Suicide Squad #18 Review and **SPOILERS**

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Kryptonian Lobotomy

Story: Rob Williams 

Pencils: Tony S. Daniel 

Inks: Sandu Florea 

Colors: Tomeu Morey 

Lettering: Pat Brosseau 

Cover: Daniel and Florea with Morey

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: May 24, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the Suicide Squad is analogous to the characters from Archie comics. Rick Flag is Archie himself. Captain Boomerang is Jughead. Deadshot is Reggie Mantle. Killer Croc is Moose. Harley Quinn is Veronica. The Enchantress is Betty. No wait, the other way around. Katana is Big Ethel. Amanda Waller is Mr. Weatherbee. Who else? General Zod can be Bazooka Joe. Okay, let’s get to my review of Suicide Squad #18 already!

Explain It!

We begin our story with Harley Quinn and Rick Flag having just fucked, or just about to fuck, or maybe that “in-between” stage of having already fucked and soon being about to fuck. So that’s a thing you, your significant other, and your clergy will have to decide about; I can’t determine your morality. I can say that I find Harley Quinn having sex at all a little strange…I understand she uses her sexuality, and always has, but the reason behind it was always mayhem and chaos. The only person I imagine she’d screw is the Joker—and I see him as a sociopathic, asexual character himself. I suppose this is more in accord with the movie character of Harley Quinn, but it still nags at me. Meanwhile, Zod successfully uses his heat vision to knock out the chunk of his brain containing the Kryptonite-laced brain bomb, so that’s pretty bad-ass. His tortured scream is heard throughout Belle Reve, and then of course the alarm is sounded—interrupting Harley and Rick’s coitus. Or second coitus, whatever.

Zod goes full on rage monster and destroys pretty much anything of any value at Belle Reve, while boasting in that pompous way we know and love. He’s about to take out Amanda Waller—who, in a rare show of helplessness, admits that she thought she could control Zod—when the Suicide Squad steps in to save the day! Zod’s got more tricks up his sleeves (and he’s not even wearing sleeves) when he reveals that the Black Vault stolen from that Russian prison is really a chunk of the Phantom Zone! Which I’m pretty sure we knew already. But within that Zone are a bunch of salty Kryptonian criminals just itching to break out and wreak havoc. It also turns out that hanging out in the Phantom Zone turns you into a phantom after a while, which conveniently sidesteps any need to name former prisoners of the Phantom Zone like Jax-Ur or Orn-Zu. The Suicide Squad sort of freaks out at all the ghosts, and it’s pretty funny. Just when all seems lost, Cosmonut batters the back of Zod with his awesome hammer heard! Zod lets out a heat vision blast that injures Rick Flag (and makes Harley call out his name…in looove) and then Cyborg Superman and the Eradicator show up, because why not?

Even though this was a really quick read, I enjoyed this issue quite a bit. I don’t see Haas a character that would have sex with Rick Flag, but it’s canon now so I don’t suppose it matter what I think. I liked seeing Amanda Waller be a little vulnerable for once, and I thought the team was interacting really well, which is to say somewhat dysfunctionally for my amusement. The artwork is fantastic and was full of motion and energy without being one bit unclear in its storytelling. Go tell a friend that the Suicide Squad is back in town. And then get the hell out of that town because they’re probably going to blow it up inadvertently.

Bits and Pieces:

When Zod's in the Squad...things are bound to get odd! No? How about: Amanda Waller's got a headache...and it's got Kryptonian written all over it! No good? Well, this comic is pretty good if you like high-flight action and silliness. And implied sexual activity, but I assumed you liked that already.

8/10