Deathstroke is one of the DC Universe’s deadliest assassins. With expert skills and a regenerative healing factor, there’s nothing he can’t do. Although, he might’ve just bitten off more than he can chew when he crosses paths with Talia al Ghul and the League of Shadows. It’ll be up to Batman and Robin to track Slade Wilson down before the conflict gets out of hand.
All the action will happen in Shadow War, a three-month crossover event between Batman, Robin, and Deathstroke Inc. This Joshua Williamson penned jam promises to be action-packed and even help set up a “major piece” of the upcoming Dark Crisis.
Crossover events can be confusing and it’s easy to miss out on a vital chapter by accident. Luckily, the Shadow War Reading Order is here to help you catch all the action. It includes the recommended reading order, background reading, release dates, and heaps more.
Enjoy!
Background Reading
There isn’t any essential background reading for Shadow War. you should be able to jump into it with Shadow War: Alpha #1. However, check out the following comics if you want to get a feel of what they are like prior to this crossover.
Deathstroke Inc #1-6
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Howard Porter.
This issues set up the new status quo for Deathstroke, which sees him being funded by secret organisation to take out major villains.
Robin (2021 series) #1-11 and Robin Annual 2021
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Gleb Melnikov, Jorge Corona, Max Dunbar, and Roger Cruz.
Check out this series if you want to know what Damien Wayne has been up to.
These issues have been collected in the following collections:
- Robin Volume 1: The Lazarus Tournament (Robin (2021 series) #1-6; and the prelude story from Batman (2016 series) #106 and Detective Comics #1034)
- Robin Volume 2: I Am Robin (Robin #7-12 and Robin Annual 2021)
Batman (2016 series) #118-121
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Jorge Molina and Mikel Janin.
Check out these issues if you’re looking to get a vibe on how Williamson writes Batman.
Shadow War Reading Order
Below is the recommended reading order for the Shadow War crossover.
Deathstroke Inc. #7 (Prelude)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Stephen Segovia.
Available 22nd March
Robin (2021 series) #12 (Prelude)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz.
Available 22nd March
Shadow War: Alpha #1 (Part 1)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Viktor Bogdanovic.
Available 29th March
Batman (2016 series) #122 (Part 2)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Howard Porter.
Available 5th April
Deathstroke Inc. #8 (Part 3)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Paolo Pantalena.
Available 26th April
Robin (2021 series) #13 (Part 4)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz and Norm Rapmund.
Available 26th April
Batman (2016 series) #123 (Part 5)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Howard Porter and Trevor Hairsine.
Available 3rd May
Shadow War: War Zone #1 (Tie-in)
Written by Joshua Williamson, Ed Brisson, Stephanie Phillips, and Nadia Shammas. Art by Trevor Hairsine, Mike Bowden, and Ann Maulina.
Available 17th May
Deathstroke Inc. #9 (Part 6)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Paolo Pantalena.
Available 24th May
Robin (2021 series) #14 (Part 7)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz and Norm Rapmund.
Available 24th May
Shadow War: Omega #1 (Final Part)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Stephen Segovia.
Available 31st May
After Shadow War
As mentioned in interviews, Shadow War will set up a major piece of the upcoming line-wide event Dark Crisis. You can find out how to read this massive story with this handy reading order guide.
Other comics you can pick-up after Shadow War include:
Batman (2016 series) #124
Written by Joshua Williamson and G. Willow Wilson (backup story). Art by Howard Porter and Dani (backup story).
This is the final issue of Williamson’s short Batman run. Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez will be the new creative team in July’s Batman #125.
Robin (2021 series) #15
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz and Norm Rapmund.
This will continue plot-threads of Shadow War in the context of what was happening in this series before the event.
Deathstroke Inc. #10
Written by Ed Brisson. Art by Dexter Soy.
The new creative team will be kicking of a new arc called Deathstroke: Year One, which looks back at the early days of Slade Wilson’s career.
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