Comic Review: Pure Insanity - New Suicide Squad vol 1

Pure Insanity
New Suicide Squad, vol 1 (#1-8)
written by Sean Ryan
DC Comics

Setting the world’s most dangerous super-criminals against the most insidious threats to national security: that’s the idea behind the elite black-ops unit officially designated as Task Force X. It’s perfect…on paper. 

But the real world rarely goes according to plan. Threats evolve. Teammates turn on each other. Blood and betrayals flow like rivers. And that’s why Task Force X is better known as the Suicide Squad. 

Vic Sage aims to change the equation. Replacing Amanda Waller as the puppet-master of Suicide Squad’s motley crew, he’s introducing wild cards like Deathstroke and the Joker’s Daughter to whip the existing team-Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Black Manta-into shape. But the world’s deadliest assassin and the Clown Princess of Crime have ideas of their own…and no explosive implants to keep them in line. 

Can this new Suicide Squad survive-or will it implode before it even begins?

Well, for the most part this is all about a catfight between Harley Quinn and Joker's Daughter over the Joker's face. Hardly any attention is being focused on anyone else, and it's horribly annoying. And the way they're sexualising this cat fight is just plain awful. Give Harley a freaking bra, for god's sake. Her corset keeps slipping down, barely covering her nips, whereas Joker's Daughter--who was originally about 16 when she first showed up--is suddenly aged up and in a skimpy skirt and crop top. As for their characterisations, they might as well be the same person, the way they're written.

After 3 issues of this, it gets tedious

What is going on with that face?

The story is sporadic and hectic, with no real purpose. The first three issues were, as I mentioned earlier, mainly about the cat-fight between Harley and Joker's daughter. The rest of the story--their entire reason for being in Russia in the first place--is often pushed to the side to make room for those two characters.
Beyond the fourth issue, once they wrote Joker's Daughter out of the story, things start to make sense, but it's still a rushed and poorly written mess.
For the most part it's just regular espionage stuff, going to other countries and accidentally fucking things up and accidentally saving America from communist superheroes. Nothing really special about it.

The art is inconsistent, constantly changing artists and styles... and woof, there are some bad artists in the mix. Faces are badly drawn, anatomy is impossible, and the girls' outfits are as booby as possible.

It really feels like no effort was being put into this when they decided to slap this together after the failure of the last Suicide Squad. Fans of the movie are going to be very disappointed when they turn to the comics to get more of their Suicide Squad fix.

Art: 2

Plot: 1

Characters: 2

Writing: 1

Interest: 1

Total:

1 sad cloud

Comic Review: Batman Eternal vol 2

Batman Eternal, volume 2 (#22-34)
by Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV et. al
DC Comics

After Commissioner Gordon’s arrest, Batman’s world is turned upside down in these stories from issues #22-34 of the hit weekly series. New allies emerge, old allies fall and his rogues gallery of villains are not quite who they seem. With a new power structure being established in Gotham City amid rising tension and chaos, can Batman adapt to the changing status quo?

Last time on Batman Eternal: Hush has finally made an entrance, at the cost of Alfred Pennyworth.
It's up to Alfred's daughter to take his place before the bat-computer.
Now, as much as I like Hush, I prefer him in the Heart of Hush and Hush Money. Here, it feels forced. Once again, Tommy is the bad guy, looking to destroy Gotham for no real reason except to make Bruce's life a living hell (as usual). I'm still trying to figure out what Hush's motive is, beyond wanting to be like Bruce--which is overused and lacking the depth is once had.

All the other plot threads from the last volume have been pushed to the side, and we don't see the rest of the bat-family, which is disappointing. The last volume felt rich because of the celebration of family, whereas, the most this volume has in terms of family is the strained relationship between Alfred and his daughter, and even then it's barely touched upon.
The clear difference between this volume and the previous is the plot. Very little happened.

Selina has turned out to be the daughter of Leo Calebresi, ex crime lord of Gotham city. And she's been given the mantle of crime lord of Gotham, whether she likes it or not. This isn't expanded in the comic, but it's promised in her own comic series.  Which disappoints me. I was hoping to see more of her mob boss action, since the last volume was full of gang war politics. But I suppose we'd be seeing more of that in Catwoman's own series.

Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc, plays another vital role in the comic. It's important to note that he isn't a villain, no matter how many crimes he may have committed. He is an anti-hero, the world pitted against him because of the way he was born and is constantly perceived.  His role as Selina's bodyguard makes him have reason, after having been demonised in the last volume by Commissioner Bard.

Look, I'm basically very disappointed in this volume. Most of it was filler, and after reading the last hundred pages twice, I still can't remember what happened apart from Arkham Asylum blowing up for some reason, making way for Arkham Manor (review of that to come soon). I'm hoping that this is just a low point in the series, because the first volume built up some heavy shit.
Eagerly awaiting the final volume.

Art:  4

Plot: 2

Characters: 3

Writing: 3

Interest: 2

2 sad clouds

Comic Review: Batman Eternal, vol 1.

Batman Eternal
Volume 1 (#1-21)
by Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV (story)
DC Comics

In the wake of Forever Evil, the world looks at heroes in a different light, creating tension between Batman and his allies and the Gotham City Police Department. When a gang war breaks out and new villains arise, it's up to the Dark Knight, Batgirl, and more to turn the tides as best as they can—but will the GCPD be a help or a hinderance? Plus, a fan-favorite character makes her long-awaited DC Comics—The New 52 debut.

Ex-mob boss Carmine Falcone (of The Long Halloween fame--which makes me so happy to know that it's now considered canon, since it's one of the best Batman comics to date) has returned to Gotham after being silent for the last five years. With him comes a wave of chaos that the whole Batfamily has to deal with. Family is important in any Bat-story. There are some who believe that Bruce works better alone, but he has flaws--flaws that the others make up for.
In this instalment, Bruce has to deal with the internal workings within the Batfamily, as they introduce several new characters into the mix.


With Carmine in charge, he buys out the mayor, who in turn, buys out the police force. This sneaky plot wages a war against the cops and Batman, a tale of good versus the corrupt.

Comic Review: Batman & Robin: The Hunt for Robin

The Hunt for Robin
Batman and Robin vol 6, (#29-34)
writer Peter J Tomasi
art by Patrick Gleason et al.
DC Comics

Premise:

After losing his son Damian - a.k.a. Robin - Batman has finally found peace with his death. Damian's grandfather, Ra's al Ghul, has not, however. In order to resurrect Robin, he's stolen the body - and now Batman will stop at nothing to reclaim him. (from Goodreads) 

Before I begin this review, I must add that I haven't read volume 5 of this series, mainly because I had a time limit on this copy of the comic. As such, I felt confused at the beginning, but I know the gist of it, being a continuation of vol 4, searching of Damian's body.

Here, it feels like R'as ahl Ghul is hinting at the fact that Talia didn't kill Damian, that someone else put the half a billion dollar bounty on his head. I hope this prediction is true, because I adore Talia, and refuse to acknowledge the versions where she rapes Bruce (in fact, in this volume alone, Bruce consents to sex with her, though doesn't exactly consent to his sperm being used to make a baby clone)

Bruce hunts R'as all across the globe, until they finally reach the Himalayas, and finds in his possession are the deformed bodies of unsuccessful Damian clones. The fatherly love he has for Damian makes it difficult for him to injure these malformed versions of his sons.

I'm not a fan that they recognise Clark and Diana as a couple--but that's a rant for another day. But once again, on their travels to Themyscira, they are attacked by Amazons who hate men with a bleeding passion, and paints them as murderous women who fuck and kill for procreation.I hated it when I read it in one of the early volumes of the N52 Wonder Woman, and I hate it now.

My biggest complaint came from the opening of the portal to Apokolips. I cannot begin to tell you how sick to death I am of Darkseid and Apokolips. And here, it made it feel cheap and convenient. I pretty much give up on any comic that mentions Darkseid/Apokolips, so I'm not sure I'll be reading the rest of this series, just keeping up with the story.

I found this to be the weakest of the Batman and Robin series, and I think it's because it's trying too hard to connect strings between all the JLA members and this narrative, when it's unnecessary. And the way he turns back everyone who offers to help him, while I understand it, it makes for a long and arduous journey to slog through.

Comic Review: Gotham Academy vol 1

Welcome to Gotham Academy
Gotham Academy vol 1 (issues #1-6)
written by Becky Cloonan & Brenden Fletcher
art by Karl Kerschl
DC Comics

Published: 17th June 2015

Source: galley from the publishers

Premise:

Gotham City's most prestigious prep school is a very weird place. It's got a spooky campus, oddball teachers, and rich benefactors always dropping by...like that weirdo Bruce Wayne. But nothing is as strange as the students! 

Like, what's up with Olive Silverlock? Is she crazy or what? Where did she go last summer? And what's the deal with her creepy mom? And how come that Freshman Maps is always following her around? And is she still going out with Kyle? P.S. Did you hear the rumor about the ghost in the North Hall?! (source Goodreads)

This was one of my most anticipated comics from DC. As much as I love DC, I'd been getting bored of them constantly catering to white middle class males, so it's nice that they branched out to their teen female audience.