New Suicide Squad #12 Review

Written by: Sean Ryan
Art by: Philippe Briones and Blond
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: September 9, 2015

Road to Ruin

When we started our site a couple of years ago, we did so with one mission statement...read and review every DC Comic that comes out each week.  Kind of a crazy thing for two guys to take on, but nobody has ever accused Eric or myself of being sane.  While that policy has been good to us as a site, it's been a bit of a hell for us as individuals and has led to each of us having to read books we would normally not read.  However, it also has made us fans of books we normally wouldn't have picked up otherwise.  New Suicide Squad is one of those books for me.  Sure, I have to read and review it each month, but it has become one of the books that I look forward to each month.  Sean Ryan has really kicked ass with this story of Task Force X infiltrating  the Isis-like fanatical group called the League.  While it's had plenty of action, it's the characterizations of the leads that has made it shine.  This month gets the story (and maybe some of the Suicide Squad members) closer to an end and if that means the introduction of the newer New Suicide Squad team, I'll be a sad fellow.  Does this issue continue the fun we've been having for months or is it D.O.A?  Let's find out...



The issue opens up with the fates of the "official" Suicide Squad that was such a great diversion last issue, they went and got themselves captured or worse.  Reverse Flash is more than half dead in the desert, Parasite is being observed and experimented on and Harley Quinn is...well, Harley is just being Harley.

Meanwhile, Manta is taking a tour of the facilities and I said it in my other reviews for this arc, if he hasn't slipped in too deep with The League, someone get that man an Academy Award for best actor. Everything he does and says just screams bad news especially if you remember that he was the only one who ever volunteered for the Suicide Squad in the first place.

Of course, that may just be his plan and either way, he's gaining the League's trust enough for them to show him their big weapon...a time bomb.  No, not an alarm clock with a bunch of TNT strapped to it, but a bomb that sends anyone within it's blast radius somewhere in time.  Now that is pretty cool.

We then cut back and forth between Reverse Flash and Belle Reve who are having a bit of a communication breakdown and while Vic Sage tells Amanda Waller to activate the neck bombs, she's got a better idea.  The cuts are quick as we peek in on Harley who is done making fart sounds and wants to break out of her prison cell with the help of Boomerang's soccer loving kiddies.

We then get to the best part of the issue when Black Manta tells Deadshot his true intentions and Lawton goes off on him.  Floyd says aloud what I've been thinking for months...Manta just wants some sort of direction in life and will never be happy.

After Reverse Flash finds out Amanda Waller's real feelings about him (they are so harsh), Deadshot decides to save Boomerang over his own skin, and Harley kills a guy in front of the children.  Then the issue ends with Manta confessing his sins and begging the League leader, Saladin, for forgiveness.  It's an abrupt ending, but seeing that the story ends in the upcoming New Suicide Squad Annual #1, it makes sense.

Okay, this issue is pure setup for the finale, but I liked what we got.  It looks like this team's days are numbered and I'm going to miss them, but at least Sean Ryan is taking his time to give them a proper sendoff.  He is giving each member their own motivations and I can't wait top see what happens when they clash.  I am surprised we didn't get Waller's big reveal, but I guess we'll have to wait for the Annual.

I have really been enjoying Philippe Briones' art on this book.  In a team book like this, it's all about the characters and Briones nails them.  My favorite this issue was Parasite who looks awesome.  It's a shame that we didn't get more of him, but what we did looked awesome.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue sets up all the pieces for the finale coming up in the Annual and while that usually means not a lot happens, that's not the case here.  Sean Ryan gives us some action, but a heaping helping of character work that is bound to pay off in spades.  Every character has something to do and a reason to do it and that is certainly going to lead to an explosive finale.  I can't wait.

7.5/10