Suicide Squad 24
Matt Kindt, Patrick Zircher
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
As predicted, Matt Kindt and Patrick Zircher are a perfect fit for the new Suicide Squad creative team. With Zircher’s nearly perfect artwork and Kindt’s ability to write bad guys really well, this is a match made in, well, you get the picture. This Forever Evil tie-in and Villains Month continuation is just a perfect example of how great the DC Universe is. Even without the A-list heroes flying around and saving the world, the bad guys are out to play and the D-list heroes come out of the woodwork. Cameos by regular and new teammates as well as heroes like Steel and Power Girl prove that not only is this book in good hands, but in very capable and respectable ones. These two creators know their universe and even though a majority of these characters are ridiculous when you stop and think about them, they never once come off as cheesy or even strange. It’s just a day in the life of everyone’s fan-favorite team of psychos and killers.
One of the most interesting aspects of this new storyline is that Harley Quinn and Deadshot are not really heroic per se, but more of a “point and shoot” type of monster. We’re glad they’re on our side, so to speak. It’s interesting that they just might end up becoming the conscience of the team (which is a pretty terrifying thought), what with the likes of James Gordon Jr., the Unknown Soldier (one of the best reimaginings of a character I’ve ever come across in the medium), King Shark, and now, as of this issue, Captain Boomerang. (Yay!) But seeing our squad face off against bad guys (badder guys?) and throwing some heavy-hitters but not quite Justice League material heroes into the mix, we get an all-out brawl that is full of enough action and snarky commentary that even the casual reader can’t help but smile when they’re reading the issue. I think the strongest scene of this issue, much like that of the Villains Month issues that led directly into this storyline, was the ending. Finding out that Amanda Waller now has a bomb strapped to her neck and can’t actually leave Belle Reve adds an interesting aspect to her character. It ups the ante in ways that haven’t really been felt since the original squad’s days under the pen of John Ostrander.
This is the start to a great new adventure in the series. Always one of my favorite artists, I was sad to see that Patrick Zircher was going to be separated from recent Suicide Squad writer, Ales Kot. Rest assured, though he will be missed on this book, he’s got other things coming out right now that we can all read. And Kindt is doing a stellar job. I know it may be a little premature, but I’m going to go ahead and call it. This is the book to watch. Finally, I think it’s going to get noticed the way it should have been all along. Keep up the good work, guys!
My Rating: 5/5
