Whatever it may suggest about the inner workings of the human mind, it is pretty hard to deny that most of us really love a good villain. We may be appalled by their actions, stunned by the atrocities they commit, but some part of us finds their villainy fascinating. Maybe it's because we just want to see our heroes come up against truly challenging opponents. Or maybe it's because, deep-down, we envy the villains freedom to just do whatever they please, whenever they feel like it, unencumbered by morals or compassion. Whatever the reasons may be, we find evil pretty darn fascinating.
It makes sense, then, that DC Comics has decided to feed readers appetite for naughtiness with a series of stand-alone one-shots under the banner Faces of Evil. (I was gonna put that in a scary font, but maybe it is even scarier when the font seems normal...) Each Faces of Evil issue gets readers up close and personal with one of the DC Universe's baddest folks. It's kind of like a Behind the Music...of Evil! (Are you scared yet? You should be!)
Our spotlight this week falls on Faces of Evil: Deathstroke, by David Hine and Georges Jeanty. A wounded Deathstroke finds himself comatose, captured, and locked up in the completely escape-proof Belle Reve Prison for Metahuman Offenders. His incarceration gives Deathstroke a chance to reflect on the horrific consequences of his violent life, and leads him to re-think his choices. He's been such a bad boy that it seems he is ready to give it all up. He wills his body to stop healing, so he can end the cycle of violence once and for all. All he asks for, as a dying man, is to wear his costume and to visit with his beloved daughter before he kicks the bucket. There is no possible way that these harmless requests could lead to him killing loads of people and escaping from the escape proof prison, right? Right?
Hine does a great job taking readers, at least partially, into the mind of a psychopathic killing machine. You might even feel a little sympathy for Deathstroke, and gain some understanding of why he does the things he does. Jeanty's art works well in this story, both in the surreal glimpses inside Deathstroke's mind, and in the action-packed second half of the story.
Faces of Evil: Deathstroke gives you a chance to experience the thrill of villainy vicariously, without actually getting any blood on yourself. As much as we all love our heroes, you can't deny the appeal of badness. You can revel in the dark side by trying out this guaranteed Book of the Week, all week long at Four Color Fantasies! Missing out would be downright wrong!
It makes sense, then, that DC Comics has decided to feed readers appetite for naughtiness with a series of stand-alone one-shots under the banner Faces of Evil. (I was gonna put that in a scary font, but maybe it is even scarier when the font seems normal...) Each Faces of Evil issue gets readers up close and personal with one of the DC Universe's baddest folks. It's kind of like a Behind the Music...of Evil! (Are you scared yet? You should be!)
Our spotlight this week falls on Faces of Evil: Deathstroke, by David Hine and Georges Jeanty. A wounded Deathstroke finds himself comatose, captured, and locked up in the completely escape-proof Belle Reve Prison for Metahuman Offenders. His incarceration gives Deathstroke a chance to reflect on the horrific consequences of his violent life, and leads him to re-think his choices. He's been such a bad boy that it seems he is ready to give it all up. He wills his body to stop healing, so he can end the cycle of violence once and for all. All he asks for, as a dying man, is to wear his costume and to visit with his beloved daughter before he kicks the bucket. There is no possible way that these harmless requests could lead to him killing loads of people and escaping from the escape proof prison, right? Right?
Hine does a great job taking readers, at least partially, into the mind of a psychopathic killing machine. You might even feel a little sympathy for Deathstroke, and gain some understanding of why he does the things he does. Jeanty's art works well in this story, both in the surreal glimpses inside Deathstroke's mind, and in the action-packed second half of the story.
Faces of Evil: Deathstroke gives you a chance to experience the thrill of villainy vicariously, without actually getting any blood on yourself. As much as we all love our heroes, you can't deny the appeal of badness. You can revel in the dark side by trying out this guaranteed Book of the Week, all week long at Four Color Fantasies! Missing out would be downright wrong!
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