and the hit TV drama “Arrow.” In the show, he was played by Manu Bennett, and he first appeared during the debut season before becoming a focal point during the second season.
“He’s still a mercenary and assassin, so there’s no way he’ll ever be welcomed into a room full of heroes,” Daniel said in an interview with MTV. "But the people he’s up against here are clearly evil bastards. If anyone deserves to be disemboweled, it’s this group. Deathstroke is a murderer by all definitions, for the most part, he’s going after his targets.”
But being a villain doesn’t mean that Deathstroke won’t attract the ire of his own stable of bad guys. Still, don’t expect this mercenary to turn to DC’s heroes for help.
“In my first arc he’s also the hunted, so I guess there is a little self defense in there somewhere,” Daniel continued. “But make no mistake, he won’t be palling around with Superman. His only friends or lovers are others who are deeply rooted in the world of crime.”
The success of Deathstroke on “Arrow” is likely a big key in this new series being put into production. And it seems like Daniel is well aware that the character will have to face off against the Green Arrow at some point.
“What the ‘Arrow’ series does though, is make me want to put Green Arrow and Deathstroke together at some point,” he told MTV. “I’m sure that’s in the cards down the road, and it doesn’t hurt that I’ve also been a long time Green Arrow fan. Will they work together or be enemies, that’s the question I’ll have the answer to if and when we get to that point.”
Deathstroke, a.k.a Slade Wilson, first appeared in the pages of “Teen Titans” #2 back in 1980. He has been a villain ever since, but his array of eye-popping gadgets and weapons has turned him into an icon among fans. He already had his own comic that started in 2011, but after a series of creative issues, the company decided to give it a rest until a suitable team was found to lead the book. Apparently DC found that team in Daniel and Florea.
The new “Deathstroke” series will hit stores sometime in October.
