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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 20, 2022 16:28:51 GMT -5
pps JEB Stuart is a lieutenant in the Haunted Tank stories and it is unlikely he would have risen to general, by the end of the war. Dick Winters, with all that Easy Company did (see Band of Brothers), only rose to the rank of major, by the end of the war. Truman was president from 1945 to 1952; so, at best, Stuart might have been a full bird colonel. Leave it to a civilian writer!
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2022 17:48:48 GMT -5
Deadshot #1-4Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Luke McDonnell-art, Tim Harkins-letters, Juliana Ferriter-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Kim Yale joins the team, co-writing with husband John Ostrander. Yale had written for Tim Truman's New America series, at Eclipse, and was co-writing Manhunter. She also did a bit of writing on Grimjack and the Munden's Bar back-up stories, at First Comics. Tim Harkins also joins, from Eclipse, where he had lettered and did a bit of art, on Truman's Scout and related titles. Truman got his big break working on Grimjack, with John Ostrander and they remained good friends. Yale is a decidedly under-rated writer and editor and largely forgotten, these days. Too often she was dismissed as hanging on Ostrander's coattails, which he will be the first to tell you that was total BS. She was a terrific writer, in her own right and a very funny lady, who died way too young, from breast cancer. I met her once, when she sat next to me, in the audience, of a panel at Gen Con. Smart as a whip and full of energy and a playful spirit. Just a wonderful human being. I later met Ostrander and we talked about her, for a few minutes and he shared a story about her and a rather evangelical neighbor. Yale was dealing with breast cancer and the neighbor would kind of bother her about his view of Christianity and the afterlife, though in an encouraging and friendly way. Kim was tolerant and listened; but also had her own ideas and a spirituality beyond just the Judeo-Christian tradition. The friend was talking about Heaven, in his view and Kim asked him if Gandhi was in his Heaven. he replied "no," since Gandhi wasn't a Christian, though acknowledged he was a good person who did great things, in the name of peace. Kim responded, "Then I don't want to go to your Heaven. I don't want to be in any place that would not accept Gandhi." That was pretty much the end of the neighbor trying convert her to his denomination and views. Never attacked him, never got heated; just gave him pause for thought about the narrowness of his vision and moved on. Ostrander also wrote about her spirit, during her cancer treatment, which included two separate mastectomies. At the first one, she wrote a note on the healthy breast, to the surgeon, that it was "the other one." When they had to come for the second, she wrote another note, saying it was the one left. She used to walk the wards of the hospital, as she recovered, in a pair of Godzilla slippers, which had a sound mechanism that gave the roar when you stepped down on it (saw those in a gift shop, once). The doctors and nurses (and quite a few patients) loved her. Yale was the driving force behind developing Barbara Gordon into Oracle (along with John) and Yale wrote her origin, for Batman Chronicles #5 ("Oracle: year One). She passed away in 1997, at age 43. Too damn young. F@#% cancer! Synopsis: Issue #1 A woman comes into a rundown apartment building and knocks on the Super's door. She asks for Floyd Lawton and he tells her it's just a letter drop for Lawton. She leaves a note to pass on to him and the Super asks who she is. Floyd is sitting in a bar, where he meets up with Silas, aka Silage, an old prison acquaintance. They catch up and Lawton remarks that all of the "old gang" are dead. Silas has a job for Lawton, as a criminal, known as El Jefe, is looking for a major hitman. They go to meet him. They are observed by Rick Flag and Sarge Steel. This is an undercover operation, aimed at taking out El Jefe. Meanwhile, Belle Reve therapist Marnie Herrs reflects on Lawton's background... She is confronted by Simon La Grieve, who questions her objectivity in wanting to get into Lawton's past and his relationship with women. He reminds her of the incident where she pressed Lawton on his ex-wife and son and it leads to a confrontation and a kiss. She takes a leave of absence to avoid oversight, while she pries into Lawton's past, trying to track down the ex-wife. Silas brings Deadshot to the meet; but, it is a test, with an informant brought out for Deadshot to kill. Without hesitation he kills the man with a single coup de grace headshot. Steel and Flag hear, via a body-mic, but Steel assures Flag they didn't have a man on the inside. Flag says t wouldn't have mattered to Lawton. Lawton demands to see El Jefe or he walks and they agree. Later, he and Silas board a Lear Jet and meet El Jefe. He tells Deadshot that tghe plane is pressurized, so no one can shoot him without killing themselves. Deadshot immediately shoots him, then puts two more in his chest and a pair into the fuselage. The contact gets sucked out in the explosive decompression. He then tells Silas that he was the last of the "old gang" that Lawton tracked down and killed, then finishes him off. He then blows another hole in the fuselage, which propels him out of the aircraft, where he is intercepted by Black Orchid and returned to Belle Reve for the mission debriefing. it is there that he receives the letter from his ex-wife he tells Waller he is taking leave and she starts to argue and he tells her to stuff it. He served his time and takes his missions on his choice and he walks out, unmolested. Issue 2 We open with Floyd arriving at a small house. He sees his ex-wife again and learns why she contacted him. Their son has been kidnapped from school and a voice said he would be released, when Deadshot finished a job he started 20 years ago. Deadshot leaves to handle things, his way. We cut to a seedy looking building, and Eddie Lawton, sitting on a bunk bed. Someone named Wes comes in and sits next to him, trying to be friendly. he is interrupted by his brother, Danny, who yells at him and kicks him out, saying he promised their ma that he would get help for Wes. We then cut to a town called Lawton, a place buily, named and owned by Floyd's father. Marnie Herrs is there to meet him; and, after a frustrated period, is finally granted an audience. he is wheelchair-bound and says his sons, plural, are dead. He introduces her to the sheriff, who he informs her would kill her and dump her on his orders. he tells the sheriff to run her out of town. The sheriff tells her, as they leave the Lawton estate, that she might have been killed, in past, but not by him. However, the sooner she is gone, then the sooner Lawton will forget about her. He says the best way to do that is to answer her questions and invites her for a cup of coffee. At an attorney's office (Phillip Schales), Deadshot turns up and asks where his kid is. Schales is involved and tells Deadshot all he has to do is finish a 20 year-old contract. Otherwise, the boy will be given to Uncle Wes, the sort you don't leave little boys with. Deadshot tells him to put his hands on his desk, palms down.... He gives Schales a warning to pass on...they are messing with the wrong person. Marnie and Sheriff Truscott talk, over coffee, at a diner. Floyd's mother still lives, but she moved out of the big house and lives in a small house, near the edge of town. Lawton pays her a subsistence pension. No divorce, just a physical separation and no contact. She doesn't receive visitors. He tells Marnie about Floyd's brother, Edward. Golden boy, smart and athletic, loved by all. Floyd lived in his shadow. Edward was everyone's hero, Floyd became their villain. The old man was shot by a sniper, from long range. First shot hit him in the spine and crippled him. Edward protected him and took the second shot, between the eyes. Floyd is the likely sniper. Elsewhere, Schales' attorney and subordinate turns up at the hospital and is ordered to get the police detective away from Schale. The detective is questioning Schales' account and why someone, obviously Deadshot, shot him in both hands. Schales' lackey gets them out, then receives orders to contact a warehouse and telly Danny to move to an alternated location and set Pantha loose to kill Lawton. The lackey starts to question, but a few choice yells shuts him up. Danny gets the call and tells Pantha to be ready for Lawton. Pantha recites poetry, about hunting and violence. The lackey meets Lawton, in the parking garage and Lawton holds his weapons on him and he gives up the location of the warehouse and about Pantha. He asks if Lawton will kill him. Lawton says he will if anything happens to the kid, then shoots the lackey, saying he won't have to worry about him warning the kidnappers. Danny and Wes take Eddie in a car, with others in a convoy, as security. Pantha remains to wait for Deadshot. Wes calls Eddie a "nice boy." Issue 3 Marnie tries to see Floyd's mother and is rebuffed. The sheriff makes a play for Marnie, saying she isn't being objective. She tells the sheriff about her sister, who committed suicide. She is trying to prevent Floyd from doing the same and feels that if she can crack his shell, she can find a way to make him care about living. He takes her to meet someone who can tell her what she needs to knw and says it is time for the truth to come out. Danny and Wes arrive at a new location, with a small aircraft nearby. Danny gives orders and tells Wes to keep his hands off of Eddie. Deadshot arrives at the previous location and dons his mask. Pantha waits. He has a tape recorder on a remote and plays a message. Deadshot shoots out the fusebox (should be a breaker box; but, whatever). The lights go out and Pantha scans the room, through a telescopic sight. He then turns back to where the tape recorder is and gets shot by Deadshot and falls off the catwalk, where he was positioned. Lawton sends a message that anyone who tries to get to him through his kid is dead and delivers the coup de grace to Pantha. Deadshot next turns up at the new location and comes through the window. He hits Danny and he yells to Wes to take the kid. Wes runs out with Eddie, then slaps him and knocks him unconscious, when he tries to resist. he speeds away, as Deadshot deals with the security, killing all of them. He question's Danny, who taunts him with remarks about Wes and says he is dead anyway. Lawton finishes him off, then goes looking for someone who knows where Wes will take Eddie. Marnie meets with Mr Bartholomew, the Lawton butler, as arranged by Sheriff Truscott. He tells her that the parents didn't treat Floyd well, as he wasn't Edward, the Golden Boy. however, Floyd also doted on Edward and Edward is the only one who defended Floyd. It was rumored that Mrs Lawton hired the sniper to kill her husband, to whom she remained married, as a sort of revenge. Marnie asks Bartholomew if Floyd was the sniper and he asks what she think, before their conversation ends. Marnie is determined to see Mrs Lawton again, and get the answers out of her. Elsewhere, Wes is shaking Eddie, trying to wake him up and panicking. Then, Deadshot turns up. He asks Wes his name, then knee-caps him. Wes tries to plead, as Deadshot shoots him in the shoulder. He lays blame on Danny and cries out for him. Deadshot tells him he is dead, and finally stops playing with Wes. Deadshot then vows to end it all, with the "slut" who started it all...........his mother! Issue 4 Marnie sneaks into Mrs Lawton's house, via a window. She is caught by Genevieve Pitt Lawton, at gunpoint. She remarks that she is as good a shot as her son. She threatens to either have Marnie arrested or shhot her as an intruder. Marnie calls her bluff.... Mrs Lawton gives in and they go to the kitchen to make a pot of tea. Schales is taken from the hospital by his Lackey, who was only put asleep, by a tranquilizer bullet. He tells Schales that Lawton killed everyone and it is all falling apart. He stops in a wooded area and berates Schales, before shooting him. Schales reveals that Mrs Lawton was behind everything. The lackey calls out to Daedshot, who kills him with a headshot, from a distance. He then goes for his last target. Marnie and Mrs Lawton talk and Marnie lays out the scenario she believes, that Genevieve wanted her husband dead and fanned the flames of hatred in Floyd, to do it. he shot his father and Edward reacted and was killed, possibly by accident. Mrs Lawton says she is mere guessing and won't confirm, except that Floyd did shoot his father and Edward reacted to the gunshot, grappled with Floyd and the gun went off, killing Edward. Mr Lawton remained alive and punished his wife by refusing a divorce and forcing her to live in a tiny home, with only enough to get by. They are interrupted by Deadshot. He tells his mother that her grandson is dead and that she is next, that her scheme didn't work. He then tells Marnie what really happened. It wasn't just Floyd who Genevieve tried to turn into a murderer; it was Edward. He was set to do it, after tales of their father's infidelities. Floyd tried to warn his father and was locked in a boathouse, by Edward. he got out and took a rifle he stored there. The house was lock and he had to climb a tree. he spotted Edward shooting their father, through a window. He tried to shoot Edward in the arm, but the branch gave way and the shot was altered, hitting Edward in the ear and killing him. They concocted the story of the sniper to cover it up, which not everyone believed, but no one made any noise about it. Floyd says his mother tried to get him to finish the job now, then Marnie reveals that she was trying to get him to kill her, to end her suffering and that she is the root of Floyd's fatalism. She wants to die and manipulated her son into killing her, acting in revenge. Deadshot lifts his arm away. Genevieve erupts, calling him spineless and yelling for him to leave. he then shoots her in the back, but doesn't kill her. She is crippled, like her husband. Marnie yells for Floyd to leave and return to Belle Reve. She then turns to the stricken Genevieve and tells her how it will play out... She will call the police, saying she found Genevieve like this. Genevieve will not mention Floyd, saying she doesn't know who shot her. In return, she will not rot in prison, paralyzed, for the attempted murder of Mr Lawton and the death of her grandson. She agrees. Sheriff Truscott responds and tells Marnie about the dead bot and questions her knowledge of Deadshot's whereabouts. She denies any knowledge and he gives up; but, tells her to remain available. later, Amanda Waller and Simon La Grieve discuss the situation. Belle Reve confirmed that Deadshot was incarcerated the entire time and it was a copycat killer. Waller doesn't like being an accessory, but can't risk the exposure. They debate the justification for El Jefe's murder vs Lawton's actions. Mostly, Waller covered for Marnie. Marnie tries to continue sessions with Floyd, but he tells her there is no cure. He is what he is and some cures only come in death. Marnie argues he is to afraid to change and he walks away from her. Thoughts: More than anything, this mini-series served to establish Deadshot as a popular character, a sort of anti-hero. The groundwork had been laid in Suicide Squad; but, this is really where it happened. There was a sort fo start in the Steve Englehart & Marshall Rogers run, on Detective; but, more in Rogers' design of Deadshot's updated costume. prior to that story, Deadshot had a single appearance, back in 1950. Back then, he was dressed as a gunslinger, who fought criminals, until he was exposed as a criminal, using the crimefighting to cover up his own crimes. Englehart built on that, having Lawton swipe the Penguin's gimmick monocle to break out of prison and try to kill Batman, to establish himself as a major assassin. he fails and is caught. The basic underpinnings of the character weren't drastically improved, just his costuming and aim. He was made into a tougher character. However, he continued to be mostly a gimmick character. After a few pre-Crisis appearances (mostly in 1982), he turned up for a cameo, in Crisis, then as part of the new suicide Squad, in Legends. John Ostrander is really the writer, along with Kim Yale, who turned Deadshot into a complex and interesting character. Here, we learn that Floyd Lawton had the wealthy life we knew about, but that it was a hellish existence, devoid of love, except from his older brother. In the end, Floyd talks about deserving to die, as, inside, he can't forgive himself for killing his brother, the only person he cared about and who cared about him. He really is just marking time until someone kills him, though he has a strong survival instinct that is at odds with his death wish. He wants to die; but, he wants to go down in a fight and will not make it easy. In his mind, it means he is punished more, because he is denied that death. Just like his father, just like his mother. John Ostrander has always been good with female characters; but, the presence of Kim Yale really helps to get inside the heads of Marnie Herrs and Genevieve Lawton. Floyd's ex-wife, as well, as much as she is there. She brings a real feminine perspective to the story as Marnie isn't just in love with a bad boy; she is trying to rescue someone because she feels she failed to save her sister. She isn't seeking danger, but restitution. if she can save Floyd, then she has paid back the debt she feels for the loss of her sister. The problem is, Floyd doesn't want to be saved. He has nothing to live for, especially with the death of his son. What really set this apart from other anti-heroes, like the Punisher or Deathstroke (though DC sure didn't market it that way), is that Ostrander and Yale get more into the complex psychological make-up of the character, rather than just a pulpy motivation for their actions. Punisher has always been just a thin copy of Mack Bolan, even copying his origin. He was a villain, before the Reagan 80s made a hero out of him, as he was redefined as an instrument of Justice, rather than a vigilante killer. It was the same phenomena that drove the popularity of Death Wish and Dirty Harry films and media coverage of Bernard Goetz. It was an Old testament "eye for an eye." Deadshot, though, demonstrates that there is not anything noble in killing the "right targets;" just death. Lawton isn't redeemed. He still wants to die; he just wants it to be worth it. Until then, he continues serving his time in jail. Life is his prison and his death will be his release from it. He isn't avenging anyone. He is putting himself into the most dangerous situations in hope of death. He doesn't mourn anyone, he just punishes himself. He never turns into a hero; he is just a killer. The character was greatly altered for the Suicide Squad film, given a live daughter with whom he wants to reunite. Really, the film had little to do with the original, though Ostrander voiced support. I doubt he expected them to really do anything like what he had done, in the comics. I think his support had more to do in how Amanda Waller has been handled, vs the Suicide Squad. Personally, I thought the Arrow series did a much better job of capturing Ostrander's characters and work, much as the warner tv shows have had much better writing and depth than the films. It's a better format for adapting serialized stories and for character development. There is also less catering to a star's ego in the script and filming, as was done with Deadshot, to better fit Will Smith's image. There was no follow up to this, aside from Deadshot's continued use in Suicide Squad; but, it greatly raised his profile and solidified his character as one that a lot of people wanted to use. The art is McDonnell's usual; but, since this revolves more around gritty street-level crime, it is better suited to his style than some of the Squad's missions. McDonnell's art suited the darker nature of the Squad; but, he struggled with more fantastic characters and excelled when the plot was more about infiltration and assassination. The main other work of his that really fit his art style was his work on DC's one year(ish) run with The Phantom, in the regular series (which was preceded by the mini-series, from Peter David and Joe Orlando). The dark environment of the Jungle and the streets of the capital of Bangalla. It wasn't Sy Barry, but it felt more modern than the newspaper strip, of the time period. I still prefer Don newton and Jim Aparo; but, McDonnell was right behind them, for the comic book Phantom. Next: back to the regular series.
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Post by MDG on Apr 4, 2022 18:31:35 GMT -5
This is one of the few original pages I regret selling.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 23, 2022 14:26:32 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #20Boomer may be in trouble! Creative Team: John Ostrander-writer, Luke McDonnell-pencils, Robert Lewis-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Synopsis: Captain Boomerang is busy pulling jobs, while disguised as Mirror Master, using his gimmicks. He has avoided anything in the French Quarter of New orleans, since he is living ther; but, can't resist the allure of two drunken fools in a blind alley. he goes to tumble them and it turns out they are undercover cops. The mirror gimmicks have them flummoxed, until higher class talent decides to interfere.... ...in the form of Manhunter. The cops aren't happy about a masked bounty hunter pinching their collar and Boomerang doesn't want to land in jail and be exposed and end up back in belle Reve, with an exploding bracelet. He tries a gimmick; but, Manhunter has fused his circuits and he is helpless. Manhunter bundles up "mirror Master," to haul him off to Belle Reve, while the cops curse. Hey, there is such a thing as "due process." It's in the Constitution! Manhunter hogties MM (the gag doesn't seem necessary, though), throws him in a van and heads for Belle Reve. He calls in and gets the word that there is a mission on tap, if he is interested and they want his pigeon for it. Next thing you know, Mirror Master is face to face with The Wall! So, it's bracelet time again, as MM accepts the deal, though Boomer drops another load when he hears Waller order Flo to get ahold of "Boomerbutt." Waller briefs them on the mission. They are being tasked to take down The Loa, an organized crime family that mixes in voodoo, possibly in fact, at least as an affectation. Mark Shaw tells Waller to pound sand; he works freelance and doesn't like the mission. Waller tells Flo to call Black Orchid if they can't locate Boomerang and set her on his trail. Mirror Master slips away to Boomerang's quarters to switch into civies and figure a way out. he has to disguise the wrist bomb and comes up with a plan.... Waller wants a second opinion and Boomerang starts rehearsing "Mr Bojangles," because he needs to do some fancy tap dancin'! He is on Flag's team, Boomerang is assigned to Nightshade's team. Mirror Master is there when Flag's team enters the cemetary, then slips away and changes and crosses to the other end, to join Nightshade's team, as Captain Boomerang. The enter to link up with Flag, at Marie Laveau's tomb. He then slips away again, dons the MM gear and finds Nemesis, who appears to have been turned into a zombie. Flag intercepts and tells MM to get out. He runs into Duchess, who yells at him because the zombie attack came from the sector he was supposed to be searching. nemesis and a newly zombified Flag attack and Duchess holds them off, while she sends MM to reach the other team. He runs and Digger decides he's leaving the scene, entirely. problem is, he runs into the main zombie force and decides that Nightshade might be of help. One fast change and it's off to rejoin that group. This is sounding like an episode of Gilligan's Island. Boomerang tries to warn them, but runs into one of the Loa's houngans. Then, he sees it is too late and is surrounded by zombies. Sounds like certain rallies. Boomer is trapped, half in his own costume, half in mirror Master's and wholly in deep voodoo poodoo! Boomer tries to leg it and runs into zombie Duchess. he tries the other way and runs into the houngan. He ends up on all fours and finds out how deep the pile actually is, when he meets the boos of the Loa... Amanda Waller! It was all a trick to catch Boomer out and everyone volunteered to join. Goodbye swanky apartment, goodbye freedom, hello constant suicide missions or end up as a lifer in Belle Reve. They get word of new Mirror Master robberies, in Spokane and he begs off credit (this would be the Glaswegian one, I assume). then we see someone slip away and report in to the real head of the Loa, which actually is a crime family, who fed the legend to the Squad to cover their own tracks, planting a truth within a lie, to get the authorities to believe it is just a legend.... Thoughts: This was fun! A nice change of pace from the usual deathly stuff or depressing character histories (this is not a happy bunch). Ostrander has been slowly feeding us Boomerang's con and we have been waiting to see if Waller catches on. Well, she did and it is played beautifully, as she pulls her own con on him. Picture the FBI raid, at the end of The Sting and you get the idea. Ostrander also plants a future story in there, as we learn there really is a Loa and they are a danger. This would have made a much better movie than either of the ones we got; but, I could say that about most of the stories in the series. Well, except for the Millennium tie-ins; that whole thing should be buried and forgotten. Nice to see Ostrander continue making Manhunter into a character worth following. Too bad his own book kind of lost the thread, after a little while. Shaw's mask and suit (and baton) were good gimmicks and the idea of a super-villain bounty hunter was great. The issues that were done as action films were awesome, especially the 4 issue opener, with Dumas. Then, it kind of stumbled around a bit. it didn't help that Invasion interrupted things. The original concept would make a great tv series and I had that hope, when I heard Mark Shaw's name used in Arrow; but, he was just cannon fodder and not even Manhunter. Luke McDonnell gets to lighten up a bit and he handles the comic timing well, especially Boomerang's attempts to stay ahead. The staging off the reveal is perfect. Next, we get back to the problem of Senator Cray and his blackmail.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 13, 2022 15:09:35 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #21Creative Team: John Ostrander-writer, Luke McDonnell-pencils, Karl Kesel-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Synopsis: In Washington DC, Amanda meets with Dexter Tolliver, to aid Senator Cray in his re-election bid. Amanda has delayed things as much as possible; but, she has a direct presidential order to aid Tolliver (which is a violation of Government regulations which prevent government agencies to aid in political campaigns) and Tolliver is blackmailing her with the potential public exposure of Task Force X. Tolliver lays it on the table: the only way to ensure the senators election is to eliminate his opponent... Amanda is to remain in his office and relay the orders to Rick Flag and stay until word is received that the job is finished. Amanda doesn't take well to ultimatums and delivers a metaphorical middle finger..... She presents Tolliver with his own secrets, which he wouldn't like to have revealed, publicly. He tries a bluff; but Waller has all the cards and walks out of his office. Back at Belle Reve, Rick Flag answers a knock on his door. it is Nightshade and she confronts him about his increasing distance from everyone and his survivor's guilt, which is driving it. She brings up his father and he turns defensive, but she isn't having it... She tries to get through to him, but he brushes her off, saying he has to attend to a private mission. Eve leaves and decides to confront Waller about giving Flag a mission; but, she is interrupted by June Moon... Eve tries to stop her; but, June shoots her. She seems to regain control of her faculties, when she sees what she has done, like she was possessed. Security sees the event on the monitors and a guard scrambles to intercede. He arrives to find the confused June, holding a weapon and he aims his weapon at her and tells her to drop the pistol. June turns to face him, still holding the gun in front of her and he fires in response. She goes down with multiple hits in the chest and the guard calls for medics. Waller has returned to Belle Reve and, as she walks down the corridor, is hit in the face with a pie, with no one around. She storms into the operations room, demands a towel and Captain Boomerang in front of her, pronto! Digger is hailed and he comes in, wondering hat the ruckus is, but pauses at the door, as he hears someone call his name and he is hit with a pie! he thinks it was all a set-up and storms off. Waller realizes he is innocent; but, doesn't have time to investigate the joker. She gets a situation report on the shooting... The guard had non-lethal rounds, so June is fine, but sedated. Eve is being prepped for emergency surgery. Dr La Grieve says June has snapped, after her powers were yanked out of her. Waller switches to surgery and is told that Eve refuses to be put under, until she speaks to Waller. The doctor tells Amanda to get down there, stat! Amanda does and Eve lays into her about giving Flag a mission, in his mental state. Amanda knows nothing of the mission. Eve relays what he said, about a mission to save the Squad. The doctor, who turns out to be Amanda's sister, intercedes and puts Eve under. Waller goes to find out what Flag is up to. A quick check reveals Flag signed out a fighter jet and has departed, with no flight plan. Waller sets Flo to trying to track the plane; but, she has a feeling in her gut where Flag is headed. In Washington, Tolliver makes an appointment with Senator Cray, to meet, at 11:00 pm, at the Lincoln Memorial. He pretends that Waller is playing ball and grabs his pistol, to silence Cray, since he knows he will try to expose the Squad, in revenge and that would sink Tolliver, with him ending up in prison, for whatever Waller discovered and presented in the file. He is interrupted on his way to the meeting, by Rick Flag.... Thoughts: Great issue, though the pie business sounds like Ostrander had been reading Steve Gerber's Defenders issues. Waller trumps Tolliver, in the game of blackmail; but, a mentally unstable Rick Flag has upended things, taking matters into his own hands. he carries a deep guilt about surviving the previous squad and in surviving his family. As he says to Eve, the Squad is all he has and he intends to protect it, by murdering Tolliver and Senator Clay, to keep their secret. He intends to go down, in the process, sacrificing himself, needlessly, to keep the cover on Task Force X. Who would of thought that Flag would turn out to be the loose cannon of the team? Meanwhile, June Moon appears to be under the influence of the Enchantress personality, suggesting she was as much a manifestation of June's mind as she was of the powers that June discovered. Nightshade plucked those powers out of her, which had been June's goal, to rid herself of Enchantress; but, the loss of part of her self has driven her further into her psychoses and Enchantress has taken control of her mind, to regain the powers. She shoots Eve to release them, but is interrupted. Now the question is, will Eve survive and will Enchantress continue to try to steal her powers back? The issue's title is "Rogues," which is the perfect title, because its theme is members of the Squad going rogue. Flag has "gone off the reservation" to silence Tolliver and Cray, for good and June has taken her situation into her own hands, to steal back her dark power. The introduction of Amanda's older sister, as the doctor is a nice touch and adds a moment of levity to a very serious issue, as she isn't intimidated by Amanda. You know something is up when she first tells Amanda to "..get your butt on down here!" The scene ends with Amanda swearing never to hire family, again. Ostrander is such a great writer, as he infuses the characters with real personalities and deftly mixes ligter and dark moments, always in service to the characters and stories. Too bad none of that makes it into the films; but, you know, Hollywood writes better than those comic book people. Nice to have Karl Kesel back, as he helps soften McDonnell, a little. He still adds very harsh features to the women and fashion isn't his forte, as judged by any of the characters. There is a certain timelessness about it, since he ignores 80s fashion trends, completely; but, at the same time, a Washington high flyer like Tolliver should not look like he dresses like a low level news reporter. I think the problem is that too many comic book artists never really learn how to draw clothing, though at least McDonnell doesn't make the guys look like bodybuilders, squeezed into a suit, even if he can't do a fancier cut, for the suit. Someone could at least give him a JC Penny catalog, to draw more believable casual wear, for the female characters. Eve looked like a suburban soccer mom and June looks like she was getting ready to tend bar, in a gay nightclub. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with either look for the character; but, it just feels "off." Our second year is heading towards its climax.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 25, 2022 15:44:18 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #22Creative Team: John Ostrander-writer, Luke McDonnell-pencils, Karl Kesel-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Synopsis: Rick Flag has gone rogue and has shot Derek Tolliver and is gunning for Sen Cray, despite Amanda Waller already negating Tolliver's threats. Tolliver was shot as he was about to head out to meet Cray, to silence him, as he knew he couldn't be trusted to keep the Squad secret, despite Waller's blackmail. Also, June Moon shot Nightshade, trying to reclaim her powers as Enchantress. Waller briefs the team. She tells them that Flag has "gone off the reservation" and then tells them about Tolliver and Cray, reminding them that Tolliver was also responsible for the faulty intel in the Russia mission, that landed Nemesis in a Soviet jail. he isn't happy about that. She tells them to stop Flag, by any means necessary... The heroes balk; but, Waller plays her next card, reminding them that they are the only chance of brining Flag in alive, as the villains won't quibble about shooting him. Meanwhile, Duchess has cryptic thoughts which suggest at her real motivation for being with the Squad (she is, as you will recall, actually Lashina, of the Female Furies, of which Waller is aware). We are reminded that Deadshot is just returned from his solo mini-series, where his son was killed. Simon LaGrieve warns Waller about his mental state and she says he goes. LaGrieve tells Waller it is on her head. Meanwhile, the police are at the crime scene and the head officer finds a carbon of the memo that Tolliver was writing. Unbeknownst to him, his partner has picked up the original, to sell to the media, to pay for an operation for his daughter. The memo discusses the Squad. In Washinton, Bronze Tiger gives assignments; but, the villains head off on their own, to hunt Flag and deliver some payback. he sends Nemesis to get in touch with federal contacts, Vixen to literally sniff around for Flag, and the others to search by air. They have to find Flag before Deadshot, Duchess and Boomerang do. The media that receives the story turns out to be The Daily Planet.... Perry White wants corroboration before he runs the story. Wow, ethics in journalism;' how quaint! Nemesis passes on the word about Tolliver's death. Vixen heads to the office to pick up Flag's scent. Cray is dropped off at the Lincoln memorial, for his meeting. He plans on retaining his seat, regardless of the outcome of the election.... Nemesis is on Flag's trail, but feels he owes Flag, for getting him out of the Soviet Union. Flag confronts Cray, determined to kill him; but, he is interrupted by Deadshot, who informs him of his orders... Deadshot kills him; but, he is delusional.... He believes he has killed his father and saved his brother. He tells Flag to get out of there. The police arrive and converge on Deadshot, who tells them to bring it on and fires at them. He goes down in a hail of bullets. One of the cops says a man is still alive and it turns out to be Deadshot. Waller visits him in the hospital and tells him to get better, so she can kill him. Most people just send a card or some flowers; maybe a comic book. Flag has gone to ground and the Daily Star's revelations that the Squad employs super-villains is knocked off the front page by an alien Invasion, which takes precious time away from real stories, because this is the era of the mega-crossover. At least it isn't Millennium, this time. Thoughts: Tense issue, highlighting Ostrander's writing. He skillfully plants clues that Deadshot will be the one to solve this, first by suggesting that Lawton is unstable, after the events of his mini-series (via Simon LaGrieve); then, by having Deadshot refer to Flag as "Eddie", when he has him in his sights, at the Lincoln Memorial. Deadshot believes he is trying to stop his brother from being manipulated by their mother, to kill his father, again. Invasion interrupts things, next issue; but, only partially, as we see more fallout from this issue. Also, Kim Yale joins husband John Ostrander on the writing side, though she has been acting as a sub-editor, on his work, as he always got her input into his scripts. As if that wasn't enough, we also see a phoenix rise from the ashes of a bad editorial decision.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 11, 2022 15:54:13 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #23Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Luke McDonnell-pencils, Karl Kesel-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Kim Yale now officially joining husband John Ostrander on the series, though she had been reading and kibbitzing his scripts, previously. This issue is stuck in the middle of the Invasion crossover, so it gets bogged down in pointless combat with aliens. Synopsis: Waller is driving back to Belle Rieve and is losing her marbles, as she is talking to non-existent illusions of Rick Flag, Deadshot and Sen. Warren Eden, father of Nightshade. The jist of it is she is torturing herself with criticism of her own decisions, which led to Sen Cray and Derek Tollliver's deaths, Rick Flag being a wanted fugitive, the exposure of the Squad anyway and Sen Eden leading a Congressional Inquiry into the Task Force X program. Inside the prison, Ben Turner does his debriefing with Warden Economos, in the absence of Waller. He led a team of himself, Vixen and Duchess, along with the Rocket Reds and members of the New Guardians (still trying to salvage that mess) against an assault by the Okaaran Warlords and the Thanagarians..... What follows is mostly endless scenes of Vixen attacking people while channeling the strength of a gorilla, Duchess attacking a two-legged walker battle mech (without ewoks) with a gun and then inspiring Red Army soldiers to leave their defensive positions and charge the enemy, who turn out to be two Okaarans, taken down by Bronze Tiger. Unlike some of their contemporaries, John & Kim remind us that war is an ugly thing and people die. Sometimes, large populations of cities under attack.... Thankfully, we are spared further scenes of combat and, instead, have Economos confront Ben about his relationship with Flo and his developing relationship with Vixen. Ben says Flo made more out of things than there were and we cut to Flo, at the computer and John and Kim redeem a stupid decision, in one panel...... Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Oracle! Simon LaGrieve and Marnie confer over potential Squad replacements, including Dr Light, Punch & Jewlee and Count Vertigo; but, Marnie is too distracted and she ends up quitting. LaGrieve confides that he has also had enough. Nemesis visits Nightshade in the infirmary and learns of her increased power, as he shadows thingies nearly attack him, when he enters the room. He then relates a mission in Australia, with Captain Boomerang, fighting the alien invasion. After the fighting was over, Boomerang took them on a tour of Sydney and acted the local hero; but, the Ausies consider him an embarrassment and rumored to be a Yank pretending to be from Australia (like Mel Gibson? ) Nemesis smiles as a group tosses Digger into the harbor for his past bad PR (Boomerang was sort of the anti-Paul Hogan) and one of the locals offers to buy him a drink, since he helped turn away the aliens. After leaving the infirmary, Nemesis gets a pie in the face, from nowhere. Might have been thrown by an elf, with a gun; but, I didn't see one. Thoughts: Well, call this a salvage issue, for John and Kim (and Luke & Karl, Todd and Carl). As per usual, the summer is interrupted by some grandiose crossover that is better left isolated within the main mini-series (Crisis had more of a reason to spill over), though Invasion was better handled than Millennium, though not any more interesting than Legends. Invasion, for those who missed or forgot it, had an alien fleet attack the Earth, with alien races established in previous comics, including the Okaarans (from the New Teen Titans; the people who trained Starfire), the Khunds (from the Legion of Super Heroes), The Thanagarians (from Hawkman), the Dominators (LSH) and one or two more. Various heroes teamed up and fought off their attacks; but, the Dominators launch a "gene bomb," which sets of meta-genes across the globe, creating a whole new generation of super-powered people. The basis for the invasion was the existence of the meta-gene in humans, which made them a potential evolutionary threat; but, mostly gave DC its own mutants, to further ape X-Men. Most of the individual books were bogged down in out of continuity fights, before returning to original storylines, or were forced to continue the story through the invasion and acknowledge it in the background. It did no one any favors and added to the feeling among fans that crossovers were to be avoided, yet both DC and Marvel kept doing them, for some time to come. The salvage material here is that we get a prelude to coming storyline, as the Squad has been exposed and Congress is ticked off about their existence. They namedrop some villains for next issue and they are an interesting bunch: Dr Light, Punch & Jewlee and Count Vertigo. Light had been kind of ignored, since they tried to introduce the Japanese female Dr Light, in Crisis, but no one seemed to think much of her. Punch & Jewlee were from Charlton and Captain Atom and John & Kim describe them as yuppies with no sense of right or wrong, which sounds like they intend a bit of social satire about the greed culture of the 80s (which, if you ask me, did more damage to this planet than anything in its history). They also use the invasion to make some points about a war that occurred 40 years before, that engulfed the world. The Soviet Union is hit hard and loses many of its citizens, reminding us that the USSR, the "Evil Empire," helped fight off the bigger threat of Fascism and paid a hefty price, which tended to color relations with the West through the Cold War. There were more than a few who had been clamoring for WW3, to "show them Ruskies," but, thankfully, no one was that stupid, on either side. Gorbachev brought in a moderate stance in the USSR and tried to improve relations with the West and Chernobyl uncovered just how shaky the Soviet economy was. This led to a coup attempt, by hardliners, which was stared down by the populace and the Red Army, who refused to go along with it (at one stage, Gen Alexander Lebed, who led Soviet Airborne forces, had orders to both protect the Russian parliament from the coup and orders from the coup leaders to oust the defenders and arrest Boris Yeltsin). Further, the little Australian anecdote is a reminder of how dire Australia's situation was, in 1942, while the Japanese invaded New Guinea, in an attempt to isolate Australia from America, to prevent it from being a base to attack Japanese positions. During and after the war, American servicemen and women were treated quite well by the population of Australia. I heard stories in the Navy how US sailors were treated when they made port visits in Australia (though, at that time, they also dealt with anti-nuke protestors, who tended to be from the younger generation). Of course, Australia has always been noted for its hospitality. I had an uncle who spent several months there, on a government project and he loved his time there, though the rest of us were none too favorable towards the vegemite he brought back. Fosters is one thing, that is quite another! The biggest salvage effort here, though is with Oracle. Kim Yale, particularly, was not happy with DC deciding to make The Killing Joke a canonical story, rather than an "Elseworlds" alternate tale, as intended. So, Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, was actually shot and crippled by the Joker. Kim wasn't one to stew about it; she did something to fix it. Together, they dropped the self-pity and reminded us why Barbarag Gordon was a cool character: she used her brains more than her fists. So he body doesn't work right; so what? Her mind works perfectly and she uses her information gathering skills (true professional specialty of librarians) and becomes Oracle, an info conduit for the superhero community. One of the most valuable aspects of combat is intel and she provided that. Here, she acts as an info broker for the team, feeding them intel on their targets, independent of increasingly politicized government sources. That helps them fight real threats and not just politically expedient threats. Chuck Dixon would take it further, after then end of the Squad (originally) and has Oracle recruit operatives to go after targets, before Barbara Gordon was restored to being Batgirl, because DC had given up on trying to pass on legacies and just decided to cater to older generation fans, with Barry, Hal, Ollie and Barbara. I've always been of two minds on the trend of replacing the old heroes, followed by the trend of bringing them all back. Both had pluses and minuses; but, whatever the course, see it through. The yo-yoing did more to turn me off books then either of the two main decisions. Next time, we get to see the new recruits and the new mission (for 2 issues) then we get the Janus Directive. Oh.....boy........looking forward to that............
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 26, 2022 12:39:12 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #24Ah....3D cover! Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Luke McDonnell-pencils, Karl Kesel-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Synopsis: With Task Force X outed, Amanda Waller is subpoenaed to appear before a Congressional Committee. She should have worn a Marine Corps uniform...... Waller is asked questions about illegally selling missiles to Iran, in exchange for cash which was used to fund the Contras, in Nicaragua.....I mean about the Suicide Squad, which ran illegal covert operations inside and outside the US, without Congressional oversight, outside the jurisdiction of both the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense and the National Security Council. The head of the committee is Senator Warren Eden, father of Eve Eden, codename: Nightshade. Waller flashes back to a mission briefing, at Belle Reve. She knew that the committee couldn't subpoena members of the squad, if they were out on a mission; so, that is where she is sending them. Nemesis objects and tenders his resignation, effective immediately. Waller tries to intimidate him. Nemesis calls her bluff... He walks. Waller makes a parting threat and Nemesis tells her she gets one shot, then he comes for her. Waller continues with the briefing. The rules have changed; no more amnesty after successfully completing a mission. Instead, sentences are reduced for each mission undertaken, as an incentive to continue to do what she says. Their job is to go into the East African nation of Ogaden and rescue a nun, Sister Agnes Martinon, from rebels supporting deposed president Renamo. The area has been hit with harsh drought and famine and the sister spearheaded international relief efforts, which the Renamo guerrillas oppose (Gee, this all sounds familiar......) Bronze Tiger brings up the point that Sister Agnes may not want to leave, like in the USSR fiasco, with Firebird. Waller answers that Father Cramer (the prison chaplin) will accompany them as a go-between with the nun. We learn this is the only reason Nightshade is going on the mission, as she was ready to follow Nemesis. Waller tells them Warden Economos and Flo will finish the briefing, as she heads to Washington. before she leaves, Flo introduces her to Oracle..... She proposes to provide intel to the squad, but independent of control by Waller. Waller isn't having it and isn't happy that Flo couldn't trace her. She orders Flo to upload a computer virus to be fed to Oracle that will wipe out any Squad-related files. This is followed by Dr LaGrieve tendering his resignation, in an angry confrontation with Waller, about her use of unstable patients. He also tells her that marnie Herrs already quit, but it escaped Waller's notice. Waller makes threats, but is again called on her bluffs. The team sets off, comprised of Bronze Tiger, Dhade, Nightshade, Duchess, Captain Booemrang, Dr Light, Vixen, Shrike, Count Vertigo and Punch & Jewelee. Shrike has found God and is boring Vixen about it and Punch and Jewelle shock Father Cramer, with their antics. Also joining the team is Ravan, of the Jihad, who owes his life to Bronze Tiger, though he would rather die. Bronze Tiger and Vixen (who speaks swahili) do a recon and see the level of suffering among the people. They learn that the Renamos steal relief supplies to feed their army and use refugees as slave labor. An escapee made a crude map of the enemy camp. They assemble the team and move out. The come upon the sight and find it wiped out. Bronze Tiger has Sheba do aerial reconnaissance of the area. They look for survivors and signs of Sister Agnes. Nightshade finds a survivor and Sheba spots incoming bogies. Sheba lights up the incoming attackers and Shade, Shrike and Duchess unload on them. The rest join in for a savage battle... Vixen has learned that the government forces raided the camp and liberated Sister Agnes. However, they have kept it quiet, which is suspicious. Bronze Tiger thinks they may be trying to eliminate her, quietly, as an embarrassment and then blame the rebel Renamos. Tiger decides to carry on with the mission and locate and rescue Sister Agnes, even if it means taking on the entire army of Ogaden. Thoughts: Bang up issue, which sets the agenda for our third year. Waller's previous actions have come home to roost and she looks pretty impotent. Civilian staff have resigned and she can only make hollow threats. nemesis resigns and she makes more pointed threats; but, he isn't phased and knows she is in deep trouble. Waller has her back to the wall, which makes her extremely dangerous. The hearings are, at heart, a metaphor for the then-topical Iran-Contra Hearings, where the country learned of a secret CIA and National Security Council operation to sell weapons to Iran, despite Congressional bans, in exchange for cash that was filtered to fund the Contra insurgency in Nicaragua, as the CIA sought to regain control of the country, by reinstating the deposed Samosa regime, which mostly comprised the Contra ranks. The operations had been exposed when CIA contract pilot Eugene Hasenfus was shot down and captured, in Nicaragua, while piloting a supply run to Contra forces, sheltering in neighboring Honduras. Col Oliver North became a public figure during his televised testimony before the Committee, along with other members of the Reagan Administration National Security organization. North was later convicted of accepting illegal gratuities (as regulated by Government ethics standards), lying to Congress under oath, and destruction of government records. However, the convictions were overturned, upon appeal, due to a technicality about the original judge misinforming the jury about the criminality of the destruction of records and the possibility that his Fifth Amendment rights may have been violated by using his testimony, given under immunity from prosecution for acts revealed during the testimony. North became infamous for appearing in uniform, despite working daily in civilian attire. Critics claimed he was using the uniform to appear as a sympathetic hero, rather than someone who sold arms to an enemy of the US, in violation of the law, to fund further illegal operations in Latin America. I was a serving Naval officer and the general consensus among my peers was none too favorable of North, given who the weapons were sold to. It wasn't that long ago that a fleet was stationed in the Persian Gulf while American hostages were being held by Iranian students, with the blessing and assistance of the Iranian Revolutionary Government. Waller has operated the Squad without Congressional oversight or even with the chain of command within the Executive Branch. She reported solely, and secretly to the President. The opening scenes of the issue make it clear that the President had disavowed all knowledge of the Squad. This mirrors President Reagan's testimony that he had no knowledge of Iran-Contra, though revelations after he left office suggested that might have been true, as he showed signs of suffering memory and mental issues, which the First Lady may have helped hide from the government and the Cabinet (brining up the history of Pres Woodrow Wilson). This issue is just the introduction of the hearings, as it serves as a framing device for the story, as Waller is sitting in the meeting room, reflecting on launching the current operation. The operation is designed to cull public favor, by rescuing a Catholic nun, who has been a driving force for famine relief, in East Africa, who has been seized by rebel warlords. The successful rescue will put the Squad in a heroic light and curry public favor, which would likely influence the politicians on the committee. The mission, itself, reflects other then-current issues. The issue was published in January of 1989 and civil war and famine were major topics, in East Africa. Ethiopia had suffered under an intense famine, which coincided with civilian war, which killed over a third of the population. Images of starving people were broadcast around the world, leading to efforts to bring relief and aid, including Live Aid. However, the civil war made distributing food and medical assistance dangerous and inconsistent. A couple of years later, famine became a major issue in similarly conflicted Somalia, with food shipments and medical aid hijacked by warlords. This led to a US military operation to safeguard the relief aid and to stabilize the government. The mission began with CNN and other reporters standing on a beach, filming the peaceful arrival of US Marines, in landing craft, in the world's biggest staged photo op since MacArthur's return to the Philippines. The government and military efforts in the region turned into a debacle, as the US backed some shady characters and a prisoner snatch operation to grab a rival warlord and his cadre exploded into a running firefight through the city, as a Blackhawk helicopter was shot down and Delta Force and Ranger soldiers sought to rescue the pilots. The mission was a failure and the pilots' release had to be negotiated and much embarrassment was caused to the government and armed forces, as detailed in Mark Bowden's book, Blackhawk Down (which inspired the Ridley Scott movie, which took liberties with the events and outcome). The team on this one is fairly unique and rather bloated, with more colorful villains. Dr Light had been keeping a low profile, even within the Titans books and is made the subject of jokes, by Captain Boomerang, about having a "hood ornament" on his head. Punch and Jewelee were villains from the Charlton Captain Atom series and reappeared in the DC Captain Atom series, though they were retconned as enemies of King Faraday and Nightshade. At DC, they were used as a satire of Yuppie couples, who were self-absorbed and money-hungry. They are psychotic and somewhat similar to the somewhat sickening scene of Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer, in Pulp Fiction, before they start their robbery of a coffee shop (which parallels the psychotic nature of the costumed pair). Here, they have a scene where they get playfully violent and then launch in what is implied to be a sex act. Father Cramer starts to react and Nightshade cautions him to ignore it,a s they are just looking for attention, fueling the satire of narcissistic status-seeking Yuppie types. Count Vertigo was mainly a Green Arrow enemy; but, this and some other appearances helped up his profile into a more dangerous villain, as his power is substantial and affects most heroes. He would even get an appearance in Batman TAS, as he is shoehorned into the debut of Ras al Ghul (voiced by Michael York). Ravan was left alive, after the Jihad assault on New York, thanks to Bronze Tiger, who has forced him into aiding the Squad. Obviously, his loyalty will be a source of tension. We also have Duchess' secrets as a potential, as we were teased an issue or two ago that something was up, with her. We also now know, for certain, that she is Lashina, of the Female Furies. She has her own agenda, at play. Dr Light is thoroughly unstable and likely to be a problem. Shade is still hanging around, and will be a regular, for the year, until his new series launches, in 1990. We also see more of Bronze Tiger and Vixen, as a couple, as he comforts her, after they see the desperate situation in the refugee camp. Oracle is expanded; but, no less mysterious. She is offering information to the Squad, on a freelance basis. Waller doesn't like lacking control of anyone associated with the Squad and this issues illustrates that her control has mostly slipped away. She looks for an edge over Oracle; but, she will find that Oracle is beyond her control and she will have to accept it. At this point, we have no clue as to Oracle's identity and John and Kim play it cagey, for a while. They slowly dropped clues and letter writers started making guesses, before Oracle was revealed to be Barbara Gordon, the crippled Batgirl. It was a wonderful rehabilitation of a character who had been sadly abused, in the 80s, either shoved aside or used as a pawn to attack Batman. Kim Yale, especially, was angry about the situation with Barbara being made cannon and not an alternate story, as had been intended, in The Killing Joke, and she set up to make Barbara a hero, again. in doing so, she did a wonderful thing, as Barbara became a symbol of using your talents in new ways, despite physical limitations. She reminded us that heroism isn't necessarily a physical thing and that brains can trump brawn, if you apply them properly. Good stuff, here.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 6, 2022 16:36:22 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #25Uh-oh; looks like the villains are going back on their word. Severed arm time! Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Grant Miehm-breakdowns, Karl Kesel finishes, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor Grant Miehm is a bit of an unsung artist, in comics. He is a Canadian, who started out doing the Elementals, at Comico (pre-Andrew Rev), then some work for Roy Thomas, on his own Captain Thunder & Blue Bolt, at Heroic Comics, then Young All-Stars and Secret Origins. He took over art on Dark Horse's The American, following Chris Warner, and did the second half of the original series. He had two long runs, at DC, on Manhunter (following Doug Rice) and the Impact line's The Legend of the SHIELD, which was, arguably, the best series of that experiment, based on the MLJ/Archie heroes. Miehm was drawing and plotting, with Mark Waid doing the dialogue. He moved on to Marvel, by the 90s, until the end of the decade. Since then, he has worked on the Scouts in Action comics in Boy's Life/Scout Life, and expanded the features, over the years; as well as commercial work. Not the flashiest artist our there, but a solid storyteller and good with the action. Synopsis: The hearings into Task Force X have commenced, and Harvey Bullock and Harry Stein watch tapes of it, as Senator Warren Eden begins questioning Amanda Waller, asking about Task Force X, the Suicide Squad, and other components of Task Force X... Waller tries to dance around the subject, stating that Tolliver didn't list anything else, under his organizational chart; but, Eden isn't a fool and asks a direct question as to whether there are any other divisions that Tolliver didn't know about. Waller commits perjury by clearly denying the existence of any other division of Task Force X, keeping Checkmate (for whom Bullock & Stein work) a secret. Bullock doesn't seemed phased by this, though Stein is more subdued. Waller is questioned by the media, afterward, but plays it cagey. Stein wants to keep Checkmate a secret and warns Bullock that they stay out of it and to keep their "friends" out of it. Bullock gets the message. Harry rewinds to rewatch Waller answering a question about comments from her old mentor, where she says he either didn't know her or "I am not the real Amanda Waller." Way to plant a seed, John & Kim! We shift to Africa, where Haile Selaisse Frelimo (cute) argues with one of his officers about bringing Sister Agnes to their base, rather than killing her in the rebel camp. Col T'Kaki says they must not be seen to be her executioners, though, if it comes to it, they will shoot her and bury her in an unmarked grave. Taking lessons from Idi Amin, I see. He dismisses the general's authority and walks out, but the general is no amateur, when it comes to politics. Meanwhile, the Squad has regrouped and the bitching starts. They are observing the base, from a distance, but, it is too well lit for Nightshade to slip in. Father Cramer listens to Shrike talk about finding God and her time with Rev Flint Yuma, who told her that God and his wife said it was okay to "jump her bones." He then hears how her sonic powers kicked in and blew his head off! Father Cramer is getting quite the education in supervillain lives, on this trip! Bronze Tiger spots a jeep moving towards the compound and orders Nightshade to go with him and for Vixen and Ravan to meet them at the road. Tiger leaps into the jeep and ejects the soldiers, then tells Ravan to get into a uniform. Nightshade goes with them, in shadow form and he orders Vixen to aid Shade in watching over the others. He then learns that Ravan slit the throats of the soldiers, while taking their uniforms. Ben is right to be wary of the villains, as Count Vertigo is already plotting..... Meanwhile, Amanda Waller goes to Sen. Eden's office and offers him a deal. The villains make their move; but, find themselves stopped, not by Vixen or Shade; but, by Duchess! She tells them that if they start a mission, they finish it. She threatens to kill anyone who tries a double-cross, again. Vixen thanks her, but she dismisses it and says she has her own reasons. Inside the camp, Nightshade locates Sister Agnes. Tiger tasks her to break her out, while he and Ravan disable the main generator and call in Sheba to get them out, before the auxiliary kicks in. Nightshade enters the cell, in shadow form, then reconstitutes her body, quoting the Gospel of Luke, to the nun (Luke 2:10).. She leads her out of her cell. Tiger and Ravan blow the generator and the rest of the team launches their attack, with Duchess motivating the villains onward. Vertigo disorients the guards, while they others take them down and cover Sheba, so they can extract Sister Agnes. Tiger orders Nightshade to throw up a shadow wall and the soldiers turn on spot lights. Shrike attacks and is riddled with bullets, as we see who is cannon fodder, on this mission. She goes down, telling Jesus she is coming to meet him. Sister Agnes is aboard Sheba and Briscoe peels away and the team covers his retreat. They then make their withdrawal, with Duchess, again, covering the rear. We end with a news recap of the mission.... Sister Agnes returns to her work, in Ogaden. Gen Frelimo blames dissident officers in his army for the nun's capture and uses this to take out Col T'Kaki, as the ringleader. Sen. Eden announces an end to the hearings and the decision to back Task Force X as an officially sanctioned agency, as the mission has proven their value and the sacrifices of some of the villains, like Shrike and that it is instrumental in redeeming the villains. He names J Danfield Kale, a veteran of the intelligence community, as the new head of the organization, with Waller stepping down, due to her unpopularity, in public opinion polls. At Belle Reve, the returning Squad wonders what it will be like, without Waller and are introduced to the new boss..... ...same as the old boss! Waller reveals that Kale is a fiction, a false flag she created early on as a contingency of the Squad needing to go public. He is just an actor. Nightshade warns her that her father will nt go along with this and Waller reveals he has, once he learned that his daughter, Eve, as in fact Nightshade, one of the team members. Nightshade explodes, yelling at Waller for revealing her secrets to her father, without her consent. She quits and walks out. Waller warns the rest that they can die or quit, but that the Squad goes on. Thoughts: So year two of the series ends with the public revelation of the Squad and Waller proving that she is the smartest one in the room, as she had a contingency plan in place, in case they were uncovered. The mission was designed to curry public support and it worked, much like President Reagan's invasion of Grenada, on the heels of the Marine Barracks bombing, in Lebanon, or President Clinton & Prime Minister Tony Blair's actions in relation to Serbian aggression in the Balkans, in the 90s. In both situations, public opinion supported those actions, based on the belief they were motivated by humanitarian concerns, while critics noted the timing, in relation to scandals that were dogging the administrations. Ostrander & Yale really cement Amanda Waller as one of the greatest creations of the 1980s, in comics. She is a complex character, both hero and villain, who is totally ruthless in her methods, yet we are lucky that she is (mostly) on the side of angels. Through her, we see that many actions taken by government agencies, to resolve conflicts, are heavily compromised and few have real moral underpinnings. Quite often, the public is willful in their ignorance of the price to be paid, for security and comfort. The Germans who lived near the camps and witnessed the arrest and removal of Jews and others in Nazi Germany and occupied territories had an inkling that something immoral was being done, but deliberately avoided anything that would tell them the truth. In the wake of 9/11, the American public showed they were largely okay with granting unprecedented powers to the government, in "time of emergency," then squirmed as the media revealed how far some were willing to take those powers, or the revelations that not everyone who wears a uniform is automatically a hero. It's not an easy thing to be confronted with the consequences of your rash decisions. Within the story, we are slightly mislead, by the cover, depicting the villains taking over. The misleading part is that Duchess sides with them, but that is to help set up the surprise that she stands with the heroes, for her own reasons. We will soon see what those reasons are. Shrike turns out to be the sacrificial lamb for this storyline. The series hasn't been as bloodthirsty as it would seem, from its launch; but, you can usually spot who is going to go down. More often than not, it is a lesser villain, who was introduced in a mid-range series, who has a poor design and not much personality. Mindboggler got it in the debut, Slipknot had his arm blown off during Millennium, Shrike gets it hear. Previously, she had been a member of the Cadre, a villain team from Gerry Conway's Detroit Justice League. I don't think anyone shed a tear over one of their demise. At least Ostrander and Yale gave her something to round her out, before killing her, giving her death some emotional impact. She had found a positive influence away from crime and chaos, but discovered that it was tainted by human failing. She was looking for her redemption and sacrifices herself, speaking of the one she believes did the same for her. I'm an atheist; but, I appreciate that Ostrander & Yale are respectful to other beliefs and that they took the time to give meaning to Shrike, which is more than had been done for her, before. Too often, villains were created as little more than gimmicks, to fight the heroes. They are a dime a dozen. The memorable villains are those who are given personality and real motivations. We also see the writers give some attention to other religious beliefs, both with Father Cramer, in his role as a chaplain, and in Nightshade's Catholic belief and her use of scripture to reassure Sister Agnes, as she apepars before her, in a rather fierce form. You could understand how a dark shadowy figure would be unsettling to someone who is praying for deliverance, while the prisoner of men who want to kill her, for the crime of helping people in need. However, Eve shows her that "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform..." I have no proof; but, I suspect the choice of name for Sister Agnes comes from John Pielmeier's play, Agnes of God, telling the story of a young novice, who gives birth to a child and claims it was born of immaculate conception. I suspect the play more than the 1985 film (good as it is), given Ostrander and Yale's theater background. The play, itself, was inspired by real events, at a convent, in Brighton, NY. The film version starred Anne Bancroft, as Mother Miriam Ruth, Meg Tilly as Sister Agnes, and Jane Fonda as Dr Martha Livingstone, a psychiatrist assigned to investigate the mental health of Sister Agnes and the events of the birth. Sister Agnes came from an abusive family and has a thin grasp on reality, while Martha has her own troubles with the church, in relation to the death of her sister, a nun. Mother Miriam Ruth is caught between the possibilities of miracles and the reality of the world, as well as the care of a soul such as Sister Agnes and the not entirely objective POV of Martha. The play features only the three characters and is considered quite intense, as the actors must go through a great range of emotions and conflict, especially Martha. The film has other characters within, the the bulk of the focus is on the three principles. Meg Tilly won a Golden Globe for her performance and she and Anne Bancroft were nominated for Academy Awards, despite mixed reviews for the film, itself. I saw it in college, at a campus screening and found it to be a riveting piece of work, though it does fail somewhat, as a mystery, which is a greater focus of the film, directed by Norman Jewison. The film also transported the setting to Montreal, due to Norman Jewison's desire to create an unfamiliar world, to most of the audience. The playwright adapted his own work and was excited by the idea of it, as it allowed the inclusion of French and English, making it even more disorienting to the audience, if they didn't speak French. In this comic, Sister Agnes is given a French surname, which, to me suggests the play and/or film. Last time I forgot to get into the name Frelimo, for the Ogaden general and made a not about the general's name, here: Haile Selaisse Frelimo. Haile Selaisse is, obviously, a reference to the Ethiopian leader Haile Selaissie, who ruled Ethiopia during WW2, and after, until ousted in a coup, in 1974 and his assassination, in 1975. He is also a messianic figure, within Rastafarian culture. This is set in East Africa, with inspiration from the Ethiopian Famine, which makes the substitution obvious by his name. Frelimo is the cute part, to me, as it is the acronym for the revolutionary group Frente de Libertacao de Mocambique, who fought a guerilla war against Portugal, in Mozambique, for its independence. They were formed in 1962 and fought a war of independence between 1964 and 1974. The group then became the dominant political party, with a Socialist (and Marxist/Leninist) ideology. After independence, it became bogged down in an civil war against anti-communist opponents, RENAMO ( Resistancia Nacional Mocambicana), who were supported by the Apartheid government of South Africa. FRELIMO received support from the USSR and Red China, during their insurgency, often putting them in a bad position, in Western politics, despite fighting for independence from a colonial master. During the 60s and early 70s, many states in Africa became the surrogate battlegrounds in the Cold War, often during wars of independence from European nations, as well as post-independence civil wars, including nations like Mozambique, Angola, The Congo, South West Africa/Namibia, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and others. Grant Miehm makes a nice change here, maintaining (with Karl Kesel's finishes) the look of the Squad, while providing softer features to the female characters and a less intense line, than Luke McDonnell. McDonnell's art was great, throughout the first two years; but, he tended towards rather masculine faces, on his female characters. Also, Miehn is a bit more adept at facial expressions. He is certainly dynamic and Kesel makes it all look good, as he did for several artists, including making Rob Liefeld look like he was more polished, on Hawk and Dove. Miehm will stick around, for the next issue. Speaking of next issue, it focuses on where Rick Flag has gone. After that, we have to slog our way through The Janus Directive.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 17, 2022 15:41:56 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #26No, no; I've seen this. The clock always stops on either 1 or 2 seconds, except when it is James Bond, and then it is always 007. Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Grant Miehm-pencils, Karl Kesel-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Robert Greenberger-editor. Synopsis: Our story begins at the Guggenheim East..... aka Jotunheim. Built by the Nazis, which means Qurac must be in North Africa, because the Nazis never got into the Middle East. In that sense they are more a stand-in for Libya than Iraq. Rustam takes a call from President Marlo. He is busy building the Jihad, with scientific processes, rather than recruiting those with abilities, to ensure deeper loyalty. We see bodies in tubes. He estimates they are 6 months away from being mission ready, with the first priority to free their comrades and attack the Suicide Squad. This is all juxtaposed with Vicky Vale (gotta reference the movie character, even if she wasn't relevant even then), as she swallows J Danfield Kale's cover story, about rebuilding Belle Reeve, for the public use of the Suicide Squad. Vale does question Kale's rather unverified past and the previous covert nature and why anyone should believe all of this, which gets the answer you would expect. Flo and Warden Economos watch from inside, on the monitor. Waller comes back home and faces herself, with a gun.... Meanwhile, Oracle leaves Flo a message about her thoughts on Waller's computer virus and shows her what real skill is.... Oracles signs off and makes a remark about what she wants in return for helping out Task Force X and we get a clue (as well as to her identity) when we see a Batgirl doll sitting on her desk, next to a computer. Ben Turner says goodbye to Mari McCabe, as Vixen heads off to New York, to make a guest appearance in Animal Man. Then, another pie attack occurs, while Grant Miehm borrows a page from Todd McFarlane.... Shade and someone else work on reprogramming Ifrit, the digital genie in the magnetic bottle, which was imprinted with Mindboggler's brain patterns. They try to present a scenario of Mindboggler manifesting herself, at her home; but it fails, in part due to a lack of knowledge about Mindboggler's past. Father Craemer's brother, a lawyer (guess which one is more likely to get into Heaven?) gets Floyd Lawton sprung from jail and assigned to Arkham Asylum, claiming he is not mentally competent to stand trial, with Simon LaGreieve there to add expert testimony, if necessary. LaGrieve hopes to get him then transferred to the new Institute for Metahuman Studies (this is post-Invasion, as met-genes have been triggered all over and DC uses the term "meta-human," instead of "mutant."). Eve Eden reads a letter from the missing Rick Flag, who says he is going to Qurac, to atone. Uh-oh! He is headed to Jotunheim, to destroy the Jihad and remarks about WW2, when Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quale, James Darren and Stanley Baker, then known as the Suicide Squad, were sent there, with Rick Flag's father and Lt JEB Stuart, to destroy the place, since the Nazis had an A-Bomb there....... Stuart thought they were there to steal a new tank (that sounds a bit more like the Oakmont Picture, The Last Battle, where they grab a Nazi scientist and run off in a tank), but it was to destroy the A-bomb. The Rat Patrol turned up and they stole the tank...... They escape, after jumping a tank, that probably had a maximum speed of about 30 mph, across an open drawbridge. Even a Bradley Fighting Vehicle couldn't accomplish that! Who is driving the tank, Ace Hunter? Flag has infiltrated the place, using notes about the mission his father left behind. He has a new detonator to initiate the fission reaction, in the bomb. He moves throught the complex and locates the bomb. Rustam is out prowling corridors, checking on security and comes across a pool of blood, from a dead sentry, eliminated by Flag. He also seems to have defeated Jerry Lawler for the Southern Heavyweight Championship..... Well, wouldn't you know who won the pony? (trademark James E Cornette) They fight, the timer is activated and counts down, Flag asks about the rules.... and then Rustam go boom! Along with Flag, the Jihad, the sentries and technicians, the cleaning staff, the cafeteria ladies, the steno pool, accounting, payroll, IT, shipping & receiving, and the motor pool! Eve finishes the letter, as the news report on tv discusses the massive explosion in Qurac while the government there denies that the base was in use. We are then warned that the Janus Directive will derail the book, for two months. Thoughts: Sic transit Rick Flag. It was obvious that Flag was not in long term plans the moment he went after Senator Cray. This road had been mapped well in advance, as the entire chaarcter arc for Flag was about survivor's guilt, the previous Squad and the death of Karen, during Millennium. In his background, he was not Waller's chosen leader for the team; that was bronze Tiger. Flag had been mandated by the White House and he served to keep Waller in check. Now that he is gone, Bronze Tiger is de facto leader and Waller is triumphant, though I doubt she feels that way. As death missions go, this is a pretty good one, if hardly original. I don't have to paint a detailed picture to see The Guns of Navarone for the WW2 assault on Jotunheim, or even Flag's sabotage. Ostrander is clearly invoking that film and elements of similar 1960s WW2 actioners, like Where Eagles Dare or Tobruk, and even lesser ones, like The Last Battle or Battle of the Commandos (one of several Italian Dirty Dozen rip-offs, though not as good as the original Inglorious Bastards). If that seems odd, remember that the premise of the series is The Dirty Dozen, With Super-Villains. John Ostrander got to play Alistair MacLean. The Waller scene is setting up The Janus Directive, while the Oracle bit brings her closer to the team, while also giving us a visual clue as to who she really is. At that point, fandom erupted. Batgirl was back! Sort of. Even happier, she is shown to have courage and skills, rather than what had been depicted in her previous appearances, before someone decided Killing Joke wasn't just an imaginary tale, after all. Some bloodthirsty people at DC decided to @#$% Barbara Gordon; well, John and Kim flipped them the bird and made it clear she wasn't going anywhere. Along the way, we learn that Black Orchid is gone, though she had been only intermittently used. That was mostly to clear the way for the Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean mini-series, which looked nice but I never really liked. I found her to be far cooler in the hands of Joe Orlando, and then Ostrander. We will see a new core group formed, while Deadshot is off the table, though he will be back. Grant Miehm was a bit more dynamic with things, here and also had a bit better fashion sense, than McDonnell, with Mari in very 80s high fashion. He also draws better women, especially faces. Sadly, he wasn't sticking around, as he was needed at Manhunter, after Doug Rice left. Next issue will bring us John K Snyder III, which should be different, if not better. This may take a bit longer, as I will have to read other parts to make sense of the Janus Directive, which means I have to read Checkmate and that is not going to be fun.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 3, 2022 16:28:19 GMT -5
The Janus DirectiveSuicide Squad #27-30, Checkmate #15-18, Manhunter #14, Firestorm #86-87, Captain Atom #30Firestorm #87 acts as an epilogue but is not marketed with the event specific branding. Creative Teams: Paul Kupperberg, John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Cary Bates, Greg Weisman-writers; John K Snyder III, Pablo Marcos, Karl Kesel, Rick Hoberg, Steve Erwin, Al Vey, Tom Mandrake, Rafael Kayanan, Romeo Tanghal-art; Todd Klein, Augustin Mas, Gaspar Saladino, Duncan Andrews, Carrie Spiegle-letters, Carl Gafford, Juliana Ferriter, Nansi Hoolihan, Gene D'Angelo-colors; Robert Greenberger, Jonathan Peterson, Dan Raspler, Denny O'Neil-editors Whew! So, this crossover raged between Checkmate (meh...), Suicide Squad (Hooray!), Manhunter (Yay!), Firestorm (um...good for him!) and Captain Atom (Rah!). The idea was concocted between the writers and it featured pretty much everyone with official government credentials, more or less. As you can imagine, it involves betrayal, given that it is named after Janus, the two-faced Roman god (god of beginnings and endings/transitions, passages, retirement investing...oh, wait, that's Janus-Henderson.....duality' but, NOT duplicity!) It also attempts to create a new Big Bad, in the DC universe; but, with mixed results. Checkmate and Suicide Squad went to bi-weekly frequency, during the event. Chapter 1 (Checkmate #15Checkmate intercept a courier for a hitman, who is setting up a hit on a major political figure. They replace him with an agent and make contact, then the Knight is attacked, by someone called The Bishop..... ...an assassin in a high tech battlesuit, reminiscent of the Knight's field gear. Bishop takes Knight and Checkmate is stuck trying to find out who the Bishop is and who his target is. They continue using the courier's identity to trace information and narrow down the possibilities. then, the Knight turns up in his own battle armor, complete with Heckler & Koch G11 assault rifle, with caseless ammunition... They fight and the Knight uses mobility to battle Bishop's heavier firepower and is able to injure the Bishop's armor; but, he disappears into the sea. Amanda Waller turns up at Checkmate HQ with Bronze Tiger and Bridgette D'Abo, the head of Project: Peacemaker. She says the intelligence communities are going to war. I say that doesn't sound very intelligent. Chapter 2 (Suicide Squad #27)Waller introduces the heads of the two divisions of Task Force X (the Suicide Squad and Checkmate) and then briefs them on their rivals: The Force of July (independent) and the Atom Project (USAF Intel). She says one of them is a turncoat and will be attacking them. She is launching a pre-emptive strike. The Peacemaker will join Checkmate in an assault on the Atom Project, while the Squad takes on the Force of July. She warns that Abraham Lincoln Carlyle, head of the Force, has Psycho Pirate's Medusa Mask, which allows him to control emotions or project them. Waller wants it and doesn't care about the bodycount, which angers BT. Harry Stein doesn't swallow all of this and he and Harvey Bullock decide to check out the intel on the Janus Directive with Black Thorn (who Waller blackmailed into aiding Checkmate) and Velentina Vostok 9the former Negative Woman, who is back to normal). Meanwhile, someone is hunting two field agents, with info about the Janus Directive. BT briefs the team (Captain Boomerang, ravan, Dr Light, Count Vertigo, Vixen, Shade, Duches, Punch & Jewelee) about the Force of July and the Medusa Mask. Many quips and insults follow. Flo tells BT that Oracle has been unable to uncover anything about the Janus Directive. The team assaults the mansion where the Force has their HQ and Vixen runs into Mayflower, Boomerang faces Silent Majority, Sparkler attacks Dr Light, Duchess squares off with Major Victory, and Lady Liberty battles Count Vertigo. Punch and Jewelle look for the mask, while Ravan is tasked to get to Carlyle. Duchess and Major Victory trade punches and BT interferes, which angers Duchess, who threatens him. He calls her Lashina and walks away. Vertigo defeats Lady Liberty, with relative ease. Shade faces Carlyle, with the mask, but his M-vest saves him and Carlyle goes down, with a heart attack. Shade takes the mask. Ravan kills Mayflower and Dr Light kills Sparkler, while Boomerang takes down Silent Majority, with Punch & Jewelee's help. Meanwhile, A Knight and Peacemaker attack the home of Prof Heinrich Megala and kidnap him, under the nose of general Wade Eiling, who was there warning him of the threat, from the Janus Directive. Chapter 3 (Checkmate #16)Harry Stein doesn't believe Waller's claims and has found no evidence to support the existence of a Janus Directive. He puts Megala on ice and Black Thorn and Vostok meet up for a covert mission, along with a Knight, and break into Belle Reve. Meanwhile, Lois Lane receives a tip about a fight between groups in the intelligence community and starts nosing around. The Checkmate team attack Squad members, while trying to get to Waller, who escapes. Gen Eiling sicks Major Force on the Checkmate HQ and he battles a mentally unstable Peacemaker. Chapter 4 (Suicide Squad #28)The field agents being stalked report to a mysterious figure, with a metal hand..... Their attackers look like ninja (it's the 80s) and they tajke them down, after they pass along a code word: Anaconda.) At Belle reve, Waller reads her team the riot act, then dispatches the Squad to Washington, to go after Megala, at Checkmate HQ. Lois Lane witnesses the battle between Major Force and Peacemaker and Checkmate's cover, as Konig Industries, is blown. Peacemaker doesn't care about cover operations. The Squad turns up and battles both Peacemaker and MF. During the battle, Megala explodes. The conclusion is that he was a fake. Black Thorn gets to Gen Eiling and forces him to make a call. Captain Atom meets up with Nightshade and King Faraday, who fill him in about the Janus Directive. The two field agents awake and find themselves in front of the leader of the ninja's that stalked them and who also happens to be their target of investigation.... ....Kobra! Chapter 5 (Checkmate #17)Checkmate's HQ is obliterated and they are relocating. Lois continues her investigation. Elsewhere, Checkmate Knights are attacked by ninjas... Eslewhere, elsewhere, in Earth orbit, Kobra reveals he is behind the Janus Directive, to get the intel community to destroy itself and remove their threat to his operation.... Black Thorn and Vostok try to hack into Belle Reve, using one of its employees, at gunpoint, but are interrupted by ninjas. Wade Eilling and Harry Stein meet, near the Statue of Liberty. Haryy convinces him to work together. Black Thorn and Vostok reach Peacemaker, just in time to be attacked by more ninja. The Air Force spots a UFO, but it disappears as Kobra orders his orbital ship cloaked. Chapter 6 (Manhunter #14Waller meets with mark Shaw and taps him to check out a place called Anaconda Industries. She convinces him to take the job and he sneaks inside the building and finds a research team, who have developed a microwave transmitter that destroys living creatures; but, leaves buildings intact. He is interrupted by ninjas. He heads for his motorcycle to get the info to Waller and is pursued by ninjas with jetpacks! I love Doug Rice! Manhunter uses tunnels and overpasses to elude the team and then runs his bike up the entrance to an EL station and hops a train, riding on top, like Steve McQueen, in The Hunter.... He survives aerial attacks and third rails, but his body is riddled with bullets, as it hits the Chicago River. The ninjas go in and come up with Manhunter's facemask, but not his body. Chapter 7 (Firestorm #86)Firestorm, after battling the Parasite, is sent by Simon La Grieve, head of the Institute for Meta-Human Studies , to go to belle Reve and aid his friends. Chapter 8 (Suicide Squad #29)Eiling and Harry Stein have a council of war and plan an attack on Belle Reve. Peacemaker leads the atatck, in a Cobra gunship, followed by Checkmate Knights and military personnel. Meanwhile, in orbit, Kobra reveals his plan.... ...which he swiped from Moonraker... To destroy all life on Earth and repopulate it, with his followers, leaving the structures intact. Lord Naga-Naga (aka Kobra) is told that Manhunter is dead and presented his mask, by one of his ninjas. The ninja is Mark Shaw, in disguise. Waller stops the fighting, using the Medusa Mask, then reveals to all that they have been duped, about Kobra and how she replaced her own doppelganger. Part 9 (Checkmate #18) Kobra prepares to launch their strike on the Earth. Checkmate briefs the Knight Force and preps their jets. Sarge Steel briefs President George Herbert Walker Bush (or, possibly, Dana Carvey) about the Janus Directive and Kobra. The combined force of Checkmate, Suicide Squad, Captain Atom and Firestorm prepare to assault the Kobra orbital ship, thanks to a tracking signal sent by Manhunter. They are interrupted by Bush telling them that sarge Steel is the new Intelligence Czar and in charge of everyone. Wait, a noncom? That's a violation of the chain of command! Assignments are made and the teams launched into space. Captain Atom and Firestorm blast the orbital ship, causing it to enter the atmosphere, where the aerial teams are able to board it and carry out their assault... It turns into Whacking Day.... Lord Naga orders the microwave cannon to be fired. Chapter 10 (Suicide Squad #30)Lord Naga intends to bring the Kali Yuga and the combined forces of Checkmate, the Suicide Squad, Captain Atom, Firestorm, the remains of the Force of July and Manhunter try to stop it. The ark is headed for DC and the president orders a nuclear strike. A flunkie convinces Lord Naga-Naga to leave the ark, so that he can extend the chaos that will occur, after the microwave burst on the Eastern Seaboard. he tries to make like Zoltar, on Battle of the planets and escape, but is intercepted By Manhunter, who defeats him in hand-to-hand combat. The assault forces shreds some snakeskins and the Force of July is killed, except for Major Victory. Firestorm and Captain Atom stop the nukes. Lois is released from her cell, at Belle Reve, where she was held incommunicado, during the assault and gets pied. President Bush reorganizes the intel groups: Sarge Steel is in charge of meta-human covert operations, with the Central Bureau of Intelligence acting as his enforcement group (that's King Faraday and Nightshade). General Eilling is in charge of military operations. Checkmate is independent of Task Force X, under Harry Stein. Waller is left with only the Suicide Squad and a warning. Lord Naga is locked in a cell, at Belle Reve. Part 11 (Captain Atom #30 & Firestorm #87)Barely related, as Captain Atom says goodbye to Nightshade and Waller can't reach Gen Eilling, as he goes on a fishing trip with his daughter and Nathaniel Adam and get kidnapped by Black Manta. Firestorm leaves the group, then deals with Typhoon. Nope; different guy. Thoughts: There are decent scenes; but, this thing is a hot mess. Too many characters to keep track of, too many components to the story, a cliched plot (if you are swiping from Moonraker, you aren't even trying!) and a so-so execution. Ostrander's parts are stronger; but, it would have been better as a Suicide Squad and Manhunter adventure. Checkmate was never terribly good and I also never cared for DC's take on Peacemaker (not that he was a great character at Charlton). Firestorm and Captain Atom are only along to go into space and blast things. They killed off the entire Force of July, because nobody cared about the Outsiders, I guess. Major Victory would continue with the Squad, for a bit. At one point, in an editorial note, Robert Greenberger calls himself "Robert 'Ludlum' Greenberger." He wishes! Actually, Ludlum is vastly over-rated, for my money; but, at least no one was comparing themselves to John Le Carre. Really, this is just another excuse at a crossover event, to sell more units, as DC continues to cater to speculators and completist collector mentalities. At the time, I only bought the books I was already getting; I think I did get the Checkmate ones, though I did have the early issues of that series, but nothing past the first storyline. This really put a halt to Suicide Squad, for two months; but, it further established the direction the book was going to go. Lord Naga will factor into the series more, down the road. Sarge Steel continues as the White House honcho for meta-humans, until that concept is ignored enough times and something else comes along (like Mr Bones and the Department of Extranormal Operations). DC never really did get their own SHIELD. Thankfully, the Squad gets back to normal, with another Personal Files issue, next time.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 13, 2022 17:04:25 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #31Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, John K Snyder III (This time, It's Personal)-artist, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Dan Raspler takes over as editor of the series. Synopsis: Father Cramer is conducting mass; but, the congregation is a bit sparse.... He is called to consult with Amanda Waller, as a representative of The Church, as she interrogates a perp, who claims to be on the run from the Loa. Waller tells him that she created the Loa to catch Captain Boomerang, as he carried out crimes, disguised as Mirror Master. The guy says the Loa is real and feeds into dreams, which is where the concept came to Waller. He then shows a voddo doll of The Wall. Father Cramer is there to provide spiritual protection against The Loa. Waller scoffs at it; but, the dude makes a convincing argument... Sarge Steel orders Waller to investigate as there is some force, using the name, The Loa. Waller starts giving orders. Father Cramer moves onto his other duties, including taking over the counseling duties formally carried out by Simon LaGrieve. He talks to a mechanic, who has recently come out, as gay, but his son is having a hard time dealing with it. The boy is supposed to come stay with them, in the hopes that they can hash things out; but, the boy doesn't want to come. The mechanic speaks of finally coming to grips with who he is and he is happy to live openly and honestly, but the boy is still his son. Father Cramer tells him to speak to the boy and tell him exactly that and be open and honest. The mechanic fears his son's response and Father Cramer tells him it gives them a place to work from. He agrees and thanks the priest. Father Cramer next tries to deal with Major Victory's anger, as he he been assigned to the Suicide Squad, by the government; but, the team was largely responsible for the decimation of The Force of July. Victory has issues about that. He tries to throttle Dr Light and Duchess goads him into fighting her. It starts to turn deadly, when Jewelee turns up and relaxes the tension.... Captain Boomerang turns up and actually shows sympathy and vows to catch the person behind the pies. Dr Light thinks no one likes him, because he hasn't been pied. Punch takes exception to Boomerang's attention to his wife. A fight breaks out, then Dr Light intercedes.... Things cool down and Father Cramer finds a list that Duchess dropped. It features names and a "yes" or "no" designation, with a note at the bottom, "Get Barda." Duchess grabs it from him and says it is nothing and storms off. Next, Father Cramer talks to Count Vertigo. He is Bipolar and his family has interbred with decreasing circles of European royalty. He swings between suicidal depression and homicidal mania and declares he doesn't wish to kill himself; but, doesn't mind dying in battle and is attracted to the idea of the Suicide Squad's deadly missions. Later, Dr Mary White, Amanda's older sister (and head of the medical department) confides in the father that Amanda takes too much upon herself and she fears that she is destroying herself. He tells him of Amanda's past.... After the murder of her husband, she and her children were evicted and forced to live at a shelter, then enroll in Welfare. She swallowed a lot of pride and Mary came to help her, but she refused, saying she was going to obtain power and heaven help those who try to take it away. Mary worries that the anger that has motivated her is turning into hate and will destroy her. Father Cramer walks the halls and encounters Dr Light, who has been pied, for real, but is in despair because no one witnessed it and none will believe it happened. He continues on to Waller's office and sits down with her, whether she likes it or not. He hits her with the hard truth of how her methods failed, during the Janus Directive... He leaves Waller to think about it. Thoughts: Much like the Times Past stories in Starman, or the Day in the Life stories in New Teen Titans, these Personal Files were nice character building moments, between the big adventures. It sets the seed for the investigation into The Loa, while getting at some of the interdynamics of the team and Waller's recent failure. It also gives father Cramer some quality time, as he has become more prominent, Ostrander and Yale treat the priest ass a real clergyman, including the duties as chaplain. People often misunderstand the duties of a chaplain, thinking they just conduct religious services for the military or organization in which they serve. It is far more complex than that. They act as counselors to people who have to work in rigid hierarchies, giving them a conduit outside the structure, while providing both spiritual and psychological advice. A chaplain is a counsellor as much as a clergyman. Quite often, their role is anything but spiritual, though that is always a foundation to their approach to things. During my time at a destroyer squadron staff, in the Navy, I interacted with the chaplains. There was a Commander, who was a Catholic priest and due to retire soon, a newer lieutenant Catholic Chaplain and a Protestant lieutenant. Having been raise Protestant, I tended to talk more to the protestant chaplain, though just casual conversation, within the building, rather than counseling. The older chaplain was very much about his rank, but also rather conservative in his doctrine. The younger Catholic chaplain was a bit more liberal in his beliefs and we once had a conversation where he talked about the level of sexual abuse going on in the clergy, which was being covered up by the Church. This was before revelations became national news. The Protestant chaplain and I tended to just speak about ordinary things, at staff parties or meetings or just hanging out in the lounge, during lunch breaks. He was also the area expert on Eastern Religions and called himself a "Zen Methodist." I am an atheist, but raised in Disciples of Christ Protestant denomination, and my grandfather was a Baptist preacher. We could talk about spiritual things in the abstract and with different points of view on the subject. In those informal chats, he helped me relax enough to do my job and not get so caught up in fear of doing the wrong thing, which was a major issue for me, as a young naval officer. I was commissioned at age 21 and was still pretty emotionally young. However, I came out of my time as a very mature 25, to where people who worked with me later thought I was older, though I still looked pretty young. Alas, these days, store clerks just look at me and select "Customer is over 40," when I purchase alcohol. Ostrander & Yale make a great character in Father Cramer, bringing both the spiritual and the professional nature of the chaplain into the story, while being respectful to both aspects. Too often, the writers either avoid spirituality altogether, or treat it in a cliched manner. It is rare to depict it honestly and clergy honestly, in all facets of their role. It is quite satisfying when you see it done right and even more, like this, when it is done well. It's not all serious and they have some fun with the pie incidents, especially Dr Light's obsession with it being a symbol of being liked, yet being so insecure that he fakes an event. He gets called out; so, when it happens for real, he is even more distressed as he is the Doctor Who Cried Pie! The insights into Amanda Waller are interesting and suggests Ostrander & Yale understand good leadership. Anyone in charge needs to surround themselves with good people and that includes people who are willing to critically question their decisions, for the good of all. That is usually the job of the second in command, such as Mr Spock, or a senior advisor, like Dr McCoy, in Star Trek. It is easy to follow bad leadership; but it has disastrous consequences. A leader who listens to people pick holes in their strategy can see if the idea can stand and pursue or alter it. However, there are some things that require snap judgements and that is where authority has to come into play. Then, the number two needs to publicly back up the one in charge, while privately questioning their reasoning, if they have reservations about the course of action. The corporate world is rarely so crisis based or dangerous that time is that much of the essence, while a military, law enforcement, medical or other emergency-based profession needs quick judgement, to save lives. That is why such groups drill in emergencies, to develop critical judgement skills and make rapid decisions, based on the situation. The drilling is when you pick apart the approach, to find the best method of handling a crisis. So, the stage is set for the next direction of the series, as we have a mostly new set of characters and a new structure under which they operate. We have a hint of their first threat, as well as the possibility that Kobra isn't just going to rest in a cell, waiting for the Kali Yuga.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 24, 2022 14:27:06 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #32Shade's trying to put out the cigarette. Wouldn't want the firing squad to be poisoned with second-hand smoke! Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Grant Miehm-pencils, KS Wilson & Kevin Phillips-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: A man, named Raza Ghavam, tries to enter Iran, to see his dying mother; but falls into a trap and is arrested. He is a naturilized US citizen, who used to be head of the Savak, the Shah's notorious secret police. The president has ordered his rescue and Sarge Steel makes the decision to use the Squad.... Waller has her own problems, as a psychologist, named McCoy, has blackmailed his way into a job interview for the psychologists job, formerly held by Simon LaGrieve. He knows that Jack Kale is Jack Kovacs and an actor. Father Cramer says he is qualified and endorses it. He tries to dictate terms to Waller and says he determines if someone is able to mentally go on a mission or he walks and goes noisily. Waller says he has the job and calls Father Cramer out of the room and reveals she knows he told McCoy to add the last part. Father C says Waller surrounds herself with people to keep her in check and he will do it and she knows it, which is why she agreed. His says Fire him and McCoy, if it isn't true. Waller lets them keep their jobs. Flo talks to Oracle, on-line, about Ben & Mari and her jealousy. She says going on missions gives Mari/Vixen and advantage. Duchess turns up and offers her a mission, if she keeps quiet about it and Flo agrees. Before she says any more, Waller interrupts to round up the team and tells Duchess she is on the mission. She refuses, saying she has other business and walks out. Waller lets it go... The team is assembled; but, Dr McCoy (Dammit Jim, I'm in another series, not a comic book!) says Count Vertigo is in his depressive cycle and is off mission. The rest of the team is assembled and briefed. Their job is to infiltrate Iran and rescue Ghavam, head to a desert area and rendezvous with a US plane, for extraction to a carrier. Where have I heard this plan before? Oh, yeah! Ravan asks if they can kill the current Iranian leader, while they are there and Waller reluctantly says no. That would be Ali Khamenei... They will have to make the snatch during the public execution, as that is the only time when they will know precisely where he is. Major Victory objects to Bronze Tiger being named leader of the mission. Ben puts him in his place..... En route, Ben and Mari have a discussion of Ghavam's past, as head of an organization that used torture on the Shah's political opponents, which largely set in motion the Iranian Revolution and the US Embassy Siege. She likens him to a Nazi war criminal. Ben points out he was traveling on a US diplomatic passport and Iran violated diplomatic protocols and treaties, making it harder for nation's to negotiate, if their actions are allowed to stand. Ghavam is taken from his cell and brought before a firing squad. Ravam takes out a broadcaster, to take control of the state tv channel. Shade comes from behind the target wall and uses his meta-vest to create an image of Khomeni, to terrify the firing squad... BT secures the camera filming things, then calls Briscoe to bring in Sheba. He Airwolf's in and the rest clear a landing zone, by tossing Iranian soldiers around. The etam withdraws, while also forcing the continued broadcast of the rescue. Sheba picks up the team and they head for the extraction site. Later, Kale/Kovacs has a press conference and says the rule of law must apply. He seems nervious when the subject of Iranian death threats are brought up. Meanwhile, Duchess visits Barda Free, in the suburbs, to recruit her for a mission... Thoughts: As missions go, this was kind of dull. It is mostly a palceholder, while Duchess/Lashina finishes assembling her team, for what appears to be a return to Apokolips and revenge against Bernadeth. Otherwise, this mostly reads like an unused script for Airwolf, with Bronze Tiger replacing Jan Michael Vincent and Vixen replacing Ernest Borgnine. The basic rescue plan, aside from making a public broadcast of it, to expose the Iranian government to its own people, is mostly a copy of Operation Eagle Claw: The attempt to rescue the US hostages from Tehran. The basic plan was that a secret desert staging area would be established, where the Delta Force operators would hold up, while the Navy helicopters would be refueled and refitted for the assault on the US Embassy compound. Once secured, the hostages were to be moved to a nearby soccer stadium, to load onto the helos and head for the base, where they would be transferred to aircraft and flown out, with fighter escort. The problems were multiple and Mr Murphy reared his ugly head in deadly fashion. A bus of Iranians stumbled onto the site and were held prisoner, while Delta radioed for instructions. The Pentagon told them to just release them! Not hold them until the helicopters were on their way to Tehran, let them go now! Meanwhile, the helicopters flew through a haboob, a desert sand storm and there were mechanical issues and they were down to the bare minimum to carry out the assault. While they maneuvered a helicopter into position to refuel from a support cargo plane, it collided and ignited the fuel, destroying the aircraft. Eight people died in the explosion and fire. The mission was scrubbed and the Iranians separated and moved the hostages, to make a second attempt next to impossible. The issue does emphasize that the Savak were the Shah's terror police and basically human scum. They were used to murder and torture political opponents and ordinary citizens, to allow the Shah to maintain power. He had been placed in power by the US and UK governments, after a coup deposed the democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh, after he announced the nationalization of the iranian oil industry, which was dominated by UK and US oil interests. The Shah's reign of terror led to a dissident movement that centered around outlawed cleric Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini. In late 1977, civil protests began an intensified through 1978, particularly after a cinema fire, blamed on the Savak, led to the deaths of between 3 and 400 people, The Shah was forced to flee the country, eventually taking refuge in the US. Iranian students, operating with the knowledge of the Revolutionary Guard, stormed the US embassy and took the staff hostage, on November 4, 1979, holding the hostages for 444 days. Khomeni instituted a reign of terror against political opponents (meaning the Shah's forces, but also political moderates) and established a strict theocracy. One oppressor replaced another. So, the Squad is caught up in an internal matter, thanks the the US and Iranian governments playing diplomatic "chicken." There was a lot fo that going on, in the 80s, with the US Navy being sent into the Gulf of Sidra, to challenge Muammar Gaddafi's claims of it being Libyan territorial waters, as well as the US airstrike on Gadaffi's compound, after the bombing of a West German disco, frequented by US soldiers, blamed on Libya. All of that, though, is filler, as the real meat of this is Duches/Lashina recruiting Flo, to join her in her personal mission and defying Waller on their mision. Then, she forcibly recruits Big Barda, after returning to her Lashina costume. The tag line says the target is Apokolips, so we can assume the aim is revenge. This all ignores the fact that in the pages of Mister Miracle, the Furies had joined Barda and Scott Free, in exile, becoming part of their act. However, they were pretty much forgotten, until Crisis and its aftermath. We are left to assume that either it didn't happen that way in this reality or they returned to the fold. Really, they just forgot about it and ignored Kirby's continuity, when it didn't suit them, which was typical. Why Duchess would want Flo is the real question, as computer skills wouldn't seem that big a priority. Some of Grant Miehm's art on this gets pretty wonky. He has some really good panels, then there are the scenes with Duchess and Flo, who look extremely rubbery.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 4, 2022 12:44:41 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #33It's always Apokolips Now, it's never Apokolips Later! Creative Team: John Ostrander-writer, John K Snyder III-pencils, Geoff Isherwood-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: Duchess ia at Arkham Asylum, recruiting Deadshot. When she sees his response, she changes his mind. He is too eager to die. She gets another recruit, though.... Meanwhile, Ravan and Kobra get to know one another..... Elsewhere, a knock on Eve Eden's door brings Duchess & Poison Ivy and Nightshade is drafted into whatever Duchess is up to. Dr Light has a session with the enw shrink, who sugegsts he secretly wants to be a superhero, which is why jhe is a screwup, as a villain. Shade is trying, once again, to get home and Duchess appears and suggests an alternative route. Waller has a meeting with her staff. they have a new bracelet that delivers a stun charge, before blowing an arm off and it is made standard issue. Mac says Vertigo is marginal for missions and if he slips into a manic phase they might need to blow his arm off, to stop him. Oracle hasn't got anything to offer about the Loa. Waller decides to set up a rival gang, to draw them out. Tiger is to go undercover as El Tigre Negro, which thrills him to no end. Waller's Spanish didn't stretch to Bronze ("bronce", actually). Flo wants to go into the field with this and Waller refuses. She storms off and Duchess is waiting and gets her next recruit. Vixen is working out in the gym when Shade turns up and knocks her out, using the Meta-Vest. Duchess does something similar to Major Victory, involving a rifle butt to the back of the head. Shade runs into Boomerang, who sees the unconscious Vixen and wants "a go," in exchange for silence. Shade slams him into the wall and carries the unconscious Boomerang on his other shoulder. Duchess then recruits Count Vertigo. She then goes to see Waller, after having a change of clothes.... This is observed on the monitors, by Murph; but, Poison Ivy arrives and blocks them from deploying security. They all rendezvous at the airfield and Duchess/Lashina recruits the final member of the team, Briscoe and Sheba. Shade activates an anti-gravity field and Lashina activates Barda's Mega-Rod, to create a Boom Tube. The field lifts Sheba and the monorail train, with the unconscious recruits and the y enter the Boom Tube. Meanwhile, the alert reaches Bronze Tiger, who rallies Dr Light, Punch and Jewelee to respond. They arrive too late as the Boom Tube closes, leaving them cut off from the others. Thoughts: So, Lashina retakes her persona and recruits her assault team, to go after Granny Goodness. When questioned about Flo's presence, she says she is to be a present to Granny. The words "cannon fodder" come to mind. Otherwise, this has some character seed-planting. Dr Light secretly wants to be a hero? Count Vertigo's bipolar states range from suicidal depression to pure super-villain mania. Flo wants to desperately prove that she can be a field agent, to be closer to Bronze Tiger. Ravan reveals that his murders are sacrifices to kali to prevent the Kali-Yuga, the time of chaos and sin. Lord Naga, aka Kobra, believes he is the avatar of that end. Ravan thinks he has power over Lord Naga, but he seems to think he has Ravan's number. The Loa lurk in the background. Pretty much mostly set-up, for next issue, as Lashina returns to Apokolips and brings the Squad with her. Should be pretty violent and deadly. Snyder and Isherwood make a great art team, as Isherwood gives form to Snyder's more abstract style.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 18, 2022 15:12:19 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #34The Wall vs Granny Goodness, a main event anywhere in the country! (In the words of Gorilla Monsoon) Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, John K Snyder III-pencils, Geoff Isherwood-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: Lashina and her crew arrive, back on Apokolips....... ...the place she calls "home." Talk about a rough neighborhood! Lashina lands the shuttle, killing a crowd of "lowlies." Shade objects and Lashina decides he has outlived his usefulness. He begs to differ..... Lashina holds to many cards and Shade is forced to give in, to protect the others. Meanwhile, at Belle Reve, Bronze Tiger gets a call from Sarge Steel, who forbids him using felons to go after Lashina and orders him to stay away from Mister Miracle. Ben gives in, on the surface, then decides to head for Gotham, to recruit some lunatics and asks Oracle for info on anyone else who might have a conduit to Apokolips. Back on Apokolips, the crew has been awakened and Waller is POed, while Flo is terrified. Vixen and Boomerang are not happy with Shade Shanghai-ing them. Lashina gives her briefing... They help her attack and kill Bernadeth or she leaves them to die, as Armagetto will consume them, as any enemy of Darkseid. Lashina tosses her Mega-Gun to Waller. Waller decides to use it, but it is gimmicked to not fire against Lashina. Barda is too doped up to fight effectively and Lashina has her Mega-Rod. The point becomes moot as parademons attack them. This is a fight to the death and Sheba and Briscoe are the first casualties.... Waller rallies the troops to fight their way through. At Arkham, Bronze Tiger recruits Deadshot, with an offer he can't refuse..... On Apokolips, the crew moves on, but they are not unified. Poison Ivy has no plants to manipulate and questions why she is there and Lashina says her use is over and to die. Flo is still terrified and Waller says she will get her home. Major Victory is down to about 40% capacity, as all of his power is in the circuitry of his suit, which is damaged. Vixen is worried about having to kill. The discussion is interrupted by Granny and the Furies and Lashina leaps to the attack. Lashina gets swatted down by Granny and Waller takes up the assault. Meanwhile, Ben has his team assembled and John Economos has played locker room lawyer and contacts Mister Miracle (since Sarge Steel didn't order him to stay away) and he sends the team a lift to Apokolips.....The Forever People!. Thoughts: So, John gets to play with Apokolips a bit, as Lashina comes home and brings friends. He definitely has the characters down, which elevates this above yet another big fight. Too many people are not on the same page, which means people are going to die, though Lashina said they were there to be cannon fodder. Ostrander & Yale are true to that attitude. Meanwhile, Ben is put together his own team to get them out, regardless of the consequences from Sarge Steel. The Forever People get to join in, which was nice, because, of all the 4th World characters, they got used the least, since they were too "of the time." Most of that is just limited vision on the part of writers and editors. JM DeMatteiss wrote a mini-series, to revive them post-Crisis, though it didn't set the world on fire. Snyder & Isherwood make a great team and they are perfect for this. Snyder was a bit abstract in his style, which makes him perfect for Kirby's characters. He also does great facials and he does epic fights. So, this finale for the third year is going to be one hell of a fight.
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