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Le Meilleur de DC Comics - Spécial vilains 2021 #10
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad
The day that Amanda Waller has long dreaded has finally come to pass: the Justice League has discovered the existence of Task Force X! America’s paragons of truth & justice won’t take well to a government-sponsored team of black ops super-villains (with bombs implanted in their heads), but before the Justice League can shut down the Suicide Squad, a bigger problem looms: another deadly strike team is lurking in the shadows, one that could expose dark secrets throughout the DC Universe, with ties to the hidden truths of DC Universe: Rebirth. Longtime enemies such as Batman & Deadshot, the Flash & Boomerang, & Wonder Woman & Harley Quinn will have to put aside their differences when an evil threat once thought lost to the DC Universe makes their return.
Collecting: Justice League vs. Suicide Squad 1-6, Justice League 12-13, Suicide Squad 8-10
Collecting: Justice League vs. Suicide Squad 1-6, Justice League 12-13, Suicide Squad 8-10
312 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
September 20, 2017
So, this was surprisingly not awful.
You're going to have to overlook the fact that the whole FIGHT! between the JL and the SS was laughable, though.
I mean, come on.
Justice League = beings with god-like powers
Suicide Squad = a guy who shoots well and a psychotic with a mallet
My personal favorites were the Wonder Woman vs Harley Quinn panels. I'm just wondering what kind of pep talks Williamson had to give himself to write scenes in which Diana was even remotely breaking a sweat to catch up with Quinn.
Ok, ok. The SS does have Enchantress, Diablo, and Killer Frost. Those guys can pack an actual punch. But it was still quite a stretch of the imagination for me to try to override my internal laugh button when it came time for those two teams to duke it out. And I had to be careful when I was reading it, because at my age I sometimes pee myself when I start giggling too hard.
Thankfully, this wasn't one long fight scene between the two main teams, and there was an actual story underneath this cash grab at a movie tie-in comic event.
Yay!
On a side note that has not much to do with this story:
I find it interesting that the more the general movie-going public likes Harley Quinn the more lovable she gets in the comics. I'm betting she's a full-on Justice League member in under 2 years.
And speaking of movies, I'm assuming they're still trying for a Lobo movie, b/c this fucker is getting crammed into everything I read lately.
Oh! I loved the reintroduction to Max Lord ! And I really enjoyed meeting Waller's original Suicide Squaddies. <--way better than I was expecting!
Once the stupidity of the VS stuff was over, this book really found its legs. There were some nice surprises and quite a few cool moments in the panels. Overall, I was pretty happy with the last half of this sucker. I've definitely read much less entertaining stuff lately, so if you're in the market for a silly rumble give this a try!
You're going to have to overlook the fact that the whole FIGHT! between the JL and the SS was laughable, though.
I mean, come on.
Justice League = beings with god-like powers
Suicide Squad = a guy who shoots well and a psychotic with a mallet
My personal favorites were the Wonder Woman vs Harley Quinn panels. I'm just wondering what kind of pep talks Williamson had to give himself to write scenes in which Diana was even remotely breaking a sweat to catch up with Quinn.
Ok, ok. The SS does have Enchantress, Diablo, and Killer Frost. Those guys can pack an actual punch. But it was still quite a stretch of the imagination for me to try to override my internal laugh button when it came time for those two teams to duke it out. And I had to be careful when I was reading it, because at my age I sometimes pee myself when I start giggling too hard.
Thankfully, this wasn't one long fight scene between the two main teams, and there was an actual story underneath this cash grab at a movie tie-in comic event.
Yay!
On a side note that has not much to do with this story:
I find it interesting that the more the general movie-going public likes Harley Quinn the more lovable she gets in the comics. I'm betting she's a full-on Justice League member in under 2 years.
And speaking of movies, I'm assuming they're still trying for a Lobo movie, b/c this fucker is getting crammed into everything I read lately.
Oh! I loved the reintroduction to Max Lord ! And I really enjoyed meeting Waller's original Suicide Squaddies. <--way better than I was expecting!
Once the stupidity of the VS stuff was over, this book really found its legs. There were some nice surprises and quite a few cool moments in the panels. Overall, I was pretty happy with the last half of this sucker. I've definitely read much less entertaining stuff lately, so if you're in the market for a silly rumble give this a try!
March 26, 2020
A good book. Not quite as great as I expected/wanted to to be. I think where this book faltered slightly was i would have liked more interaction between the Justice League, and the Suicide Squad.
The great thing about HC is all 11 issues are here. 6 issues of the mini series, then 3 issues of the Suicide Squad series which are the prologue, origin, and epilogue, and 2 issues of the Justice League series to fill in some gaps.
In the last Batman series he became aware of the Suicide Squad. He plans to bring the Justice League down on them, however there are more players, and a bigger end game. This HC also has all the covers with a variant cover gallery at the end. I think this mini series is to move both the Justice League and Suicide Squad series on, but not an epic stand alone series.
The great thing about HC is all 11 issues are here. 6 issues of the mini series, then 3 issues of the Suicide Squad series which are the prologue, origin, and epilogue, and 2 issues of the Justice League series to fill in some gaps.
In the last Batman series he became aware of the Suicide Squad. He plans to bring the Justice League down on them, however there are more players, and a bigger end game. This HC also has all the covers with a variant cover gallery at the end. I think this mini series is to move both the Justice League and Suicide Squad series on, but not an epic stand alone series.
August 13, 2019
Connect the dots with DC comics!
Two and a half stars
With the DC foreshadowing machine in full gear, the reader can pretty much predict how this story is going to go after reading a few pages.
The ingredients (or the usual tired beats):
Amanda Waller, schemer, who has a scheme.
Huh?
Batman, the grease in the janky plot.
Careful, he bites.
Harley Quinn, because “fan service” for the fan boys.
JLA vs Suicide Squad – heroes vs. quasi-heroes who want to keep their heads from getting blown up.
JLA pals around with Suicide Squad because the lunk head plot demands it.
Double secret probation earlier disgruntled version of Suicide Squad
An even bigger threat than Maxwell Lord and double secret probation earlier version of Suicide Squad
Wild card character who’s maybe a hero, maybe a villain but she’s introduced early on
Cool beans, Killer Frost!
What I liked.
Bats blowing Lobo’s head up
Don't worry, kids, Lobo got better.
Killer Croc taking a bite out Aquaman.
Tastes like Chicken…of the Sea. *sigh*
What I really, really hated.
The last story that reveals Amanda Waller has kids that nobody knew about (including this reader) and she has them basically kidnapped to keep them out of harm’s way.
Bottom Line : I haven’t read much of the newer iteration of DC comics, but this has the same New 52 formula, it’s just that the players are different. It gets an extra ½ star for being a quick read.
June 3, 2017
This shouldn’t really be a thing. I mean, forget the Justice League, Superman alone could take out the Suicide Squad! In fact, any one member of the League could do it - Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman (most of the SS are Batman rogues anyway). The Green Lantern rings are among the most powerful weapons in the DCU! So yeah, the premise is significantly flawed to begin with.
But don’t worry because hack writer Joshua Williamson compounds this garbage with contrivance: apparently the Justice League have only just realised Suicide Squad/Task Force X is a thing and they want to stop them. Even though the Squad have been around for years and Rebirth is supposedly a return to canon, it’s also kind of a starting point… I don’t know why I try and make sense of trash like this. It’s a flaming hot mess as usual!
Williamson and co. spend nearly 300 pages (overlong by half) throwing characters at one another in a pointless, unoriginal and uninteresting fashion constructed around a stereotypical “bad guy wants to take over the world” plot. Maybe drooling idiots with barely double digit IQs reading the speech bubbles with their fingers might find this entertaining but I feel like most people will be as deeply bored as I was.
All the book made me realise was how little I care about Amanda Waller and Killer Frost (who are what the story turns out to be centred around) and how few quality epic villains DC have. Max Lord, Eclipso? Nope. Like the other Rebirth crossover book, Night of the Monster Men, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is utter drivel from start to finish.
But I’m smiling as I type this because this book marks the end of a foolishly self-imposed months-long journey through DC’s Rebirth line. AAAAAAHHHHHHH IT’S FINALLY OVERRRR!!! I do appreciate DC giving me access to dozens of their books but it’s like throwing open the doors to a dodgy Vegas buffet and saying you can have all you can eat; most of it is tasteless, unappetising diarrhea fuel so it’s not the treat it looks like at first!
I’m gonna stick with Tom King’s Batman and Scott Snyder’s All-Star Batman - the only two Rebirth titles I enjoyed. TWO!! - and I might check out the one or two new Rebirth books coming out later in the year (Batwoman might be ok?) but I’m basically done with Rebirth. THANK. FUCK. FOR THAT! And I don’t recommend trudging through Rebirth to anyone either. Time for some adult beverages - I think I’ve earned it. Cheers, everyone!
But don’t worry because hack writer Joshua Williamson compounds this garbage with contrivance: apparently the Justice League have only just realised Suicide Squad/Task Force X is a thing and they want to stop them. Even though the Squad have been around for years and Rebirth is supposedly a return to canon, it’s also kind of a starting point… I don’t know why I try and make sense of trash like this. It’s a flaming hot mess as usual!
Williamson and co. spend nearly 300 pages (overlong by half) throwing characters at one another in a pointless, unoriginal and uninteresting fashion constructed around a stereotypical “bad guy wants to take over the world” plot. Maybe drooling idiots with barely double digit IQs reading the speech bubbles with their fingers might find this entertaining but I feel like most people will be as deeply bored as I was.
All the book made me realise was how little I care about Amanda Waller and Killer Frost (who are what the story turns out to be centred around) and how few quality epic villains DC have. Max Lord, Eclipso? Nope. Like the other Rebirth crossover book, Night of the Monster Men, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is utter drivel from start to finish.
But I’m smiling as I type this because this book marks the end of a foolishly self-imposed months-long journey through DC’s Rebirth line. AAAAAAHHHHHHH IT’S FINALLY OVERRRR!!! I do appreciate DC giving me access to dozens of their books but it’s like throwing open the doors to a dodgy Vegas buffet and saying you can have all you can eat; most of it is tasteless, unappetising diarrhea fuel so it’s not the treat it looks like at first!
I’m gonna stick with Tom King’s Batman and Scott Snyder’s All-Star Batman - the only two Rebirth titles I enjoyed. TWO!! - and I might check out the one or two new Rebirth books coming out later in the year (Batwoman might be ok?) but I’m basically done with Rebirth. THANK. FUCK. FOR THAT! And I don’t recommend trudging through Rebirth to anyone either. Time for some adult beverages - I think I’ve earned it. Cheers, everyone!
August 12, 2019
Spinning out of Batman, Volume 2: I Am Suicide, Batman has become aware of the Suicide Squad's existence and tasks the Justice League with taking them down. The JL should be able to take out the SS in about 3 seconds and the story is written to reflect that. The SS basically wants to run away until Waller forces them to fight. There are some great one liners here. After the battle, we get our obligatory team-up to fight a larger threat.
The Good: The story actually isn't half bad. Each issue has a different artist, but DC uses its top-tier talent so it's not as distracting as you might think.
The Bad: They're actually wasn't anything that bad in the book. It was a pretty successful event.
The Ugly: Riley Rossmo and Giuseppe Cafaro's art. I'm not sure how they got involved with this. Their art is terrible.
Received an advance copy from DC and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The Good: The story actually isn't half bad. Each issue has a different artist, but DC uses its top-tier talent so it's not as distracting as you might think.
The Bad: They're actually wasn't anything that bad in the book. It was a pretty successful event.
The Ugly: Riley Rossmo and Giuseppe Cafaro's art. I'm not sure how they got involved with this. Their art is terrible.
Received an advance copy from DC and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2017
Originally Reviewed at Bookwraiths.
Suicide Squad vs. Justice League is a book which doesn’t seem to really know what it wants to be. Is it about Suicide Squad and the Justice League clashing, or is it really about Amanda Waller’s diabolic schemes? Is Killer Frost the star, or is it Harley? I mean, the book just seems confused about its identity. And so while it isn’t bad really, it isn’t as good as it could/should have been either. A lot of untapped potential is how I’d put it.
The story starts with Killer Frost being brought into Belle Reve prison. We get a look at the Squad and Waller, then get to see our newest member of the team join in the fun.
Meanwhile, the Squad doesn’t know that Batman has finally discovered that Amanda Waller has not been keeping all the baddies locked away in Belle Reve, but has been using a group as Task Force X. So, naturally, Bats goes to the Justice League, tells them what is going on, and gets the group together to put a stop to the Suicide Squad!
What happens next is a good, old-fashioned fight between the Justice League (Who should wipe the floor with the Squad!) and our group of criminals. To give her people more of an incentive to put up a good fight, Waller tells the Squad they will fight to the death or she’ll personally kill them. (Talk about a rousing pep talk.)
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end with this titanic collision of opposing forces. Instead, writer Joshua Williamson transitions to another plot where a third group shows up to . . . TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
The Good: I liked the idea of the Suicide Squad and the Justice League butting heads. Sure, I had to suspend my disbelief that the League had never known about the Squad until now. (I mean, Batman knows everything, right?). And, yeah, I had to try hard to believe that Deadshot, Harley, and the rest of the Squad could go toe-to-toe with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the League, but I didn’t mind doing that, because the fight between the two groups was pretty cool.
The Bad: A few things really.
My first complaint was the story after the Squad and League clashed. I’m not going into it, because of major spoilers, but none of the major plots after the fight were terribly original, exciting, or realistic. I just could not force myself to believe any of it. The story was a real struggle to get through.
Second, I realized how little I care for a number of the characters here. Amanda Waller: hate her. Killer Frost: pretty boring. Boomerang: he throws boomerangs, brother; what is to like?
Third, the art was a bit up and down. Every issue had a different artist, and I did not like the constant changes. Honestly, I’ve always hated artist changes in the middle of a story arc though, so you could label this complaint just a personal pet peeve of mine.
Overall, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad was an okay read. It had some good parts (introductions to the Squad, the buildup to the clash with the League, and the fight itself), but it also had a lot of bad parts (the rest of the story arc really). What is sad is that this could have been a really cool clash between two very different teams. Instead, the JL vs SS fight comes early and ends too quickly, while the story moves past it to several more plots which I remember very little about because they were generic and forgettable.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
Suicide Squad vs. Justice League is a book which doesn’t seem to really know what it wants to be. Is it about Suicide Squad and the Justice League clashing, or is it really about Amanda Waller’s diabolic schemes? Is Killer Frost the star, or is it Harley? I mean, the book just seems confused about its identity. And so while it isn’t bad really, it isn’t as good as it could/should have been either. A lot of untapped potential is how I’d put it.
The story starts with Killer Frost being brought into Belle Reve prison. We get a look at the Squad and Waller, then get to see our newest member of the team join in the fun.
Meanwhile, the Squad doesn’t know that Batman has finally discovered that Amanda Waller has not been keeping all the baddies locked away in Belle Reve, but has been using a group as Task Force X. So, naturally, Bats goes to the Justice League, tells them what is going on, and gets the group together to put a stop to the Suicide Squad!
What happens next is a good, old-fashioned fight between the Justice League (Who should wipe the floor with the Squad!) and our group of criminals. To give her people more of an incentive to put up a good fight, Waller tells the Squad they will fight to the death or she’ll personally kill them. (Talk about a rousing pep talk.)
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end with this titanic collision of opposing forces. Instead, writer Joshua Williamson transitions to another plot where a third group shows up to . . . TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
The Good: I liked the idea of the Suicide Squad and the Justice League butting heads. Sure, I had to suspend my disbelief that the League had never known about the Squad until now. (I mean, Batman knows everything, right?). And, yeah, I had to try hard to believe that Deadshot, Harley, and the rest of the Squad could go toe-to-toe with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the League, but I didn’t mind doing that, because the fight between the two groups was pretty cool.
The Bad: A few things really.
My first complaint was the story after the Squad and League clashed. I’m not going into it, because of major spoilers, but none of the major plots after the fight were terribly original, exciting, or realistic. I just could not force myself to believe any of it. The story was a real struggle to get through.
Second, I realized how little I care for a number of the characters here. Amanda Waller: hate her. Killer Frost: pretty boring. Boomerang: he throws boomerangs, brother; what is to like?
Third, the art was a bit up and down. Every issue had a different artist, and I did not like the constant changes. Honestly, I’ve always hated artist changes in the middle of a story arc though, so you could label this complaint just a personal pet peeve of mine.
Overall, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad was an okay read. It had some good parts (introductions to the Squad, the buildup to the clash with the League, and the fight itself), but it also had a lot of bad parts (the rest of the story arc really). What is sad is that this could have been a really cool clash between two very different teams. Instead, the JL vs SS fight comes early and ends too quickly, while the story moves past it to several more plots which I remember very little about because they were generic and forgettable.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
July 17, 2019
As a Harley Quinn fan I don't follow Justice League (JL); but of course follow Suicide Squad (SS). I was very excited to see my beloved villains/anti-heroes go head-to-head with the righteously annoying JL. Sadly that is not exactly what I got here. While we get some fighting between the two groups; mostly the story centers around a totally different group that is causing trouble for everyone.
Plot
What is most interesting in this large story (each comic had an extended page count in this collection) is that all powerful Amanda Waller didn't have complete control every moment of this story line. It was also nice to see Batman appreciate any help, regardless of where it comes from.
There are some side stories with the Lanterns and other characters I don't know very well. But they have asterisks to tell you "for more go to XXX comic" or aren't intrusive enough that I felt left out of the main plot and story.
Memorable Moments
There are a lot, and I mean a lot of 'moments' in this series between characters that are cute. And (besides Batman) there is no one 'stand-out' character. When you get this many well-known DC characters in one room it's difficult to give them each a piece of time to appease the fans. Considering the scope of the book I thought Joshua Williamson did a decent job of trying to give everyone, from both JL and SS, some time in the spotlight.
Harley Quinn
At the very least my girl Harley and Wonder Woman had an adorable little moment (with a throwback to Harley's Little Black Book edition with Wonder Woman) that I won't soon forget. This is also an interesting crossover comment as the Harley in Black Book is assumed to be the non-SS Harley (herself in her title comics). This does raise (for the millionth time) my question about how we have two Harley's in the DC canon universe that are clearly not the same person... that said if you read White Knight (which I HIGHLY recommend) you'll find out that maybe there is a way this is all possible.
At any rate DC keeps me on my toes following Harley around in her adventures and crossovers.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Second note: I do also own this trade paperback and the individual comics because I collect all things Harley. :)
Plot
What is most interesting in this large story (each comic had an extended page count in this collection) is that all powerful Amanda Waller didn't have complete control every moment of this story line. It was also nice to see Batman appreciate any help, regardless of where it comes from.
There are some side stories with the Lanterns and other characters I don't know very well. But they have asterisks to tell you "for more go to XXX comic" or aren't intrusive enough that I felt left out of the main plot and story.
Memorable Moments
There are a lot, and I mean a lot of 'moments' in this series between characters that are cute. And (besides Batman) there is no one 'stand-out' character. When you get this many well-known DC characters in one room it's difficult to give them each a piece of time to appease the fans. Considering the scope of the book I thought Joshua Williamson did a decent job of trying to give everyone, from both JL and SS, some time in the spotlight.
Harley Quinn
At the very least my girl Harley and Wonder Woman had an adorable little moment (with a throwback to Harley's Little Black Book edition with Wonder Woman) that I won't soon forget. This is also an interesting crossover comment as the Harley in Black Book is assumed to be the non-SS Harley (herself in her title comics). This does raise (for the millionth time) my question about how we have two Harley's in the DC canon universe that are clearly not the same person... that said if you read White Knight (which I HIGHLY recommend) you'll find out that maybe there is a way this is all possible.
At any rate DC keeps me on my toes following Harley around in her adventures and crossovers.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Second note: I do also own this trade paperback and the individual comics because I collect all things Harley. :)
June 29, 2017
** Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **
3 stars
*** There are spoilers ahead!!! ***
This is a ridiculous plot.
I mean, you pretty much can’t go into this without shoving that fact aside and pretending that there’s a real fight here. There’s a solar powered alien with laser eyes, an Amazon, the king of Atlantis and the fastest man alive – against a team made up of a life-size crocodile, a crazed clown with a mallet and a guy that’s super into boomerangs? C’mon!
Anyway, I went into this knowing I’d have to pretend there was a real fight here. Even so, this was not a home run for me. Not by a longshot.
This begins with a montage of sorts to introduce the team in pretty much the same way the film does. Honestly, I could hear “House of the Rising Sun” in my head while Waller is walking Killer Frost through Belle Reve. We get page after page of expositional dialogue which was about as bad as the film. I pushed past this, though, because this is Rebirth so I think the writers were trying to make sure new fans would have no trouble understanding the characters.
This is the same team from the film with the addition of Killer Frost. Killer Frost is a character I’ve never been super jazzed to know more about outside of the Young Justice TV show because the version of her on CW’s the Flash is just terrible. I was surprised to find that she was pretty interesting here.
The only good part of the Suicide Squad team gets the most screen time of the squad, so I will commend the writers for that. Deadshot wore his mask most of the time so I wasn’t sure if they were making him similar to Will Smith’s version? I think so; I hope so. Whatever my complaints about that film, Smith was not one of them. He was actually one of the best parts and in this, they went for more of the nihilistic assassin character and that was a good choice.
There are three characters from the film that are barely here; Flag is in like two panels? I found it fascinating he was the one character from the movie they kind of left out. Katana got one more line here than she does in the film so… progress? Diablo has like two lines and then he just kind of disappears. He’s neutralized in an interesting way but that’s kind of the extent of his role here.
The two most annoying versions of two pretty annoying characters are in this book: Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang.
- I’ve said it before but in 99% of Harley Quinn books, she is pretty much the most annoying character ever. I adore animated Harley and A. J. Lieberman’s run of Harley and that’s it. Ever since, her comics feel like someone’s constantly smacking me over the head with awful puns. While this is her best outfit in a long time, this version of her was no picnic. None of her lines or jokes worked for me and I honestly didn’t understand why she was here? She had no discernable skills of use against the Justice League? I mean, I understood more why Killer Croc was here than Harley. I give her a tiny bit of a pass because there was a wayyyyyyyy more annoying performance in this book from:
- Captain Boomerang. Every line out of his mouth made me want to punch him. None of his lines were funny. He’s introduced in this book while he’s on the toilet which, in retrospect, may have been a warning about what kind of character we were gonna get. We even got a mcfreakin’ “Dingo ate my baby” line. Seriously? Seriously? I just kept hearing Vinny Jones’ version of the Juggernaut in my head and you know what, I would’ve rather been watching X-Men: The Last Stand. These were some dire straits, my friend.
I would go into detail about the Justice League except this book really didn’t? Sure, I don’t need them to explain who Superman is or where his powers come from but I feel like we have the grand introduction to the Suicide Squad and their goals here but the Justice League just gets like two pages. Batsy has suspected Amanda was running a team of their past foes instead of keeping them locked up where they belong. The Flash and Friends are fearful of what could happen with Captain Boomerang (seriously, we gotta keep an eye on that guy) running around so they go out to stop them.
There’s a mission. I forgot to mention that but, trust me, it doesn’t really matter. We get our first battle as Waller tells the squad that if Superman captures them, she’ll kill them all. The one thing I liked about this was that the squad is definitely a-okay with killing. There was no question of whether they’d try to mow down the JL to stay alive. Aside from one of them, they all attack on cue.
It breaks down to:
- Killer Croc v. Aquaman – which was a lot cooler than I thought it would be.
- Harley Quinn v. Wonder Woman – c’mon
- The Green Lanterns v. El Diablo – this was pretty cool
- Enchantress v. Superman – makes sense
- Killer Frost v. Superman – okay… it had a point
- The Flash v. Captain Boomerang – this was just annoying
- Batman v. Deadshot – the coolest and most interesting of all of these.
Batman v. Deadshot had the most promise. If anything, I wanted more of a fight between them. They had an excellent history in the film and this book demonstrates some of the same. Batman despises him because he’s a hired gun that killed a man in front of his own daughter. Deadshot throws out this line:
There was so much more to work with here and I wish we had gotten more of it.
Anyway, eventually the JL ends up in Belle Reve. There’s a pretty kick ass scene with Batman in a straightjacket but this is where this book really went downhill for me. After this, we get introduced to another plot with another team of bad guys.
I haven’t mentioned Amanda Waller much and that’s because I’m torn as to whether or not I liked the way she was written here. She was pretty great in the film and this book maintains some of the good aspects of her character. She’s incredibly clever and manipulative and I appreciate that about her. There was only one moment where I thought she a little out of character and it’s when she’s putting on a fake German accent to make a joke. It seemed a little too lighthearted for her. The art switches twice near the end of the collection and I gotta say, the art in the throwback issue to the first Suicide Squad drew her horribly. She literally had no neck.
So, we get a whole issue on the history of Maxwell Lord and who could care? I kept thinking it would be like two pages and we’d return to the story but we get a whole issue on him. Why?
He recruits the original Suicide Squad – the B team of the B team is… the C team? Aside from Lobo, I’ve never heard nor cared about any of them.
- Doctor Polaris – Magneto-lite that raided Galactus’ wardrobe
- Lobo – the fifth member of KISS
- Emerald Empress - The (green) eye of Sauron
- Johnny Sorrow – Son of the Mask 2.0
- Rustam – a less interesting version of Beric Dondarion.
It takes what seems like a few minutes for this to become the Justice League and Suicide Squad v. Maxwell Lord’s Squad as they try to stop him from getting the Heart of Darkness, a diamond that lets its owner control people. Max wants it to amplify his suggestive powers so the JL gets over being imprisoned rather quickly to help the Suicide Squad stop him. This is Plot #2.
It’s almost immediately replaced by Plot #3.
Deadshot, Waller and Batsy find themselves in a basement or a vault of some sort separated from the others. While they’re down there, Max takes over the JL and tries to “fix” the world. The Green Lanterns ward the earth from alien attacks. Wondy protects the world leaders. The Flash dismantled all WMDs. Aquaman secured borders and shores. All of this using mind control.
Batsy, Waller and Deadshot endeavor to stop him with the aid of the Suicide Squad, who Maxwell felt secure enough to leave unpossessed. Batsy seems pretty sure they’re all going to die which… same. Then we get the panel where I checked out completely – Batman welcomes the Suicide Squad to the Justice League.
I’ll skip right to it: Maxwell gives up his evil, and frankly successful, plan because Waller makes him realize that people have been corrupted. Rather than try to fix that to some extent, he gives up immediately and asks her to help him fix it. This all leads to him “realizing” that she planned all of this. From the first Suicide Squad failing to Maxwell taking over the earth – Waller supposedly planned all of this to get Batsy’s roundabout approval of her team. C’mon. That seems so incredibly illogical and frankly, stupid. She was willing to risk all of those human lives to keep a team made up of criminals? I just don’t buy it.
The last issue is barely worth mentioning but it’s Waller’s family shaming her for her profession. At the end, I can’t quite tell if she feels any remorse at all. It was all just a bunch of shouting actually.
For a while, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was that didn’t work for me about this book. I’ve read some Suicide Squad comics and I’m fine with them. I quite enjoy them in small doses and I don’t think the film was an abomination. I haven’t read a ton of the Justice League but I like several of the characters individually. At the end, it was several elements that made this a no go for me:
- Harley was terrible but Captain Boomerang was worse. I hope I never have to read about this character again.
- I don’t think the writers knew what to do with Wonder Woman at all. She was barely used and I could have done without the implication that Maxwell brainwashed her to fawn over him like in that panel.
- The “conclusion” was way too unbelievable for me.
- Too many plots. Too many teams. Too many side characters that don’t matter at all.
- Finally: I have no idea why this book was called Suicide Squad v. Justice League . It was really Suicide Squad v. Justice League for an issue or two and then it became JL and Suicide Squad v. Maxwell Lord and the Prequels. Then Batman & the Skwad v. Maxwell Lord. I picked this up expecting some Injustice level plot where I had to check my DC history at the door and watch them fight each other for a volume but that’s not what I got. It’s a misleading title.
So, it’s not a recommend from me. If you want to check out the Suicide Squad fighting the Justice League, just buy the first two issues if they’re stored at your local comic book store.
3 stars.
Read this review and others on my new blog!
3 stars
*** There are spoilers ahead!!! ***
Isn’t this a little one-sided? That dude just has boomerangs.
This is a ridiculous plot.
I mean, you pretty much can’t go into this without shoving that fact aside and pretending that there’s a real fight here. There’s a solar powered alien with laser eyes, an Amazon, the king of Atlantis and the fastest man alive – against a team made up of a life-size crocodile, a crazed clown with a mallet and a guy that’s super into boomerangs? C’mon!
Anyway, I went into this knowing I’d have to pretend there was a real fight here. Even so, this was not a home run for me. Not by a longshot.
This begins with a montage of sorts to introduce the team in pretty much the same way the film does. Honestly, I could hear “House of the Rising Sun” in my head while Waller is walking Killer Frost through Belle Reve. We get page after page of expositional dialogue which was about as bad as the film. I pushed past this, though, because this is Rebirth so I think the writers were trying to make sure new fans would have no trouble understanding the characters.
This is the same team from the film with the addition of Killer Frost. Killer Frost is a character I’ve never been super jazzed to know more about outside of the Young Justice TV show because the version of her on CW’s the Flash is just terrible. I was surprised to find that she was pretty interesting here.
The only good part of the Suicide Squad team gets the most screen time of the squad, so I will commend the writers for that. Deadshot wore his mask most of the time so I wasn’t sure if they were making him similar to Will Smith’s version? I think so; I hope so. Whatever my complaints about that film, Smith was not one of them. He was actually one of the best parts and in this, they went for more of the nihilistic assassin character and that was a good choice.
There are three characters from the film that are barely here; Flag is in like two panels? I found it fascinating he was the one character from the movie they kind of left out. Katana got one more line here than she does in the film so… progress? Diablo has like two lines and then he just kind of disappears. He’s neutralized in an interesting way but that’s kind of the extent of his role here.
The two most annoying versions of two pretty annoying characters are in this book: Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang.
- I’ve said it before but in 99% of Harley Quinn books, she is pretty much the most annoying character ever. I adore animated Harley and A. J. Lieberman’s run of Harley and that’s it. Ever since, her comics feel like someone’s constantly smacking me over the head with awful puns. While this is her best outfit in a long time, this version of her was no picnic. None of her lines or jokes worked for me and I honestly didn’t understand why she was here? She had no discernable skills of use against the Justice League? I mean, I understood more why Killer Croc was here than Harley. I give her a tiny bit of a pass because there was a wayyyyyyyy more annoying performance in this book from:
- Captain Boomerang. Every line out of his mouth made me want to punch him. None of his lines were funny. He’s introduced in this book while he’s on the toilet which, in retrospect, may have been a warning about what kind of character we were gonna get. We even got a mcfreakin’ “Dingo ate my baby” line. Seriously? Seriously? I just kept hearing Vinny Jones’ version of the Juggernaut in my head and you know what, I would’ve rather been watching X-Men: The Last Stand. These were some dire straits, my friend.
I would go into detail about the Justice League except this book really didn’t? Sure, I don’t need them to explain who Superman is or where his powers come from but I feel like we have the grand introduction to the Suicide Squad and their goals here but the Justice League just gets like two pages. Batsy has suspected Amanda was running a team of their past foes instead of keeping them locked up where they belong. The Flash and Friends are fearful of what could happen with Captain Boomerang (seriously, we gotta keep an eye on that guy) running around so they go out to stop them.
There’s a mission. I forgot to mention that but, trust me, it doesn’t really matter. We get our first battle as Waller tells the squad that if Superman captures them, she’ll kill them all. The one thing I liked about this was that the squad is definitely a-okay with killing. There was no question of whether they’d try to mow down the JL to stay alive. Aside from one of them, they all attack on cue.
It breaks down to:
- Killer Croc v. Aquaman – which was a lot cooler than I thought it would be.
- Harley Quinn v. Wonder Woman – c’mon
- The Green Lanterns v. El Diablo – this was pretty cool
- Enchantress v. Superman – makes sense
- Killer Frost v. Superman – okay… it had a point
- The Flash v. Captain Boomerang – this was just annoying
- Batman v. Deadshot – the coolest and most interesting of all of these.
Batman v. Deadshot had the most promise. If anything, I wanted more of a fight between them. They had an excellent history in the film and this book demonstrates some of the same. Batman despises him because he’s a hired gun that killed a man in front of his own daughter. Deadshot throws out this line:
You talk pretty tough for a guy who pushes children into battle! At least I don’t let kids fight for me!
There was so much more to work with here and I wish we had gotten more of it.
Anyway, eventually the JL ends up in Belle Reve. There’s a pretty kick ass scene with Batman in a straightjacket but this is where this book really went downhill for me. After this, we get introduced to another plot with another team of bad guys.
I haven’t mentioned Amanda Waller much and that’s because I’m torn as to whether or not I liked the way she was written here. She was pretty great in the film and this book maintains some of the good aspects of her character. She’s incredibly clever and manipulative and I appreciate that about her. There was only one moment where I thought she a little out of character and it’s when she’s putting on a fake German accent to make a joke. It seemed a little too lighthearted for her. The art switches twice near the end of the collection and I gotta say, the art in the throwback issue to the first Suicide Squad drew her horribly. She literally had no neck.
So, we get a whole issue on the history of Maxwell Lord and who could care? I kept thinking it would be like two pages and we’d return to the story but we get a whole issue on him. Why?
He recruits the original Suicide Squad – the B team of the B team is… the C team? Aside from Lobo, I’ve never heard nor cared about any of them.
- Doctor Polaris – Magneto-lite that raided Galactus’ wardrobe
- Lobo – the fifth member of KISS
- Emerald Empress - The (green) eye of Sauron
- Johnny Sorrow – Son of the Mask 2.0
- Rustam – a less interesting version of Beric Dondarion.
It takes what seems like a few minutes for this to become the Justice League and Suicide Squad v. Maxwell Lord’s Squad as they try to stop him from getting the Heart of Darkness, a diamond that lets its owner control people. Max wants it to amplify his suggestive powers so the JL gets over being imprisoned rather quickly to help the Suicide Squad stop him. This is Plot #2.
It’s almost immediately replaced by Plot #3.
Deadshot, Waller and Batsy find themselves in a basement or a vault of some sort separated from the others. While they’re down there, Max takes over the JL and tries to “fix” the world. The Green Lanterns ward the earth from alien attacks. Wondy protects the world leaders. The Flash dismantled all WMDs. Aquaman secured borders and shores. All of this using mind control.
Batsy, Waller and Deadshot endeavor to stop him with the aid of the Suicide Squad, who Maxwell felt secure enough to leave unpossessed. Batsy seems pretty sure they’re all going to die which… same. Then we get the panel where I checked out completely – Batman welcomes the Suicide Squad to the Justice League.
I’ll skip right to it: Maxwell gives up his evil, and frankly successful, plan because Waller makes him realize that people have been corrupted. Rather than try to fix that to some extent, he gives up immediately and asks her to help him fix it. This all leads to him “realizing” that she planned all of this. From the first Suicide Squad failing to Maxwell taking over the earth – Waller supposedly planned all of this to get Batsy’s roundabout approval of her team. C’mon. That seems so incredibly illogical and frankly, stupid. She was willing to risk all of those human lives to keep a team made up of criminals? I just don’t buy it.
The last issue is barely worth mentioning but it’s Waller’s family shaming her for her profession. At the end, I can’t quite tell if she feels any remorse at all. It was all just a bunch of shouting actually.
For a while, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was that didn’t work for me about this book. I’ve read some Suicide Squad comics and I’m fine with them. I quite enjoy them in small doses and I don’t think the film was an abomination. I haven’t read a ton of the Justice League but I like several of the characters individually. At the end, it was several elements that made this a no go for me:
- Harley was terrible but Captain Boomerang was worse. I hope I never have to read about this character again.
- I don’t think the writers knew what to do with Wonder Woman at all. She was barely used and I could have done without the implication that Maxwell brainwashed her to fawn over him like in that panel.
- The “conclusion” was way too unbelievable for me.
- Too many plots. Too many teams. Too many side characters that don’t matter at all.
- Finally: I have no idea why this book was called Suicide Squad v. Justice League . It was really Suicide Squad v. Justice League for an issue or two and then it became JL and Suicide Squad v. Maxwell Lord and the Prequels. Then Batman & the Skwad v. Maxwell Lord. I picked this up expecting some Injustice level plot where I had to check my DC history at the door and watch them fight each other for a volume but that’s not what I got. It’s a misleading title.
So, it’s not a recommend from me. If you want to check out the Suicide Squad fighting the Justice League, just buy the first two issues if they’re stored at your local comic book store.
3 stars.
Read this review and others on my new blog!
January 24, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this story. It had all the hallmarks of an epic DC cockup, but to my surprise, it was excellent.
It starts out with the Justice League deciding to do something about the Suicide Squad. The story then goes from this confrontation to a much larger story involving Max Lord and some older SS rejects and a shard of the Eclipso diamond. From there this story expands into an Ecilpso controlled JL fighting against the Suicide Squad. No more spoilers though.
The artwork was excellent all through the story. The story itself is well put together and we see an interesting parallel between the JL and the SS. I also liked the small bits of humor. It seemed to work well in the context of the story. If this is going to be representative of the Rebirth (I know it won't be..and it's not) then it will be a wonderful thing.
Great art and an action packed storyline make this one of the best JL/SS matchups I've ever come across. Highly recommended for any Justice League or Suicide Squad matchup.
It starts out with the Justice League deciding to do something about the Suicide Squad. The story then goes from this confrontation to a much larger story involving Max Lord and some older SS rejects and a shard of the Eclipso diamond. From there this story expands into an Ecilpso controlled JL fighting against the Suicide Squad. No more spoilers though.
The artwork was excellent all through the story. The story itself is well put together and we see an interesting parallel between the JL and the SS. I also liked the small bits of humor. It seemed to work well in the context of the story. If this is going to be representative of the Rebirth (I know it won't be..and it's not) then it will be a wonderful thing.
Great art and an action packed storyline make this one of the best JL/SS matchups I've ever come across. Highly recommended for any Justice League or Suicide Squad matchup.
May 14, 2022
This was such a good read omg!
I have read this multiple times now and it never ceases to amaze me!
So Batman finds out about the existence of SS and JL too know about it and go to confront them and well its on one of these things when they think they have won, a trump card is drawn is Killer frost and the League kinda loses and then enter Waller an dher plans but its all temporary as the real danger aka Maxwell lord and the prisoners he has freed including Lobo, Dr Polaris and others are there and they have afun SS history and so the two teams have to kinda team-up and stop this threat.. only the twist is Lord wants something more aka the eclipso diamond and what happens next will change the world for sure. Can Batman and SS save his friends and also free the league and protect the world? And what will be the consequences of it..
Its such an amazing story and I love every facet of it, the way the story comes organically and JW writes JL so well, he brings out the epicness and builds one threat after the another and sure uses similar tropes but they work so well, he shows how these characters work so well together and the epicness is paid off well and the after-math will be interesting to follow! One of the better series from rebirths and one of its first events and it doesn't disappoint!
Plus the tie-in stories dealing with Lords origin was cool, the one with Trevor was meh and then the last one with Rustam hunting Amanda.. yeah that was cold.
So overall cool event and the only complaint is the constant art changes but then again this was a weekly event so its to be expected.
I have read this multiple times now and it never ceases to amaze me!
So Batman finds out about the existence of SS and JL too know about it and go to confront them and well its on one of these things when they think they have won, a trump card is drawn is Killer frost and the League kinda loses and then enter Waller an dher plans but its all temporary as the real danger aka Maxwell lord and the prisoners he has freed including Lobo, Dr Polaris and others are there and they have afun SS history and so the two teams have to kinda team-up and stop this threat.. only the twist is Lord wants something more aka the eclipso diamond and what happens next will change the world for sure. Can Batman and SS save his friends and also free the league and protect the world? And what will be the consequences of it..
Its such an amazing story and I love every facet of it, the way the story comes organically and JW writes JL so well, he brings out the epicness and builds one threat after the another and sure uses similar tropes but they work so well, he shows how these characters work so well together and the epicness is paid off well and the after-math will be interesting to follow! One of the better series from rebirths and one of its first events and it doesn't disappoint!
Plus the tie-in stories dealing with Lords origin was cool, the one with Trevor was meh and then the last one with Rustam hunting Amanda.. yeah that was cold.
So overall cool event and the only complaint is the constant art changes but then again this was a weekly event so its to be expected.
January 15, 2018
This was so much fun! I'll do a mini review this week.
FYI: You can totally read this comic book without having read any of the other ones.
FYI: You can totally read this comic book without having read any of the other ones.
August 25, 2024
It's...not terrible. That's probably the best compliment it can be paid after the travesty that is Justice League Vol.1 and Vol.2. There are actually some things here that are worth experiencing, and if you can look past the ridiculousness of the match ups, the action is pretty good at times.
April 9, 2018
Kinda not as bad as I thought it would be but very safe...and very commercial.
World: The art is fine, it's what you expect from this event, the tie ins are not consistent (that last shot of Waller in Squad 9 looks wrong...). The world building is okay, it's consistent with the world but that being said the world at this moment doesn't really make much sense. Task Force X was always a stretch for me in a world where the Trinity are around, there's no way Bats would be okay with it, but oh well I guess suspension of belief is needed. The pieces that they do use for the world are quite interesting and fun, especially the villains.
Story: The pacing is fine, it's a lot of fighting as expected and the banter and pairings are surprisingly entertaining. That being said this entire event feels very commercial (yes I know they are in it to make money I'm not stupid but what I mean is that this event was clearly focus grouped and keyed at their 2 big pop culture IPs at the moment). There is a lot of suspension of belief needed here as the logic of pitting them against each other and teaming them up is really a stretch. Characters have to be sacrificed and they don't act the way they should in their regular books (Batman and Supes especially). It's an entertaining book, but highly forgettable and safe so yeah I'm gonna forget about this arc in a couple of months...and being the first event for REBIRTH that's not good enough.
Characters: The cast of characters is fun and there is some good banter but that being said both of the series really let go of their characters for this event, meaning they don't act like they do in their own respective series. For the Justice League that's not bad cause Hitch is terrible there and needs to be ditched, but so far the Suicide Squad book has been somewhat entertaining. Yeah this is an outlier, the characters are borrowed for this event and this story doesn't really have any real consequence other than Killer Frost (which I liked). The bunch of villains we saw were kinda cool, kinda meh and pretty fantastic (Eclipso was amazing...I miss him).
A forgettable event that will be forgotten in a couple of months cause of it's lack of consequence and creativity.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is fine, it's what you expect from this event, the tie ins are not consistent (that last shot of Waller in Squad 9 looks wrong...). The world building is okay, it's consistent with the world but that being said the world at this moment doesn't really make much sense. Task Force X was always a stretch for me in a world where the Trinity are around, there's no way Bats would be okay with it, but oh well I guess suspension of belief is needed. The pieces that they do use for the world are quite interesting and fun, especially the villains.
Story: The pacing is fine, it's a lot of fighting as expected and the banter and pairings are surprisingly entertaining. That being said this entire event feels very commercial (yes I know they are in it to make money I'm not stupid but what I mean is that this event was clearly focus grouped and keyed at their 2 big pop culture IPs at the moment). There is a lot of suspension of belief needed here as the logic of pitting them against each other and teaming them up is really a stretch. Characters have to be sacrificed and they don't act the way they should in their regular books (Batman and Supes especially). It's an entertaining book, but highly forgettable and safe so yeah I'm gonna forget about this arc in a couple of months...and being the first event for REBIRTH that's not good enough.
Characters: The cast of characters is fun and there is some good banter but that being said both of the series really let go of their characters for this event, meaning they don't act like they do in their own respective series. For the Justice League that's not bad cause Hitch is terrible there and needs to be ditched, but so far the Suicide Squad book has been somewhat entertaining. Yeah this is an outlier, the characters are borrowed for this event and this story doesn't really have any real consequence other than Killer Frost (which I liked). The bunch of villains we saw were kinda cool, kinda meh and pretty fantastic (Eclipso was amazing...I miss him).
A forgettable event that will be forgotten in a couple of months cause of it's lack of consequence and creativity.
Onward to the next book!
July 26, 2017
I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now, that's what I'm talking about! Lots of kick-ass badassery and fights and attitude. Justice League vs Suicide Squad, vs another group of baddies that was pretty fun too...And a special appearance by
Lots of fun with lots of little quips from heroes and anti-heroes alike. It's good to see that though they're basically after the same end game, the methods to get there are quite different for these teams.
Definitely wanting some more of this stuff.....
Now, that's what I'm talking about! Lots of kick-ass badassery and fights and attitude. Justice League vs Suicide Squad, vs another group of baddies that was pretty fun too...And a special appearance by
Lots of fun with lots of little quips from heroes and anti-heroes alike. It's good to see that though they're basically after the same end game, the methods to get there are quite different for these teams.
Definitely wanting some more of this stuff.....
March 5, 2017
A very good event! So I guess this is DCs first big event since rebirth, (except for a few small Batman events), and its very good! So the story has The Justice League finding out about The Suicide Squad, so they do the hero thing, and decide to go stop them, meanwhile Maxwell Lord frees a bunch of villains from Amanda Waller's original Suicide Squad glory team, and they now wanna kill Amanda Waller! The Story is not the greatest I've read, but it does make for a pretty strong event! Its also highly entertaining to watch The Justice League and Suicide Squad duke it out in battle, and quite liked how the pitted each JL member against an SS member, and to read the banter back and forth! Luckily though this trade does include the tie in issues, which is smart since some readers often complain that they have to go buy other trades to read tie ins, with events like this, so I'm glad DC fixed that issue! The tie ins are pretty good, some are essential like the two that give back stories for both Maxwell Lord and the other villains, while others are nice to read, but not really that essential! Also the Main man Lobo is in this, which was awesome! Overall, a pretty good event!
June 17, 2017
[Read as single issues]
The first big event of the DC Rebirth era pits the two most popular teams in the DCU at the moment against each other as the Justice League face off against the Suicide Squad, only to find that there's actually a bigger threat that needs to be dealt with, because Amanda Waller is good at keeping secrets and bad at keeping prisoners in prison. Nice one, Amanda.
Joshua Williamson writes the entirety of this mini-series, and it's very solid throughout. The progression from beat-down to team-up between the JL and the SS feels well-paced, and the ultimate villains of the piece have a lot of gravitas and ensure that the last few issues feel suitably epic for a confrontation this size. Williamson nails the voices of everyone involved, and I'd be happy to see him write another event like this anytime.
Each issue of the main series is drawn by a different artist, which was to enable it to be released weekly. I'd complain, because the styles on show here are all totally different, but when you've got Jason Fabok, Robson Rocha, Tony Daniel, Fernando Pasarin, Jesus Merino, and Howard Porter each on an issue, you can't really. DC made sure their top talent was on display, as well as some up-and-comers that deserve the exposure too, so this never disappoints visually.
Also collected here are the tie-in issues from Justice League and Suicide Squad, which help focus in on some of the supporting characters. Justice League gives us Max Lord: Rebirth, while Suicide Squad gives us some background on the secret Suicide Squad that helps put everything into perspective regarding why they're so pissed at Waller in the first place, as well as a deadly epilogue that gives Waller some much needed comeuppance. All in all, good additions to the event and well-crafted issues in their own right, with scripts from Rob Williams, Simon Spurrier, and Tim Seeley, plus art from Christian Duce, Scot Eaton, and Riley Rossmo.
DC's first Rebirth event went off without a hitch. Great plotting, a parade of good artists, and well-used tie-ins make Justice League Vs. Suicide Squad a good standard to set for the Rebirth era.
The first big event of the DC Rebirth era pits the two most popular teams in the DCU at the moment against each other as the Justice League face off against the Suicide Squad, only to find that there's actually a bigger threat that needs to be dealt with, because Amanda Waller is good at keeping secrets and bad at keeping prisoners in prison. Nice one, Amanda.
Joshua Williamson writes the entirety of this mini-series, and it's very solid throughout. The progression from beat-down to team-up between the JL and the SS feels well-paced, and the ultimate villains of the piece have a lot of gravitas and ensure that the last few issues feel suitably epic for a confrontation this size. Williamson nails the voices of everyone involved, and I'd be happy to see him write another event like this anytime.
Each issue of the main series is drawn by a different artist, which was to enable it to be released weekly. I'd complain, because the styles on show here are all totally different, but when you've got Jason Fabok, Robson Rocha, Tony Daniel, Fernando Pasarin, Jesus Merino, and Howard Porter each on an issue, you can't really. DC made sure their top talent was on display, as well as some up-and-comers that deserve the exposure too, so this never disappoints visually.
Also collected here are the tie-in issues from Justice League and Suicide Squad, which help focus in on some of the supporting characters. Justice League gives us Max Lord: Rebirth, while Suicide Squad gives us some background on the secret Suicide Squad that helps put everything into perspective regarding why they're so pissed at Waller in the first place, as well as a deadly epilogue that gives Waller some much needed comeuppance. All in all, good additions to the event and well-crafted issues in their own right, with scripts from Rob Williams, Simon Spurrier, and Tim Seeley, plus art from Christian Duce, Scot Eaton, and Riley Rossmo.
DC's first Rebirth event went off without a hitch. Great plotting, a parade of good artists, and well-used tie-ins make Justice League Vs. Suicide Squad a good standard to set for the Rebirth era.
February 6, 2017
Now THIS is how you do a crossover event; it was so well done, actually had a good story and all the characters were in character!!! I must admit I feel as though it all escalated a little quickly and seemed to be easily resolved in the end but it is still an extremely strong event for DC!
August 28, 2017
'Justice League vs. Suicide Squad' is a big 312 story with 3 different writers, more artists and spanning a few series. If you can suspend your belief that the Suicide Squad would even have a chance against the Justice League, then it's not so bad.
Task Force X (aka Suicide Squad) has been discovered. Not only that, but Amanda Waller's past mistakes are about to be exposed. At first, the Suicide Squad faces off against the Justice League, but before long, they are teaming up against a threat, and the roles even end up getting reversed.
It's a big cast of characters, and individuals get a bit lost in everything. Sure, Harley Quinn gets to pipe in every now and then, and Batman is ominous, but the rest are just kind of placeholders. Killer Frost has a standout role, and I'd like to see more of this character. The story itself has promise. I like the additional characters that get introduced along the way, some famiiar, some less so to me. Since it spans 11 issues or so, the art style varies along the way. The promise of an all out fight between these two teams is realized a couple different ways, so if that intrigues, then this might be a book for you.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Task Force X (aka Suicide Squad) has been discovered. Not only that, but Amanda Waller's past mistakes are about to be exposed. At first, the Suicide Squad faces off against the Justice League, but before long, they are teaming up against a threat, and the roles even end up getting reversed.
It's a big cast of characters, and individuals get a bit lost in everything. Sure, Harley Quinn gets to pipe in every now and then, and Batman is ominous, but the rest are just kind of placeholders. Killer Frost has a standout role, and I'd like to see more of this character. The story itself has promise. I like the additional characters that get introduced along the way, some famiiar, some less so to me. Since it spans 11 issues or so, the art style varies along the way. The promise of an all out fight between these two teams is realized a couple different ways, so if that intrigues, then this might be a book for you.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
March 20, 2017
Since I haven't really kept up with the Suicide Squad since the John Ostrander days and JLA since before Flashpoint, Rebirth, etc., I figured why not read a mini that was done to cash in on the Suicide Squad movie (which I didn't dislike as much as I thought I would).
There are some things that Williamson did with the characters that I did like. I think he pretty much gets Amanda Waller and he does OK with the JLA big guns. Of the squad characters I think he gets the characters notes right on Deadshot and Boomerang, which I like as Deadshot was one of my favorite Squad characters during the Ostrander run.
Look, stories like this aren't supposed to be nothing more Hollywood blockbuster/punch em ups (or is it outs). Williamson does a nice Rebirth reintroduction of Eclipso, one that I think will work down the road if DC intends to brings that villain back on a regular basis (which is my belief after reading this).
Side note: I'll eventually catch up on the extra JLA and Squad issues included in the trade. I read this as digital floppies.
There are some things that Williamson did with the characters that I did like. I think he pretty much gets Amanda Waller and he does OK with the JLA big guns. Of the squad characters I think he gets the characters notes right on Deadshot and Boomerang, which I like as Deadshot was one of my favorite Squad characters during the Ostrander run.
Look, stories like this aren't supposed to be nothing more Hollywood blockbuster/punch em ups (or is it outs). Williamson does a nice Rebirth reintroduction of Eclipso, one that I think will work down the road if DC intends to brings that villain back on a regular basis (which is my belief after reading this).
Side note: I'll eventually catch up on the extra JLA and Squad issues included in the trade. I read this as digital floppies.
July 3, 2017
"Do you ever wonder why evil always returns? Because it never leaves."- real words that got written by a team of hacks that don't know the definition of the word return.
A superhero fight is the easiest story to write. You come up with some reason for them to fight, like different ideology, and then you find a reason for them to stop before any real consequences happen. (We missed a real chance for this series to reveal Killer Croc's mother's name as Martha!)
Somehow a team of people who are paid US currency to write comic book stories were completely unable to follow this formula. Instead we get some of the most miswritten characters, poorly thought out ideas, and just a hint of stolen ideas.
Here is a list of the trash writing that is present here:
1. Suicide Squad has to go stop a cult for unleashing a chaos God into the world ( this is the exact same plot as an Osterman SS story arc, but much much worse)
2. Use of a magic crystal
3. Mind control, mind control vampire-zombies
4. Forgetting the stories own timeline (superman breaks into the White House at both the beginning an end of the world take over)
5. Forgetting the rules that govern the magic crystal ( if sunlight stops it, the lanterns wouldn't be possessed when thy do into space. Superman is filled with sunlight. It doesn't make any sense.)
6. People doing things out of character.
a. Harley escapes from WW, but goes back to ru her over with a motorcycle
b. Captain boomerang chooses to go fight because his feelings got hurt.
c. Waller goes from being a lack ops running middle manager to a full on villain who has built prison cells for the odd possibility of having to round up the justice league.
d. Batman
i. Invites a serial killer to join the justice league
ii. Is so convinced by a rousing speech to not only take the SS with him, but make them honorary justice league members!
iii. Has a costume that self repairs between issues
7. The name Eclipso
8. A villain named Eclipso having power to cause eclipses
9. A magic gemstone named "the heart of darkness"
10. The main villain not mind controlling certain characters just so there would be a story
11. Retconning a hidden other suicide squad
Ok I've stopped with an obviously truncated list. I've left a few score other of the books failing for someone else who presumably is trapped on an island with only a box of remainded copies of DC rebirth graphic novels to read.
If friends or family member read this review, please have an intervention for me. Reading these DC rebirth books has to be form of self mutilation.
A superhero fight is the easiest story to write. You come up with some reason for them to fight, like different ideology, and then you find a reason for them to stop before any real consequences happen. (We missed a real chance for this series to reveal Killer Croc's mother's name as Martha!)
Somehow a team of people who are paid US currency to write comic book stories were completely unable to follow this formula. Instead we get some of the most miswritten characters, poorly thought out ideas, and just a hint of stolen ideas.
Here is a list of the trash writing that is present here:
1. Suicide Squad has to go stop a cult for unleashing a chaos God into the world ( this is the exact same plot as an Osterman SS story arc, but much much worse)
2. Use of a magic crystal
3. Mind control, mind control vampire-zombies
4. Forgetting the stories own timeline (superman breaks into the White House at both the beginning an end of the world take over)
5. Forgetting the rules that govern the magic crystal ( if sunlight stops it, the lanterns wouldn't be possessed when thy do into space. Superman is filled with sunlight. It doesn't make any sense.)
6. People doing things out of character.
a. Harley escapes from WW, but goes back to ru her over with a motorcycle
b. Captain boomerang chooses to go fight because his feelings got hurt.
c. Waller goes from being a lack ops running middle manager to a full on villain who has built prison cells for the odd possibility of having to round up the justice league.
d. Batman
i. Invites a serial killer to join the justice league
ii. Is so convinced by a rousing speech to not only take the SS with him, but make them honorary justice league members!
iii. Has a costume that self repairs between issues
7. The name Eclipso
8. A villain named Eclipso having power to cause eclipses
9. A magic gemstone named "the heart of darkness"
10. The main villain not mind controlling certain characters just so there would be a story
11. Retconning a hidden other suicide squad
Ok I've stopped with an obviously truncated list. I've left a few score other of the books failing for someone else who presumably is trapped on an island with only a box of remainded copies of DC rebirth graphic novels to read.
If friends or family member read this review, please have an intervention for me. Reading these DC rebirth books has to be form of self mutilation.
June 17, 2017
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad offers pretty much exactly what you would expect from the title. Two teams fighting, while a diabolical third party operates behind the scenes manipulating everyone toward a crazy global threat. It's a pretty standard superhero team versus superhero villain/anti-hero team book, and Jason Fabok's artwork sure is pretty (even in the low-res digital review copy I read). The biggest flaw here is that Maxwell Lord, a telepath with chronic nosebleeds, is a pretty boring villain. On the bright side, the Wonder Woman/Harley Quinn sisterhood is dynamite - what do we need to do to get an on-going team-up series for these two?
It's refreshing to read a self-contained "event" series that doesn't need 800 supporting titles to divvy up plot points, wrap up loose ends, or act as a platform to launch a slew of new #1s. Bonus points to the writing team for not going the route of "long-time hero is actually a Nazi!" trope either. Collected here are the previously published core issues of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad 1-6, and the tie-in on-going series issues of Justice League 12-13, and Suicide Squad 8-10. This was a fine and fun done-in-one collection.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
It's refreshing to read a self-contained "event" series that doesn't need 800 supporting titles to divvy up plot points, wrap up loose ends, or act as a platform to launch a slew of new #1s. Bonus points to the writing team for not going the route of "long-time hero is actually a Nazi!" trope either. Collected here are the previously published core issues of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad 1-6, and the tie-in on-going series issues of Justice League 12-13, and Suicide Squad 8-10. This was a fine and fun done-in-one collection.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
December 15, 2019
4 Stars because of the beautiful edition this comic had.
The story was a bit cliche to be honest, two groups meet, fight each other, then become allies against a bigger threat and then one of the groups is mentally controlled and they fight again.
The character of Killer Frost was one of the best things in this comic, as was the relationship between Wonder Woman and Harley Queen.
The story was a bit cliche to be honest, two groups meet, fight each other, then become allies against a bigger threat and then one of the groups is mentally controlled and they fight again.
The character of Killer Frost was one of the best things in this comic, as was the relationship between Wonder Woman and Harley Queen.
June 13, 2018
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad offers pretty much exactly what you would expect from the title. Two teams fighting, while a diabolical third party operates behind the scenes manipulating everyone toward a crazy global threat. It's a pretty standard superhero team versus superhero villain/anti-hero team book, and Jason Fabok's artwork sure is pretty. The biggest flaw here is that Maxwell Lord, a telepath with chronic nosebleeds, is a pretty boring villain. On the bright side, the Wonder Woman/Harley Quinn sisterhood is dynamite - what do we need to do to get an on-going team-up series for these two?
It's refreshing to read a self-contained "event" series that doesn't need 800 supporting titles to divvy up plot points, wrap up loose ends, or act as a platform to launch a slew of new #1s. Bonus points to the writing team for not going the route of "long-time hero is actually a Nazi!" trope either. Collected here are the previously published core issues of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad 1-6, and the tie-in on-going series issues of Justice League 12-13, and Suicide Squad 8-10. This was a fine and fun done-in-one collection.
It's refreshing to read a self-contained "event" series that doesn't need 800 supporting titles to divvy up plot points, wrap up loose ends, or act as a platform to launch a slew of new #1s. Bonus points to the writing team for not going the route of "long-time hero is actually a Nazi!" trope either. Collected here are the previously published core issues of Justice League vs. Suicide Squad 1-6, and the tie-in on-going series issues of Justice League 12-13, and Suicide Squad 8-10. This was a fine and fun done-in-one collection.
January 3, 2017
I love the artwork in this one. There are some group shots that are amazing. I don’t believe this is a starter series. You need to know these characters, at least a little or it’s not going to make sense. There is a ton of intro and set up. It mainly focuses on the Suicide Squad, which should mean that the Justice League will be the focus of the next one.
Batman tells the JL about SS and I think the moral implications are going to resonate through the series with Superman and Wonder Woman obviously having serious issues with it. Although, it’s Flash who speaks out.
Killer Frost is very active. I'm thinking she's going to be added to the SS movie in order to beef up their power. Lobo is also there, which makes me believe they're testing him for his own movie.
The DC has the best villains and Maxwell Lord and Amanda Waller are great. Overall I like where it's going. But if Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn fight I will be seriously pissed. (deep breath) But that hasn't happened yet so I withhold judgment.
Batman tells the JL about SS and I think the moral implications are going to resonate through the series with Superman and Wonder Woman obviously having serious issues with it. Although, it’s Flash who speaks out.
Killer Frost is very active. I'm thinking she's going to be added to the SS movie in order to beef up their power. Lobo is also there, which makes me believe they're testing him for his own movie.
The DC has the best villains and Maxwell Lord and Amanda Waller are great. Overall I like where it's going. But if Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn fight I will be seriously pissed. (deep breath) But that hasn't happened yet so I withhold judgment.
October 2, 2017
While in mid-read this was see-sawing between 2 and 3 stars (as the first half is decent), but then I started to lose interest towards the end and that was not a good sign. 'SS' should've been top-billed as the 'JL' sort of take a backseat to them after the half-way point. As for Lobo - a little of his character goes a long way (similar to Amanda Waller; I get annoyed with her pretty quickly), so of course he is inexplicably featured almost more than any other character besides Waller and Batman. If I hear 'Main Man' or 'Bastiche' one more time my head might explode. The artwork was good, but the story was forgettable.
September 19, 2017
Doesn't deliver on the promise made by the title of the book. If it was called Justice League, Rise of Darkness, I'd give it a different rating, but it's not. It's really just a rehash of Trinity War and Forever Evil. We get the promise of two DC teams going at it, but instead of that they end up teaming up to fight the "real" bad guy. Wanted to see the Justice League fight the Suicide Squad, plain and simple. Shittiest part is that they can't do THAT story for awhile now (or until the next reboot) because they just "did it", even though they didnt. At all. Waste of a good story.
August 9, 2017
Mixed bag. I Love Suicide Squad and there is some great artwork in this book. And there is some awesome parts with Killer Frost and also Lobo. Some really funny parts with Harley Quin and Cap Boomerang. But it suffers from too many strong characters as do many of these team team-ups.
Also there is some very catastrophic events that seem to be downplayed too much.
Overall worth the read.
Also there is some very catastrophic events that seem to be downplayed too much.
Overall worth the read.
June 16, 2017
This graphic novel is the meet and great story of the current Suicide Squad and Justice League of America. I'm semi knowledgeable about both groups as I've seen any and all movies that relate to them. But like any book to movie adaptation there are characters/plot lines/ etc that are left out of the original content when transferring to the theater. So I'm not exactly up to date on any of the characters. Williamson and Williams do a good job of giving the reader a quick into to each character as they come on screen. There would be a little box with the hero/villain's name and what they can do, usually with a snarky comment. I found this really helpful.
My favorite part of the story was getting the background and story of the original Suicide Squad. I don't know if this is cannon with previous Suicide Squad graphics but I'll say that it was entertaining and really gave more character development for Amanda Waller. While I personally know how witchy Amanda Waller is, newer readers might not have. Also the new old suicide squad members gave us insight into team dynamics and the trials that Waller had to go through before she figured out how to run this team to her advantage.
If you are an aThe day that Amanda Waller has long dreaded has finally come to pass: the Justice League has discovered the existence of Task Force X! America’s paragons of truth & justice won’t take well to a government-sponsored team of black ops super-villains (with bombs implanted in their heads), but before the Justice League can shut down the Suicide Squad, a bigger problem looms: another deadly strike team is lurking in the shadows, one that could expose dark secrets throughout the DC Universe, with ties to the hidden truths of DC Universe: Rebirth. Longtime enemies such as Batman & Deadshot, the Flash & Boomerang, & Wonder Woman & Harley Quinn will have to put aside their differences when an evil threat once thought lost to the DC Universe makes their return
If you are an avid DC fan then one of the coolest parts of this comic is seeing old rivals face off against each other and then be forced to come together. The banter between Flash and Boomerang had me laughing as did Wonder Woman and Harley. Deadshot and Batman's face off broke my heart more than anything in this novel. Their confrontations really highlight the theme of this novel which is "Can a known killer be more than a killer?" Batman is hung up on using murders to save the day. To him they are nothing more than a bunch of killers. But he comes to realize that these people do have hearts and aren't pure evil. The members of the Suicide Squad, for the most part, have a conscious and don't kill willy nilly.
One of the things that felt out of nowhere for me was Max Lord. I'd never heard of him before but he shows up on the scene ready to take control. He is power hungry in a bad kind of way and headed for the evil life. The graphic gives a quick back story on Lord but it didn't feel like enough for me personally. And when he turns into Eclipso the first time I didn't realize that it was Max. I was just like, "who is this dude now?!?"
The scenes where Max has taken control of the Justice League were semi-cool. I particularly enjoyed the art for those scenes. The JLA's faces were painted half blue. And swear to goodness they had these crazy vampire/monster teeth. They looked terrifying! If I were walking down the streets of metropolis and evil superman walked up to me I would freak out. The art overall was typical superhero art. So not my favorite. But still mostly readable. It did feel like like things were squished onto the page and I needed a magnifying glass to catch everything that was happening on each page.
The big ending wasn't really a surprise for me personally, but the novel was still fun because I enjoyed seeing the story play out. The epilogue was kind of pointless in my opinion. We got background on Waller and her family life. (FYI - She is also a crappy mom on top of being semi insane/heartless) But it didn't provide anything noteworthy for the storyline.
My favorite part of the story was getting the background and story of the original Suicide Squad. I don't know if this is cannon with previous Suicide Squad graphics but I'll say that it was entertaining and really gave more character development for Amanda Waller. While I personally know how witchy Amanda Waller is, newer readers might not have. Also the new old suicide squad members gave us insight into team dynamics and the trials that Waller had to go through before she figured out how to run this team to her advantage.
If you are an aThe day that Amanda Waller has long dreaded has finally come to pass: the Justice League has discovered the existence of Task Force X! America’s paragons of truth & justice won’t take well to a government-sponsored team of black ops super-villains (with bombs implanted in their heads), but before the Justice League can shut down the Suicide Squad, a bigger problem looms: another deadly strike team is lurking in the shadows, one that could expose dark secrets throughout the DC Universe, with ties to the hidden truths of DC Universe: Rebirth. Longtime enemies such as Batman & Deadshot, the Flash & Boomerang, & Wonder Woman & Harley Quinn will have to put aside their differences when an evil threat once thought lost to the DC Universe makes their return
If you are an avid DC fan then one of the coolest parts of this comic is seeing old rivals face off against each other and then be forced to come together. The banter between Flash and Boomerang had me laughing as did Wonder Woman and Harley. Deadshot and Batman's face off broke my heart more than anything in this novel. Their confrontations really highlight the theme of this novel which is "Can a known killer be more than a killer?" Batman is hung up on using murders to save the day. To him they are nothing more than a bunch of killers. But he comes to realize that these people do have hearts and aren't pure evil. The members of the Suicide Squad, for the most part, have a conscious and don't kill willy nilly.
One of the things that felt out of nowhere for me was Max Lord. I'd never heard of him before but he shows up on the scene ready to take control. He is power hungry in a bad kind of way and headed for the evil life. The graphic gives a quick back story on Lord but it didn't feel like enough for me personally. And when he turns into Eclipso the first time I didn't realize that it was Max. I was just like, "who is this dude now?!?"
The scenes where Max has taken control of the Justice League were semi-cool. I particularly enjoyed the art for those scenes. The JLA's faces were painted half blue. And swear to goodness they had these crazy vampire/monster teeth. They looked terrifying! If I were walking down the streets of metropolis and evil superman walked up to me I would freak out. The art overall was typical superhero art. So not my favorite. But still mostly readable. It did feel like like things were squished onto the page and I needed a magnifying glass to catch everything that was happening on each page.
The big ending wasn't really a surprise for me personally, but the novel was still fun because I enjoyed seeing the story play out. The epilogue was kind of pointless in my opinion. We got background on Waller and her family life. (FYI - She is also a crappy mom on top of being semi insane/heartless) But it didn't provide anything noteworthy for the storyline.
May 22, 2021
I think that the book I wanted this to be was X-Statix vs. the Avengers -- just a goofy mismatch book with fights. But this actual thing isn't funny like the first two volumes of Suicide Squad, and it's sort of surprisingly big and complex in scope for a book called Justice League vs Suicide Squad. The first two volumes of SS are about the Squad dealing with Horrible Artifacts Stored in the Basement, and the plot of this one is also centered on a Horrible Artifact Stored in the Basement, so I kind of hope they come up with some new plot devices on the next book. It's also only about Justice League vs. Suicide Squad in parts -- most of it is about , which was kind of weird but I guess it worked as a twist, or whatever?
I think the thing i don't really understand is what the rules of the Rebirth books are. It's like, these are definitely stories in which characters are still meeting each other for the first time (a la DC 52), but also none of the things that happen would probably make sense or feel fun unless you've read a lot of DC comics already. They've got all these characters crawling out from the 90s and the 60s and most of the time they're definitely not giving enough backstory for you to understand who they are -- you've gotta go look them up. But then, also, ignore that because these are "new characters," but as new characters they're not given enough backstory to make sense so...
Anyway. I dunno. I feel like I should probably know what I'm getting into when I buy a book called Justice League vs Suicide Squad. And it's got in it, so that's nice.
I think the thing i don't really understand is what the rules of the Rebirth books are. It's like, these are definitely stories in which characters are still meeting each other for the first time (a la DC 52), but also none of the things that happen would probably make sense or feel fun unless you've read a lot of DC comics already. They've got all these characters crawling out from the 90s and the 60s and most of the time they're definitely not giving enough backstory for you to understand who they are -- you've gotta go look them up. But then, also, ignore that because these are "new characters," but as new characters they're not given enough backstory to make sense so...
Anyway. I dunno. I feel like I should probably know what I'm getting into when I buy a book called Justice League vs Suicide Squad. And it's got in it, so that's nice.
June 28, 2017
Given the title, this is very much more a Suicide Squad book with a bit of impact from the League. I love both teams and was highly looking forward to it, plus it contains a lot of material: 6 issues of the title series and two from each of their respective series plus a few pages extra from one. There is lots of story and tons of action but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of depth in the JL part, however, the extra parts more than made up for it. The book starts with a 'Prologue' which is actually the 'Epilogue' of the last Suicide Squad volume. Then JL finds out about SS and the shite hits the fan. Eventually, another team comes to the surface, I won't give away who they are but Waller knows them. Justice League along with many civilians get infected with an aggressive virus causing a Suicide Squad vs Justice League scenario which eventually turns into a JL+SS vs the new team showdown. Lots of information and insight into both the SS and new team's characters. But minimal input on JL members, in fact, there is no reference to which Flash is present and Superman feels to be written as the old one, though nothing specific is said to show whether he is old or new Clark. A very intriguing ending though, which could lead to a new series even!
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