New Suicide Squad #11 “Monsters” Part 3
Written by Sean Ryan
Art by Philipe Briones
Colors by Blond
Oh Sean Ryan… you never let me down… your book is turning out exactly like I predicted…
Alright, before I get into this – full disclosure, I’m not going to have nice things to say – I want to point out that I do think this is the best arc Sean Ryan has delivered so far. Unfortunately, Ryan’s best isn’t good enough in my opinion, and this book deserves a quality writer. If DC were smart, they would turn this book over to some of their top talent. The concept is too good, and this title has too much attention for someone this bad to write this book. I don’t intend to be mean, I’m just being honest. From a business standpoint – considering the perception of the franchise – people are going to look into this title due to the hype around the movie, and they’re going to think its complete crap. Why? Because it is complete crap. There will be members of the film crowd that are going to dip their toes into comics with Suicide Squad, and its ultimately going to give comics a bad name, Suicide Squad a bad name, and comic fans/books will continue to be looked at as “weird.” A majority of people “looking into” comics will pick this up, and think, “Thank God for films. They’re actually making comic book characters cool.” So I urge DC to get a strong writer. Write a strong book. And actually be smart enough to take advantage of the opportunity before you. There’s a chance you could take Suicide Squad from a C-level title to an A-level title, just like Marvel did with Guardians of the Galaxy.
Now that I’ve got that rant out of the way, let’s get into the actual review. For this arc, select members of the squad were sent to infiltrate a rogue division of the League of Assassins. It was originally going to be ISIS, but somebody got cold feet – either way, it works. So Waller sends in Deadshot, Manta, and Boomerang to learn who the League’s leader is, and find where they store their weapons. Waiting in the wings, we have Harley, Reverse Flash, and Parasite who are to serve as extraction for Team A when they need it. Unfortunately – as I predicted – things aren’t going to go according to plan, and chaos will ensue… except it won’t be as enjoyable as it potentially sounds.
So far, Deadshot is the only character playing it straight out of the three that are infiltrating the League. He’s there, he’s following orders, but he has a mission. The other two are pushing the extremes of each end of the spectrum. Boomerang is acting like a clown… which I get it, he’s kind of meant to be a joke, but he’s smart enough to know when to be cheeky, and when to keep it together. And then on the other end, Manta has become a born again terrorist that sounds like a puppet robot and is turning on his own team. I get that there’s probably a “twist” in here, and I get that the intention is to create dramatic effect, but I’m typically just rolling my eyes. I mean who in their right mind would encounter Boomerang in this situation and not know that he’s faking. Who wouldn’t look at Manta – whether he’s actually defecting or playing one over on the bad guys – and not recognize that he’s too loyal, too soon. I’d smell a rat! And if I were Waller or the U.S. Government, I wouldn’t send these yahoos anywhere.
This issue has the League going on a mission to destroy a factory that produces Lazarus Pits. The problem – cause there has to be a problem – is that the organization that owns this factory is an ally of the U.S. Government. Waller and team can’t let this mission happen, but they don’t want their three guys on the inside to reveal themselves. So what does Waller and team do? They send in their extraction team to try and stop the League… and they think this is a good idea. Ok…. Really? You guys think this is a good idea? Because I think this is a terrible idea. You think sending in your extraction team (who are supposed to be a secret) to stop the League (who is currently comprised of various squad members that were told not to blow their cover, yet you’re creating a situation that will potentially blow the cover of everyone, and more importantly pit your team against each other in a situation that will most likely result in the death of most of the team due to the impossible odds of the situation) from destroying the factory in hopes of keeping solid ties with your allies…. And you think this is a good idea? What did you do? Consult a first grader? Actually, you pretty much did since the idea came from Bonnie – who if you can recall, is the doe-eyed assistant that genuinely thinks Sage is a good, trusting, and reliable person as he exudes total creeper status.
And this is my problem with this book. There is no logic. There is no intelligence. Yes, it’s “fun” and “entertaining.” I use both of those words in quotations because I don’t find it to be either of those things due to the lacking logic and intelligence. I get it… These are comic books, they’re not real… I know. But at some point I have to stop and give you the “WTF look.” And what confuses me even more, is this book is getting solid praise… and I don’t understand why. I’m talking about review scores that are 8+ out of 10. Are these people reading the same book I am? Are they being paid off? I know this is Ryan’s best arc, and the art is better, which makes the action better, but sheesh. The story isn’t believable. The dialogue isn’t believable (it’s terrible). And even though the action looks better, what actually takes place isn’t really believable either… and I didn’t even touch on how this issues ends, which only continues this book on the downward slope.
Nope. I can’t support this. I can’t praise something this bad. And why… Why does something have to go terribly wrong with each mission? This formula is really old now. Since when is it not good enough that the mission itself is just dangerous and suspenseful? Why does someone have to turn on the team in each mission? Look, we get it… They’re bad guys. They don’t like each other. That doesn’t mean they’re going to blow everything around them – including their cover (which has been blown on a national level twice yet we’ve seen 0 repercussions from) – and potentially endanger their life further just to back-stab a team member… It’s cheap storytelling. Plain and simple.
The Art: The best thing about Suicide Squad is the art – which is a change of pace compared to the last two arcs – so thank God for Briones. The guy is doing everything he can with the material he has, but he’s not playing with a winning hand.
To see some samples of the internal art, check out the spoiler tag below.
Recommended if:
- If you want to read a story that completely lacks any form of logic, then go ahead and get this book.
Overall: Sean Ryan’s New Suicide Squad is nothing but cheap storytelling that lacks logic and intelligence. I know many of you love Harley, or are interested in this title due to the film, but I beg you not to pick up this title until a new writer comes on board. Seriously… do everyone a favor. Skip it.
SCORE: 4.5/10
