Hello boys and girls! Did you miss me? Anyone? Didn’t even realize I was gone huh? Oh well, all that matters is I am back and just in time for the Suicide Squad movie, I had the chance to check outSuicide Squad: Rebirth. That’s right, another Suicide Squad book (because the 2 incarnations during the New 52 worked out so well).
This book has everything! A crudely drawn President Obama, a menacing Amanda Waller (Am I the only one who thinks that there were really only 2 options on who should have played her in the movie? CCH Pounder (From The Shield, that edgy dirty cop drama with Ben Grimm and the guy with the GIANT forehead from Justified.) or Oprah Winfrey.), and a blonde Harley Quinn who for some reason has decided to wear a band-aid under her eye like she was paying homage to TLC and Nelly. Also, I may have forgotten to tell you, I use a ton of random and somewhat dated pop culture references. If that bothers you, you can leave. Actually please don’t go we need the page views.
This masterpiece of Modern American storytelling starts out with an epic showdown between the President and Amanda Waller (Head of Task Force X, AKA the Suicide Squad.). The President wants the Suicide Squad shut down, Waller feels differently, yadda yadda. It’s a typical 1st issue of an ongoing series. President Comicbook Obama wants a man in charge of Task Force X who the American People can hold accountable for the actions of the Suicide Squad. Waller has just the man for the job already picked out, Rick Flag (Colonel Flag, seriously if this guy was anymore patriotic sounding he’d be wearing an American flag, but I think Marvel may have done that already.). Only issue? Col. Flag is in Guantanamo Bay. Luckily Amanda Waller has a key to his cell (pretty convenient if you ask me.). That basically sums up the first issue; oh there may have been something about a superhuman bomb that turns normal humans into supers and supers into normal humans, and a scientist that created said bomb, but if I went into too much detail there then why would you even bother reading this book?
Rob Williams, who did an acceptable job of setting the foundation for the Suicide Squad and the new ongoing series, handled the writing duties for this book. Hopefully, as the series progresses he will be able to flesh out the characters more. The art? Well, that’s a different story entirely. Penciler on this book was Philip Tan. Tan, for me, is reaching JrJr and Rob Liefeld levels of annoying art. He seems to be in love with the full page action splash. It may have only happened 3 times but that’s 2 too many.
In conclusion (sounds like the ending to a terrible high school debate) this book isn’t bad but its not good. It sets the stage for the Suicide Squad heading into DC’s latest reboot, Rebirth, and hopefully this ongoing will have better luck than the last 2.
I give this book 2 ½ Jared Letos out of 5.