Archive for the ‘Adam Glass’ Category

Suicide Squad #7 Review

Posted: March 15, 2012 in Adam Glass, Clayton Henry, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Suicide Squad
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Written by: Adam Glass
Pencilled by: Ig Guara, Clayton Henry
Inked by: Scott Hanna
Cover Color by: Rod Reis
Lettered by: Jared K Fletcher
Colored by: Ivan Reis, Eber Ferreira

WARNING!!!  SPOILERS AHOY!!!

I can already hear the screams and cheers!  Off in the distance, a certain select group of people are throwing parties, drinking beer, and wearing the classic Harley Quinn costume in celebration of this memorable event.  Suicide Squad #7 delivers a promising gift to the haters of the New 52 Harley Quinn.

That’s right, She’s kicked the bucket! Harley Quinn is dead as a door nail.  This is, of course, an interesting turn of events, especially with the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the most popular comic book villain ever, the Joker.  You don’t believe me?  See for yourself…

But, of course, with all things that make us happy, a wrench will undoubtedly be thrown in the mix to make these haters unhappy again.  No, she’ll live, she’s too popular for DC to kill her off right now.  I think Adam Glass wanted to simply give the Quinn Critics a moment of zen.

But issue #7 isn’t as great as it was hyped up to be.  The title itself is certainly known for its insane and rambunctiousness within every adventure, so confusion is bound to happen.  But much of what went on this issue felt too contrived for my taste.

Harley is crazy, no doubts there, but what was the motivation behind placing Joker’s scrapped off face over Deadshot’s?  How does his personality mesh with Mr. J’s?  And what was Harley going to do if she had no one to place the face on?  Was she just going to take it and run, never to be seen again?  I was truly hoping for some emotionally driven moment that gives Harley more depth for the new 52 set of readers.  Instead we have this awkward moment where Harley begins to poor her insane heart out, then Deadshot ruins the moment with a gunshot to the gut.  This is, without a doubt, the equivalent of a boner killer.

The Harley flashback origin story also felt forced, being pushed way too fast with not enough time to really understand why Harley was falling in love with the Joker. The book opens up with Harley showing concern with her own feelings for a mad man, then almost immediately turns into insane doctor before we can realize what’s going on.  I’m certain the short time frame Glass was given to flesh this story out had a lot to do with it, but it’s still a story killer for me.

It’s was nice, however, that the the nano bomb implants aren’t some idle threat.  Lime and Light aren’t the most interesting characters, so blowing one of the duet’s heads off works quite well. But what happens when DC needs to kill off one of the more popular team members?  Oh, wait, it already happened!  But as stated above, I’m sure she’ll come back…probably by next issue!

Clayton and Iguara do a fine job, but there’s a bit of a WTF moment when Harley walks out of the vat of acid, hair red on one side and blue on the other.  The acid would completely incinerate her hair, not turn it Christmas red and Sultry blue.  Maybe I’m allowing myself to be too realistic with this title instead of setting my notion of disbelief aside.  It is comics of course, and it SHOULD be somewhat unrealistic, but I guess this was a bit much for me.

I’ll give this to Glass, he’s is making Harley out to be a complete LOONEY, and that’s always enjoyable!  When the series started, Harley felt more timid than crazy, but this arc has definitely shown us her bad ass side.  Don’t screw around with her, otherwise she’ll cut your lip, or leave you for a land mine to decide your time of death.

I’m still enjoying the series, no doubt, but this is the weakest issue thus far.

6 out of 10 stars.

Suicide Squad #6 Review

Posted: February 9, 2012 in Adam Glass, Clayton Henry, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Suicide Squad, Val Staples
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Written by ADAM GLASS
Penciled by  CLAYTON HENRY
Inked by SCOTT HANNA & CLAYTON HENRY
Colored by VAL STAPLES & HI-FI
Lettered by JARED K. FLETCHER
Cover by PAUL RENAULD
Edited by SEAN MACKIEWICZ & PAT MCCALLUM

YES!!!  This is what we need, a well written origin story for Harley!  Juxtaposed against the story dealing with the entire squad, we get a nicely balanced plot line trifecta;  the Squad’s frustrated search for Harley, a twistedly nostalgic trip down memory lane to revisit Harley’s first encounters with the Joker, and more information to tag along with Mr. J’s skin deep disappearing act.  This issue is so weighty and awesomely epic that I had to read it twice, back to back, just so the excitement could truly soak in for me.

Despite the DC’s complaint department receiving tons of hate mail for Harley’s change in wardrobe, she’s still as quirky and demented as ever, maybe even more so!  The flashbacks we see in this issue don’t even show her transform into the demented clown princess we all know, yet we do get to see the beginnings of the Joker digging into her mind, converting her ever so slightly with each meeting.  It’s enough to tease us for what’s bound to come.  But the question still remains, will the revelation of the Joker’s whereabouts come to light in Suicide Squad, or Detective comics?

Now maybe I missed something, but when did Harley put together her own band of transvestite minions?  I understand that the Suicide Squad is designed to shock and alarm, but there was nothing to lead us to believe she even hand the time or resources to put something this extravagant and weird together.  It was still hilarious, but WOW, that is a mind bender for sure!

It’s clear the only member of the Squad that has his head on straight is Deadshot.  I would have also added Diablo in that mix, but he seems to have gone away this issue. Savant shows how little he actually cares about what happens, and the Twitter twins (as Deadshot has named them) really have no clue as to what is going on around them.  King Shark, on the other hand is…well…King Shark!  What more do you need?  It’s still clear that each individual member of the Squad is looking out for their own individual interests, but there also seems to be a semblance of care that the team has for one another.  Still no CLEAR indicator of such, but it definitely keeps the interest boiling.

Oh, and I’m glad to see Deadshot hasn’t lost his dry sense of humor either.  Watch out for your nether region there Savant!

Val Staples certainly makes everything pop out at us, especially with the Joker’s off white smile!  Of course Clayton Henry (I don’t remember this guy from anything, is he a new penciller?) does a wonderful job at making the gory and bloody a gorgeous piece of artwork to gaze upon.  However, it’s in those much more subtle moments that, artistically, impact me the most.  My favorite scene is when Harley is holding the severed finger, and how the Joker just hovers over her with his devious smile…

Click To Enlarge

Now I DID think Henry did a great job at making sure that Harley had the same look, pre-crazy and post-crazy.  However I wondered why post-crazy Harley had a much younger look to her.  I honestly felt like she looked like a teenaged adolescent with all of her makeup on, and it felt out of place. The most “adult” she looked was when she was a normal psychiatrist constantly going in for meetings with the Joker.  It was daunting, but still enjoyable.

The Squad is consistently surprising me and keeping me on the edge of my seat.  I love that Glass is now focusing on the Joker and Harley’s past relationship and what it now means for the rebooted DCU.

9 out of 10 stars

Suicide Squad #4 Review

Posted: December 15, 2011 in Adam Glass, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Federico Dallocchio, Suicide Squad
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Written By: Adam Glass
Artist: Federico Dallocchio
Colorist: Val Staples
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover: Ken Lashley
Editors: Sean Mackiewicz, Pat McCallum

So what happened here?  Like the previous 3 issues, the shit continues to hit the fan.  Issue #4 begins with a jolting set of violent acts, all headed by Captain Boomerang, much to the dismay of the rest of the team.  But, in that trademarked Boomerang style, the Captain shows why he really isn’t leadership material.  Not even the reboot can change that!

This title is doing all it can to fill that hole left by the cancellation of the Secret Six,  and those are some pretty big shoes to fill.  Adam Glass has been up to the challenge and doing a great job thus far.  It’s too early for any of the characters to really connect to one another however; they mostly just bicker with brief moments of twisted humor and insanity.  However, from the first issue until now we’ve seen the team look out for one another in their own, individual ways.  Of course that’s mostly due to the fact that if any of them deviate from the plans Amanda Waller has given them, their heads will blow up.  But from what has transpired so far, we’re seeing little inklings of love within each member.

#4′s main focus is on the revelation of Amanda Waller’s progressively developing plan for the Squad, but within that we get a lot of really cool moments for each character.  As mentioned above, Deadshot proves himself to be the leader the team needs.  (What was the purpose of having Boomerang in this issue anyway?)  There’s also been a lot of buzz about Harley Quinn’s new origin story coming up in the Squad, and this issue gave us a hint of something to look forward too.

One little downer for me, however, was Yo-Yo.  I’ve been waiting to see the importance of his character in this book, but all we see is his a remarkable ability to mimic a blowfish.  Really??  Maybe there’s something more coming about this, maybe more will be revealed to show Yo-Yo’s awesomeness…but I’m not giving my hopes up.

Federico Dallocchio and Val Staples is steadily impressing me more and more.  From my perspective, there seems to be a bit of a disjointed look between the sketching and the coloring, as if the two artists haven’t quite figure out their grove yet.  However, I won’t complain as it’s all gorgeous no matter how you slice it.  My only hope is that Dallocchio gives Harley a much more menacing look.  She feels too much like a regular comic book hottie with perfect features and not so much like a demented hottie…with perfect features.  I don’t think it’s the costume, I think it’s mostly within her face and how it’s constructed.  Maybe that demented look will come out more in later issues…especially when her new origin is revealed!

It’s not quite up to Secret Six quality, but I don’t think ANY title ever will be.  However, the Squad is standing on it’s own two feet and is definitely sticking out with it’s own uniqueness and creativity that none of the other 52 have been able to touch yet.  This is one of DC’s best titles!

9 out of 10 stars

Suicide Squad #3 Review

Posted: November 10, 2011 in Adam Glass, Cliff Richards, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Suicide Squad
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Writer: Adam Glass
Artist: Cliff Richards
Colorist: Val Staples
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover By: Ken Lashley
Assistant Editor: Sean Mackiewicz
Editor: Pat McCallum

Well, after last month’s zombie apocalypse and mindless violence, I wasn’t sure if Glass could keep up the momentum…but sure enough, he does!  #3 is the best issue thus far for rebooted title as it’s not only a gaggle of the most vile immorality produced by DC right now, it’s also very substantial in its content.  These psychopathic killers may look and act devilish on the outside, but Glass provides us (finally) with some emotional friction for us to latch onto and relate with.  The bad guys aren’t completely heartless.

At the center of this issue is a baby, one that the squad is trying to protect from the swarm of bullets flying at the Squad’s heads.  Granted each team member has a bomb implanted in their heads which will go off if any of them go against orders, (very good motivator I might add) but it seems the team is very concerned with the infant’s well-being outside of saving their own ass.  But more importantly, Glass spotlights many of the relationships that were established within the first two issues, especially with how much each character actually cares about the team.  Harley Quinn is a prime example in helping Diablo and Spider walk to the copter after surviving some almost fatal wounds…even if it might “ruin” her reputation.

Speaking of Harley, I’ve always been one to comment on the sexuality within comics.  Just like with the vampire and gothic genres, erotica is simply a part of the medium.  I’ve been shooting down the haters of Catwoman’s “over-sexual” premise, as well as those who have criticized Voodoo’s skin flaring characteristic, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan of what’s going on with Harley.  The CLOWN aspect to her character seems to be diminishing. Sure, she still cracks a few jokes and is still off her rocker, but she feels less “clownish” and more of an insane red and purple Jezebel.  Is her connection with the Joker gone now?  What was the point in having that brief “not-sex” scene between her and Lawton?  Harley’s always been a sexual vixen, but it’s always made sense too…maybe Harley’s JUST THAT CRAZY in the rebooted DC Universe.  I don’t know, I’ll give it some time before making a final judgement.

From what I can tell, Glass is definitely serving this title’s name justly with the sudden killing off characters and adding new ones on a whim.  Issue #1 immediately killed off a very well known villain right off the bat, and Issue #2 did the same thing.  Now, instead of killing off characters, #3 brings in a brand new, yet familiar one.  I won’t give away the identity of this new Squad addition for those who have yet to open this book up, but be advised, you may chuckle a bit.

Cliff Richards is a good artist, no argument there!  In fact, I’m really enjoying the approach in his sketches.  But what kind of irks me is the coloring job.  Much of the colorization is fine…not great, but fine.  But there are moments when the definition is lacking.  The inks, at times, seem to be smudged over by the colors causing it to have this overly blended feel.  Now I’m not a colorist so I may be coming off as an ignoramus, but if you know me and my art style, you know I’m very much a fan of definition over color.

Suicide Squad is officially one THE title I look forward to over all the rest, even Action Comics and Wonder Woman.  Despite some of the flaws in issue #3, this book certainly appeals to my desire for stories that push boundaries.  There’s so much going on with this title that it’s hard to put it into words.  And despite the fact that I have given this issue a lower than issues 1 and 2, it doesn’t reflect the substance that #3 has, and mostly reflects the sub-par visualizations.  so far as the story goes, this issue is fantastic!  Pick it up now guys before it gets too far into the run.

8.5 out of 10 stars

P.S. – I don’t have a problem with Harley Quinn’s new look.  However, if you DO in fact take issue with it, does hesitate to look for Harley Quinn’s facebook page and request the postcards that object to the new Harley look.  Here’s a gander at what they look like.  Toodles!

Suicide Squad #2 Review

Posted: October 13, 2011 in Adam Glass, Andrei Bressan, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Federico Dallocchio, Ryan Benjamin
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Written By: Adam Glass
Art By: Federico Dallocchio & Andrei Bressan
Colors By: Val Staples, Allen Passalaqua & Hi-Fi
Letters By: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover By: Ryan Benjamin

It’s All Zombies And Chaos From Here…
Last month Adam Glass gave us a cliffhanger to die for with the introduction of the new Squad and how it all began.  Not giving the Squad inductees anytime to recover from there “trial by fire,” the slender Amanda Waller sends her new team out into the heat of battle.  Of course, who knew that issue #2 would send the team flying right into the middle of a football stadium sized zombie jamboree?  (Thanks Rockapella!)  Issue #2 provides us with the same amount of humor #1 did, but carries along with it some zombie lovin’ chaos as well!

It isn’t clear how the Hell this whole brain eating mess started, but we do know that it has to do with a women by the name of Caley Burns, who we find later infected with the zombie contagion.  Glass puts a little twist on the whole zombie mythos though, making every bite victim a combination of flesh and mechanical wiring.  However, it doesn’t explain why Caley turned into a giant “Jaba The Hut” type squid now does it.  My guess?  Some unknown mad scientist out there decided to go all “world domination” on us and created some type of bug that turns people into brain eating cyborgs, only to start fresh in his world-wide repopulation project.  Farfetched you say?  So are zombie cyborgs and a man with a hammer-head shark face.

It’s Funny…Laugh Please!!!
One of the reasons why Gail Simone’s Secret Six was so good, amongst all the dark and incredibly moving prose and character development, was the amount of humor she stuck in her scripts.  This newly revitalized Suicide Squad proves to be just as twistedly funny, while integrating some dark and gothic undertones.  Black Spider delivers my favorite line directed at Harley right before the fight begins…

Click To Enlarge

But while Harley enjoys her role as the crazy physcho clown girl, Glass sticks in some meaningful development of Harley, as brief as it is.  As her an El Diablo whomp on a room full of zombie football fans, Harley lets her red lettered word ballooned friend know that she was once a doctor…that she isn’t dumb.  And for a moment, you begin to feel sympathy for the Joker’s lovely booty-call-to-be.  Of course, the moment is gone quickly as Harley swings her hammer around, knocking a few heads off!  I look forward to what Glass has in store for Harley in the future.

Back And Forth With The Artists Again Huh?
You know, I didn’t mind the artist toggling so much.  There’s an obvious difference in style, but it’s an appropriate match-up as one artist takes on the stand-offish and more dramatic moments, while the other takes charge of the bloody, more chaotic fight scenes.  I did enjoy the art for the most part, but at times I felt like I was looking at quality art work, while other moments felt like it came straight out of Mad Magazine. I can get over something like that, but deep down inside I wanted consistency.

But get a load of that cover!!!  Ryan Benjamin brings out the right kind of life with the Suicide trifecta of Harley, Deadshot, and King Shark.  I wouldn’t mind seeing Benjamin take over as artist for one issue and see how awesome each page is.

And Here Comes The Mystery…
The issue closes out with a bloodied field of mecha and blood, with Dead shot taking out one of their electrified teammates to throw suspicion away from the Squad.  We already have Static Shock, why waste time with another electrified super?  (Good thing he wasn’t black though, otherwise shit would hit the fan on the politically correct boards!)

Now we have a baby born from the womb of a zombie…what could this mean for the future?  What does Amanda Waller have up her sleeve and how is it going to affect the Squad as a whole?  Can Deadshot save himself before his brain blows up?  There’s so many tense moments here that I might just have to come back in 30 days and pick up issue #3!

9 out of 10 stars.

Suicide Squad #1 Review

Posted: September 15, 2011 in Adam Glass, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Suicide Squad
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Writer: Adam Glass
Artist: Federico Dallocchi, Ransom Getty, and Scott Hanna
Colorist: Val Staples
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover Art: Ryan Benjamin

The Plot
Issue #1 starts off with the Squad bound and chained by a group of unknown kidnappers, using every torturous method in the book; stemming for hot blades cutting away at the skin, to pouring salt in the wounds in order to get the Squad to reveal who they are.  But if the Secret Six has taught us anything, its that psychopathic, murdering maniacs are hard to make squeal…

Well, except for the blonde haired girly man that somehow got and invitation to join the Squad.

My Heretical Opinion
I’m already convinced that this rebooted Suicide Squad is going to be far superior to its predecessor.  Not that it was a bad series, I enjoyed it more than most, but it lacked substance and humor that a title of its caliber needed.  #1 begins with this joyful display of torture and chaos, (Yes, I enjoy seeing people in pain…I guess) and brings us to an awesome cliffhanger that beckons me to come back in 30 days for issue #2.  Another great week of new #1’s me thinks!

The highlight of the issue is portrayed on the cover, as Harley bears a striking resemblance to the much more retro and anime-styled one of the video games, while showing off a new sex appeal within her new wardrobe choices.  She seems to be smarter, funnier, sexier, and downright evil!  The Harley of old was a lot more playful.  Granted this is the first issue and we haven’t TRULY gotten to know Harley yet, but she has a much more sinister side to her personality that kind of freaks me out…but I like it!  Let’s be honest, what male doesn’t like the sexy bad-girl who would get a kick out of peeling off your face with a knife right?

The rest of the Squad has familiarities as well as unfamiliar characteristics; Deadshot doesn’t seem to be much different with his wisecracking dry humor, And King Shark’s only newness is with his hammerhead skull…he’s still got a craving for human flesh!  I’m a little disappointed in the way Savant falls to his comically devastating end, but I suspect he’ll be back sooner than we think…which is good.  A few new names have been entered into the ranks, Voltiac and El Diablo, which I’m not too familiar with, but I look forward in getting to know.

Adam Glass proves himself to him an exciting writer with an immensely creative side whose future in comic book writing can (and will) only get better with time!  The bad guy books have always excited me as the rules can be thrown out of the window, making the bloodshed is much more prevalent!  The Comics Code Authority has no place in this world anymore and I’m glad for it as the stories and content of the comics (especially within the DCnU) have become so much more adult and mature.  The Suicide Squad is proof of that.  The back stories provided by each character helps to show where the arc will be going, as well as the direction of the series in general.  This first issue hits the ground running, not giving me time to breath, but allowing my excitement to build up and want more.

There was a certain character development JOLT that hit me rather suddenly.  I’m not entirely sure what I think of Amanda Waller’s sudden change in physique.  It’s not necessarily bad in and of itself, but I wonder why DC felt it was necessary to change her from being the plump, strong women she was to the typically thin, slender and sexy woman we find coming up in comics all the time.

So Amanda Waller is eye candy now...Is she going to remain a hard ass? I hope so!

I shouldn’t make a huge deal out of it, but it’s hard to move past it.  It doesn’t change my mind in the least about the quality of the book overall, just a little thought that lingers in my head, causing me to tilt my head to the right in an inquisitive manner.

Speaking of the looks, we’ve already talked about Harley Quinn’s new look, let me now praise the artist trifecta in how amazing the sketches are.  Every page turn is an amazing display of action and suspense assembled in a flawless array of visual artistry.  It is kind of violent, mind you, and might make your skin crawl, but it certainly doesn’t compare to the blood and skin carving nature of Detective Comics #1.

Of course, I’m going to have trouble NOT comparing this to the greatest super villain comic ever made, the Secret Six.  Gail Simone gave that title what it needed in order to still be qualified as a bad guy book, while maintaining a certain, twisted sense morality and family love…I’m wondering if this new Suicide Squad can do something to help give its readers something to relate and hold onto, much like the Secret Six did.  But as of right now, I’m hooked and looking forward to what’s coming next month more than any other title that’s come out thus far!

10 out of 10 Stars