Suicide Squad #3 Review

Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Bruno Redondo
Colors by: Adriano Lucas
Lettered by: Wes Abbott
Published by: DC Comics

Task Force X is at war… with itself. The new squad has gotten off to a bad start. After being paired with a group of revolutionaries who, on their first meeting, they killed 2 members of, the “Suicide Squad” might as well be renamed the “Self-Destructive Squad” (wait, that kinda means the same thing). This group of strange bedfellows is being ordered around by a boss whose own manic personality isn’t making things any easier. And, after part of the group secretly goes rogue, any chance of a peaceful reconciliation has gone completely out the window.

The startling events of the last issue have changed the dynamic of the squad completely. With Osita assassinating Lok’s puppet president, the squad gets split into two distinct sides: those knowingly plotting against Lok and those still going along with his mission. The biggest and most valuable pieces added to the narrative in this issue were the establishing of clearer “greater powers” at play. Lok’s motivations are made clearer, as are Osita and the rest of the revolutionaries. The rebellion within the squad isn’t one just for the sake of rebellion. There is a clear end goal, and a clear enemy.

Now the setup of this story is even more interesting. The “task force” feeling that has been restored to the book has a more unique spin to it. Rather than the book being about building a group who’s able to go out and take down forces from around the globe, the group has been put together by someone who thinks they can use them for their own gain but is actually the number one target for that group. Whoever came up with the idea of bringing in a group of revolutionaries (against their will) may live to regret that choice because by definition revolutionaries are out to overthrow the powers that be. The new power taking control of Task Force X may be in the shadows, but they’re already on the verge of a coup.

The art continues to be stellar. The facial expressions are great. Harley and Floyd seem to get some of the best facial illustrations. The detailed close-ups give us insight into how the characters are feeling at a particular moment. And the illustration of characters, in general, have been great in this series. Their bodies have a nice weight to them and clothing is drawn beautifully. Speaking of weight, Jog stole this issue at points. Every illustration of him seemed to pop in this issue, and this was the first time I noticed his pudgy stomach (and the way his spandex suit warped around it). The 20-panel action scene was spectacular (like all the action has been in this series). And, another highlight was the scene where another member of the squad bites the preverbal dust. Or, rather, the dust bites him. The execution (no pun…) of that scene added a great aura to it, and the coloring was great too. The coloring did a lot for the atmosphere. The detailed backgrounds were enhanced by the great use of coloring.

This series of Suicide Squad has been a thrill ride. And, this installment keeps up that pace. The dynamic of the squad has never seen days like this. A civil war is brewing inside the group. That tension is creating a healthy dose of suspense. Calling this a powder keg is an understatement. This is a nuclear warhead falling from 2,000 feet and zooming closer to impact. The fallout is going to be quite a spectacle.