Secret Origins #1 – Review

By: Greg Pak, Kyle Higgins, and Tony Bedard (writers); Lee Weeks, Doug Mahnke, and Paulo Siqueira (pencils), Sandra Hope, Lee Weeks, Keith Champagne, Christian Alamy, and Hi-Fi (inks), Dave McCaig, John Kalisz, and Hi-Fi (colors)

The Review: When the New 52 launched two and a half years ago two of the biggest complaints I remember hearing were the disinterest in seeing the heroes’ origins replayed once again and the surprise and outrage when the comics did not provide origin stories. People were expecting new The Man of Steel’s and Batman: Year Ones. The fans wanted to see how their icons had changed, what justified this new continuity, while others worried that new readers would struggle without the origin stories.

Well, it certainly took them long enough, but the release of Secret Origins #1 this week finally answers those concerns.

For an impressive $5.00 price tag, readers get three twelve-page stories from the writers currently handling the characters. I’m not sure that such a hefty price will endear this series to new or lapsed comic readers, but I suppose what really matters is how well it justifies that price point.

The first story, quite appropriately, is Superman’s, penned by Action Comics and Batman/Superman scribe Greg Pak. While there isn’t that much changed from the traditional tale of Krypton’s demise, and certainly nothing secret, Pak’s tale sets itself apart through its perspective. Written from the point of view of Superman’s two moms – wouldn’t that have been an interesting twist? – Pak creates a believable, non-sappy story that pins down the essential value of our ‘Man of Tomorrow’ as love.

Given that Pak is handling the part of the story that Clark can’t tell himself, I think it was a very wise choice to focus on Martha Kent and Lara Van-El. Particularly with Man of Steel still fresh in our minds, and the original Superman (1978) before it, it’s not hard to make the argument that Jor-El has often eclipsed his fellow Kryptonians, and occasionally even his son. Likewise, I think that many stories spend a lot of time focused on Jonathan Kent in Clark’s boyhood. By focusing on the women in Clark’s life, Pak presents a new look at this classic tale.

Harley Quinn #3 – Review

By: Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Chad Hardin (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: It’s a bad day when a long-haired dwarf turns down a date with you.

The Review: I tried watching Dexter some years ago, back when it was new and getting wildly popular, despite all the controversy it generated.  I was enthralled by the first few episodes as much as anyone else, but at some point, I suddenly felt like I could no longer stomach the idea of getting entertainment out of murder.  It was less a moral reaction than a biological one; every time Dexter took out one of those microscope slides, I started getting slightly queasy.

There’s something like that going on here with Harley Quinn.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m getting less and less mileage out of the macabre humor of this title with every passing month.  Again, it’s not so much the immorality of Harley’s kills that disturbs me, although that does play a part.  I’m fine with her bumping off anyone who goes after her first, but brutally slaying anyone, even prison inmates, for actions they can’t help is a lot less justifiable.

Harley Quinn #2 – Review

By: Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Chad Hardin & Stephane Roux (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Harley makes it clear that pet control will not be part of her landlady duties.

The Review: Does anyone remember Animaniacs?  Much as I didn’t care for Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, I loved pretty much every other segment and character on that show, and one of my favorites was “Good Idea, Bad Idea,” a recurring sketch that envisioned the hapless Mr. Skull carrying out the various good ideas (“Drinking fresh milk from the carton.”) and bad ideas (“Drinking fresh milk from the cow.”).  It was a weekly lesson on the value of execution.

I bring this up because Harley Quinn can really stand to take that lesson a little more to heart.  While almost everything that happens in this issue may have started out as a good idea in Conner-Palmiotti’s head, what ends up on the page is almost invariably a bad idea.  Let’s start with an easy one: Bernie, Harley’s charbroiled beaver.  Besides just being weird for no other reason than to be weird—and maybe to get the juvenile pleasure of having Harley talk about her beaver all the time—Bernie also has confusing implications for Harley’s mental stability.  Most writers see the source of her crimes as coming from a highly skewed perspective on life, not unlike her mentor and soulmate.  Talking to Bernie places her squarely into Crazytown.

Harley Quinn #1 – Review

By: Amanda Connor & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Chad Hardin (art), Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: She’s like Marlo Thomas in That Girl, only with a criminal record!

The Review: I didn’t have plans to review this series, and I didn’t even check out the gimmicky and somewhat controversial #0 issue.  I’ve always liked Harley Quinn fine, but she never really interested me until Ales Kot had his way with her on Suicide Squad.  There, she had a razor-sharp intellect that revealed itself at her most bubbly, chaotic moments, not unlike the man who inspired her.  I’ll be honest; I had little confidence Palmiotti could capture that same duality.

And he doesn’t.  Instead, like most writers, he and Connor keep Quinn’s cunning under wraps, focusing more heavily on her comedic side.  It’s not a bad choice.  Her sheer vivacity has a lot of charm, and she takes such delight when giving in to impulse that it’s hard not to enjoy it, despite yourself.  Who else in the DCU can convincingly break out into song in a moment of pure joy, belting the first bar of “The Sound of Music”* as she twirls in her newly inherited apartment

Lobo, Fear, and the God of Death: Marguerite Bennett on Comics and Writing

Marguerite Bennett is a relatively new name to the comics world, but in the few months that she’s been gracing the covers – and more – of your comic books, she’s accomplished a great deal. She’s written Batman, recreated Lobo, and even filled in on Batgirl for Gail Simone!

A recent graduate of Sarah Lawrence College’s graduate program, Bennett has proven to be a talented and distinguished voice within DC’s stable and has been rising like a rocket. Her fascinating entry into the world of comics and her even more fascinating talent for character work and psychological horror immediately made her a creator to pay attention to in my book and she’s been kind enough to speak with us.

WCBR: You’ve been a professional comic writer for a little while now. What’s your favorite part of the job?

Marguerite Bennett: Oh, gosh—I love all of it, from reading up on characters I love, to pacing the house in a bathrobe and eating Cheetos while I brainstorm, to getting dressed up to head up to the DC Headquarters to see my editors and bosses, to sitting on the kitchen floor with my best friends at 2 in the morning while I bounce ideas off of them, bless them. I even love pitching, though you’re trying to reduce your brilliant scheme to three paragraphs, and I love publication day, though you live in constant fear of Twitter, and I even love the gray days when the words come with a struggle, because you’re still living the life you’d dreamed of. I’m never not grateful for the blessings that brought me to this career.

In the end, though, I would have to say that my favorite part of the job is the conventions. The enthusiasm there is so infectious, to be swept up in the crowd of fans and cosplayers and creators, people of all ages and backgrounds united by a mutual love of the stories we all share. Writing is what I have always wanted to do, but no one can say it isn’t a lonely profession, and at the conventions, there’s such an air of freaky holiday—it validates and compensates the hundreds of hours of solitude. I often wind up at a friend’s booth, gossiping and giggling with fans, gushing over whatever story it is I’m toying with at the moment, acting out certain scenes with scowls and laughter and sweeping gestures, and telling truly terrible superhero jokes (“What do you call a superhero without powers? Batman.”) The conventions remind me of just how joyful the industry can be, how much can be accomplished by a shared love instead of a shared anger.

Is it weird being on the other side of the creator/fan relationship?

It’s exceptionally peculiar. I’ve grown up reading books by people I now sit at table with, and a great deal of self-restraint is required not to blush madly when anyone makes eye contact with me. I’m still navigating how to behave like a elegant professional when I’d really much prefer to stare at my shoes and mumble to them how much their work has meant to me.

To their credit, I can’t tell you how kind and welcoming so many of the creators have been. Mark Buckingham and Jim Zub minded me even before I’d been published, and my Team of Older Brothers™ (among them, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Kyle Higgins, Sean E. Williams, Sean Murphy, and Tom Taylor) largely keeps me out of trouble. Keith Giffen sat me down in his own booth at Baltimore Comic Con after the (absurdly named) Lobogate and advised me, and I’ll be damned if he isn’t the warmest and most generous ornery bastard I’ve had the pleasure to meet. Shelly Bond and Kelly Sue DeConnick have been so unnecessarily kind, to my immense gratitude, and Greg Capullo sings the best karaoke death metal version of “Hotel California” you’ve ever heard.

Comic writers are a rather varied bunch. J.M. DeMatteis talks frequently about how his characters tell him what to write, Stan Lee preferred the ‘Marvel Method’. I’ve even heard Dan Slott admit that he tests some of the voices in his scripts. What’s your writing process like?

I suppose the process varies with the character, though establishing personality always comes first. I have to get into the headspace of the character first and foremost, and often wander around my house or neighborhood, trying to say words as they would say them, touch things as they would touch them. I try to fix my body language and posture to their own, and introduce the facts of their life one by one into my mind, noting the impact that each one has, how it enriches or damages my counterfeit perspective. I try to abide fully in their character, before I scramble back to my laptop with what I’ve spied.

From there, I consider what might be the worst thing that can happen to me-as-the-character, as they presently stand. For Batman, it was a foe that could strike him where he’s raw and vulnerable, forcing him to experience guilt, forcing him to rely on another for rescue. For Lobo, fueled only by vengeance, it was the end of his quest in sight, the sudden chasm and loss of identity awaiting once his white whale is slain. For Barbara Gordon, it was the specter of failure for her family, city, and allies in a moment of crisis. From there, I imagine what it would cost to grapple and struggle and rise above this awful thing, and plan out three crucial elements—the moment of spectacle, the moment of cruelty, and the moment of emotional climax.

I ask that all my art be three things—beautiful, brutal, and creative. I’m not sure if that answers your question properly, but I hope it might shed at least a little light.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #7 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Today, Batman is canceling the apocalypse.

The Review: If you’ve been reading the reviews of Li’l Gotham here on WCBR or the ones I’ve been uploading on my own blog, you might have noticed a common theme between them; namely, that Li’l Gotham isn’t living up to its potential.

Well, thankfully, the title is making the attempt. This issue contains the first two stories of Li’l Gotham’s second year in publication and there’s a clear change between this installment and the last. For the first time, Nguyen and Fridolfs take us out of Gotham City, providing a Li’l Justice League story, or at least a Li’l Brave and the Bold. What’s more, the story in question teams Batman and Aquaman, the League’s most undervalued member, rather than a big name like Wonder Woman or Green Lantern.

Nguyen and Fridolfs clearly had a story they wanted to tell with this one, and I assure you it’s something you won’t find in DC’s normal Batman or Aquaman offerings. It’s the sort of thing you could only really do in a title like this, but the underlying framework is every bit worthy of a New 52 issue.

Detective Comics #23.2: Harley Quinn – Review

by Matt Kindt (Writer), Neil Googe (Artist), Wil Quintana (Colorist)

The Story: Harley tells her story while she blows stuff up and kill people.

The Review: As Villain’s month goes on, the readers continue to receive more issues focusing on some of the more popular antagonists of the DC universe. For the better or worse, some of the talented writers do try their very best to give the readers stories that either try to connect with Forever Evil or tell the origins of those characters in the retooled DC universe.

Some do try, to be sure, yet attempting to do something does not necessarily mean success as Matt Kindt tries to tell a story featuring Harley Quinn, a fan-favourite character created by Paul Dini. While Matt Kindt is very much able to write some very good comics, this issue is a poor showcase of his talent, as it never seems to focus on anything in particular.

While it could be a meta-fictional way to put a certain focus on the psychological profile of the character, the story suffers a bit because of it. Turning this story into both a telling of her origin and with her trying to do something after the events of Forever Evil. Even though it is an ambitious challenge, Kindt never seems to connect both tales in a way that enhance the whole.

Suicide Squad #23 – Review

By: Ales Kot (story), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Andy Owens, Derek Fridolfs, Marc Deering (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Two teams of crazies, but only one will make it out with pie on their face.

The Review: All too soon, we’ve come to the end of Kot’s promising run on this series.  I still don’t really understand why this had to happen, though the continuously dwindling sales probably have something to do with it.  At any rate, my mind’s made up to depart from Suicide Squad at the same time Kot does.  In just four issues, Kot has definitely established a powerful, specific voice and direction for this title, which I don’t believe anyone can emulate.

There is a very, very fine line to the tone Kot has brought to the Squad, balancing precariously on a tightrope between extreme* and excess.  Take James Jr.’s attraction with Waller, for instance.  Despite how difficult it is to believe that a sociopath like him can experience something like sentiment for anything, James’ feelings are still convincing.  Of course, choosing Waller as his object of affection is simply inspired—no other word for it—but it’s the sinister curiosity behind James’ obsession with her that seems true to his character.

Suicide Squad #22 – Review

By: Ales Kot (story), Patrick Zircher (art), Jason Keith (colors)

The Story: Las Vegas won’t feel too “Viva” after the Suicide Squad’s through with it.

The Review: It’s a rare, beautiful thing when a new writer takes over a title and immediately it seems like the two are made for each other, feeling as close to an original creation as a mainstream book can get.  That’s how I felt—and I don’t believe I was alone on this—when Kot took over Suicide Squad in #20.  So it is with no little amazement and dismay that I discover he’ll be departing in just two more months, after #24.

Convinced as I am that this is a bad move for the series—no offense to upcoming writer Matt Kindt*—I won’t indulge in useless rants or baseless accusations.  However, I do think that given how ambivalent Kot sounds in his press release, despite his attempts to sound bravely upbeat, that this was an editorial, not a creative, decision.  If so, then it remains a baffling one, because with all the critical acclaim since Kot’s takeover, what could possibly have been so offensive that the powers-in-charge would choose to send the writer packing after only two issues?*

It can’t possibly be the violence, at least not in and of itself.  Once you’ve seen Superboy-Prime rip off someone’s arm in Infinite Crisis, or Damian Wayne getting riddled with bullets and arrows as a mechanized hulk beats him to a pulp, Unknown Soldier popping off a headshot seems quite merciful by comparison.  If sheer, bloody gruesomeness was the problem, wouldn’t Swamp Thing and Animal Man have been cancelled by now?

Batman: Li’l Gotham #3 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Who ever knew that the Joker could be so lovable—or smell like it?

The Review: Whenever superhero writers make changes to the characters as an attempt at greater “realism,” they never seem to appreciate there’s always a trade-off involved.  Take the relationship between Harley Quinn and Joker.  In the new 52, their coupling has grown more disturbing, which arguably befits such a decidedly crazy sort of pair, and yet this misses out on the unrequited romance aspect which made them sympathetic.

So as much as I enjoy Scott Snyder and Ales Kot’s respective elevations of Joker and Harley as villains, I think they did lose an important part of their original personalities in the process.  Which is to say that I enjoyed myself heartily seeing the two of them play cat-and-mouse with each other again.  Nguyen-Fridolfs could have chosen any of the famous Bat-couples for this story, but I can’t think of a better choice for a Valentine’s Day spotlight than Joker and Harley.

Suicide Squad #21 – Review

By: Ales Kot (story), Patrick Zircher (art), Jason Keith (colors)

The Story: It takes a crazy to know a crazy.

The Review: It’s a confusing time to be a DC fan right around now.  In the last few months, we’ve seen a multitude of creative changes to its line of titles.*  Some of them have caused me to slap my forehead wearily in the manner of a parent experiencing his child’s latest screw-up (e.g., Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps).  Others have left me disappointed by failing to live up to their potential (e.g., Justice League Dark and Green Arrow).

Only a few have so thoroughly impressed me that I’m willing to overlook the failings of the rest as the hazards of trying something new (as opposed to change for its own sake).  Charles Soule on Swamp Thing is one; Kot on Suicide Squad is another.  In a short time, both writers have clearly established their voices and visions for their respective titles, showing that their thought processes go far beyond a good pitch meeting.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #2 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Christmas in May.  Who am I, Laura Ingalls Wilder in The Long Winter?

The Review: Of course, I’m all for complex storytelling with deep, meaningful themes, but I think the world can also use more stories that are just purely for fun, without having to rely on vulgarity or meanness to get there.  Having just read an issue from another Batman title that for some reason felt that it couldn’t deliver laughs without being offensive, I have to say that just plain silliness is a rare and wonderful virtue in humor.

Which is why I’m very glad to see Li’l Gotham as part of DC’s main publishing line, rather than a kiddie imprint.  I like the statement it makes, that everyone, grown-ups and kids, can appreciate a little more innocence in their comics.  The idea of Gotham as a city doomed to perpetual fear and chaos is admittedly thought-provoking—but it’s also an incredibly grim outlook on things.  At some point, don’t you secretly hope that Gotham can finally see a brighter day?

Ame-Comi Girls #3 – Review

By: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray (story), Ted Naifeh (art), Randy Mayor (colors)

The Story: It’s a battle decide who has the greatest fighting skills—and one-liners.

The Review: If you watch a lot of animated films, you grow to appreciate the craft into making those things, not only a purely technical level, but from the storytelling side of things as well.  Think about it.  You have these movies which have to be generally lighthearted and frothy throughout (‘cause it’s preferable not to traumatize the kids until they’ve grown up), yet they somehow manage to achieve some credible stakes as well.

That achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider how many comic book writers can’t manage to strike that balance.  Take this title.  At first, it seemed like Palmiotti-Gray wanted to deliver a purely entertaining series in the tradition of their Power Girl run.  Then you get to his issue, and it’s like they’ve changed their minds and want to inject some melodrama and cosmic plotting in the mix.

Ame-Comi Girls #2 – Review

By: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Sanford Greene (art), Randy Mayor (colors)

The Story: Not your typical girls’ night out, but you do have some smack-talking here.

The Review: I praised Legends of the Dark Knight #2 as a great showing from DC’s digital offerings (which transferred just as well—I presume—onto paper), but I’m afraid not everything that’s come from their virtual vaults has been as impressive.  Ame-Comi Girls is something that probably sounded great in the pitch meeting, but when it comes to the actual delivery, it’s been mostly a very, very mixed bag.

For one, I still don’t really understand what makes the series anything like anime.  I speak true; I grew up on the stuff, far more than I did American comics, and nothing about either this issue or the one featuring Wonder Woman do I get the same kind of vibe I’ve ever had reading, say, Love Hina, Air Gear, or Fairy Tail.  Somehow, the kind of material Gray-Palmiotti have been delivering feels too little and too much for the style they’re shooting for.

Ame-Comi Girls #1 – Review

By: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Amanda Conner (art), Tony Akins (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Paul Mounts (colors)

The Story: Diplomacy in a metal bikini—what can be wrong with that?

The Review: I know I’m playing into stereotype here, but I actually preferred anime and manga for many years before getting back into American comics.  Like most fans, I was drawn partially by the exotic air of the material, but mostly by its extremes of imagination and emotion.  Later, I’d realize anime and manga have their gradations of low-brow and formulaic versus intelligent and inspired as any other medium, but at the time, it all seemed utterly original to me.

Originality would not be the predominant quality of this series, and in most respects, you don’t see anything in particular which really ties Ame-Comi Girls with a Japanese aesthetic, either in substance or design.  If there are certain tropes manga usually fall into (and there are plenty), this title doesn’t really use them.  Nothing in the way the story proceeds or the way characters behave really remind you of anything you ever read in a tankōbon.

Suicide Squad #10 – Review

By: Adam Glass (story), Fernando Dagnino (art), Matt Yackey (colors)

The Story: Harley shows off the psycho in psychologist.

The Review: I don’t wish this on anybody, but in my experience, there are three ways for the magic to run out in a relationship.  Sometimes, you’re chugging along fine and then, like a bolt out of the blue, it happens and you’re left dazed afterwards.  Sometimes, it’s a gradual sapping away, with you helplessly but lethargically watching as it proceeds to its eventual doom.  And sometimes, you don’t realize it’s happened until it already has and it’s too late.

I feel that third situation pretty much sums up my feelings toward this title.  Maybe an issue or so ago I sensed not all was right, but only during this issue did I suddenly realize how tired and disinterested I was in reading it.  It all comes down to the fundamental truth about stories: you either have to love the tale being told, or you have to care about its characters.  In this case, I can’t honestly say either one of those things is working out for me.

Suicide Squad #9 – Review

By: Adam Glass (story), Fernando Dagnino (art), Matt Yackey (colors)

The Story: It’ll take more than loose teamwork to kill the man who can’t be killed.

The Review: Gosh, this week sure has been one for mini crossovers, hasn’t it?  By now, you’ll have grasped the qualities of a strong tie-in: a story which can stand on its own, without having to pick out plot points from a completely different series; the issue doesn’t feel like a jarring departure from the kind of reading you’ve come to expect from the title; and most importantly, it doesn’t feel like a waste of the series’ monthly dosage.

In nearly every respect, this issue offers the opposite of all that.  Last time, the Squad had only just received their marching orders to take down the irritatingly unkillable Resurrection Man.  This issue opens on the man who won’t die, lying on the dirt, done in by a headshot (accidental, as it turns out—Deadshot’s aim isn’t quite what it once was just yet).  Next to Mitch Shelley is a hysterical woman named Kim, apologizing to his cadaver for something.  Unless you read Resurrection Man #8 (which I did not, having given it up three issues before), you will have no idea what went down between the Squad’s last issue and this one.

Suicide Squad #8 – Review

By: Adam Glass (writer), Federico Dallocchio (artist), Matt Yackey (colorist)

The Story: And Amanda Waller wonders why she never gets called a people person.

The Review: Perhaps the reason why team books are so popular is because they have a built-in potential for variety.  Since each character presumably brings something different to the table, you don’t have to stick to any one kind of story or tone for too long.  Of course, this requires the writer to make sure each team member actually does have a unique voice and background.  If everyone acts and talks the same, what’s the point?

Suicide Squad runs pretty close to this kind of problem.  This issue sports a couple scenes where Waller interacts with Savant and Deadshot, and aside from slight variations in their choice of words, they tend to have the same acidic sarcasm (“I’m sick of being head cheerleader.”  “Do I look like your mamma, Lawton?”).  Unlike the colorful tapestry of characters you had in Gail Simone’s Secret Six, this series has a general sameness to its proceedings which it rarely varies.

To focus the lens a little closer, let’s look at Waller.  Throughout the issue, she spouts pretty much the same threatening demeanor she does all the time.  This would be easier to handle in brief doses, but Glass seems content to let her ramble on even when no one’s listening, like in her rant to the comatose Harley: “Thank God we had a warehouse full of patsies to pin the riot and your escape on!  For all anyone knows, you never left Belle Reve and went on a crazy killing spree looking for that psychotic excuse of a boyfriend of yours.”  Besides the pointless anger, it just seems like an excuse to cover some exposition without much effort.

Suicide Squad #7 – Review

By: Adam Glass (writer), Clayton Henry & Ig Guara (pencillers), Scott Hanna (inker), Val Staples (colorist)

The Story: Shacking up with the Joker?  Where’s a disapproving mother when you need one?

The Review: Part of what makes Joker so compelling as a character is the question of how much of his behavior is genuine madness and how much is simply a twisted sense of the world and one’s place in it.  Not surprisingly, the same questions apply to his protégé.  Harley, however, has a bit more complexity to her because she was drawn—seduced, shall we say—into her craziness, and she had a deep understanding of the human mind.

So as you read through this issue, you have to wonder how much of her particular brand of insanity is innate, and how much of it was foisted upon her by the man she loves.  If we’re meant to believe Harley was always a little nutty deep inside, even when she was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Glass doesn’t do the best job in giving weight to that theory.  It just seems unconvincing that she jumps from sympathy and gratitude to the Joker to all-out, enraged violence over her colleague’s illicit use of her Joker notes to write a book.  What would make her breakdown more convincing is if we had seen how she was overworked, disrespected, and mocked, as she accuses.  But that’s not what Glass chooses to show us, and so her lashing out feels sudden and a bit groundless.

Anyway, it’s pretty hard to deny how much Joker’s influence played into her current state of mind, considering he basically pushes her, against the last vestiges of her will, into a vat of the same stuff that turned him clownish.  However she came into her madness, that’s pretty much her default mentality from here on in.  It doesn’t make her any less dangerous, obviously; here she proves that even lacking Savant’s martial finesse, she can make up for it with unpredictable cleverness—and the help of a well-placed pressure mine.

All this insanity culminates in the final scene between her and Deadshot, where she, in a rather unconventional use of a common psychological method, uses him to speak out her unresolved feelings for her lately defaced lover.  Actually, the macabre nature of the whole sequence would be horribly over the top had Glass not written Deadshot’s reactions so well in that scene, keeping his tension somewhere between freaked out, angry, and professional.

Suicide Squad #6 – Review

By: Adam Glass (writer), Clayton Henry (artist), Scott Hanna (inker), Vale Staples & Hi-Fi (colorists)

The Story: If any couple deserves the tag of “Crazy Love,” these two do.

The Review: As a rule, I have no hesitation in jumping into the middle of a series with little to no context whatsoever.  In fact, it’s often more useful to judge a series’ merits that way; right off the bat you can tell how consistently solid it is without the help of strong starts, big finishes, or hype to move it along.  That’s how I got hooked onto Cougar Town, strangely enough—once I saw Andy doing a Shawshank Redemption homage in a pool, I knew I’d be in for the long haul.

Actually, the Shawshank reference is quite apt in this case considering all the jailbreak elements we’re dealing with here.  But returning to my point, I jumped into Suicide Squad quite easily, and even in this issue, it’s not at all difficult to follow the general plotline.  What really threw me off were all the constant references to earlier issues or events from other titles, including Detective Comics, Green Arrow, and Stormwatch.  It just got a little distracting at certain points, and there were definitely moments where I felt like I was missing some necessary exposition.

Those minor wrinkles aside, the issue as a whole has a rhythm that’s very easy to fall into.  In contrast to the more sober tone the Squad has when Diablo and Black Spider hang around, the presence of Lime and Light (aptly nicknamed by Deadshot as “the Twitter Twins,” as they tend to talk in meaningless blurbs) and Savant bring some lightness to the proceedings.  I especially appreciate Savant’s attempt to cover up his mis-shot by falling back on, “…I know.  I like to play with my food before I kill it,” to which Deadshot merely replies, “Idiot.”

Naturally, since we have a Harley Quinn-centric story on our hands, most of the humor comes from her, albeit one of a very black hue.  Glass has the rather daunting task of showing us the origins of Harley’s romance with Joker, and not only that, but selling it to us as credible.  For the most part, he succeeds.

Suicide Squad #5 – Review

By: Adam Glass (writer), Federico Dallocchio (artist), Val Staples (colorist)

The Story: Looks like these guys aren’t interested in playing the chorus for “Jailhouse Rock.”

The Review: Although DC’s new 52 brought quite a lot of good things to the comics world, it also sent packing a few great things from the old guard.  Among the ones whose cancellation I viewed with most bitterness was Gail Simone’s Secret Six.  So perhaps it’s no surprise I had a certain animosity for Suicide Squad, clearly meant to fill the antihero team void Six left behind, and images of revamped Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller did nothing to change my mind.

But irrational prejudices always leave me feeling guilty, so I decided to do the right thing and at least give it a read-through.  And predictably enough, I felt a bit foolish after finishing this issue, because it actually it has a lot of merit.  The tone of the series is quite different from Six, of course; it has little of the wit and complexity Simone’s writing offered, and certainly it doesn’t tackle the hard questions of morality the Six encountered on a monthly basis.

What you get instead is more of a straight team book, populated with disturbed characters of varying degrees.  To give you an idea of the general dynamic of the group, I’d say the Squad falls somewhere between the classy depravity of the Secret Six and the earnest misfits of the Thunderbolts.  The feeling you get from Diablo, Black Spider, and Deadshot (the men in focus in this issue) is that while they project a pure ruggedness in action, they can also be honorable, sensitive, even affectionate, which certainly rounds their characters quite a bit.

Perhaps no one exemplifies this more than Deadshot, the one original member of the Six who managed to survive the relaunch.  In contrast to the near-total apathy of his former self, this version of Floyd Lawton is more willing to level with his teammates, and even has loved ones to long and care for.  All this makes him a little less entertaining (I’ll always remember the moment Wonder Woman threatened him with castration if he shot her, his pause, then remark that he’ll try anything once), but more accessible, so not all character changes, it seems, are bad.

Suicide Squad #2 – Review

Written by Adam Glass, Art by Federico Dallocchio and Andrei Bressan, Colors by Val Staples

The Story: Suicide Squad is dropped into…some stadium (they forgot to give us the name in this issue and I’m too lazy to go back to the last one to figure it out) and are instructed to kill everyone inside because they’ve all been turned into CRAZY TECHNO-ORGANIC ZOMBIES. Kid, meet Candy Shop. Candy Shop, meet Kid.

The Good: Man this was a good first issue. Oh wait…this was the second. Damn–would have made a much better first issue. In fact, after reading this, I’m really not sure what the point of issue one was. Everything a #1 issue should be, Suicide Squad #2 is. It gives us a story. It sets up the characters in a natural way, showing their characteristics unfold while the plot does. No shoehorning, no gimmicks. It’s…and this pains me to say after the first issue was handled so poorly…pretty well written. You actually get to feel for the characters this time. Deadshot is shown to be a capable leader of the team. Diablo’s pain is seen instead of shown. We don’t even have to know what he did to be so concerned with innocents (I didn’t care enough when I read it in the first issue and I still don’t) to feel his genuine need to redeem himself. Even Harley gets some nice character moments. But even while the other members are becoming more interesting, it’s still King Shark who’s the most fun. As Deadshot says, he’s the wild card. Predictably unpredictable. Willing to eat techo-zombie flesh.  The design of the character might not be great–and as someone pointed out last month, taken almost entirely from another series–but his character is great. I don’t even want to know his back-story. I’m perfectly happy with King Shark being King Shark (and I thought I’d hate this character the most). Glass leveled up since the last issue and is really bringing us some good material now. There are great surprises and the promise of an insane story. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

Gotham City Sirens #16 – Review

By: Peter Calloway (writer), Andres Guinaldo (pencils), Bit (inks), JD Smith (colors) & Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: The Sirens respond to an emergency that is a trap for one of them.  Guest starring Zatanna and Talia Al Ghul.

What’s Good: This series works best when it revolves around Selina Kyle/Catwoman.  Of the three sirens, she is the strongest & best character.  Some folks may dispute that, but Catwoman has been able to carry her own ongoing titles much better in the past and has a much more interesting character than either Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn.

So, it is good news that this issue uses Selina to best effect.  It plays off her heroic-in-a-pinch nature by sending her to deal with a problem that none of the other Bat-family members has time for, but then pulls a switcheroo by having the ultimate bad-guy plot linked to her relationship with Bruce Wayne.  The whole thing is very nicely done with well-executed, in-character supporting bits from Ivy and Harley.  Ivy and Harley are nice characters, but if you need them to carry your comic title for an extended period of time…you might have a problem, so background is a perfect place for them.

This issue also gets bonus points for good use of two other Batman-associated ladies: Zatanna and Talia Al Ghul.

Gotham City Sirens #14 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Andres Guinaldo (pencils), Lorenzo Ruggiero (inks), JD Smith & Tomeu Morey (colors) & Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: Poison Ivy’s new job has some nasty surprises that they didn’t fully explain during the interview process.

What’s Good: This is exactly the type of story that I want from Gotham City Sirens.  There’s no nonsense about how Catwoman may or may not be possessed by a cat demon (I loathe these human embodiment of animal themes).  What we get is a straight up story of sinister doings at Star Labs where Ivy has recently taken a job (a few issues back).  It turns out that she took the job to check out this “Super Miracle Grow” that Star was developing.  Unfortunately, the special sauce that Star Labs was using was most definitely NOT good, old-fashioned compost, it was an extract from an alien plant-man whose spaceship crashed to Earth.  So, what we’ve got is basically “The Thing from Another World” going down in Gotham.

What makes this story fun is that it involves all three of our pseudo-heroines.  They all get their little moments to shine in this story.  It also has a fun bad guy that appeals to my sci-fi loving sensibilities and leaves us with a good comic book cliffhanger.  Nicely done!

Gotham City Sirens #13 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Peter Nguyen & Andres Guinaldo (pencils), Jack Purcell & Raul Fernandez (inkers), Tony Avina (colors) and Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: Catwoman and Harley Quinn finish their fight with Catwoman’s crazy sister who thinks that Catwoman has been possessed by a cat-demon.  Only by killing the cat-demon can Selina be set free….

What’s good: If you’re a big Catwoman fan, this issue will probably make you happy.  The whole issue revolves around Catwoman and her sister, Maggie.  Maggie is a crazy former nun who thinks she must exorcise this cat-demon that has possessed Selina Kyle/Catwoman.  Of course, since Maggie is crazy she is trying to perform the exorcism with a sword, which is not exactly the approved technique.

I also got a kick out of seeing Harley Quinn running around with her big hammer again.  For some reason, this element has been missing from a lot of issues of Gotham City Sirens as Harley has mostly just been doing cartwheels in the background.  The hammer is kind of her trademark, so I liked seeing her at least trying to blast Maggie with it…of course, since they’re fighting in a graveyard, she ends up pulverizing tombstones.

The final interesting thing this issue did was actually tossed in some doubt that perhaps Selina IS possessed.  There is one scene where Harley is compelled onto Maggie’s side of the fight and we see Catwoman with this freaky 6-eyed cat-thing emanating from her, which makes sense since cats are avatars of wickedness.  Since Tony Bedard is a guest writer for this issue, I’ll be curious to see if Paul Dini follows up on this.