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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Suicide Squad #1 - Sept. 2014

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Comics Weekend "Pure Insanity" by Sean Ryan, Jeremy Roberts, and Blond.

I'll admit up front: a book where the villains are the protagonists generally holds no interest for me (never has, really), but I was curious enough about Suicide Squad #1 because of Black Manta's ongoing presence that I thought the Shrine should give at least the first issue a look.

#1 opens with two government agents discussing this whole new Suicide Squad initiative (one of them being Vic Sage, aka The Question), which they call Task Force XL. They seem positively giddy about how effective his team might be, as opposed to 25% Amanda Waller, who declares "This is going to be a disaster."

At first blush, it feels like Waller is right, for when we join the Squad in Moscow, and they're not quite getting along:
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Later, Sage and Waller discuss the new team, calmly, almost blandly, while the Squad itself goes on an orgy of violence that makes one long for the Comics Code (somebody call Chuck Dixon!). Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Joker's Daughter, and Black Manta hack and slash their way through an office building, home to a company called M.A.R.S. Systems:
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Suddenly, there's gunfire aimed at the Suicide Squad, fired by three giant armed Russians, who tell the bad guys to stand down or "You will be obliterated." To be contnued!


Not a whole lot to this first issue--it's basically just a two-hander, toggling back and forth between Waller/Sage and the Squad brutally murdering people left and right. I guess, with this line-up of characters, one can't be surprised that that's what happens, and Black Manta goes get a few moments here and there to be more than just a guy who eviscerates people. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to continue with the title, but it's another indication how big the Aquaman Family of characters has become, that even one of his villains now has a regular berth in the New 52.


4 comments:

Joe Slab said...

3 mercenaries & 2 female clowns? Nobody wanted to mix up this core membership LOL. I feel exactly like rob!, I picked this book up because it was a light week and I was curious. A very short, unremarkable read other than the fact that Black Manta is appearing in a book without Aquaman in it which I think is a rarity in the character's history AND the fact that DCE is likely grooming him for the live-action audience.

Russell said...

Ugh, nothing but unpleasantness. No, thanks.

Earth 2 Chris said...

Yeah, nothing for me there. This is the type of product DC really pushes these days, and I just ain't buyin'.

Chris

r duncan said...

Stupid, ugly, and insipid.

Bring back the code AND decent story telling.