Suicide Squad #4

by John White on October 11, 2016

Written by Rob Williams
Art by Jim Lee
Colors by Alex Sinclair and Hi-Fi
           
          A crazed Kryptonian in front of them and a team of Russian rogues behind them, the Suicide Squad may be on a mission that will bring truth to their name. Suicide Squad # 4 brings a close to Rob Williams first arc, one which saw the death of a team member and the infiltration of a secret, underwater, Russian base/prison.  In short, just the kind of insanity that one comes to expect when reading about the adventures of Task Force X. With nowhere to go and every thing to lose, Captain Boomerang may not be the only team member to meet their bitter end.
           
         Like all the previous issue in this series, there are two stories in Suicide Squad #4. The main story focuses on the continuing adventures of Task Force X in the underbelly of a secret Russian lab full of, Kryptonian’s, soldiers, and the very awesomely named “Annihilation Brigade”. We learn through Amanda Waller and Harcourt’s conversation that based on the technology and defense of this base it is most certainly not standard Russian issue. All they have is a name to go off of, but I am sure that mysterious “Karla” will definitely act as a thorn in the side of U.S. Government’s favorite black ops team again. Besides giving the reader some much-needed information, this scene also shows us a side of Amanda Waller that most people would not expect. She seems to show a brief flicker of actual concern for her team, even if it is just to preserve the reputation of her unorthodox work-release program.  With the Annihilation Brigade blocking their exit to the submarines and Zod working his way through the team members one by, pausing just long enough to critique Croc’s oral hygiene, it take some pretty outside the box thinking to escape this situation.
           
         The follow up story in this issue revolves around Harley Quinn and the question of whether or not she is the right fit for the team. Rick Flag sees the need to test her, since although she is a criminal like the rest of the Squad she is the only one who is certifiably insane.  Of course this being a Harley Quinn story, the Joker’s presence is felt but it does not overshadow the reason for this story. Just like all the other backups thus far, the goal of this story is to answer a simple question. “Why are they on the team”?
           
        Once again this issue proves to be no holds barred action fest, with just enough story to make you want to come back and grab the next issue. Rob Williams has maintained his quality in writing dialogue that is representative of the uniqueness of each character. At time it his harsh and unflinching, like a certain business suit wearing commander, and at others an insane laugh riot like a certain two-toned hairstyle psychopath. Jim Lee’s art is phenomenal as always, but a special recognition goes to Gary Frank as well, who drew the backup story. With two artists of this caliber on the same book, it is no wonder that it is a success.   
 

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside