Review: New Suicide Squad: Pure Insanity Vol. 1

Pure Insanity by Sean Ryan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hollywood buddy read with my Shallow Comic Reading pals!

Dammit, I really wanted to like this one. With a couple of minor tweaks, I probably could have. Sadly, it missed the mark for me.

What’s strange about it is the LOVE/HATE factor for me with this one. Examples. I love Harley. She’s corny, kooky, and a sociopathic killer. But, I’m not sold on her going toe to toe with a bunch of Special Forces soldiers and tearing them up like it ain’t no thang. She’s a shrink, not a Navy Seal. I love Deadshot. His cynical sense of humor combined with his cock-sure arrogance is a winner for me. But I HATE the new duds(I know they’ve been around for awhile, I’m just ignoring them). He looks like he’s got some kinda bondage fetish now. I love Deathstroke. He’s actually pretty well written here and his dialogue rings true. But again, WTF is up with that uniform?! It’s like Jim Lee channeling his inner Rob Leifeld. I love Amanda Waller. She’s a smart, mean, take no shit kinda woman. And it turns out we both like pulled pork. Accept now she only has pulled pork once a week between salads with no roll because she cutting carbs so she can fit into her size 1. Does EVERY woman in the book need to be 36-24-34. Bring back the fat. Actually, there was a supporting cast secretary that was on the chubby side. But I got the feeling that DC is just trying to throw her in there in an attempt to cover their ass in case of any back-lash for trimming down Waller. I love Black Manta. But why the hell is this guy running around Russia, one thousand miles from the ocean with a scuba tank and diving helmet. Give the guy something to wear when he’s not in the water throwing down with Aquaman for gods sakes. His neck and back have gotta be jacked.

The stories themselves were alright. The dialogue wasn’t bad. The interactions between some of the characters was actually kinda fun at times. Sean Ryan has some good ideas, they just didn’t all fall into place.

What I flat out didn’t like. The Joker’s Daughter. Ugh. Even the name. WTF. Sorry to those of you that dig her, but she’s LAME. I know nothing about her back story and I just don’t give a shit. Victor Sage being a whiny pussy. I kept waiting for Waller to bitch slap the dude. I didn’t like the way the team switched out half way through either. I don’t have an issue with characters rotating in and out. Just didn’t flow for me. Professor Zoom’s new Witchblade-ish outfit was pretty bad too. I also didn’t like the disposable Man-bat ninjas. One of them could actually make for an interesting character given a little more time and attention.

Despite my issues with the costumes, the art itself was ok. I just HATE some of the character designs. Not that you have to stay with the original forever(some of them are pretty dated), just that some of these were a little to 90’s for me. Deathstroke’s armor and foot thick sword, Deadshot’s gimp outfit, and Waller’s bulimia were all just weak.

Maybe I went into this one with unrealistic expectations, but Pure Insanity just fell flat for me. I would only recommend this one to die-hard fans of the team or prior Suicide Squad collections. Otherwise you can probably do better.
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Review: Deathstroke Vol. 1: Gods of War

Deathstroke Vol. 1: Gods of Wars by Tony S. Daniel

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

WHAT DAFUQ? I picked up Deathstroke Vol 1: Gods of War and was magically transported back to a time in the early 90’s when Rob Liefeld and the rest of the “then” Image gang were cranking out less than mediocre comics by the but-ton, raking in the cash for bullshit foil covers, and crapping all over comic fans everywhere with their story-less, “action” heavy titles.

What a disappointment. I SO wanted to like this one too. I love Slade. DC just keeps giving him the shit end of the stick by not finding the right team for this title. I really don’t understand what Tony Daniel was doing here. And I read this book twice. I would write more about the story if I actually understood it. It was like Tony was a tubby kid let loose in a Jelly Belly factory binging on everything within arm’s reach and just went bat-shit crazy on a sugar-high trying to cram too much stuff into the first six issues. I NEED a little more foreplay, Tony. I really don’t think he could’ve possibly squeezed in any more guest appearances with this book. Bronze Tiger, Lady Shiva, Harley Quinn, Batman, Jericho, Ravager, Red-Fury (who???), Grandad Wilson, Possum (who???), Victor Ruiz, Kanye West, Prince Charles, and the entire cast of Duck Dynasty all dropped by within the first 6 issues. This just added to my utter confusion with what Tony’s getting at in this title. And exactly what’s going on in Slade’s briefs.

Review: Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside by Cameron Stewart , Brenden Fletcher, Babs Tarr (Illustrator)

Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside by Cameron Stewart

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ouch. That was awkward.

I was crazy excited to read this, and Barbara Gordon is one of my favorite DC characters, so to say I’m massively disappointed right now would be an understatement. What. A. Letdown.
I’m not sure what Fletcher was going for here?
It’s got too many adult situations in it to be a comic for kids. In the first issue alone, Babs gets drunk, can’t remember that she was all over some guy the night before, and pukes some hangover juice into a trash can after taking out a thief. The language isn’t suitable for the younger set either. Well, it’s not like she’s calling other chicks cunts, but words like asshole & damn are peppered into the dialogue.

So, not for the little kiddies. Big Deal.
Except the the story itself felt like it was geared towards tiny people.
The villains were so lame. So, so lame. Like, Moral of the Story lame.
Don’t bite your friends, kids! Hyuck, Hyuck!

Everyone who just got the Yo Gabba Gabba reference is entitled to a nap and some animal crackers.
Everyone else? Count your blessings, and remember your birth control.

Here’s a rundown of the baddies Babs fights over the course of this volume.
A guy that blackmails people using social media.

Cosplayers who are waaay too into an old anime cartoon.

An insane artist who wants to ‘impersonate’ Batgirl.

A reality tv star who gets drunk and goes drag racing on the street.

And my personal favorite:
A computer algorithm that Batgirl defeats by channeling Matthew Broderick.

The worst part? All of those untrained dorks gave her a run for her money.
What the actual fuck, Mr. Fletcher?!
That losers like that could get the jump on Barbara Gordon can only mean one thing. She’s starring in a children’s comic book, and you need to keep the bad guys toned down to a level that isn’t frightening.

Black Canary is in this as the ‘adult’ figure. Well, to keep with the WhatTheFuckAreYouThinking theme, Dinah is an unlikable bitch.
Because adults are unapproachable, mean-spirited, unforgiving, and judgmental. Duh.

Oh, and she’s in a band now. Because all of her stuff caught on fire, and between the album & the tour this will be a great way for the kick-ass crime fighter to get back on her feet!
Josie? Are all of the Pussycats going on tour with you?!

The art is fantastic, and the high point of the whole thing. Honestly, I’d buy this just to look at the pictures. I just wish there’d been a better story to go them. I don’t like this new inept, pouting Batgirl, but maybe she’ll be a huge hit with everyone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital arc.

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Batgirl, Vol. 1: Burnside

Batgirl, Vol. 1: Burnside by Cameron Stewart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

(Received from Netgalley for review.)

I don’t get it. I really don’t get this book at all. I don’t get why this just seems like the dumbed down version of Batgirl. The tone and the villains kind of feel like a kids’ comic, but the actual content isn’t entirely kid appropriate. Which makes the whole book feel kind of weird, almost like they were reaching for all ages and totally missed. And since I don’t think that was the intention, it just feels weird.

Part of that vaguely “all ages” feel is because of the way Babs is written, yet another baffling thing about this book. Above all else, this Babs feels significantly younger than the way Simone had been writing her. She doesn’t feel any more mature than the teenage Babs in that Zero Year comic Simone wrote not that long ago. It’s almost like reading a version of Batgirl from sometime before The Killing Joke, at least. And eidetic memory aside, she just doesn’t seem to be very smart. There’s the fact that she apparently never backed up her thesis, which is just astounding to me. But she doesn’t trust the Cloud! As if that’s a valid excuse. Plus her weird foray into social media because… I don’t know, she just does, ok? And then there’s the unconvincing villains who shouldn’t pose a threat to her at all, and yet do. This just doesn’t feel like the Babs I know and love, and that makes me sad.

That’s kind of a shame, because I really do like the art. I actually really like the new design for Batgirl’s costume, and the art is consistent and consistently good from one issue to the next. I also kind of liked the way Barbara’s eidetic memory was demonstrated on the page. That much was kind of cool. But I just really didn’t care for this book overall. And I was really kind of looking forward to it, too.

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Review: Harley Quinn Vol. 2 by Amanda Conner

Harley Quinn Vol. 2 by Amanda Conner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It was like reading a super-long fart joke.
Only not as funny.

Although, no offense to anyone who really liked this. I’m not trying to belittle what you like, or say that you have no taste. I just personally didn’t like this one.
Forgive me.

Volume 2 was a bit of a mixed bag. But most of the bag sucked.
There are moments where greatness poked its head out and smiled, but the vast majority of it just fell reallyreallyreally short of anything that I could find remotely enjoyable.
I think Amanda Conner might actually be a really funny writer if she wasn’t making Harley do the stereotypical bimbo/ditz stuff.
Inconsistently, I might add.
One minute she’s beating the hell out of a guy at a comic convention for flashing her (’cause he’s the Flash…get it!?), even though he’s go a speedo on under his trench coat. And the next minute she’s distracting a mugger by showing him her buttcrack.
Ok. So, are you pissed off about being objectified or not, Harley?
That whole line of thinking was just a Major Fail for me.

Then there’s the dialogue.
If you think it’s hilarious for a character to say something like
Oopsie-doopsie! I landed on my poopsie!*
, then you’ll want to run out and spend your hard earned cash on this right now.

*Not an actual quote.
However, these are:
“You rascally runaway rat!”
“Holee Rodee-olee!”
“Now ta take care a’ some
unfinished beeswax!”
“Holee Tuck an’ Rollee!”
“So done…with this…ballonery…buffoonery!”
“Holee Cluster-olee!”
I’m going to stop now. You’re welcome.

Harley is still moonlighting with that group of ladies on skates.
The Roller Derby thing? Ugh. Please drop that whole storyline.
Huge cliché, and not in the least bit funny.

There’s a Future’s End tie-in, where Harley washes up on a deserted island and reunites with Joker. Naturally, she is thrilled. And, naturally, he tries to toss her in a volcano.
Don’t even bitch that that was a spoiler.
He tries to kill her every time they hook up!

Power Girl falls from the sky, gets amnesia, and Harley convinces her that they are a team.
{insert issue after issue of boob jokes and quasi-lesbian innuendo here}
The end.

The stuff that really stood out to me (in a good way) was Harley trying to meet artists and writers at the comic convention.

Every big name at DC seemed to get a cameo, and Harley even managed to get Jim Lee look over a comic book that she had been working on. It was the highlight of the book for me.

There was even a cameo by The Arrow that was funny.

At the very end you get Harley’s origin story, but I’d already read that one somewhere else. If you haven’t read it, you might be more impressed to see it than I was.

Aside from that one issue at the convention, I mostly found this to be more of the same old lame shtick that’s turned me off in the past. Like I said, there were some good panels that saved this from being a one star garbage comic, but I really didn’t enjoy most of it.

I received a digital arc from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Superman: For Tomorrow Absolute Edition

Absolute Superman: For Tomorrow by Brian Azzarello

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Picked up this Absolute Edition on clearance (because size matters) and now I know why it’s on clearance.

I’m with you Anne . Just didn’t flow. It had elements that could have worked. Superman, Lois vanishing, the phantom zone, a surprise villain (who I will be spoiling by the end of the review by the way), a sneaky secret agent, and guest appearances by the Justice League. But the book never came together for me. All that fluffing with no money shot. And I love Azzarello. His last run on Wonder Woman was the shit and I even liked his Joker and Luthor more than most probably did. But he lost me on this one.

Review: Elektra, Vol. 1: Bloodlines by W. Haden Blackman

Elektra, Vol. 1: Bloodlines by W. Haden Blackman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Shallow Comics buddy read this week is RED. Because we’re lazy, and it’s fairly easy to find a superhero whose got some sort of red on ’em…somewhere.

If you like all that woo-woo-spiritual-fucknut-ninja shit, then maybe this will be a dream come true for you.
Personally, I thought this was another crap story along the lines of (but not nearly as horrible as) Elektra: Assassin. If you liked Frank Miller’s take on this character, then you’ll enjoy Bloodlines.
Otherwise, stay away.
Elektra as a narrator is just…Pbbbt
She’s looking back on what ‘might have been’, lamenting her lost mother, lost father, lost boyfriend, and lost life.
All while taking on a job to find the world’s most wily mercenary.
It’s supposed to give a glimpse inside to what motivates her…I think.
So.
Say hello to the World’s Most Depressing Assassin!
I get it, you had a nice thing going with Daredevil, and along comes Bullseye with the stabby-stabby to ruin it all.
But here’s the thing: Get excited, lady, ’cause you’re not dead!
I’m pretty sure you could head on over to the East Coast and catch up with Matt, if you really wanted to.
But you don’t. Because then you couldn’t moan and groan about your bullshit for issue after issue, all while slicing and dicing other wacko ninjas.

I don’t enjoy What’s the Meaning of My Depressing Life stories.
It’s a personal preference, so you may think this is the bees knees.

The art, on the other hand, was absolutely lovely!

If I could rate it simply on the art and colors? 5 stars…easy.
Beautiful!

Too bad it had such a draggy go-nowhere plot, because it’s a visually stunning graphic novel.

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Review: Flash Vol. 4 – Reverse, by Francis Manapul

The Flash, Vol. 4: Reverse by Francis Manapul
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Reverse Flash is a bad guy, in the Flash Rogues Gallery, but this version of Reverse Flash is actually more of a tragic story.

You know, it seems obvious to me that Flash just isn’t on Geoff Johns’ list of important New 52 characters. I mean he’s got a competent writer, but the storylines are shit.

So people who got stuck in the Speed Force with Barry all got some powers…and now someone kills them all off, until only Iris is left…Barry sees a slowed down video that shows his reverse symbol, and goes after Kid Flash…cue some stupid running together and making stupid conversation scenes as they burn across the world, and Bart shows what a moron he is here…saved by the Teen Titans again.

So oops, not him, well he thinks it is the rich guy who helped him save the city but turns out to have different aims…nope.

Of course, it’s DANIEL WEST! Iris’ brother, who Flash caught in issue one and sent to prison for bank robbery. Daniel, who was out of prison just long enough to make it back for the Gorilla invasion (what? ya I try to forget that too…) and saved by the Rogues…of course no, they rob everyone, and Daniel don’t like that, so he acts like a dummy, and gets blowed up real good like with all the Speed Force stuff and a monorail car…

Instead of dying, why no, it bonds to him and he discovers he can go back in time! But it is hard on him…
Then we see he killed all the others, and used them like batteries, to go back in time…

What does he go back to do? Rob a bank? Kill Flash? Ace his SATs? Escape prison? No, actually he goes back to murder his and Iris’ abusive father…who we see beat both of them and was a real asshole. We also see that Iris was one of those dumb “oh he only hit me because he was drinking, it’s not his fault!” type of victims who makes excuses. Instead, Daniel/Reverse Flash (how clever indeed) wants to kill him so his sister, who he loves, will never have to be hit again…yes it will mean Daniel escapes it too, but we see that he loves her more.

Flash stops him and gives him a lecture about not changing the past, and learning from it, stopping him by taking the Speed Force energy from him? In fact, the writer even has Flash say “I have no idea how that worked, I couldn’t explain it again if I tried” WOW. What a cop-out and lazy writing.

So back in the present, Daniel is back to normal-ish, but I’m sure he’ll return. He goes to prison, and we see flashbacks of how Iris was to him as they grew up, and she’s kinda a self-absorbed cunt…no time for her little brother…maybe he should have just been like her and embraced the punches?

Anyhow, I was really bothered that Iris doesn’t forgive him or buy his story at all, and pretty much says that her brother is dead to her, and died when he was a kid. WOW, that’s harsh…he turned into a supervillain and killer because he wanted to save you from getting beat up your whole childhood by your father…hmmm ya, I agree, what a horrible younger brother that is…

So if this is who Iris West is in the New 52, I’m glad Barry is with Penny.

Then we get a stupid tacked on story about Iris and Barry’s meet cute in Gotham right before Zero Year (because how much more can we advertise Batman???) Barry is helping out, riding alongside Harvey Bullock and his partner…there’s some shenanigans, Barry saves Iris, Iris saves Barry, and Bullock has to do something dark. Then Barry gets all goody goody on Bullock about how that wasn’t right, and Bullock puts him in his place and pretty much tells him to fuck off and grow up a little. It made me love Bullock just that little bit more.

So here’s the thing; I want to like this. I do, the art is a bit childish, but it’s not bad. It is consistent, which isn’t something you can say for a lot of books…but the plots are stupid, and Barry comes across as very naive and a little too black and white. I mean I guess he’s a cop by choice, so that tells us something…but I wish he’d show some more personality? He’s just too much wet blanket for me…

I just hope we see Wally West soon, and that Daniel West isn’t the character they used instead…ugh.

So this might not be a 2, it might be 2.5-3, but I couldn’t get over the feeling of really not liking Iris after her treatment of her brother, and I feel like they’re just in a holding pattern waiting to push Patty out of the picture.

Flash, you need to make shit interesting, because even if there’s no actual problem, you’re BORING, and I don’t feel like going out of my way to read you anymore.

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Review: Suicide Squad Vol. 3 Death is for Suckers (and so is this plot!) by Adam Glass (is full of rubbish)

Suicide Squad, Vol. 3: Death is for Suckers by Adam Glass
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

OK this is the comically bad type of book…as in I want to see how bad it can get…it’s not one of those misogynist or homophobic or just stupid books, it’s just a lame book with stiff writing.

So, at the end of last volume, Deadshot shot Regulus by shooting through himself! So there really was a Suicide on the Suicide Squad…although I read it as he just wounded himself…and I read it like 4 hours ago…Anyhoo…moving right along to the start of Vol. 3 and we’re having a military funeral for Deady because well once a Marine, always a Marine, even a high-priced Assassin one.

Who should crash the funeral? Why Harley’s long lost boyfriend, Mr. Nicholas Face-Off Cage himself, the Heath Ledger!

He’s not so happy that Harley and Floyd (Deadshot) were getting their Missy Elliot, so they sorta break up in a violent manner, he leaves her chained up in a room full of skeletons…

Flash forward, and Waller is letting Boomerang go for his fine work with Basilisk, when Harley stumbles to the gates of Belle Reve, having escaped Mista J!

Then, who should pop up from the hospital bed, but? (If you said Deadshot, you win a prize. If you said Deadpool, you’re in the wrong company, and also, you’re probably too funny for this GRITTY REBOOT!)

So Deadshot has now returned from the dead, and Harley is healed from her issues…plus, we also have YoYo returned from his time in the King Shark Guts…however, some of them are still not recovered from their Basilisk battle…

So there’s a new mission, Deadshot and Harley are sent on, because of course, they’re the stars of this book. Who should join them? Yo-yo, a recovered King Shark and…Voltaic! (Wait, you ask, who the fuck is that? Why silly reader, that’s one of the members of the Squad from Volume 1 who Deadshot…Shot…Dead…in the Head…with Lead (bullets).) Ya, didn’t really care there, but OK, so they’re all now death proof or some shit, because the smarties finally realize that wait, they should all be dead by now…oh well, it’s time to go on a mission so we’ll just forget all of that stuff…

SIDEBAR! (Judge Ito: So ummm if they cannot be killed, why is this Waller able to bully them into doing her bidding by saying she’ll blow up the Nano-Bombs in their necks? If that’s the case, shouldn’t they just call her bluff? Besides, don’t they know the sequels always fail if they get rid of too many main characters at once?)

Anyhowzers…this time, we’re after a very evil one…Red ORCHID! Who is? Fucked if I know…well turns out, she’s Yo-Yo’s sister (cue up unnecessary flashback number 62 of this series). Yup.

Cue up some ripoff scenes from Kill Bill (room full of ninjas and shoguns and all this stuff of Asian martial arts culture in suits, I was waiting for Lucy Liu, but instead I got Asian Schoolgirls with Morningstars…yup VERY original!)

Voltaic gets stabbed through the heart with a Samurai sword, and doesn’t even flinch, so I’m assuming he’s a zombie or some shit, because he hasn’t said a word since his resurrection, so I’m guessing they’re going to tell us that they unlocked the secret of Resurrection Man (who’s hand they captured last volume…well, cut off and stole I should say…) and that’s why no one dies? I think that might make TOO much sense though, so shame on me…

Anyhoo. Red Orchid appears, alongside whomelse? Why, it’s Regulus! Who’s also not dead (and was just shot-dead by dead-shot…but is not.) how wonderful.
Yoyo’s internal monologue turns on and he becomes all Carpe Diem and heroic, as he leads the troops…
Then we see that Waller has sent them to retrieve a prisoner! Why, it’s KURT LANCE!!!!

(Ummm? Who? Well kiddos, he’s actually Dinah Lance’s husband, who she’s on the run from everyone for apparently murdering!!! – Turns out he too was part of Team 7 with Waller and Regulus (also I think Deathstroke was part of that team)) Ugh for fuck’s sake this is just retarded at this point.

The only reason I give this 2 stars is because of the bitchy joke that gets told: Yoyo tries to rally the troops, and cries out “SUICIDE SQUAD! ASSEMBLE!” to which Deadshot replies “That sounds ridiculous…who says that?” And I was like Oh no you di-int! And he was all, Hells ya I di-id! OOOOH Gurl!

Ya.
Well apparently, Regulus takes Kurt Lance and flees, and this is enough to make the hard as nails Waller run into combat!

At this point, Red Orchid has won and is about to kill everyone Poison Ivy style, but Yo yo wraps his head around hers, and gets Deadshot to shoot him in the neck (where his nano bomb of course, explodes heartily!). Hero! Yo yo goes out with a bang, but I feel like I’m going to see him in Volume 4 again…I just have a feeling…

The explosion leaves everyone dead..or so Deadshot thinks, until he’s saved by Waller, who’s somehow moved from her home base in Belle Reve, LOUISIANA to GOTHAM CITY in time to save them.

Then cue up the WORST dialogue ever…we’re talking Scott Lobdell, Ann Nocenti and Dan Jurgens rolled into one:

Waller to Deadshot: “Last I checked, I didn’t give you PERMISSION to die!”
Deadshot: “Amanda Waller, I never thought I’d be HAPPY to see you!”
Waller: “Don’t worry Deadshot, that’ll change QUICKLY…”

Shakespearean.

They all escape, and then Waller tells them they’re on a new mission, Deadshot says NO! Not until you tell me what’s going on! She reminds him of the Nanobomb! He calls her bluff! (For about the 5 trillionth time! No one is going to believe you any more if you don’t follow through Mandy.)

Then Waller…TURNS OFF ALL THEIR BOMBS!
Tells them this is personal, that she used to be on a team like them, Team 7…Kurt Lance is her FRIEND! And she’s going after him NO MATTER WHAT!

But why turn off our bombs?
Because I NEED YOU. And I will remember this if you help me.

And yet, no one shoots her dead right there, even though all of them could escape and be gone.

Then she makes all small talky with Harley, who starts to have a problem with Harleen in her brain and the 2 are fighting for control….

They’re attacked…by the Swamp Thing ripoffs that Regulus mentioned in passing last volume…

Waller is out! Deadshot says the only smart thing in recent memory, that OK, she’s not dead, they saved her, now let’s all fuck right off.

King Shark and Harley then tell him that he gave his word, and his word is his bond…Really??? REALLY? HE’s A FUCKING ASSASSIN! A PATALOGICAL LIAR! HE ALREADY DIED A BUNCH OF TIMES! HIS WORD IS NOTHING!

He’s about to leave anyhow when…”THE Unknown Soldier!” appears and tells him he better keep his word, because even scum like Deadshot should do that…

(And when he introduces himself, his words look like a logo!)

Uknowny (Imma call him dat) then says that he’s super fast and jacked and stronger than all of them and they’re gonna do what Waller wanted…Deadshot calls bullshit…

AND SHOCKINGLY!!!! UKNOWY SHOOTS DEADSHOT DEAD! WITH HIS OWN GUN! AGAIN! JUST LIKE THE END OF THE VERY LAST VOLUME! OH MY GOD! HOW ORIGINAL! I NEVER EVER EVER SAW THAT COMING! YOU JUST REDID THE SAME THING AGAIN! THAT IS SOOO EDGY!…for 1992.

Oh and they all look on with shock as Unknowy proclaims himself the new “Team Leader” of the Suicide Squad.

Tune in NEXT volume, when I predict that Deadshot…will be shot. dead. with his own gun. at the end of Volume 4!

I actually found this comically bad.

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Review: Suicide Squad Vol. 2 – Basilisk Rising, by Adam Glass (Half Empty)

Suicide Squad, Vol. 2: Basilisk Rising by Adam Glass
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

OK, this was my first read for our “EVIL” Week Shallow Buddyread.

Suicide Squad has always seemed like something I ‘d want to read, a Dirty Dozen comic book with baddies who might actually be anti-heroes…

Sadly, this New 52 version is just a bunch of c-listers running around with Deadshot and Harley. Yes, they’re both back, even though it seemed like they both died last volume…or so I recall..

Harley is a bit stable here because somehow the trauma of Mista J’s face-off made Dr. Quinzel’s personality take the lead…not that it changes much because it seems like Harleen is just a slightly less unbalanced version of Harley.

Deadshot is his usual I trust no one guy, and that probably makes him the smartest one here…which ain’t saying much. Thankfully there’s not any of that poor little sick girl stuff that made Anne vomit from Vol. 1.

We also get more of King Shark, El Diablo, Black Spider, and Light. Oh joy. I’m pretty sure that Deadshot kills light because she is going to kill Waller, and he wants the pleasure for himself…

They spend the first half the book running after The Resurrection Man, Mitch Shelley…I read the old RM books from the early 90s, but not the recent New 52 version…seems not much is different, he’s still got the strange girl assassins after him, and they come up against SS to see who takes him…people manipulate, we get the usual pissing contest between covert government agencies, and in the end, he escapes. Or so we’re lead to think.

Then they get after Basilisk, the Hydra-ripoff agency of evil, like SPECTRE or whatnot. Some D-lister blows up the plane they’re on, and they mostly die, except our main characters, who arrive on a desert island…which just happens to be populated with cannibals…they’re saved…by Basilisk…led by Capt. Boomerang!!! Who, if you recall, was in the SS and died in volume 1 for being a traitor…oh…
And he works for the head of Basilisk, who’s named Regulus or some shit? Sounds like Romulus…the mysterious Wolverine comics figure…anyhow, turns out that Black Spider is the SS traitor for Basilisk, but then it turns out that Boomerang was actually planted in Basilisk by Waller to double agent spy…Deadshot kills Black Spider, but it’s only his clone…or something…

Anyhow, a bunch of people die.

Then we get some stupid backstory about Waller before SS and as a field op, where she goes against Regulus, but we get a hint that they were on a team called Team 7 or some shit and worked together before that broke up…then he releases some sort of bomb (much like the Terragen Mist bomb in Inhumanity that Black Bolt released) which makes people into Metahumans, or kills them…
this is what leads Waller to want to form the Suicide Squad.

Follow me at all? No? Good.

Everyone turns on everyone, and mostly everyone is a double agent, or sleeper agent, except Deadshot and Harley (surprisingly, the only ones who aren’t C-D or F-list villains/nobodies…oh and on top of that…the Yoyo, team member who was eaten by King Shark in Vol 1? Ya he didn’t die, just sat in the shark’s intestines for a month, until getting out…wants to kill Waller, who says that she just helped him unlock more powers…

Oh and in case you forgot? Every 3rd page, we are reminded that all the SS members have nano-bombs in their necks to be killed if they don’t follow the script.

So that’s this one…until next one, where everyone will be a triple agent…ya.

Like Sam well said, this is a 90s action movie with a D-lister directed by the equivalent…Lorenzo Lamas in Cinemax’s Suicide Squad, directed by the shambling corpse of Ed Wood.

SOOO Bad, it’s nearly good. I am mildly interested in Deadshot, and I like Harley (boobies!) that and the library sent me all the volumes at once, and it’s EVIL WEEK! So I will keep reading this, taking 3 for the team, who I’m sure I’ll double cross 4 times and die twice before the end of this…

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