Suicide Squad New52 #20

Hello, Harley people!

This blog is going to be about, well, Suicide Squad #20. Duh, pay attention. Now, I did a review of this one aaaaaages ago, so here's a link if you'd like to read it in full. Otherwise, there'll be snippets of what I thought were apt or witty thoughts about it. These'll be in a different colour to the rest of the body, so if my paragraphing doesn't make sense... Y'know. Well, that's my excuse anyway.

It's important to note that from this issue and moving forward, the series had a new writer in Ales Kot. As you'd know from previous reviews, I had a few issues with Adam Glass' writing for this series. I'm not entirely blaming him for this dank ass series but he definitely had a major hand in it.
So, it's been a while. Was Kot any better? Let's find out.

July 2013
"Discipline and Punishment Pt 1 of 2"
Writer: Ales Kot
Artist: Patrick Zircher
Colours: Jason Keith

Y'know, I used to review these all the time before it became way too hard - it's a whole new level trying to type something when your arms keep getting thrown up in the air and my typist left because she thought I was swearing at her when I read this stuff. However, now there's a new brain-head doing the series I thought I'd give it another go.


The cover art here shows some wannabe flesh, a sad little skeleton still holding on to the freaking grenade. There are times in life where it pays to drop the ball. Or pear shaped object with a pin.
Around Skeletor is little photos of the Squad, in case we forget who they are. For a 'secret' team, there sure is a lot of this photo stuff going on. That's a problem for another day. Me? I can't get past Hardly Quinn's ugly piggy nose and the fact that Deadshot looks like a scrapped plan for a robot in a third rate sci-fi show.

Now as well as a new writer, we also have some new characters. We met the Unknown Soldier last issue but there's also new inmates (or inmates we didn't previously have the budget to see) as well as Waller's new minion. Waller is going all out, as she also has a plan to break in the current Squad because it took about 20 issues for her to realise that this Squad is useless.

Beginning with King Shark, who gets a chance to get a shark boner... and the only thing weirder than that is having Shark turn into a super hipster vegan before it was cool. 

That's Mr. Animal with an intercom, thank you!

You know, there's no timeframe given here. Are they literally just back from their Suicide Squad Sewer Shenanigans (Send help, the alliteration here is out of control!!!) or what?

Like, I feel King Shark's gone from Tarzan like grunting and small phrases to reading freakin' Rumi and ordering food in a civil manner rather quickly. And damn, are they eating better in prison than the average school child at a canteen? 

Now in the meantime, Harley has forgotten how to sit down properly even though room is empty apart from her, Unknown and Voltaic. There's heaps of seats around! Do your eyes not work, either?

Ah well. At least she has pants. Although, can you play Scrabble in two languages? I feel like that would suck if you had to play against some tri-lingual person and they're just wiping the floor with you in several languages... well, that you know of anyway. 

Having just discussed King Shark's new sensibilities, I feel it's important to note that Voltaic has gone from rebirthed zombie who was as emotionless as he was silent, to his exact old self before he was killed, sassy and playing Scrabble superbly. (Oh no, the alliteration, it's got me.. I--aaack!)

There is no explanation given for this,  so I guess we just have to ignore it even though it was a major part of the whole Samsara snake oil storyline? 

Anyway - having been given back his life.. I think? Voltaic decides to make fun of the Unknown Macho Man. Hell, I would too. Guy's a douche and a stereotype we've seen waaaay too many times before. I can't decide whether I like Harley's expression here. At first read I thought it was just a 'Oh-ho, boy about to beaten down something fierce! Can't believe he said that.' sort of thing but now it just reminds me of movie Suicide Squad Harley who got her jollies off questioning El Diablo about killing his own kids.. 

Then that ticks me off because I have to think about that nonsensical farce, and lack of characterisation and some useless actors messing up DC properties. I mean, we have DC for that!

Naturally, the Unknown Soldier kills Voltaic by way of onomatopoeia in Scrabble. 

Harley leaves now there's work to be done and no more fun and games. I can relate to that. 

Deadshot is next. He's on the operating table again getting his Clockwork Orange perfected. I tell ya, if Harley died again she'd be on that table in her underpants but hey, Deadshot's a dude. He's fine to stay in his armour during operations. 

Waller reveals the devastating truth... he totally died man. Like, a lot. And kept coming back. But he's not like Voltaic was. For some reason. They don't explain that either. Even Waller and her mysterious henchman forget about stuff too.. constantly asking exposition questions. It's not too painful to read though.. just weird. 

All the Squad go through their individual attempts at being beaten and broken. King Shark has some random supermodel type in a mini dress just walk into a prison cell (after he's eaten/killed three guards fairly recently?) and starts cracking onto him. The only think King Shark questions is that Waller complimented him. That's... hmm. That's fair, actually. 

Next up is Harley Quinn. 

I discussed this before - how Die Antwoord was so obviously part of the inspiration for the Suicide Squad movie yet the director denied it.. I didn't realise it went back this far. When I first read this comic I was fresh out of reading Batwoman and her evil Alice in Wonderland twin, so I thought the pictures reminded me of Alice and stuff but now it's like.. yeah, no, if that's not freakin' Yolandi Vi$$er I'll eat my damn jester hat. 

Why does a convicted felon get posters anyway? I guess it's better than kale smoothies. This issue doesn't explain how all the 'props' just knock on the door and then they get in. I mean, it's obviously orchestrated but are the doors just not locked or what? No way Waller trusts these losers that much. 

I like the kitty jammies. Seems very Harley and better than seeing her in her stupid action suit all the time. She looks like she's going to bed though, after a quick 'read me and I'll kill you' diary doodle - so not sure why she wants to sleep in her stupid latex eye makeup...things.. but anyway.

Anyway, Waller and Co discuss how it was good to use a Die Laughing Gang member for the role of Joker. I forgot about those guys, like most of the New 52, so I had to look up where they belonged. 

So this guy's probably one of the only people mad enough to impersonate the Joker. Harley's not impressed though. Even when he quotes lines from when 'they' first met.

'How did you know. How.' Harley questions without questioning. Good sort of question, sort of Harley. Well, as we've seen over several comics - like Mad Love, and the Harley Quinn original run - doctor and patient chit chats be recorded. Waller nicked them, like DC nicks stuff from it's back catalogue. You're not that special, Hardly Quinn.

Deadshot gets filled in on how he's basically going to be worked to death then revived, worked to death and revived... ad nauseam. Ah, you know, I feel for the guy. It's like he broke out of societal norms to become a villain and then got stuck in a 9-5 job anyway. That hurts.

Maybe just as much as King Shark's daddy issues. Never really thought of him as actually having family. Maybe that's me trying to block out all those horrible Villain's month specials and childhood sob stories. Yikes. 

Unknown Soldier kills fanboy 'Joker' as planned, and Harley nicks the fanboy's knife. To this day I'm not clear on if the 'predictable' line is about her stealing it, or her making them think she was grateful about being 'saved'. Someone who is not saved is Voltaic, ironically. Yeah, he blew up for some reason. That's so seriously, super sucky (Ahhh! It's back with a vengeance!!) 

Oh yeah, and the super secret henchman is James Gordon Jnr, Batgirl's creepy younger brother. 

The Short End of the Jester Schtick

Okay, so I gotta say the lack of answers ticked me off. I can appreciate starting an existing project and wanting to make it your own but geez, not even a throwaway line about Voltaic for example? Poor effort guys. It was kinda cool to see Waller admitting she needed help controlling the team... but at the same time that sorta defeats the point of BEING Waller. It also doesn't explain why she puts up with the team's shit. I mean, she's basically got free reign to explode anyone's head, get some fresh meat who might listen better while they're watching the janitors clean up the old team but nope. Heck, Can of Whup Ass Cheetah is right there Waller. RIGHT THERE! DOING NOTHING!~!~

This opening splash panel is confusing as well... like.. is King Shark already eating the food he ordered or is this a time skip? 

Am very disappointed that Harley's cat suit romper did not have a tail. 

Also this:

What's this idiot doing? Going to kiss his teeth?! 

Do not want to think about shark naughty bits.. do not want to even see that his loin cloth is shrinking.

Eh, don't remember much about James Jnr apart from a bit in the Batgirl New52.. I feel like the whole trope of a cop having a vigilante and also a serial killer under the same roof is a bit overdone but I thought he was a little bit interesting. 

Wotta Comedian!

James: ....Stalin had a solid handle on writers -- night of the murdered poets, mass arrests, gulags....

Waller: I learned from the best. 

Harley: A-okay-- "Weltschmerz" is a word. You win, mister mummy man. What does it mean again? And why do you have a German dictionary?

James: That is low, Waller. 

Waller: I don't take personality assessments from scumbag serial killers.

Waller: Lab-grown meat. Some circuits. Pheromones. And enough electricity to make 'King' Shark piss blood for two weeks. 

Die Laughing Joker: Could you give me an autograph? I'm a big fan. 

Surgeon 1: ....Someone should call Waller. 

Surgeon 2: We are so dead.

James: Director Waller? Would you object to my calling you 'mother'? It would help me concentrate. 

Waller: Over my dead body, Gordon. 

James: I am a new man. This is a new day. The day I fell in love with Amanda Waller.

Bonus Panel!

Hey look, it's DC explaining how the New 52 works!