REVIEW: Suicide Squad #0

Tonight on Suicide Squad… It’s the Amanda Show! More after the Jump!

Suicide Squad #0
Writer: Adam Glass
Artist: Fernando Dagnino
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Colorist: Matt Yackey
Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Publisher: DC Comics Inc.
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Suicide Squad: The squad was saved from a group of sacrifice-happy Mayans, fell into the hands of Basilisk, were saved by Captain Boomerang who was acting as a double agent, then back into the hands of Basilisk when Black Spider revealed himself to be a traitor and sent agents to Amanda Waller’s home. Just another day in the life of the Suicide Squad.

SUICIDE SQUAD’S THE WALL

Like all of the New 52 #0 issues, this is a look back on the team before they were a team. Rather, it’s a look back at Amanda Waller before she decided to form the Suicide Squad. The book goes through Waller’s final assignment, throughout which several not too thinly veiled references are made about Team-7, its colossal failure and the dangerousness of its members. Waller is shown to be fairly deadly, prone to outbursts and pulling stunts of the Die Hard variety. Her failure to stop a bomb leads to several casualties, one closer to home than the others.

This particular book doesn’t really have a whole heck of a lot to offer except for a bit of back-story into who Amanda Waller is and why she does what she does. Even that story isn’t particularly engaging because she’s presumably had many casualties while she was on duty. The only hint we get into why this particular casualty is difficult for her are some references made on how he’s like family. In the context of story, that’s really all the reader is given and even then it’s not particularly heart rending like it’s assumed the author wanted it to be.

Also, why didn’t the aforementioned bomb affect her?!

LOOK, MA! MY SPINE CAN ROTATE 360°!

It’s kind of a given that in the world of comics, people are twisted in ways that even contortionists have problems reaching. That point was made painstakingly obvious in this particular issue. There’s one panel of Waller where it appears she has a swiveling spine as she turns around to pull a weapon on an old colleague. It was hard to focus on other aspects of the art when the mind goes back to spine-spinning action Waller.

Other than that, the status quo of the art has been fairly well kept. Fernando Dagnino has been one of the regular artists on this series and has done a fairly good job of keeping up with its dark and violent nature. Dagnino’s work has been one welcome constant in a series that goes for broke in the shock and awe department.

BOTTOM LINE: IT’S AN ADVERTISEMENT

Overall, this felt like a huge advertisement for Team 7. Since the first Team 7 came out the same week as Suicide Squad, it really felt like overkill. This issue had more to do with Amanda Waller and her associations with Team 7. It would have been nice to have a story based around the actual squad members and anecdotes about their origins, instead of this being an entire issue dedicated to Amanda Waller on her lonesome. I was a little disappointed because I’ve really liked the entirety of the Suicide Squad run so far. Unless one is an Amanda Waller or Team 7 enthusiast, this book was a bit of a letdown.

Rating: