Suicide Squad Rebirth #1 Review - A Rollicking Good Time

“Ideals belong on flagpoles and in museums and in the movie theaters. This is reality—and [...]

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(Photo: DC Comics)

Suicide Squad hits theaters starting tonight, but the big screen isn't the only place where you can catch Deadshot, Harley, and Captain Boomerang.

Suicide Squad Rebirth #1 hit comic stores yesterday, no doubt eager to strike while the iron is hot and all that. It's fitting then that three of the members in the film are featured in Rebirth #1, or four if you count Rick Flag.

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(Photo: DC Comics)

"Ideals belong on flagpoles and in museums and in the movie theaters. This is reality—and reality is ugly."

Boy, Amanda Waller and A Few Good Men's Colonel Jessup would be just the best of friends, right? You half expect her to admit to giving the Code Red. Waller is quite good at getting what she wants, and the creator of Task Force X doesn't seem to shrink at all in the face of the President, who bears a rather striking resemblance to President Obama.

This team is a bit different than past teams, though, mostly because their leader happens to also be in jail. Even with some tweaked backstory, he still fits the good soldier archetype. The added intrigue of how he got there and who put him there is enough to set him apart from previous iterations, and Writer Rob Williams has already delivered a more interesting rendition of the character that we've seen in previous series, and I'm hopeful that trend continues.

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(Photo: DC Comics)

"Because right now, even as we speak, there's a bomb that threatens us. And, in this world, there is always a bomb."

In time the reader is introduced to the crux of the Suicide Squad, which consists of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang. Williams keeps things light and action-packed for the most part, with frequent quips and sarcastic comments. This helps the darker moments land even harder, like Boomerang's removal of a briefcase from its owner's hands. You see just why these villains are here, doing a job that nobody else would have the stones to do.

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(Photo: DC Comics)

"They've still got more guns than Charlton Heston's Garage Sale!"

Phillip Tan's art is first-rate, and the action scenes are chaotic but easy to follow. If I have a nitpick it is more about the design of Deadshot's costume, though that is most likely an editorial decision, not an artistic one. Deadshot is clad in what looks like futuristic Knight armor and he doesn't remotely look like an assassin. This even extends to a closeup shot of his wrist-mounted guns, which don't actually look like guns at all. I get what they were going for, but the look just doesn't work for the character.

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(Photo: DC Comics)

Costume designs aside, Suicide Squad will be a great jumping on point for fans of the film, and while it doesn't feature very many characters at the moment, the ones it does focus on are done well. William's take on Rick Flag is intriguing so far, and if he can get the reader to care about him, then hopes are high that he can get fans to care about the rest of the team.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Written By: Rob Williams
Pencilled By: Philip Tan
Inked By: Jonathan Glapion, Scott Hanna, and Sandu Florea
Colored By: Alex Sinclair

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