Future State: Suicide Squad #2 – Robbie Thompson, Jeremy Adams, Writers; Javier Fernandez, Fernando Pasarin/Oclair Albert, Artists; Alex Sinclair, Jeromy Cox, Colorists
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: There are so many twists and turns in the second chapter of Robbie Thompson’s Suicide Squad story that it can be hard to keep track—not to mention there’s more than one Suicide Squad. The reveal at the end of last issue that the motley crew of faux-heroes Waller had assembled was actually operating on Earth-3 was a head-spinner, as was the arrival of a new team of Suicide Squad members led by Peacemaker. This final chapter has several crosses and double-crosses, and Waller fans may not be pleased with the scene involving her recruitment of Conner Kent. The logic seems almost Marvel-esque, in that someone’s mere existence can apparently be a crime. But things come together into an action-packed finale with some dark twists and some redemption for Waller. The ending sets up an intriguing status quo, but it’s unlikely to be followed up on—the run will resume by flashing back to the beginning, but I don’t know if there is any plan to follow the ending, unfortunately.
Next up, it’s the conclusion to Jeremy Adams’ Black Adam story set in the DC One Million status quo. This is a chaotic issue, very similar in tone to the work of Keith Giffen—not least because of the presence of the new Gold Beetle, a mysterious character from another timeline. Her mile-a-minute narration is the best part of the story, but her story ends rather abruptly as the remaining heroes go up against the massive threat of the Unkindness. Despite being by a different writer, this story dovetails from the events of Teen Titans and Shazam, and that means it was never going to be my favorite story here. That being said, its take on Black Adam is pretty compelling and gives him something to fight for—and actually might explain his upcoming face-turn in the Justice League roster. But pulling together so many different plotlines into one finale means this story can’t quite hit the landing.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
