Hey Warner Bros., if you need a script for Suicide Squad 2, look no further. Rob Williams has already done that for you. You’re welcome!
It should be pretty clear by now that I’m a big fan of Suicide Squad, and an even bigger fan of Rob Williams. In fact, this is probably my favorite DC title at the moment. His style of writing connects with me in a way that other writers have yet to do, as consistently as he has. I love that Williams has a long-term plan for Suicide Squad, and utilizes each and every issue to build to the moments we’re getting now. Simply put, everything that happens in Suicide Squad has purpose, and it allows for a much more rewarding payoff.
When Suicide Squad: Rebirth debuted, I wasn’t too sure of the title. When Amanda Waller took Zod at the end of “The Black Vault,” I became even more skeptical. I couldn’t see this going well. That, or the end result would be blatantly predictable. I could only see Zod as a desperate attempt to bring somre more “star power” to the roster. Well, I was wrong, and I’m happy to admit that. Growing from a collection of adventures, consequences, and character development, we’ve now circled back to reinclude Zod into the story… And it’s kind of awesome.
Following the spectacular issue #16, Waller now has Kryptonite thanks to Lex Luthor, and has crafted a way to create a bomb with the mineral to ensure Zod’s compliance. With this advancement, Waller can now move Zod from containment, and utilize him in the field… much the inclusion of great humor for the rest of the Squad.
I feared this might become the “Zod show” and feature nothing more than his destruction, but that’s selling Williams short. I should know better by now, right? Amidst the injection of testosterone from Zod’s inclusion, he’s ironically not the main focus. Instead, the story is split evenly amongst many of the other team members.
Harley has some wonderful moments in this issue as her arc continues on the path that started all the way back in the Suicide Squad Special from last year – a path of redemption. There are some questionable/ fast advances with Harley’s growth and development here as well, but hardly anything that ruins the book.
As interesting as Zod and Harley are though, it’s Waller and Harcourt that steal the show this week. Thanks to an impeccably well-crafted plot, we’re taken on a roller coaster of one shocking twist after another as more light is shed on what’s going on behind the scenes. If you’ve been waiting for answers concerning a certain event (*cough Hack’s death *cough*), you get some here… as well as a whole new batch of questions and possibilities. But let’s face it, that’s part of the reason we love this book.
The Art: I’ve been reading comics for over twenty years now (some time periods more religiously than others), and I’ve been reviewing them for nearly three years now… Despite that, I still find myself surprised by how strongly the art can impact my overall feelings of a story. Tony S. Daniel does that for me. I’m familiar enough with his work that it’s not a sense of discovery that grabs me, but more so the reality that he’s following Romita – who I respect, but his art does nothing for me.
Daniel’s work resonates with me because it’s crisp, clean, and contains a strong sense of realism. There’s also a more intense, graphic nature to his art – a trait that only enhances a narrative such as this. Each character contains unique expressions and carries themselves differently from each other, as well. These are all subtle inclusions, but they’re what help take a comic from good to great.
Breakdowns for this issue can be found in the spoiler tag.
The Good:
Harcourt. We finally get to see Harcourt shed the play, and go full out on her real mission. As we all expected, she’s working for The People. What I like about this though, is that she doesn’t decide to take action because she’s in danger. She takes action to stop Waller because she feels Waller and the Squad have become too dangerous with Zod. I don’t expect her to pull a Waller from the film and shoot up a room full of people, then try to blow up the entire facility though.
Harley. I’m loving Harley’s growth as a character under Williams pen, and I especially appreciate the doses of humanity he’s giving her. She’s still crazy and psychotic, but she’s still in touch with pieces of her sanity, and seeing it on occasion is refreshing and endearing.
Language. This is such a minor thing, but I loved the censored cussing in this issue! They need more of that. It’s fitting for Suicide Squad.
Boomerang. I didn’t see that coming… I’m more intrigued by Digger now, and I desperately want to know what his angle is. I’m clueless as to his motivations for killing hack, and now Harcourt (so easily).
Zod. KNEEEEEELLLLLL! And let me burn that bomb out of your head.
The Bad:
Sexy time. As much as I’m loving Harley’s development, I wish there would have been a stronger build to Harley and Flag’s relationship. There have been subtle moments here and there for a few issues now, and an actual conversation in the issue that Waller was “killed” in, but that’s about it. If there had been one other scene of the two of them that wasn’t just a subtle moment, then I would have been less critical of this instance.
Recommended If:
- You want to experience Zod’s inclusion into the Squad.
- You want to see Harley embrace more of her humanity.
- The Waller/ Harcourt scenes are almost as good as the Waller/ Luther scenes.
Overall: Seriously, pass on watching Suicide Squad the movie, and pick up the book. It contains a better, more intelligent plot, great characterization, and WAY more moral ambiguity. Under Willams’ and Daniel’s direction, Suicide Squad is fun, action packed, suspenseful, and rewarding. What are you waiting for? Go get it!
SCORE: 9/10
