Review: Deathstroke Vol. 3- Twilight

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative is engaging and has plenty of great moments within it. The entire volume features a satisfying escalation of tension that explodes into an epic conclusion. This conclusion effectively uses development from the past two volumes while also further developing future ones. The volume’s artwork enhances the storytelling.

Cons: Some pieces of the narrative stretch suspension of disbelief.

Overall: This volume feels like a highly successful season finale for a television show that is hitting all the right notes. This comic uses all the work accomplished over the past two volumes to make its storyline more exciting and meaningful. This leads to a fantastic conclusion which goes on to set up the next “season” of Deathstroke’s adventures. Anyone who has been reading this comic should keep reading here and anyone who hasn’t should consider reading this series in order to get here.

Story

Deathstroke Vol. 3: Twilight, by Christopher Priest, brings this Deathstroke story arc to a crescendo in an epic and worthwhile fashion. It takes all of the planning, character development, and effort seen through the last two volumes and uses them to launch a tense and exciting narrative. This narrative features plenty of moments that are emotional and meaningful but also features plenty of moments that are just plain fun. All of this leads into a conclusion that answers some questions while also keeping a few stored away for the future. In general, this collection is a huge success that somehow managed to get me even more excited for this series.

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Twilight achieves most of its success from the way it brings multiple plotlines to a close and uses those plotlines to deliver a fantastic climax. Mysterious duplicity from Étienne is finally revealed to be manipulation from Amanda Waller, Rose’s quest for self-discovery turns out to be another plot from Deathstroke, and more minor issues involving Red Lion and Doctor Ikon are brought to life. Meanwhile, it is clear that Deathstroke’s recent missions have changed him as a person, with the finale of this comic having him accept death rather than killing his own son. Most of this comes into play in this book’s final chapter, which leverages flashbacks and character development to deliver an epic and meaningful end to this part of the series.

While Twilight spends plenty of time answering and addressing lingering plotlines from the previous volumes, it still manages to push the series forward. The conclusion of this volume leaves things on an unbelievable cliffhanger, with Deathstroke on the verge of being killed by his own son and the murder of his son’s finance still unresolved. There is still a compelling reason to return to this series and see what is going to happen next.

In addition to all of this, the narrative throughout this volume is just plain fun. Watching Deathstroke try to be a hero alongside Tanya is entertaining, especially when it has him beating up villains while blind and relying on a seeing-eye dog. Meanwhile, the escalation of tension and the slow reveal of mysteries, as the book reaches its finale, makes for an intense and addictive read.

The only problem in Twilight is that there are a few places where the read feels like it pushes the limits on believability in order to make a few great moments. It is hard to accept that Tanya, who is depicted as a genius most of the time, does not recognize Deathstroke and refuses to accept help in fighting him, meanwhile, the entire romance between Deathstroke and Étienne feels like it only happened for shock value. These negatives are very minor though and do not have much of an impact on the read.

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Art

The artwork in Twilight mostly maintains the high level of quality found in previous volumes from this series. The entire volume is still laid out incredibly well. The page structures all look nice and help create a storytelling experience with a pleasant flow to it. In addition, the artists working on this volume still manage to bring out the high-stakes action and energy one would expect from this series. The only downside is that Joe Bennett’s work is not quite as detailed and visually striking as some of the work in previous collections. Overall though, this is still a good looking book where the artwork makes the volume better.

Continuity

Deathstroke Vol. 3: Twilight continues the story from Deathstroke Vol. 2: The Gospel of Slade (Review).

The story here continues in Titans: The Lazarus Contract (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Raptor was imprisoned in Nightwing #8, collected in Nightwing Vol. 1: Better Than Batman (Review).
• Tanya received her powers from Power Girl (Reading Order) after Power Girl left in Worlds’ Finest #26, collected in Worlds’ Finest Vol. 5: Homeward Bound (Review). 
• Tanya meet and began working with the Teen Titans in Teen Titans Vol. 5 #5, collected in Teen Titans Vol. 1: Blinded by the Light (Review). 
• The Teen Titans disbanded after a death in Detective Comics #940, collected in Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen (Review).
• A new Teen Titans team formed across Teen Titans Vol. 1: Damian Knows Best (Review).