Suicide Squad issue #7 is here! All of our questions for issue #6 will be answered! Who is the other Superboy? What is Waller up to? Where’s Rick Flagg? Who let him out? All questions that should naturally be answered in the directly next issue, right?
Right?
Wrong!
BUCKLE UP, BUCKAROOS, THE SUICIDE SQUAD IS GOING TO HELL! With addition of new member Ambush Bug, a character I’ll express my feelings about later, the Squad is recovering from their recent escapade to Earth-3.
But Cam, I hear you saying, what about the Supers Boy? What about any of the things you mentioned in the opening?
Shoulda read the annual, nerd. Now gimme your lunch money.
In all seriousness, though, am I the only one that finds it weird that issue #7 is not a direct continuation from issue #6? Like that seems like common sense. A series’ annual should not be required reading 7 issues into the story. Maybe I’m wrong on that one, but it seems like a dumb move. Now any casual reader is going to pick up issue #7 and be extremely confused why someone who looks like Superboy but is named Match is here, or why they’re on a beach, or why we have two Gen Z bait characters running around now, as if Culebra wasn’t bad enough.
Highway to Hell
Okay. On to the actual book. Ambush Bug is here! That’s the big new status quo shakeup, and boy does Robbie Thompson want you to know it. Not only does he get a solid three pages of intro, he gets a cameo in just about every panel of the issue. I realize that’s technically in character for Mr. Bug, but boy does it border on getting old. There are a couple jokes that really hit, and others… well…
Can they technically use that? I guess it’s fine, but it feels very copyright infringing.
I love Ambush Bug. I do. I’m just very much questioning if this is the book to have him in. Culebra already has the “how do you do, fellow kids” thing going, and the tone set in the beginning of this run was anything but comedic. I get that the movie just came out, and it was amazing, and DC probably wants to prepare for the influx of readers expecting a comedy, but it kind of feels like that’s something that should have been worked out beforehand, right? Bug’s presence isn’t book-ruining at all, in fact I think he could be a great addition to the team should Thompson choose to take the book in a more comedic direction, but I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t a little grating.
On the other hand though, the book is absolutely gorgeous. Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira absolutely knocked it out of the park.
Pages like this are frequent in this book, sprawling backgrounds with lots of characters, and yet they all look incredible. Marcelo Maiolo’s colors definitely don’t hurt anything either. Everything is bright and vibrant, just the perfect vibe for this book. I’m definitely liking these recent issues a lot more than the shadow heavy, gritty pages of the early books.
Recommended if…
- Ambush Bug!
- Okay, more Ambush Bug.
- That’s a lotta Bug.
- You’ve been waiting for a more comedic issue of this series.
Overall
This issue could prove to be a turning point for the series in a more lightly toned direction. I’d be okay either way, honestly, but some consistency would be nice in this series. Looking (cautiously) forward to the next one.
Score: 5/10
Disclaimer: DC Comics provided Batman News with an advance copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
