SUICIDE SQUAD #13

Writer: Rob Williams
Artists: John Romita, Jr, Eddy Barrows
Colours: Dean White, Jeremiah Skipper, Adriano Lucas
Publisher: DC Comics
 

The fallout of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad continues to be felt as Rustam ups his game and begins his attack on Belle Reve. With Amanda Waller supposedly dead and Rick Flag captured, the Suicide Squad is leaderless and disorganised. What ensues is a mostly fun story with a big twist, unfortunately told with art that doesn't service the story at all.
 

John Romita, Jr. is a legendary artist. He is, however, a mixed bag for most. His recent work on the first arc of All-Star Batman was met with criticism. I personally find his work interesting, but never good. He barely draws faces well and they come across as ugly most of the time. Rick Flag looks downright disgusting in this issue, with a contorted face. It seems Romita might have a problem meeting deadlines as each issue of this arc so far has been divided into two parts for no reason whatsoever. Detective Comics artist Eddy Barrows has been pencilling the latter halves of these issues so far, and he's doing a much better job than Romita. Barrows has a style that fits the tone of the story, but his constant collaboration seems unlikely given his work on Detective.
 

An element of the plot that's been teased for quite some time is the presence of a spy in the Squad. We found out who the spy is in this issue, and it is entirely unexpected. I can't wait to see where Rob Williams takes it from here. Certain members of the Squad such as Hack and Deadshot are given more time to develop. We still have characters that need serious work, such as Rustam. I very much appreciate that he didn't end up in the dumpster following Justice League vs. Suicide Squad and is the villain of this arc, but he needs to do more than simply taunt Flag and Katana. I want to see him as an actual physical threat, someone who is genuinely a danger to the Squad and the world. We haven't been getting that, and it disappoints me.