A comiXologist Recommends (serious action)
Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #1
Writers - Brian Buccellato & Mike W. Barr
Artists –Viktor Bogdanovic (Deadshot) & Diogenes Neves (Katana) and several others
In recent years, with the addition of the Suicide Squad to DC television shows like Arrow and the highly anticipated film out this August, there has been a renewed interest into the background of these rogues. As is customary to a discussion about reading current mainstream titles (those being the books that come from the houses of DC and Marvel), we ask “Where to begin?” If you are as intrigued by your villains as you are your heroes, this issue is a great way to start.
Deadshot and Katana are (arguably) the two of the most memorable good-bad guys or bad-good guys (depending on the story) ever to grace the pages of DC Comics. Or at best the most iconic in appearance. Deadshot with his red armor, wrist guns, sniper rifle, and not to mention that time he tried to kill Batman by tricking Batman into believing that Commissioner Gordon was the real assassination target saves him a place in my heart.
And Katana: wearing her mask of the Rising Sun, her leather armor pieces, and her sword that traps the souls of those it has taken the lives of. Her sword is appropriately named “Soultaker.” Fun fact: The first soul the sword sealed within it was that of Katana’s husband! She too is one of all-time favorites, so this new mini-series is extra exciting for me!
This first issue in the new six part mini-series starts each character on missions to take down even worse bad guys or rescue good guys. Deadshot kills members of an international drug cartel in a fiery glory while making the whole thing look way too easy, and Katana takes on the militant cult Kobra by slicing, dicing, and blowing things up in an attempt to protect a small village. It is all great fun!
The level of talent crammed into this 40-page single should turn a few heads if the idea of Deadshot and Katana wasn’t enough. Real talk though, Deadshot and Katana in one book should be all anyone needs to hear, but if anyone if feeling extra greedy let me break this down. Deadshot’s writer is Brian Buccellato who is most notable for his “The Joker: Endgame” and Katana’s story is written by Mike W. Barr, one of the character’s creators. These characters couldn’t be in better hands. I won’t even get started about the artists on these stories. I could spend a day typing my life away about Viktor Bogdanovic and then need to spend a whole second day on Diogenes Neves and that incredible body of work!
So I’m just going to cut myself off here and close with this: Grab this book. It’s the first issue, and both stories are just great!
Matthew Burbridge is a Digital Editor at ComiXology and he’s beginning to wonder why it seems like that doll in the corner of the room keeps staring at him.
“Nah,” he says to no one, “all in your head.”
He was never heard from again.