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Sep 18, 2015 Issue #54 - August/September 2015 - CHVRCHES By Jeremy Nisen

The “new” Suicide Squad feels a little tired, but gets enough right that fans looking for exactly this shouldn’t be disappointed. This collection comprises New Suicide Squad issues 1-8. Short premise: captured villains go on government missions for reduced prison terms.

We’ll concede that anything calling itself Suicide Squad has a high bar of comparison against John Ostrander’s epic run from decades ago. And the collection does some things that are quite intriguing, primarily forcing Harley Quinn to team with a copycat poser called The Joker’s Daughter, as well as giving some screen time to Black Manta, probably Aquaman’s best rogue.

But the villains’ villains are largely forgettable, the action’s fairly by-the-numbers, and the characters’ challenges seem uninspired. Deadshot recuperating from an injury could have been an interesting examination, but reads like a missed opportunity for something deeper or more original. Amanda Waller’s workplace issues land with a thud when her boss (unsuccessfully) resorts to physical violence—contests of political power are so much more interesting without smacking.

Aside from those missteps, when judged against its monthly punch-up peers, this is fine, par for the course, and seeing Reverse Flash or Harley Quinn or Captain Boomerang on the victorious (even if often Pyrrhic) side gives it a different look than most books. Final analysis: this is firmly okay. (www.dccomics.com)

Author rating: 6/10