Blog - The Evolution of Deathstroke

Here's a random blog post about Deathstroke.

Honestly though I'm not the biggest fan of Deathstroke you'll find, but I always thought he was a decent enough villain for the Teen Titans to run into whenever. Also, I preferred when he was used over well though long over-arching story-arcs rather than on his own solo title or regular Titans villain.
I mean, he's a dangerous hit-man, do we really need to have him kill people around all the time?

Anyways, let's take a look at "Slade Wilson's" design...

[Cover from the first issue of his first regular series]
Originally, he had a pretty simple enough and iconic costumed from the go.
Blue costume, orange pirate boots and gloves, double-sided mask? It's simple, memorable and pretty visual.
(perhaps not "realistic", but this is comics, visual is always the foremost important aspect)

I like this look!
Memorable, visually original. The orange briefs might seem odd, but in a world where a red and blue-costumed flying alien is the world's most powerful hero, this is simply a logical design for a villain in it for his rep'.

[Flashpoint!Deathstroke]
Alright, so  Deathstroke didn't change much over the years since his introduction. While other 80s-introduced character got more aggressive redesigns in the 2000s, Deathstroke stayed the same.
Simply because of that, he was iconic enough already!

So his first, principal and only redesign was in the giant What if/Elseworld crossover summer-event called "Flashpoint".
Embracing the whole kinda-pirate-y look altogether, this Deathstroke became a full fledged scurvy dog.
Still pretty recognisable. Kinda strange, but works in context and for the sole purpose of this alternate world.

[New 52 Deathstroke]
So when DC had Jim Lee & co redesign the whole DC pantheon, Deathstroke got his first actual in-story new look!
Like most DCnU design, it's a return to the 90s in the aesthetic.

Tons of useless details most artists besides the cover guy won't be able to keep up with, tons of lines on the costume, new gloves/suit/boots/mask based on his previous look yet altered enough to feel different.

I thinkthis is pretty representative of the whole rebooted New 52 DC Universe.
Grittier, "more serious", more badass, more attitude, more violent..

Which brings us to today.
DC announced they would cancel ~6 books already, though replacing them with as many new titles to keep the whole "52 books in The New 52" around.
Artists and writers will shuffle around.

Rob Liefeld's Hawk & Dove is canceled already (no surprise!).
So what do they do? Give Rob 3 other titles! He will write Hawkman, write orr draw Grifter (?) and will draw & write Deathstroke now!

And the above is the way Deathstroke will be even more 90s-ified under Rob Liefeld's pen.
Seems like someone won't be following Jim Lee's designs that much, heh? :P

Goodbye details, hello giant shoulderpads and pouches!

Also, Rob said his first arc would bring Deathstroke against Lobo (huh...did ya get Lobo was a parody of the whole gritty 80s/90s comics, Rob?) in spaaaaaaaaaaaaace! Because there's less details to draw in spaaaaaaaaaaace! (that is why Hawkman will also be getting in spaaaaaaaaaaace under Liefeld, like he did with Deadpool recently as well)

Final Word:

Levis 501 Button Fly Jeans Rob Liefeid Commercial

My brother asked for this :P

Here's Rob Liefeid, talking comics, how he got started and pants.



His parents "hated" it.
Reminds me of my own, several years ago!

Comic NEWS! DC Reboot: Part V

DC Reboot: part I 

DC Reboot: part II 

DC Reboot:: part III

DC Reboot: part IV 

DC revealed more of its upcoming relaunches!
This time, some of the future new team books.

Prepare to be surprised...
For better worse...
Jim Lee's most...unusual designs will be on these following characters...
Let's start off with everyone's favorite title (not mine really)(I mean I find people telling how much they love the Legion all the time, and I've never been able to really like it myself)(it's a complete mystery...do people love these stories in the future, with tons of flying super heroes in bright costumes, in spaaaace?)(so much paranthesis for the beginning of a new post...)

Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from total annihilation. When the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world and an ultimate struggle to survive. LEGION LOST #1 will be written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Pete Woods, fresh off an acclaimed run of Action Comics.

So...are the DC staff already calling this "rebooted" universe a "nightmarish world"?
Will THEY correct the timeline or something?

In the 31st century, the Legion of Superheroes is reeling from the loss of seven of their finest — and trying desperately to keep their youngest recruits alive against a series of terrible new threats. LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #1 will be written by fan-favorite Legion writer Paul Levitz and illustrated by Francis Portela.
This one is "one of the books you'll see the least amount of change taking place," says DiDio. Aside from the subtracted characters in Legion Lost of course

So a new Legion title.
I mean two new Legion books.
Anyway, I guess fans will be happy to be able to follow these two side-books following the same original plot point (7 members vanishing into the past?).

Tim Drake is forced to step out from behind his keyboard when an international organization seeks to capture or kill super-powered teenagers. As Red Robin, he must team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and a hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash in TEEN TITANS #1, by Scott Lobdell and artists Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.

Arg! My eyes!!
What did Jim Lee did to these Titans' costumes??
Is that a smoke monster Raven in the background? Wonder Girl is now an hippie/gypsy with friggin' chains? Kid Flash is evil? Who is that Spider-lady, what did happen to that indian girl who recently joined the team the fans already liked for her bringing some much needed diversity for the group? Superboy went from the no-costume T-shirt-costume to a post-it Superman logo? And Red Robin's an actual red robin now, can he fly?
Those are probably the worst and more EXTREEEEME! 90s-styled costume of the whole relaunch....

Static Shock #1, co-written by John Rozum and Scott McDaniel, with McDaniel on art. 

Well, DC did announce a new Static series a while back.
Looks like he will be moving from Dakota to New York City!
And now we can truly mistake him for Black Lightning/Black Lightning's sidekick. :P

And most surprisingly of all,
It's up to the living avatars of war and peace to root out the hidden forces who look to plunge the country into a deadly civil war in HAWK AND DOVE #1. The exciting new series will be written by Sterling Gates and illustrated by legendary superstar comics artist Rob Liefeld.

Not only is Rob Liefeld back at DC for the first time in years, but to his very first title as well!
Uhh...

ComicPageOfTheWeekend: Deadpool vs Wolverine

 (Click for bigger pic)

Deadpool © Marvel Comics

Stan Lee interviews Rob Liefeld

EXTREEEEMEEE!!

Back in the 90s, comic book legend Stan Lee had a little video show were he used to interview other comic authors. It was called Comic Book Greats.

Well, since I watched some videos about Rob Liefeld not long ago (posted on the blog last week), I watched this interview Stan Lee did of Liefeld.

Very interesting video I posted below and thought it would be nice to have on the blog.
You may hate his style or the guy himself, but there's no denying this guy was genuinely in love with the medium and helped up boost sales during the 90s.
And the real problem with Leifeld is in my eyes how people kept buying more and more, and asking for even more, various artists trying to imitate his art style or copying it...and the whole industry went into this EXTREEEME!! direction just to emulate what this very young artists was doing.


Anyway, here's the whole parts of this interview, have fun (Rob draws live in the last part)









I wouldn't call him my favorite artists, a great one nor the worst artist ever... He was young, the things happened so fast and all that.. But at least he loves what he does and enjoys comics. Most haters are probably just jaleous :/

Rob Liefeld - on Deadpool

Trolls like to hate on Rob Liefeld nowadays on teh interwebz..
But some years ago it was people buying his stuff that made him the super-popular artist he came to be!

Even his portrait screams EXTREEEEME!!

Anyway, I still find it quite impressive how a guy like him, I never did any art school, came to define the art direction of most comics from the 90s.
Sure he may had some problems with proportions and/or feet. But he never aimed to draw realistically (it's called "stylized").


Give him some slack, the guy didn't became popular by himself, it was people loving and buying his stuff that made him more than he was. Then all the other artists started copying his art style.
In reality he seems like a pretty down-to-earth and humble guy.

He created so many characters.. Many bad ones sure, but as many very good ones that still live to this day!

Who doesn't like Cable - the future son of Cyclops from another universe??

Or Domino - that lethal assassin with luck?

Or also Deadpool - the merc with a mouth?

Speakin' of Deadpool, since he's today post subject,
Deadpool was in fact co-created with Fabian Nicieza.
Liefeld designed and imagined 'pool's background. But it was in his later series that he was fleshed out as a wise-crackin' merc.
In his first appearance he was more like a Spider-man-like mercenary (the complete opposite of Peter's personality and job-wise). A bit crazy, quite serious in his mercenary business and lethal.

And now, here's a little interview courtesy of crazycatcomics on youtube:



You can say what you want about the guy, he looks motivated and interested in his characters. And he doesn't bs people like, say J. Quesada.

 Though I think most of what he's saying about Deadpool's character came later on, without him, under~ Nicieza and Joe Kelly's writing.

CBR:Quickies Deadpool reviews part 1

"Hi guys, kids and gals of all ages! Crazy unc' Deadpool here! Yeah, the real deal, not some random guy on the internet writing as the character Deadpool to try sounding funny all that crap!
I finally get to review some of my very own books here while Eyz is away preparing some new comic strip drawing that nobody cares about! How fun's that?! Well, let's deep into a bunch of different era-Pool stories in what I decided to call "CBR:Quickies Deadpool reviews part 1" yeah, that's a mouthful.
What can I do, that's this site's conventions..."

-W.W., merc with a mouth

"Mmmh... lemme check my diary... a'right! Here it is!

I was created during the awesome extreme period of comics called the "nineties".
My first appearance was in New Mutants #98 in 1991, were I was conceived by a non-gay couple of parents called Rob Liefeld (artist) and Fabian Nicieza (writer).
It was all great and all that...'xcept it wasn't all that great and all that in fact.. It was a pretty boring issue, from a New Mutant's point of view were all days were very intense extreme.
I was at first a random mercenary thrown in against Cable and his merry company of New Mutants.

Then, instead of creating a thousand more extreme foes for the so-called New Mutant, Nicieza decided to give me a personality and a background in my very own mini-series. People loved me, yadda yadda, new mini, blabla, a regular on-going series, the internet came and loved me and BLAM! now I'm your cult favorite lovin' Merc' with a Mouth!

What's the point in all this? I dunno, the usual joe, Eyz not Joe, used to write an intro in his reviews, before I splashed his brains all over the keyboard.
(Don't worry kiddos, I'm a fictive character, everything I say can and will be held against you, no real killings were involved in this review).

Anyway, let's check my books quickly, I gut' something in the microwave!
Let's make this quick, short and nice, like I do my lovin' between contracts!
I'll only review a little bunch o' books this time, cause I'm lazy and this will serve as a template for future CBR:Quickies (whatever that means!).

Oh, and also, buy my books dammit! Comic book characters only live in those, so not buyin' them is killin' us!! You murderers!!"

Comic title: Deadpool Classic: Volume 1
Written by Fabian Nicieza & Joe Kelly
Art by Rob Liefeld, Ed McGuinness,...
Format: Trade collecting New Mutants #98, The Circle Chase, Deadpool vol. 2, and Deadpool vol. 3 #1

-Sigh- My very first comic book series are collected in this book! My first appearance, were Liefeld describes all the muscles in the human body in morse code. God I looked...stunning in that era..
Oh and my first two limited series, which were pretty cool. They introduced a past, a character and a Deadpool cast all rolled up into a couple of pages! And, hey! I talk! And I'm funny! Thanks daddy Nicieza you're the best! And the very first issue of my very first on-going comic book series! But daddy, where did you run off to?! And who's this joe, "Joe Kelly", writing me now?!

Overall: The Merc with a Mouth born! This classic golden age literature as its place next to Hamlet, Watchmen and the friggin' first issue of Howard the Duck!
The beginnings are a mere tip of the larger iceberg of what I will become someday! (still waiting for it to happen!)
The writing Fabian Niciezais great and gives me a voice like no other dude in spandex ever had!
A must check/read! Oh, and Joe Kelly is a great follow-up writer to Nicieza, writing me with mostly the same energy and crazy voice! And that Ed McGuinness sure can mix cartoony designs and serious heroic comic book badass! I'm sure he will grow up into a popular artist (or end up stuck drawing the Hulk or sumthin'...)

I give this one a: 2 / 3 Score!


Comic title: Cable & Deadpool Volume 1: If Looks Could Kill 
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Mark Brooks & Patrick Zircher
Format: Trade collecting Cable & Deadpool #1-6

A regular on-going series later and a "reboot" under the name Agent X later, Nicieza decides to give me another go!
This time he brings up the guns, the big guns, the other Rob Liefeld co-creations; Cable!
This new on-going series is all that is good about me, fun violent action and smart sass.
And all that is good about Cable, huh..something something... Oh and messiah complexes and providence, whatever it is supposed to mean...
This new mix of humor/action/plotting starts off pretty strong with a cult of blue smurf-people. Yep. BLUE. PEOPLE. And no, there isn't a pandora-like off world sequence. I kick blue guys' ass, Cable kicks some as well, we end up mixed and off we go to our new adventures!~

Overall: Fantastic debut! Oui oui, merci beaucoup, monsieur dames.
Nicieza knows how I work and has fun with both me and Cable.
It doesn't take itself too seriously (at least in this early run) and is a very fun read!
Perfect starting point, no need to either knows us or the larger "Marvel U". (that's Marvel Universe! not the Marvel University!! though I would check a book about this other Marvel U if it existed... Syrin in a school uniform...mmmh...)

I give this one a: 2.5 / 3 Score!


Comic title: Deadpool Vol. 1: Secret Invasion 
Written by Daniel Way
Art by Paco Medina
Format: Trade collecting Deadpool vol. 4 #1-5.

After a brief test run of yours truly in a couple issues of Wolverine Origins, Daniel Way resurrects my title series under his writing. Which isn't good. But, hey, at least he's got me back on the map! (which would result in Deadpools appearing everywhere, yeah, literally everywhere!!)
Anway, in this new beginning, I encounter Skrulls, those alien bastards Marvel been using again lately, ends up the Skrull Invasion all by myself (but nobody seems to notice since only Osborn is supposed to come out as a winner after that event)...
Oh, and I have a new gimmick, thanks to Awesome-Way, I now have two distinct voices in my head. Wassup with that? Am I crazy, huh..I mean, crazier now? White-narration boxes and yellow-narration boxes? Things seemed so simple back in the day... What's with the complex story-telling, the goofy jokes and the stupid Deadpool-vision? I remember being crazy but pretty smart when it comes to merc'ing. (is that a word, merc'ing?)
Now I'm just a buffon! I don't even like Osborns!!

Overall: Pretty...bad debut! Specially if you've been following previous titles!
Is that supposed to be a joke, I mean the crazy/goofy pool-o-vision?
I've never been this stupid before! I couldn't take on T-Ray, Taskmaster nor Cable himself one-on-one now!
I heard this Daniel Way-guy never sticks up pretty long with a book and usually leaves off writing duty when the plot's messy enough and the holes untreatable (see the current Ghost Riders series for that~), hopes he leave me alones before the end of the world! (that's 2012, by internet standards)
The 'Pool is back, with less Death, less sense and over a very complex Marvel Universe (if you ain't followed the current state of the Marvel U, chances are you will be as lost as I on this book!)

I give this one a: 1.5 / 3 Score!


"And that's all for now! See you next time, true believers-
Same Pool-channel, Same Pool-hour!"

-W.W., merc with a mouth

 

That's all for this time's Quickies!