Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Parker
Art: Matthew Dow Smith
Colors: Tony Avina
Letterer: Deron Bennett
What They Say:
Scandal Savage re-joins the Squad, breaking into her father’s lab…in the Paris catacombs.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The previous issue of Suicide Squad wasn’t one that grabbed me a lot since it was mostly just action and it was focused on the Gentleman Ghost, which doesn’t work for me as a character most of the time. This issue has a bit more forward progress and some twists in play with Jeff Parker shifting gears to the next phase of the hunt and that helps. We also get Matthew Dow Smith continuing on the art duties and it works well, though I’m still not quite sure he’s the best fit for this with his style. I like what he does a lot in other books and there are pieces that work here but the Squad, to me, always feels like it has a bit more splashy and vibrant style to it.
With Deadman riding in Bane for the moment, having decided to help out since his benefactor isn’t directing him to do any other jobs, it’s mostly just someone else to provide some additional snark with. I do enjoy Deadman and he’s fun to watch amid all of this as he handles the questions well, we get the Spectre looming in the background watching, and the supernatural elements feel right as they head down into the catacombs in Paris with the separate location that Vandal Savage kept. Scandal’s presence here is a given as she’s the one with the knowledge of how to get in and it’s comical watching her lead this crew with Waller watching through a camera while outside. Suffice to say, she continues to know to not put herself in danger.
There are a few fun little bits as they go through the barriers to get in while admiring some of the crazy things Vandal put in there over the years as well as learning of some of the darker sides. The push to find who has the key has them working through a few things and it flows well though they naturally keep the reveal secret from the reader. What’s not kept secret is when Scandal gets more information than she bargained for in how so many of Vandal’s loyalists found her on the hospital ship. It’s no surprise that Waller orchestrated that to get what she wants because that’s how Waller operates. But it’s going to complicate things on top of a certain someone else that shows up at the end in a threatening manner.
In Summary:
This installment is an improvement over the last for me but it felt like we just needed a bit more meat to the material for it to really connect. I love the jetsetting aspect that we get, ‘Squad style, that brings the group to Paris with Deadman in tow. You do feel bad for Bane in how he’s basically getting a lot of ride alongs these days. The push into the catacombs and reconnect with Scandal gives us the forward momentum we need and some teases of just how bad things are going to go but I’m still feeling a bit listless in the series with what it’s trying to achieve at this point. Which is understandable considering the games Waller plays.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 9th, 2018
MSRP: $0.99
