It’s time to hop back to the moon to see how our favorite Squad is doing! The Suicide Squad is split into two to cover multiple fronts after an attack on Amanda Waller. Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Boomerang, and Katana are sent to space, finding the original Task Force X. Rick Flagg, the former leader of the Force, gives the Squad a rundown of what their mission was for Earth – Fighting aliens that threatened humanity. These events lead the Squad and the Force to team up to finish one last mission involving the Red Wave Monster.
While all of this is going on, Deadshot, El Diablo, and Enchantress find an abandoned airfield with the written accounts of the original Task Force X. Those accounts, unfortunately, are being guarded by robots, designed to kill intruders. This leaves both our ground and space halves of the Squad in very precarious positions.
**SOME SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
We find our two squads in the midst of their missions, both going as well as Squad missions go. On the moon, Harley, Croc, Boomerang, and Katana work their way INTO the moon. On their way, Flagg becomes antsier as they approach their goal. Along the way, the group finds the remains of original Task Force X and ARGENT members. Considering the current troubles of the earth Squad, it begins to paint a picture. The Squad on Earth find themselves cornered by the robots, all proclaiming they work for ARGENT, the espionage half of Task Force X. If it wasn’t clear by both the robots and agents on the moon, it’s clear who the villain of the arc actually is. Both Squads’ paths are now aimed right towards each other as we have hit this halfway point of the arc.
While I have enjoyed the story and recreation of Task Force X’s origins, we’ve hit a slump. We have the history of Task Force X, but there is no progress in the story. The Squad on the moon quite literally walked up to a door for this chapter. Yes, there was character building conversation, but one would argue that was what the last issue was for.
If you have read the past two reviews I made for the arc, one of the major downsides of the story is the lack of action. This issue provides us with plenty. While it is mostly contained back on Earth with the ARGENT robots, it fit the brutal yet random nature that the Squad is known for. It’s a breath of the modern day Squad to appease the fans.
Art:
While the pencil work has fallen to Bagenda alone once more, the art was relatively good. Due to the more horror-like setting of the moon, the creepier designs shine with the introduction of the Red Wave and its alien brethren. Add that with wonderful color work from Adriano Lucas and we have a book that fits the tone of the story.
Conclusion:
While the action and art have improved since the start of the story arc, we have hit an abrupt stop. The story has slowed to a crawl in this issue, making it dull. While the cliffhanger ending provides us enough incentive to come back in two weeks, this chapter ends up disappointing.
