Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6
Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Howard Porter
Colored by: Alex Sinclair
Publisher: DC Comics
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad comes to an end this week, and it is not without a few surprises. Not only is the roster of the Justice League about to change, but it seems that Task Force X is not the only super secret team of ne’er do wells that Amanda Waller has cooked up. In an issue that can best be described as an adrenaline fueled action pack, only a few “heroes” remain to stop Eclipso and his Justice League flunkies. Does the earth’s last hope even stand a chance against such overwhelming odds?
Eclipso’s power stems from his ability to awaken the darkness in everybody. Instead of making people do horrible things, he only removes their inhibitions that have prevented their darkest desires from coming to fruition. An interesting fact, considering that it means beneath all their inhibitions, the Justice League seems to have a desire to dominate the world. As the Suicide Squad and the Justice League clash on the White House lawn, Eclipso infects the Squad members one by one until only Batman, Killer Frost, and Lobo remain. As the trio stands steadfast against the oncoming super powered onslaught, a slip of Eclipso’s tongue reveals the key to defeating him. Although the sudden reveal of his weakness seems a bit forced, and honestly something Batman and Co. should have already known before they engaged him had they done any sort of planning, it does serve the purpose of moving the story along. With the power of unity harnessed into pure light, Killer Frost his able to banish Eclipso and free the world from his grip. The actual battle with Eclipso takes up about half the issue, but you could be forgiven for thinking it is only a few pages. Even though it was built up to be the big confrontation in the series, it pales in comparison to the excitement of either the Justice Leagues first skirmish with the Suicide Squad or when Max Lord and the original Task Force X attacked Belle Reve and will leave you a bit unsatisfied.
Truthfully, the battle with Eclipso is not the most exciting thing to happen in this issue. In fact, it is not even in the top three. The back half of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6 is where the real meat of the issue is. Sprinkled in between the celebrations and unnatural chumminess between the Justice League and Suicide Squad are a few bombshells that will undoubtedly cause ripples through the DC Universe. Bringing to page the news that was announced months ago, this issue finally sees Killer Frost and Lobo join the Justice League. Even though the Czarnian bounty hunter may not be thrilled by his new status as a teammate, I am sure the fans will be.
The final two reveals in this issue do more to demonstrate the calculating nature of Amanda Waller than anything in the preceding five issues. Locked alone in his cell and with Eclipso free from his mind, Max Lord finally has some time to think about recent events only to realize that he too was manipulated into his role, similar to how pushed so many. For Amanda Waller he was nothing more than a distraction for the Justice League when they came too close to shutting down Task Force X. All the death a despair was only so she could keep her projects out of the Justice League’s crosshairs. The true extent of the Task Force program remains unknown but if there is a place for Max Lord on Task Force XI, then it surely is larger and more twisted than we can even yet imagine.
Large events like Justice League vs. Suicide Squad can be difficult to pull off and Joshua Williamson should be commended for his writing in this series as he managed expertly juggle so many moving pieces and present them in one cohesive story. The reintroduction of Max Lord into the DC universe is probably the most important thing to come out of this series and his presentation as equal parts arrogance, confidence, and delusions of grandeur is near perfection. The art by Howard Porter does an excellent job of propelling the action scenes along and compliments to more intimate moments by drawing the audience eyes to exactly where they need to be. Although it is slow in parts and the reveal of Eclipso as the big bad is a little less than overwhelming, on the whole Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is an entertaining story that presents the two teams in a way that has not been seen before and cements that there is room for both in the DC Universe.
Art by: Howard Porter
Colored by: Alex Sinclair
Publisher: DC Comics
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad comes to an end this week, and it is not without a few surprises. Not only is the roster of the Justice League about to change, but it seems that Task Force X is not the only super secret team of ne’er do wells that Amanda Waller has cooked up. In an issue that can best be described as an adrenaline fueled action pack, only a few “heroes” remain to stop Eclipso and his Justice League flunkies. Does the earth’s last hope even stand a chance against such overwhelming odds?
Eclipso’s power stems from his ability to awaken the darkness in everybody. Instead of making people do horrible things, he only removes their inhibitions that have prevented their darkest desires from coming to fruition. An interesting fact, considering that it means beneath all their inhibitions, the Justice League seems to have a desire to dominate the world. As the Suicide Squad and the Justice League clash on the White House lawn, Eclipso infects the Squad members one by one until only Batman, Killer Frost, and Lobo remain. As the trio stands steadfast against the oncoming super powered onslaught, a slip of Eclipso’s tongue reveals the key to defeating him. Although the sudden reveal of his weakness seems a bit forced, and honestly something Batman and Co. should have already known before they engaged him had they done any sort of planning, it does serve the purpose of moving the story along. With the power of unity harnessed into pure light, Killer Frost his able to banish Eclipso and free the world from his grip. The actual battle with Eclipso takes up about half the issue, but you could be forgiven for thinking it is only a few pages. Even though it was built up to be the big confrontation in the series, it pales in comparison to the excitement of either the Justice Leagues first skirmish with the Suicide Squad or when Max Lord and the original Task Force X attacked Belle Reve and will leave you a bit unsatisfied.
Truthfully, the battle with Eclipso is not the most exciting thing to happen in this issue. In fact, it is not even in the top three. The back half of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6 is where the real meat of the issue is. Sprinkled in between the celebrations and unnatural chumminess between the Justice League and Suicide Squad are a few bombshells that will undoubtedly cause ripples through the DC Universe. Bringing to page the news that was announced months ago, this issue finally sees Killer Frost and Lobo join the Justice League. Even though the Czarnian bounty hunter may not be thrilled by his new status as a teammate, I am sure the fans will be.
The final two reveals in this issue do more to demonstrate the calculating nature of Amanda Waller than anything in the preceding five issues. Locked alone in his cell and with Eclipso free from his mind, Max Lord finally has some time to think about recent events only to realize that he too was manipulated into his role, similar to how pushed so many. For Amanda Waller he was nothing more than a distraction for the Justice League when they came too close to shutting down Task Force X. All the death a despair was only so she could keep her projects out of the Justice League’s crosshairs. The true extent of the Task Force program remains unknown but if there is a place for Max Lord on Task Force XI, then it surely is larger and more twisted than we can even yet imagine.
Large events like Justice League vs. Suicide Squad can be difficult to pull off and Joshua Williamson should be commended for his writing in this series as he managed expertly juggle so many moving pieces and present them in one cohesive story. The reintroduction of Max Lord into the DC universe is probably the most important thing to come out of this series and his presentation as equal parts arrogance, confidence, and delusions of grandeur is near perfection. The art by Howard Porter does an excellent job of propelling the action scenes along and compliments to more intimate moments by drawing the audience eyes to exactly where they need to be. Although it is slow in parts and the reveal of Eclipso as the big bad is a little less than overwhelming, on the whole Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is an entertaining story that presents the two teams in a way that has not been seen before and cements that there is room for both in the DC Universe.
A Look Inside
