It’s been about two months since the 4-part crossover event ‘The Lazarus Contract’ came out. With all the cliffhangers from that last issue, we want to dive into where we are currently in those comics, as well as the tie-in to the new DC event Dark Nights Metal coming out August 16th!

**Spoilers Below**

The Lazarus Contract was a 4-part crossover between Titans (#11), Teen Titans (#8), and Deathstroke (#19). The final issue of the crossover is Teen Titans Annual (#1), which led to all the cliffhangers we are looking to explore in this post. Also, if you haven’t read Deathstroke (#20), check it out! This issue is actually an epilogue to the Lazarus Contract.

Interested in My Comic Universe’s thoughts on the crossover? Check out our audio podcast on the Lazarus Contract crossover from DC Comics.

Now that you’re caught up on the Lazarus Contract crossover… let’s discuss the aftermath!

Teen Titans:

Cover of Teen Titans #9 (A Variant)

teentitan9

We left off here with the Teen Titans looking like they were over, Robin (Damian Wayne) challenges Kid Flash’s status on the team. With the betrayal of Kid Flash this is not really surprising. However, we dive into a Black Manta story and how this relates to Jackson Hyde. Definitely a good story to check out if you haven’t already and part 3 comes out August 23rd.

The next issue (#12) will be a direct tie-in to the Dark Nights: Metal series by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo.

Here is the official synopsis:

“‘GOTHAM RESISTANCE’ part one! The fight for Gotham City’s soul starts here! When Robin receives a distress call from Nightwing urging him to return home, he discovers that Gotham City has been transformed into a mosaic of monsters, magic and doom! Trapped inside the Riddler’s deadly maze with nowhere to turn, Robin soon assembles an unlikely team of hometown heroes including Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Black Canary and Green Arrow to find the missing Nightwing and save their city!” (Source: My Comic Shop).

Cover of Teen Titans #12 (A Variant)

teen titans 12a

*Side Note* If you are interested in DC’s Dark Nights Metal, look out for My Comic Universe’s website post next week all about Dark Nights Metal! We will discuss the first issue and theorize where they are heading with this whole Nth Metal mystery with the Dark Multiverse!

Titans:

The original Wally West was left with a pacemaker from the events of the Lazarus Contract due to Damian’s actions in the past to cut Deathstroke’s tie to the Speed Force. This has really weakened/slowed down Wally’s powers. This is an interesting take on the character and will allow the writers to really explore who Wally West is as a person. Ever since he was returned to the DC Universe thanks to the events of Rebirth, he has really seemed lost. He had his whole life taken away from him, and all he really had left was being the Flash. Now that he may be losing that part of his life, it will be interesting to see how he handles this.

After the Lazarus Contract, we start the Judas Among Us story-line where the Titans try to figure out if there is a traitor among them. This also leads to the Titans launching a full assault on H.I.V.E.

Cover of Titans #15 (A Variant)

titans 15a

As this story progresses we learn that Nightwing is an agent of H.I.V.E.! We have to wait to find out more about this!

Deathstroke:

Deathstroke was really effected by this crossover and his time with the Speed Force. After the Lazarus Contract, Deathstroke seems to be done being Deathstroke and done being a villain.

I know, I know, how long will this last? We will have to wait and see.

Deathstroke #20 is actually an epilogue to the Lazarus Contract and the aftermath of the Lazarus Contract leads to Deathstroke starting his own team of superheros.

Cover of Deathstroke #21 (A Variant)

deathstroke 21a

Issue #21 is the first issue of this new team “Team Defiance” featuring Deathstroke along with former Teen Titans, Kid Flash and Power Girl, his children, Rose and Jericho, and also Terra!

Following this series we see Team Defiance go on their first mission to protect the US Embassy in a small foreign country. The team faces off against a new villain Radiant Man, while Slade Wilson goes off to fight Dr. Light. Well he actually abandons the team.

This team is already having their ups and downs, cracking under the leadership of Slade Wilson. We will see how long this team lasts and how long Slade Wilson lasts as a ‘good guy’.

Overall we really liked the Lazarus Contract, it was a fun story that really left us with extreme consequences. It was also really cool getting to see Deathstroke receiving powers from the Speed Force, which was an interesting take on the character.

Cover of Deathstroke #19 (B Variant)

deathstroke 19b

It is always fun to see these characters with a different twist or take. It’s fun to explore what it would be like if they had different powers or abilities. This is one of the reasons why we are really excited for DC’s Dark Nights Metal one-offs with the Dark Batmen. This is going to be different takes on different Batmen from the Dark Multiverse.

Metal dark batmen

(DC Comics)

However, they are not like Batman completely, these are Batman fused with other Justice League characters. As you can see from the above picture, which was revealed at San Diego Comic Con, we will get different versions of Batman with different powers/abilities. Plus they are evil, so that alone will be a fun take on the characters.

Stay tuned for next week as DC’s Dark Nights Metal #1 is released and we will be posting all about it! Follow us on our website and on our social media pages to keep up to date with our new posts. We will also be starting our next giveaway really soon!

 

 

Thank you to DC Comics and My Comic Shop for pictures used in this post.