Suicide Squad #14 – Dennis Hopeless, Writer; Eduardo Pansica/Julio Ferreira, Dexter Soy, Artists; Jeremiah Skipper, Peter Pantazis, Colorists
Ray – 7/10
Ray: With only two issues left, Suicide Squad has completely shaken up its status quo and is focusing on a new cast of characters. Is this group more likable? Yes. Is it a particularly compelling story? Still not exactly. Rick Flag and his survivors are back on Earth, while Amanda Waller is on Earth-3 with her team. It’s a new beginning for the Squad—and then Waller tries to assassinate the whole group with a fail-safe. From there, everyone is split up into strange little side missions while an injured Flag coordinates everyone. Some are funny, like Bloodsport dealing with hundreds of duplicates of his dead brother—too much of a good thing. Anything Ambush Bug and Peacemaker are involved in works. Other scenes provide some great action. The cliffhanger introduces a huge new plotline, but with only one issue to go it’s hard to see it going anywhere. A few good moments aside, this whole book feels like a missed opportunity.
One-Star Squadron #5 – Mark Russell, Writer; Steve Lieber, Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: You never know what Mark Russell you’re going to get when you start a comic. Sometimes he’s the funniest guy in the business, and sometimes he’s almost unspeakably bleak—and sometimes they can coexist in the same comic. This issue shifts the genre to a crime mystery, as the Heroes4U headquarters has burned down and Power Girl is the prime suspect. As the police investigate, Karen becomes increasingly desperate to clear her name and Red Tornado becomes more suspicious of Gangbuster—who disappeared from his shelter during an episode the previous night. The story builds until the actual culprit is revealed, in a shockingly bleak conclusion that holds one dark reveal after another. Russell is telling a pretty compelling story here about the impact of app-based service websites, but much like some of Tom King’s work, it often feels like characters are being used to tell a story rather than the story being about them.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
