The Lazarus Contract
Deathstroke seeks the Flashes' speed to save his son.
In the DC Comics crossover The Lazarus Contract, Deathstroke and the Teen Titans clash when the villain tries to take the Flashes' speed to go back in time and rescue his son. Critics praised the story's plot and artwork, though the conclusion was not as well received.
Quick Facts
- Writers
- Christopher Priest
- Benjamin Percy
- Dan Abnett
- Editors
- Marie Javis
- Letterers
- Josh Reed
- Publisher
- DC Comics
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
Years earlier, Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) and his son Grant Wilson fought the Teen Titans—Robin, Wally West as Kid Flash, Aqualad, Speedy, Wonder Girl, and Omen—when Grant died of a heart attack despite Kid Flash's efforts. Deathstroke blamed the Titans and vowed revenge. In the present, the Titans battled Deathstroke's henchmen in New York, and Wally West was captured. Slade offered Wally a deal: help him travel back in time to save Grant, and he would stop being Deathstroke. Wally refused, so Slade recruited the imprisoned Kid Flash (Ace West) instead. The Teen Titans (Damian Wayne, Aqualad, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy) discovered Kid Flash missing when his tracer was found on Damian's costume. Both teams worked together to find the two Flashes. Deathstroke persuaded Kid Flash to assist him, then absorbed some of his speed. Wally chased Slade, who revealed a past truce with Dick Grayson: if Dick trained Rose Wilson as a hero, Slade would not attack the original Teen Titans—a pact called the Lazarus Contract. The teams searched for Deathstroke, leaving Kid Flash and Aqualad behind. Slade traveled to the past and confronted Grant, who was horrified to learn his idol was his absent father. Wally West, Jericho, Raven, and Starfire combined powers to create a time vortex. Damian used commotio cordis on past Wally West to stop his heart, causing current Wally to fade and Deathstroke to lose speed. Grant vanished before Slade. Ace regained his speed, past Wally recovered, and the vortex collapsed. Deathstroke returned to the present and planned to enter the Speed Force to go further back, then kill everyone. Adult Wally reappeared, warning that Slade could not escape the Speed Force due to inexperience. Wally rescued Slade, who said he saw things in the Speed Force that the Titans would not understand and lost his drive to kill them. Deathstroke dropped his sword and mask and walked away.
Reception
The crossover received generally positive reviews, though critics noted the ending was anticlimactic. On Comic Book Roundup, Titans Vol. 3 #11 scored 7.9 out of 10 from 22 reviews, Teen Titans Vol. 6 #8 scored 7.5 from 19, Deathstroke Vol. 4 #19 scored 7.5 from 20, Teen Titans: Lazarus Contract Special #1 scored 7.3 from 24, and Deathstroke Vol. 4 #20 scored 8.2 from 10.
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