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New Suicide Squad #20

Written by Tim Seeley

Art by Juan E. Ferreyra

Back in the 80’s, John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad set the standard for everything a superhero comic should be.  Ostrander crafted a series built on a foundation of strong storylines and character development that heightened the action and intrigue, rather than overwhelming it.  As thrilling as the Squad’s missions were, it was the characters themselves that made the series great, their differing motivations and personalities, and their relationships with one another, whether tender or antagonistic.

Deadshot has always been at the heartless(ish) heart of the Suicide Squad.  Though often imitated, the character has never really been replicated, and it’s easy to overlook his complexity in favor of surface concept- he’s a guy with a cool moustache and a cool suit who shoots guns at people, often coolly.  But Deadshot has never been the sort of ultimate badass tough guy that he seems like he might be.  As developed by Ostrander, he’s a conflicted character, professionally immoral but haunted by feelings of guilt that manifest in a general ambivalence about life itself.  He’s a perfect match for the Suicide Squad because, although not actively suicidal, he doesn’t really care if he lives or dies, and sometimes seems like he just wants someone to put him out of his misery.

The intricacies of this characterization are thankfully carried over into New Suicide Squad, written by Tim Seeley, with art by Juan E. Ferreyra.  The current version of the Squad is appropriately violent and a lot of fun, with stories moving along at a frenzied, breakneck pace, punctuated with the kinds of double- and sometimes triple-crosses perquisite in a good Suicide Squad comic.  Seeley is especially adept at playing the different personalities of the Squad members off of one another- Deadshot’s ambivalence and weary resignation, Harley Quinn’s unpredictability, Cheetah’s cold viciousness and El Diablo’s piousness- giving the characters depth that elevates and motivates the action.  Issue 20 also teases a forthcoming confrontation between Deadshot and longtime frenemy Captain Boomerang (their last interaction ended with Deadshot shoving a spatula down Boomer’s throat) and an even bigger reckoning with the Squad’s government handler and frequent manipulator, Amanda Waller, that promises to be apocalyptic. 

Harris Smith a former supervillain forced by a shadowy government agency to work as a production coordinator, community outreach specialist and social media editor at comiXology.