This issue of Suicide Squad begins a surprisingly intriguing and violent story arc.
In the last story arc, Amanda Waller was introduced to the Suicide Squad’s replacement, The Wall. She wasn’t too afraid of the government-funded superhero replacing her team until she received reports from Belle Reve. Former squad member, Hack, had returned from the Dad as a digital ghost and began tearing the place apart looking for her murderer. This search all but destroys the prison, then, left with no choice, Amanda calls in The Wall to stop the threat. He’s able to handle it but declares that Task Force X is dead. What will our new black ops “superhero” do now?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
While Amanda has to sit by and watch the Suicide Squad and their base get dismantled, Rick Flag gets briefed on what The Wall can do. He has the skill set of nearly the entire Squad as well as tech that allows him to take down enemy forces faster. While this seems like the perfect candidate to replace the Suicide Squad, it becomes apparent there is a significant flaw. He has access to everyone’s phone in America. This leads him to use it to strike fear and control before his handlers have a chance to rein him in.
This is a decent set-up for the arc to come. It shows off our new villain in cool, action-packed ways that’ll make readers itching for a confrontation. One could argue the illogical nature of the government giving this prototype hero so much control. However, this makes as much sense as Skynet or other similar sci-fi premises. The Wall is shown to be near unstoppable, so I’m personally excited to see how the Squad takes him down. This opening implies the arc is going for an action-packed thrill ride and I can’t wait.
Art:
The art for this first chapter is good. Not great, not terrible, just good. Tom Derenick and Jose Luis work together on illustrations and do wonders. The best-looking part of the issue is, without a doubt, the action. The Wall going up against jets in an aerial duel is very cool and pops off the page thanks to Adriano Lucas’ colorwork. It’s entertaining to see The Wall in action, and we have the art team to thank for it.
Conclusion:
Like the art, I have to say this issue isn’t great, but it is good. The story shows off the skills and threat of the new villain exceptionally well. The art team helps out by giving some great action scenes. Is the issue as a whole perfect? Not at all. There are some flaws in the logic that come with any Suicide Squad story. That being said, I still had fun with this issue. If you’re looking for a mindless action comic, then this might be for you.
