Well, I really have come almost full circle now. But there is still so much to unpack in this, the first series of Suicide Squad in the New52. For example, this cover.
What is wrong with Harley's stomach?
Why does no one have eyeballs?
Who had the brills idea of locking up Waller... and leaving her a fire arm?
Has Harley always had long skeletal man fingers?
Am I supposed to be more scared of the "bad ass" Harley or of her hair style?
Is Harley's belt emblem a Pokeball?
Did she not only kill the guard but destroy their jacket too?
Has Harley never learnt the phrase "don't turn your back on your enemies?"
Why are Harley's gauntlets like ten times bigger today?
Who stole Harley's nail polish?
When did the Belle Reve cleaning crew give up entirely??
Issue starts with a flash forward in Las Vegas. Isn't that what everyone does though? Starts off normal then suddenly you're on a rooftop without your wolf pack and you're desperately trying to remember what happened 17 days ago.
Well, we know what happened because we open up on Waller doing a dodgy bit of tie in. Yay, O.M.A.C. They're always a bundle of fun. Anyway, she turns back to her usual daytime programming to see that Harley has stabbed the Unknown Soldier and waited until juuuuuust the right moment to whisper into his earpiece. Although at the rate she's getting through her sentences she probablt could. have. started. five. minutes. ago.
So Harley escapes her cell, kills either some luckless random guards or the guards Waller sent to get her and runs off to bean Waller from behind. I feel like Waller should have been more en guard than that but I guess Harley's got better/faster reflexes. Still, it does feel like Waller saw Harley behind her and just didn't even try to dodge.
Harley releases Deadshot from his time out cell - sure was handy all the controllers were remote and she didn't have to be in the room itself! Also way lucky that Deadshot didn't lose an eye. Anyway, Deadshot wreaks havoc but in such terrible fashion. First he kills some random guards by saying he's a doctor - a line that really should have been used for Harley - then he encounters the Unknown Soldier and for some reason gets him to agree to a hand to hand battle. This is stupid because the Soldier is wounded and carrying a gun, while Deadshot is unarmed - or so the Soldier thinks, and really, why on earth should he trust Deadshot?
They get into a brief scuffle, Deadshot wins, then HE gets conked from behind. Does no-one watch their heinies no more?
Brief interlude of Harley discovering the joy of drones, between her psycho-analysis of Waller.
I would have liked this scene a lot better if it didn't include the line about Harley's... feels.
Is it supposed to throw Waller off balance, like a psychological misdirection? Was it a line the writers thought was cool but had no where else to put? It just seems out of place.
The colour scheme is a bit dramatic as well, like I see what they're going for but it just makes me think of Jack'o'Lanterns. Also the tri-colour scheme makes a lot of background detail conveniently go away.
Gordon Jr. eventually makes his way back up to Waller and gets Harley in his sights.
It's pretty vague what Harley was waiting for. I mean, was it just Deadshot? Do these two speak for the whole gang and the rest of the gang don't get a say? Hahahahahahahahaha um yeah, yeah that's pretty much it!
Also there's some sort of hacking backstory that no one really cares about and probably isn't related to O.M.A.C. in any way.
Now when I first read this comic way back when, I realised it was a bit of a turning point but I didn't care for it. Having re-read it again just now, all the symmetry sticks out a bit more - the constant focus on eyeballs, people asking each other to trust them, heads being busted from behind and people running down long hallways with crazy long arms and legs all akimbo etc.
I also was so over Harley Quinn being made to be the kewl, hip, quirky 'bad ass' with annoying phrases that I over looked - maybe willingly - how in character she was by seeing through the deceptions, analysing the problem and taking action to improve everyone's situation. Maybe a bit more blood thirsty than Classic Harley would have been but still, effective.
This issue also showed how useful Gordon Jr could be instead of playing his Waller-affection for laughs. Speaking of laughs, there were a couple of scenes where I think the writers were trying to be funny but failed. Like Waller's password being "Shallow Hal" - geddit, because of her New52 body??
It was nice to see an end to the constant petty bickering between Waller and the Squad. Like, the bombs are good and all but at the end of the day you have to appeal to what the villain wants. The best for THEMSELVES. What can they get out of it? They're selfish pricks and don't respond well to general threats. I mean, a large chunk of them probably became villains because 'the man' was keeping them down. Then again, they are villains and shouldn't be treated well. Balancing this stuff is hard.
I am really enjoying Harley in pants. She just looks so much more clown like and the outfit flows so much better. Speaking of clown like.. she smiles a lot more but her eyes are dead inside... just like a real clown! ....Ooof.
Deadshot: Can't believe we kept Waller alive. But the deal is worth it. Eleven months and we are free. Free of the Suicide Squad.
Harley: Waller! I put on my hunting suit!
Harley: Come over. We can have a tickle party.
Waller: Did you plan this?
Harley: The bondage thing? Not really.
Cheetah: Hey, handsome! Let me out!
Deadshot: Can I trust you, Cheetah?
Cheetah: Yes. Definitely.
Deadshot: That's what my first wife said. G'Bye.
Gordon Jr: Soldier? Are you all right? Soldier? Oh well.
Harley: Ooops. I think I just crashed one of your drones into a U.S. army helicopter? Sorry.
Harley: Are you quitting our company?
Gordon Jr: You are not right in the brain.
Harley: Says the loon.
Harley: Are you a reasonable loon?
Gordon Jr: Yes. I swear. On my sister's grave.
Deadshot: Cheetah! Help!
Cheetah: Seriously?
 |
| Aug 2013 Writer: Ales Kot Artist: Patrick Zircher Colours: Jason Keith |
What is wrong with Harley's stomach?
Why does no one have eyeballs?
Who had the brills idea of locking up Waller... and leaving her a fire arm?
Has Harley always had long skeletal man fingers?
Am I supposed to be more scared of the "bad ass" Harley or of her hair style?
Is Harley's belt emblem a Pokeball?
Did she not only kill the guard but destroy their jacket too?
Has Harley never learnt the phrase "don't turn your back on your enemies?"
Why are Harley's gauntlets like ten times bigger today?
Who stole Harley's nail polish?
When did the Belle Reve cleaning crew give up entirely??
Issue starts with a flash forward in Las Vegas. Isn't that what everyone does though? Starts off normal then suddenly you're on a rooftop without your wolf pack and you're desperately trying to remember what happened 17 days ago.
Well, we know what happened because we open up on Waller doing a dodgy bit of tie in. Yay, O.M.A.C. They're always a bundle of fun. Anyway, she turns back to her usual daytime programming to see that Harley has stabbed the Unknown Soldier and waited until juuuuuust the right moment to whisper into his earpiece. Although at the rate she's getting through her sentences she probablt could. have. started. five. minutes. ago.
 |
| Harley didn't take to losing at Scrabble kindly. |
So Harley escapes her cell, kills either some luckless random guards or the guards Waller sent to get her and runs off to bean Waller from behind. I feel like Waller should have been more en guard than that but I guess Harley's got better/faster reflexes. Still, it does feel like Waller saw Harley behind her and just didn't even try to dodge.
Harley releases Deadshot from his time out cell - sure was handy all the controllers were remote and she didn't have to be in the room itself! Also way lucky that Deadshot didn't lose an eye. Anyway, Deadshot wreaks havoc but in such terrible fashion. First he kills some random guards by saying he's a doctor - a line that really should have been used for Harley - then he encounters the Unknown Soldier and for some reason gets him to agree to a hand to hand battle. This is stupid because the Soldier is wounded and carrying a gun, while Deadshot is unarmed - or so the Soldier thinks, and really, why on earth should he trust Deadshot?
They get into a brief scuffle, Deadshot wins, then HE gets conked from behind. Does no-one watch their heinies no more?
Brief interlude of Harley discovering the joy of drones, between her psycho-analysis of Waller.
I would have liked this scene a lot better if it didn't include the line about Harley's... feels.
Is it supposed to throw Waller off balance, like a psychological misdirection? Was it a line the writers thought was cool but had no where else to put? It just seems out of place.
The colour scheme is a bit dramatic as well, like I see what they're going for but it just makes me think of Jack'o'Lanterns. Also the tri-colour scheme makes a lot of background detail conveniently go away.
Gordon Jr. eventually makes his way back up to Waller and gets Harley in his sights.
It's pretty vague what Harley was waiting for. I mean, was it just Deadshot? Do these two speak for the whole gang and the rest of the gang don't get a say? Hahahahahahahahaha um yeah, yeah that's pretty much it!
The next few pages felt monotonous to get through. Harley getting all confused about Gordon Jr accepting her job offer that she never formally offered him in the first place was stupid. And if her whole plan was to get Waller to listen and agree to her plan, why would she want Gordon Jr to kick her off the roof?
 |
| The eyes have it. Apparently. |
Also there's some sort of hacking backstory that no one really cares about and probably isn't related to O.M.A.C. in any way.
The Short End of the Jester Schtick
Now when I first read this comic way back when, I realised it was a bit of a turning point but I didn't care for it. Having re-read it again just now, all the symmetry sticks out a bit more - the constant focus on eyeballs, people asking each other to trust them, heads being busted from behind and people running down long hallways with crazy long arms and legs all akimbo etc.
 |
| If you've got time to enunciate each word like that, you could at least spell them right! |
I also was so over Harley Quinn being made to be the kewl, hip, quirky 'bad ass' with annoying phrases that I over looked - maybe willingly - how in character she was by seeing through the deceptions, analysing the problem and taking action to improve everyone's situation. Maybe a bit more blood thirsty than Classic Harley would have been but still, effective.
This issue also showed how useful Gordon Jr could be instead of playing his Waller-affection for laughs. Speaking of laughs, there were a couple of scenes where I think the writers were trying to be funny but failed. Like Waller's password being "Shallow Hal" - geddit, because of her New52 body??
It was nice to see an end to the constant petty bickering between Waller and the Squad. Like, the bombs are good and all but at the end of the day you have to appeal to what the villain wants. The best for THEMSELVES. What can they get out of it? They're selfish pricks and don't respond well to general threats. I mean, a large chunk of them probably became villains because 'the man' was keeping them down. Then again, they are villains and shouldn't be treated well. Balancing this stuff is hard.
I am really enjoying Harley in pants. She just looks so much more clown like and the outfit flows so much better. Speaking of clown like.. she smiles a lot more but her eyes are dead inside... just like a real clown! ....Ooof.
Wotta Comedian!
Deadshot: Can't believe we kept Waller alive. But the deal is worth it. Eleven months and we are free. Free of the Suicide Squad.
Harley: Waller! I put on my hunting suit!
Harley: Come over. We can have a tickle party.
Waller: Did you plan this?
Harley: The bondage thing? Not really.
Cheetah: Hey, handsome! Let me out!
Deadshot: Can I trust you, Cheetah?
Cheetah: Yes. Definitely.
Deadshot: That's what my first wife said. G'Bye.
Gordon Jr: Soldier? Are you all right? Soldier? Oh well.
Harley: Ooops. I think I just crashed one of your drones into a U.S. army helicopter? Sorry.
Harley: Are you quitting our company?
Gordon Jr: You are not right in the brain.
Harley: Says the loon.
Harley: Are you a reasonable loon?
Gordon Jr: Yes. I swear. On my sister's grave.
Deadshot: Cheetah! Help!
Cheetah: Seriously?
Bonus Panels!
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