Review: Suicide Squad #2

"There's No Love In Team"

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo
Color Artist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Wes Abbott

Review by Max Byrne

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” sang Roger Daltrey back in 1971. Well, those words were certainly prophetic when examined through the prism of Suicide Squad #2. With issue #1 seeing the stalwart Amanda Waller stepping down from her position as the head of Task Force X, this new instalment is the start of the Lok era. One hell of a mysterious taskmaster, enigmatic and cold as ice, one certainly feels that Tom Taylor is going to have a lot of fun peeling back the layers with this character as the weeks unfold. With a blank canvas to work with regarding his backstory, it does feel as though this will help with the sense of re-invigoration this title has already been given.

Speaking of which, the new recruits to the team have certainly begun to make their presence felt in a big way. Throwing in a generous helping of vibrant, fresh characters along with the old favorites is the equivalent of throwing a hand grenade into an erupting volcano, carnage will inevitably ensue. The combustible nature of the thrown together Squad is palpable, as Taylor does an excellent job of loading up his dialogue with tense exchanges, barbed comments and simmering rage.

A prime example is the entertaining and venomous exchanges between Fin and Shark, following Shark’s ravenous devouring of Fin’s twin brother in issue #1. Taylor manages to illicit a great deal of sympathy for Fin, having lost his telepathically linked twin, leaving him bereft and confused. With Shark revelling in his murderous act, it’s literally just the sub-dermal explosives that are keeping them from tearing each other apart. The dark humour that befits both the title and the author is very present too, as Taylor finds the humour in the most dark and violent situations.

With such an action-oriented title, an artist is needed that can provide the snap, crackle and pop required. In Bruno Redondo, DC have certainly found the right man for the job. His knack for drawing a combat scene is unparalleled. With panel upon panel filed with hails of bullets, crunching blows and explosions galore, Redondo has certainly got his hands full. I’ve mentioned this before, but I adore the swathes of onomatopoeic words that accompany the action, with a liberal helpings of “bang”, “brrrt” and “cruunch” present at every turn.

With a cliffhanger of an ending that changes the dynamic of the team dramatically, as well as setting up a future reckoning, the fates of Deadshot and Osita are certainly going to be on the line once the truth of the mission’s denouement comes to the attention of Lok. Seeing a mission-oriented man like Floyd Lawton taking the action he did at the end of the issue was a real shock, and I, for one, am certainly looking forward to seeing where they go with the truth as the future rolls on.

Conclusion

Suicide Squad #2 is a high quality continuation of the sterling work done by Taylor et al in issue #1. Fast paced and fun, with a deeper level of pathos behind the body count, I’m extremely optimistic for the future of this book. With the title once again becoming a hot property, it won’t be long before it is up there with our favorites as a true flagship title for DC.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment