Suicide Squad #21 Review

Writer: Rob Williams

Art: Gus Vazquez

Release Date: July 12, 2017

Cover Price: $2.99 

Suicide Squad has been a bit of a hit-and-miss when it comes to their series thus far. For example, I enjoyed the first Black Vault storyline but wasn't a fan of Justice League vs Suicide Squad. I wasn't a fan of the Burning Down the House story but enjoyed Going Sane and Earthlings on Fire.  While I can't say it's a bad series, I can't say it's a phenomenal one either. In my opinion, It's the series you'd pick up if you had nothing else to read. 

In the conclusion of Earthlings on Fire, we saw the death of Rick Flagg(which in the world of comics means nothing), leaving Task Force X leaderless. The following issue had Amanda Waller study all of the members to see who could possibly be the new leader. Could it be the hero Katana? The cold calculating Deadshot? How about we pick the insane ex-girlfriend of the Joker? Because that makes perfect sense and won't get them into trouble.

Maybe I'm being too hard on this decision. Today is the start of a new mission and storyline. Will Harley lead the team towards victory or destruction? Let's find out!


*WARNING! SOME SPOILERS BELOW!*

After reading this issue I have come to two conclusions. First, Harley leading the squad might be the scariest thing I've seen in the series so far. Second, Amanda Waller is the queen of bull!@#$.

In the main story, the Squad is sent to Bulgaria in an attempt to capture The People, the group who has been responsible for infiltrating and copying most of Task Force X's methods to further their own gains. After getting shot out of the sky by artillery, Enchantress transforms the crashing plane into a friggin dragon to attack the ground forces. I was amazed by this and by the look of the Squad's reaction, so was the squad. The only one who didn't really have any reaction was Harley Quinn. After the death of Flag, she basically lost the will to be... well Harley. No jokes, no ditzy quips... Only violence. In all honesty, it felt wrong. The joy of Harley's character comes from her dark humor; it's her defining characteristic. When you take that away and replace it with this 'dark Rick Flag' impression, you're left with a generally unlikable character. She orders the squad to kill everyone in their way and even orders Deadshot to SHOOT A MEMBER IN THE HEAD FOR INSUBORDINATION! Not even Rick Flag was this cold, and yet somehow were supposed to rally around this new leader. 

In the side story, we find Amanda Waller being questioned after the Rustam's attacks in the Burning Down the House story for involvement in Task Force X... And she gets away from this accusation. How does she do this? A series of strings pulled? Political Blackmail? NOPE! She simply says 'I have no idea what Task Force X is.' So what you're telling me is that in this world of the Justice League(WHO HAVE MET AMANDA WALLER AND KNOW HER CONNECTION), they didn't go forward with this clearly illegal act to the proper authority? That makes them look immoral! Nearly as immoral as Waller herself. Thankfully, she did get some sort of comeuppance when she leaves and gets captured by Gulag, working for the director of The People, Karla.

When it comes to art, Gus Vazquez does a good job. It's nothing to write home about, but when we get close-ups on certain people, especially on Harley, you can feel the intensity in their eyes.

Overall, I wasn't a fan of this issue, as it really showed the glaring moral compromises from the past storylines. They're the villains I know, but a good Suicide Squad story has one of two things. Either they show a new side of the characters that make them more relatable or have some over the top ridiculous action(which is really the norm). This first issue has done neither. Hopefully, this picks up as the story progresses, but for now, you might want to pass on this one.

5/10

Issue Description: 
“KILL YOUR DARLINGS” part one! Devastated by Rustam and his Burning World, the international conspiracy known as the People reveal themselves to Amanda Waller in a desperate move to secure their mysterious endgame for Planet Earth! Meanwhile, the walls tighten for Boomerang as Harley Quinn gets closer to discovering the traitorous murderer within Task Force X...