The Teen Titans have always had a tumultuous relationship with Deathstroke and thanks to recent events from Slade Wilson’s solo title, Batman’s son Damian is on the warpath. “Teen Titans” newest arc, ‘The Terminus Agenda’ picks right up from that plot beat to tell the next big story between the Titans and Wilson. “Deathstroke” and “Teen Titans” writers Christopher Priest and Adam Glass are on board for the crossover converging the two titles into one. Will Glass and Priest be able to tell a narrative with these heroes without some of the traditional cliches that can stand on its own two feet outside of the context of what came before? Will the complicated narrative of “Deathstroke” be able to withstand a “Teen Titans” crossover while retaining the book’s wild sense of identity?
Written by Adam Glass
Illustrated by Bernard Chang
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Lettered by Rob Leigh“The Terminus Agenda” part one! The hunter becomes the hunted as Robin and the Teen Titans set out to end Deathstroke once and for all! But no man has ever gone toe-to-toe with the World’s Deadliest Assassin and walked away unscathed! Lines will be crossed, secrets will be revealed and blood will be shed! Don’t miss the crossover event of the spring, which kicks off a bold new era for Teen Titans and Deathstroke!
“The Terminus Agenda” is here and as you may have suspected, Damian Wayne remains the catalyst and driving plot point for the story. Since the series inception, Wilson and Wayne have had a well-documented relationship full of animosity.‘The Terminus Agenda’ does an excellent job picking up on the previous story beats and checking in with both members on the previous incarnation of the property. The tension between Wayne and Wilson pulses off the page in the installment and should serve to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Glass has a new squad of characters who are ready to go up against “Deathstroke” and watching them team up against the assassin is a way to test the team.
While there is a history of animosity between Slade and Wilson, it doesn’t change the fact that the sudden rivalry between the duo can come off as forced. All of a sudden Wayne’s enemy number one is Wilson and while there are certain plot beats and aspects of their past to be addressed in the issue, there isn’t one specific moment to tip the scales and show Wayne’s anger. Later on in the issue, Wayne offers a little more context as to why they are fighting. Also, getting some of the greater context from the other Titans members and seeing their reluctance to go into battle against Wilson feels like a great sense of conflict established by Glass.
Artist Bernard Chang does a great job capturing the effervescent nature of the team making them stand out from previous incarnations. Getting a different visual direction for the core Titans team is a refreshing change of pace for the heroes. Chang also has an incredibly solid level of expressions for the characters and whenever they go up against Deathstroke, the battles are thrilling. Chang does a particularly great job with Wayne’s facial expressions. Wayne takes himself incredibly seriously from the script and watching his expressions contort in a sloppy manner adds a great level of characterization. Despite the bold layouts and sharp line work, Chang’s artwork can look slightly washed out due to some of the colors on the page. It is disappointing to see Chang’s excellent work marred by a dull palette that doesn’t suit the dark, yet fascinating script in the issue.
The script adds a solid element of depth missing from a classic “Teen Titans” issue thanks to the fact that “Deathstroke” is involved. For instance, readers familiar with Wilson’s traditional series will likely be puzzled if Wilson meant to trap himself in Damian’s scheme to manipulate the situation further. They likely can’t help but wonder if there isn’t more to the story than what meets the eye. The fact that the script has readers wondering what Slade is actually planning shows that there is an excellent level of depth already in the story. Also, giving Slade a group of teens to interact with allows for a certain level of humor the series does a great job capitalizing on throughout the issue. Damian will inevitably say something off-kilter at points that evokes a fascinating dialogue between he and Wilson later on in the story.
While the issue is far from perfect, “Teen Titans” does a great job telling a new, yet familiar story with the “Teen Titans” squaring off against “Deathstroke.” The idea of a grown man picking a battle against a group of teens comes off as silly but Glass and Priest do an excellent job grounding the story in reality. While the story doesn’t have the same motivations for the hero as the previous crossover arc, ‘The Lazarus Contract,’ ‘The Terminus Agenda’ is still off to a great start. Chang’s pencils lend the story a fantastic level of polish that strikes an interesting balance between the brevity in “Teen Titans” and the darkness of “Deathstroke.”
Final Verdict: 5.5 – “Teen Titans” #28 melds the dark tone of two ongoing series together to kick off an exciting crossover.
