Suicide Squad #40 – Rob Williams, Writer; Jack Herbert, Artist; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ratings: Ray – 7/10
When Rob Williams’ Suicide Squad pulls back and focuses on a select few characters, it can turn out stories stronger than its usual fare, such as in Suicide Squad #40. This issue minimizes the Squad themselves and places the focus squarely on Amanda Waller. What’s left of her family is in grave danger at the hands of The Wall, who is possessed by Hack.
An opening segment shows the complex feelings that Waller has towards family and motherhood in general, and the tragedy she experienced including the loss of two of her children. Now, her remaining three children and her first grandchild are being held hostage by Hack, forcing Waller into a terrible choice – give up her national security position and all the secrets she’s amassed over the year, or lose her family. Benching the Squad for the issue, she heads into the hospital personally with only Rick Flag and Katana as the backup.
However, when it comes to confronting Hack, she has no choice but to go in person, and the issue is all the better for it. One of the biggest problems with this series has been its impersonal nature, as villains come and go with little impact and sometimes characters die only to be shrugged off the next issue (picking up this issue, did you remember that Enchantress had been killed off? I didn’t until I was reminded).
However, this issue’s final confrontation between Hack and Waller gives some much-needed humanity to both of them, as Hack’s hard turn into villainy is arrested (although the character does ultimately seem gone for good). Waller, too, walks back some of the villainization she’s encountered over the course of the series and proves that there’s still a decent core to her – albeit one that only applies to her own family. Overall, this run has been middling to poor, but this issue is probably one of its best.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
