MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Suicide Squad movie is now out, and the supervillain movie has been garnering lots of critical praise for its amoral yet sympathetic characters and gory violence. There have been several iterations of Task Force X in the comics, here are the ones that Comic Book Guy JV recommends and why:
Suicide Squad (1987) by John Ostrander (Writer) and Luke McDonnell (Artist)
The Squad: Deadshot, Amanda Waller, Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, and Bronze Tiger.
Why: The original series that set up the concept of supervillains doing black ops work for the US government to reduce their prison sentences. Despite the superhero tropes, Ostrander and McDonell made the title a fascinating political thriller with all its characters constantly dealing with moral dilemmas.
Suicide Squad (2016) by Rob Williams (W) and Jim Lee/Tony Daniel/John Romita Jr (Artists)
The Squad: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Amanda Waller, Rick Flag, Killer Croc, Enchantress, Katana, and Captain Boomerang.
Why: Published during the launch of the first Suicide Squad film, this title served as a re-introduction to this motley crew, upgrading them with more grit. It was an action movie loaded with daffy humor in print form. It helps to have A-list artists like Lee, Daniel and Romita Jr on the rotation to deliver the adrenaline-charge violence.
Suicide Squad (2019) by Tom Taylor (W) and Bruno Redondo (A)
The Squad: Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and theRevolutionaries.
Why: This was the series that truly lived up to its name. In its first three issues, the creative team wiped out the majority of the existing team replacing them with all-new characters and changed the status quo (our anti-heroes go on the run from their government bosses). The fun of this series comes from the twists and turns and Taylor’s brilliant use of letting the dialogue complement Redondo’s stunning storytelling.
Suicide Squad (2021) by Robbie Thompson (W) and Eduardo Pansica/Dexter Soy (Artists).
The Squad: Amanda Waller, Peacemaker, Bloodsport, Superboy, Talon, Rick Flag,
Why: This is the current ongoing series and like the 2016 title, it uses characters from the latest movie. It’s a title mired in hidden agendas and mysteries. Each ominous reveal seems to be building up to some unforeseen disaster that the entire team feels but are unable to prevent. Thompson, Pansica, and Soy keep the readers in suspense as the schemes of each main character start to collide.
