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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 28, 2022 15:26:54 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #35Creative Team: John Ostrander-writer, Luke McDonnell-layouts, Geoff Isherwood-finishes, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor. Luke McDonnell back, for an issue, which means the women just got more butch. Synopsis: Himon and the Lowlies find the wreckage of Sheba and Briscoe and we receive confirmation that he is dead. No more Airwolf! Elsewhere, the Squad fights for their lives.... We get an idea of just how scary Nightshade has become.... Shade goes down fighting Mad Harriet. Major Victory's suit is in shreds, but he has found the will to keep fighting , as Apokolips represents ultimate fascism. Granny takes down Waller & Poison Ivy, while Kanto proves able to defeat Count Vertigo. Flo prays for salvation and wonders where Ben is. Barda intercedes with Granny, while Lashina battles Bernadeth and defeats her, then claims her place as leader of the Furies. She offers Granny a gift... Thoughts: Pretty much an all battle issue, building to the finale. Since this is the build, the Squad takes it on the chin and things look bleak, which means the cavalry should ride in, next issue. Question is, how? This appears way more Geoff Isherwood than Luke McDonnell as the faces take on a bit of a distorted look and the inked staged is much murkier than with McDonnell's full pencils. This also seems a definite turning point, as we end year 3. Those changes have been in motion since The Janus Directive, as we have had new characters brought into the mix, Oracle has appeared, the team's cover is gone and it looks like some old favorites are going to the great beyond. One thing you can say for this series was that it was never content with the status quo. It evolved and changed as it progressed, which was one of the reasons I liked it. Many series, especially superhero tales, fall into formulaic patterns, churning out the same basic plot again and again. Look at the tv series, Heroes, which pretty much had the same plot, each season, then just kind of hit the reset button the next. Not the Suicide Squad. Sure, the premise of a supervillain Dirty Dozen is constant, but the make up of the team, the personal lives of the characters, the situations they face change. Characters grow as things progress and some die along the way, either as cannon fodder or in spectacular fashion. New characters emerge, new facets emerge, sacrifices are made that have consequences. This is a more novelistic approach to things and it works very well. Too bad no one in Hollywood seems to care, based on how it has been adapted (though Arrow handled it better, in my book, than the films have). JLU at least got the cool premise down well, even if they didn't get to explore the heart of it. This is pretty much just a series of combat vignettes, with little else to say, apart from the ending, where Lashina ups the stakes for the Squad.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 8, 2022 20:53:57 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #36Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, John K Snyder III-layouts, Geoff Isherwood-finishes, Todd Klein & John Workman-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: The Forever People have arrived to give a lift to Bronze Tiger and his team, to Apokolips. Damn hippies! Dr Light decides cowardice is the safe part of valor and bugs out. He runs smack into the ghost of Jacob Smith, the original Dr Light.... ...or else he is hallucinating. Jacob says that Dr Light's true calling is to be a hero, because he sucks as a villain. He actually buys into this pseudo-psychological mumbo-jumbo and turns around and joins the team, like only the newly converted can... Uhhhh.......yeah. They load up and head out on the highway, looking for adventure, and whatever comes their way...... Meanwhile, on Apokolips, Nightshade has gone into full scary mode and battles Artemiz, of the Female Furies and kills her doggie, Tertius and then Artie goes down. Nightshade is fighting against the darkness within her and turns to her religious beliefs.... The hippies and the squares arrive and set out to find the others. Granny is jaw-jacking with The Wall and Lashina says to kill them all, while Kanto laughs. he fails to notice Count Vertigo remove a nife from his chest and sneak up behind him, still alive. Vertigo shanks him in the back and Kanto is down-o. Granny admires knifing people in the back, especially with their own knives, but signals her dog soldiers to take aime. Then Nightshade drops Artemiz in front of her and dares Granny to stop her taking the others away. Barda has her Mega-Rod back and she is itching to kill anyone who tries to stop them leaving. The cavalry arrives and all hell breaks loose.... Flo spots Ben and cries out his name. ben cries out Mari's name. Flo just cries. Waller grabs the weapon of a downed soldier and opens fire and admires the weapon. Jacob Smith cons Dr Light into thinking that the soldiers of Apokolips are bigger cowards than he is and he jumps into the fray, light shining brightly... Dr Light looks down at his dead body. Jacob reveals he has been trying to kill Dr Light all along. Problem is, that hasn't released him from his spectral existence and now he is saddled with Light's ghost to annoy him. Even Satan isn't amused.... Darkseid turns up to tell everyone to shut up and get off his lawn. Lashina gets mouthy and Drakseid sends his Omega beams to bring her kill, Bernadeth, back to life, then turns them on Lashina, herself. Bummer. He offers to bring Flo back to life, but Waller tells him to stuff it where the firepit doesn't shine. Darkseid likes her spirit and sends everyone home, but the dead stay dead. After they are gone, Darkseid tells Granny that they will be his pawns, in the future. So they got that goin' for them! Thoughts: Well, bang up ending to year three, with a decent bodycount, though mostly who you'd expect, meaning Flo. At this point, Ostrander has dismantled most of the command structure at Belle Reve and replaced a chunk of the team. Lashina/Duchess is now gone and Flo is dead. Dr Light appears to be dead; but the ghost may linger. Captain Boomerang got whooped, but survived and Deadshot rejoined and killed a bunch, so he's happy. Count Vertigo survived and Major Victory proved he was more than his suit, while Punch and Jewelee are still crazy, after all these years. Bronze Tiger and Vixen will have to live with the guilt of Flo's feeling for him, for each other and having survived. So, it is time to reset and move into Year 4, which means personnel changes and a new threat to play out over the year. On the up side, expect Oracle to be a big part of things. Also expect Ostrander & Yale to give us a new mix of characters as we already have some new support staff and some members will be leaving and we may see some other new arrivals. Darkseid may be lurking in the background. One thing is for sure, The Loa come front and center, next issue. We also learn who is behind the pie incidents.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 22, 2022 14:51:57 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #37Sounds like a bad late 60s/early 70s horror film, from Europe. Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, John K Snyder III-breakdowns, Geoff Isherwood-finishes, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: Amanda returns to Belle Reve, with the casualties... Count Vertigo is only "mostly dead," and is rushed off to get a chocolate-coated miracle pill (no swimming for an hour). Waller goes off to make arrangements for Flo. Nightshade takes John Economos to see Father Cramer, as he is grappling with the loss of Flo. Dr Light's ghost is taunted by theghost of the original Dr Light. The rest head elsewhere. The Forever People take Barda home and Ravan says Lashina is gone and Shade possibly returned to Meta. Father Cramer and Mary escort Flo's body home, after Amanda's cousin told her to stay away. Count Vertigo will survive. Elsewhere, Major Victory is pied and Muurph decides it has gone on long enough. A shadowy figure observes and thinks it might be time to stop. Nightshade departs and Vixen and Bronze Tiger go to report to Sarge Steel, to explain why they disobeyed orders. Elsewhere, in Russia, a man called Stalnoivolk, aka The Steel Wolf, tests his abilities against soldiers of the Red Army. He bits the barrel tips off Kalashnikov's and is impervious to their bullets. He was created during Stalin's time, a peasant, named Ivan Illyich Gort, who was transformed by a formula. Stalin distrusted super beings and had the formula destroyed. Now that meta genes have been activated, a shadowy figure is depending on Stalnoivolk to protect Russia from their danger. The shadowy figure is our friend Zastrow, the KGB dude from early in the series. he is being tasked to put together a super group, the Red Shadows, to serve the KGB and the State. In New Orleans, a crack house is invaded by zombie, for trespassing on Loa turf.... The boss of the Loa calls for Waller and the Squad to be destroyed and sends a minion to use a reporter to draw the Squad into a subtle trap. Well, subtle for comics... Someone frames Punch as the pie thrower and Murph unmasks the real culprit.....Captain Boomerang, who pied himself to throw off suspicion. He tells Waller he quits and taunts her with what she can do about it. She demonstrates for him...... Waller returns home, satisfied and happy, then gets pied, by Murph, from the shadows, who thinks it helped bring the group together. Thoughts: Light issue. The cover suggests the Loa is a major element; but they are a small part of the issue. Most is taken with either set up for the new year, or closure on the past. The pie thrower is resolved and the final disposition of departing team members is completed. Then, we are teased with the Loa and the Red Shadows, as we see Stalnoivolk demonstrate his power and wonder who will join him. The Squad is mentioned by the Russkies, as a threat, so you know they will clash. We are now left with Bronze Tiger, Vixen, Count Vertigo, Major Victory, Punch & Jewelee, Deadshot and Ravan. Oracle is part of the support team. Time to move forward with the Year 4 Agenda.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 2, 2022 15:32:08 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #38Could you give me a little privacy, guys? Creative Team: John Ostrander-plot, Robert Greenberger-script, Luke McDonnell-layouts, Geoff Isherwood-finishes, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: The Loa continue to F with the Squad, further exposing that Amanda Waller is still in charge. Then, Yaphet Kotto turns his attention to his drug plans.... He will distribute 100 kilos of free stuff, across major cities, with an agent that turns the user into a mindless zombie (as if the drug itself didn't do that). Meanwhile, Bronze Tiger is cooling his heels outside Sarge Steel's Washington office, with Vixen there for moral support. She thinks he is going to be crucified, he is there to answer for his disobedience in taking a team to Apokolips, to effect a rescue. Steel, King Faraday and a man names Griswold .... ...discuss Ben's past. They summarize his time as a government agent (for GOOD, though they say the CBI), back in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter and his brainwashing by the League of Assassins and becoming Bronze Tiger. Then, his confrontation with Batman and the death of Kathy Kane. King Faraday initiated an operation to get Tiger back from the League. He, Rick Flag and Eve Eden went to the League's bas, infiltrated and Flag held Tiger at bay, single-handedly, until Faraday pumped him full of tranquilizers. They brought him out and deprogrammed him and hooked him up with Amanda Waller's new Task Force X... Steel wants Ben's loyalty tested and to verify that he is truly deprogrammed. Faraday objects and calls out Steel and the administration on the race issue and is told to leave. On the way out he whispers a warning to Ben to watch his backside. Elsewhere, at Belle Reve, Jewelee sees the doc about a recurring bout of nausea and illness. The doc delivers a diagnosis that isn't flu...... Amanda Waller contacts Oracle and lets her know that Flo is dead, Barbara grieves alone. Ben is brought in to the inquisition.....I mean kangaroo court....I mean inquiry....and asked why he disobeyed an order. He responds with the fact that he was ordered not to contact Mister Miracle and not to use felons. He did neither of those things. They argue that the order not to go to Apokolips was implicit and they suffered casualties. Ben retorts with necessity and securing safe return of most of the operations team, necessary for the Loa mission. They argue over blind obedience to orders and answering to a higher standard and Ben's refusal to kill, then bring up his history in killing, starting at age 10, when he stabbed a white burglar who had attacked his parents, in their home. He grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the man repeatedly. Ben replies that he was scared, not of killing the man, but because it didn't last long enough. That is why he turned to the martial arts and eventually became a student of O-Sensei. They question remaining in a position where he must fight to survive, yet not kill and Ben claims to be in control. They offer a test of that.... Ben talks of how he was brainwashed by the League and turned into Bronze Tiger, how he rarely removed the mask. He became a feared assassin, under their direction. When Faraday's team came for them, he fought with intense rage. Even without the mask he fought the efforts to deprogram him but ran up against a wall...The Wall, Amanda Waller, whose resolve was stronger then his programming and hatred. he chose the lady over the tiger. She broe him down and built him back up until he was ready and he burned the mask, swearing to never kill again. Steel dares him to prove he is free by donning the mask. Steel continues, saying Ben loves the violence, loved making Ravan suffer, by leaving him alive. He knew he was not in control, so he remained in the number 2 position, behind Flag and Waller. He is afraid to take command, because he might give in to his impulses. Ben becomes agitated and then tears apart the replica mask and runs out of the room. Mari chases after him. The men conclude that Waller is a liability, since she knew Flag was unstable, Turner is drawn to violence, and Duchess was Lashina, yet kept her around. They decide to let Checkmate handle the Loa and other paranormal threats and shut down the Squad, forever. Thoughts: Powerful issue that finally focuses in on Bronze Tiger and his history, particularly his history with violence and killing. We are presented with the idea that violence and killing have driven him, both in response to his impulses and repulsion of them. It made him a natural martial artist but also made him an easy pawn for the League to control. He is a walking time bomb. Ben doesn't want to kill and is haunted by death and has to fight those impulses daily. The question is, has he really cracked? Has the government pushed him too far? Where has he run to. Meanwhile, the Loa is looking to create an army of zombie slaves to take down the government's anti-narcotics efforts and control their empire and Jewelee is pregnant. Good psychological work and character development for Ben, a nice twist to the dynamics of the Squad, and the furthering of the threat of the Loa, beyond imitating one of the weaker Bond films (and one of the most racist, which was still a step up from the book. It and Dr No are both pretty bad about that, though it filters through most of the novels.) One of the comments made, in the conference, is about "costumed clowns" being used. That is a bit of foreshadowing of the future of the team.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 20, 2022 17:42:28 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #39Looks like The Wall has gone to The Rock.... ....and I don't mean Dwayne Johnson! Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Luke McDonnell-pencils, Geoff Isherwood-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor The credits appear as part of a newspaper, which Amanda is reading, on the splash page. Synopsis: Amanda Waller receives a phone call from Sarge Steel. Task Force X is shut down, effective immediately. Thanks to the public exposure, initiated by the Loa, they have become too much of a political liability for the administration (George HW Bush). Checkmate will take on the Loa investigation. Meanwhile, the Loa are proceeding with Operation Zombie.... The Cranberries can be heard, in the background.... Suaimhneas siorai, uirthi.Elsewhere, Father Cramer checks in on the expectant couple, Punch and Jewelle and wonders what God's divine plan for them is, because it seems to be a lulu! Major Victory meets with Army Col Stoneman, who wants him to help them nail Waller to the wall and provide the dirt. Major Victory tells him off and reminds him that he is not a soldier... Vixen is saying goodbye to Warden John Economos, who says the mission specific staff are shutting things down and leaving, while the prison staff are remaining to run it. Murph gives word that Waller says she is personally supervising the return of Deadshot, Poison Ivy and Ravan, to Arkham and elsewhere. he thinks she is up to something. Sure enough, Waller is holding a briefing with them. She has heard about the Zombie effect starting and obtained samples from the Lousiana police. Poison Ivy has identified the chemical. Waller tells them they are scheduled to go back to Arkham and prison. She offers them the chance to be free, provided they kill the Loa. She will take the responsibility. She will lead the mission and they will have the bracelets, which she controls, if they try to double-cross her. They start by targeting the street pushers, houngans, then getting the next link upwards, from them. They prove very effective.... They intercept Old Bones and the white hearse and Poison Ivy's talent makes him impressionable enough to give away the location of the upper level of the Loa. They make their assault. They get to the leaders, who surrender. Amanda informs them that she is not law enforcement.... Afterward, Sarge Steel gives a report. Amanda released Deadshot, Poison Ivy and Ravan and called the police and remained to take the rap. She is in police custody and gave a private debriefing to Steel. Steel informs the President that Waller has already made a plea bargain to the charge of manslaughter, in exchange for silence about the operation and the rest. He doesn't know why she didn't leave, but says that she seemed to want to spend time in jail. Thoughts: This was a fast, but effective wrap up to the Loa. Waller decides that it is time to stop playing by the rules of engagement and go right for the head of the group, not to arrest them, but to destroy them. She assembles the deadliest killers at her disposal and leads them herself and then takes the fall for it, after she has released them from their bracelets. These people preyed upon drug addiction and Amanda has a lot of history with the effects of street drugs on a neighborhood. She is tired of playing by the rules and does what she does best: eliminate the problem quickly and finally. Amanda taking the responsibility for everything is both in her character and indicative of her mental state. She knows that all responsibility for the team lies with her, like any good leader. By the same token, she is carrying a lot of guilt for those lost under her watch, especially Rick Flag and Flo. Flag, because she could have pulled him out of missions to get help and didn't and then he went rogue, leading to his death. Flo was an innocent, trying to impress a man she loved, only to end up a casualty on a far away world, where she shouldn't have been. That is probably the death she feels most responsible for. Flag was a professional and knew the risks of their missions; Flo was a computer expert, who helped gather intelligence data; she was not a fighter. Waller gave her the job, because she was family and put her around these people who live lives of danger. Flo fell in love with one of them and tried to prove herself to him. Lashina took advantage of her desire to use as bait, for Granny Goodness. Flo died. Now, Amanda will do her penance for her sins. Problem is, it won't bring Flo back. What Waller needs, is counselling, to deal with her grief and guilt. Yes, she does need to answer for her actions; but, this isn't addressing the central issue, except to force her to have time to think about nothing but her mistakes. Some heavy stuff, from some great writers. From here, we will be jumping ahead one year, as we see the beginning of a new phase, for the Suicide Squad. It will be the opening chapter of a 4-part storyline, called The Phoenix Gambit, which will also feature an appearance by Batman!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 4, 2023 16:53:47 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #40If you want to know whether this is important or not, just look at the fact that they created an entire logo for the storyline! Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Geof Isherwood-art, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: We are told it has been one year, since the last issue. Amanda Waller sits in her cell. She gets a visit from Sarge Steel, who needs her to handle a job and offers her the standard Task Force X deal. Waller smiles.... ...and makes a counter offer. He rejects it and leaves. We see him go to a limo and tells the others that Waller saw through their ruse. They call in to some unseen person, who says they will have to go through regular channels, then gives Deadshot a contract, to deal with something in Vltava. Batman is called in by Commissioner Gordon, in regards to the murder of Nikolas Varga, a former Vlatavan immigrant who made money in shipbuilding, in WW2. he was dropped from a great height, but there are no heights nearby, nor was any low-flying aircraft observed. Based on environmental clues, Batman deduces that he was hurled from a nearby ship. Natman boards the ship and finds a flattened .44 magnum slug. he believes someone meta-human was involved; someone impervious to bullets that can punch through Kevlar. Batman questions witnesses, including a security guard who didn't know Varga was in the shipyards and his housekeeper, who said he became angry after seeing something on tv, made a call and yelled, loudly, in Vlatavan, then stormed out. She tells Batman which news broadcast he had been watching and about when the incident occured. batman takes off and calls Alfred to check the tape of the Channel 6 news (Alfred taped them all) and cross check with the meta-human database they have updated..... Alfred finds a match.... ..Ivan Illyich Gort, aka Stalnoivolk (Steel Wolf), a Russian super soldier, created in WW2, under Stalin's command, who worked for the KGB, post-war, in various pogroms, and was called the "Butcher of Vlatava." Batman goes looking for him. he finds him and confronts him.... Batman pits speed and skill against brute strength and cunning. Stalnoivolk leaps away and Batman is stopped by Sarge Steel, before he can pursue. He tries a Waller tactic of telling Batman to stand down or be exposed. batman calls his bluff and he changes tactics and asks him to accompany Steel to a meeting with Waller. Steel lays out the issue.... Right Wing backers are funding a revolution, with Count Vertigo as the front man, to unseat the Communist government. The Soviet Union has sent the Red Shadows, led by Stanoivolk, to stop their supply line, which begins at Varga. The aim of the backers is to force a confrontation with the Soviet Union. They have members throughout industry and government and Steel must go outside the system. Waller lays out her terms: full, unconditional pardon, access to prisoners with the usual deal and a million dollars. Steel balks. Waller explains that they are freelance and the million is the fee. The act independently, so there is plausible deniability. They get no official support network, so the million covers their expenses and logistics. Steel agrees and Batman agrees to help Waller recruit her Squad, provided he is satisfied with things as they progress. he walks if he is unsatisfied. He agrees. Thoughts: Ostrander really turns this up several notches. The original premise of a super villain Dirty Dozen is pretty well played out; but, by making them an autonomous for-hire group, he turns this into an espionage book (and it had those elements before) and it becomes less about costumes in battle and more about characters conducting secret missions. Ostrander also demonstrates how to write mysteries, as we watch Batman piece together clues from a crime scene and witness statements, then run smack into a potential nuclear war scenario. Politically, the Vlatava situation reflects what was happening in Yugoslavia, as Communist rule broke down and the republics that made up the Yugoslav federation broke apart and soon began fighting a bloody war. This issue came out in March of 1990. Mikhail Gorbachev had been trying to implement reforms within the Soviet Union, which led to the easing of some of the pressures on the Warsaw Pact states. Poland progressed from martial law, at the beginning of the 80s, to a release of political prisoners, like lech Walesa and an amnesty for dissident groups, like the Solidarity movement Walesa headed. This led to Poland eventually replacing the Communist government with a new republic. East Germany voted to rejoin the West and Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia broke away from the Soviet Union. Within a year, heardliners would stage a coup, which fell apart and the Soviet Union officially broke up and Boris Yeltsin became the president of a new Russia. Czechoslovakia and Hungary would have peaceful overturning of their Communist governments, while Romania had a more violent overthrow of their dictator. Ostrander weaves this political turmoil into the fabric of the story, centering around Count Vertigo's Balkan nation of Vlatava and puts him at the center of it. He is being back by Right Wing American forces; but, their plan takes a page from Len Deighton's The Billion Dollar Brain, where a John Birch Society multi-millionaire funds his own revolution against the Soviets, which would likely plunge the world into WW3. Deighton's unnamed spy (called Harry Palmer, in the films) must stop the plan, with some help from KGB Colonel Stock. Ostrander is writing circles around his contemporaries, even as he still dabbles with superheroes and villains. His use of Batman was a cut above the average, particularly in detective work. Shame he wasn't the one writing Knightfall. It might have made sense. This is all resetting the stage and the use of "One year later..." is a great device to reset the stage, without having to deal too much in the last storyline. It is a device that comics, in general, would start using more, until DC descended into reboot madness every two years (or less). Ostrander doesn't reboot the whole thing; he just allows enough time to have passed for the old Squad to be dismantled, so he can build a new one, with a new mandate and structure. it gives him a clean slate, while still making use of what came before; but, without being rigidly bound to it. Geof Isherwood does some nice work here and the fight between batman and Stalnoivolk is well staged; plus, he makes good use of layouts to convey the exposition, and this issue is heavy with it. For me, this was a shot in the arm for the series, as the formula had started to wear thin and the bodycount rose. Now, we get a more streamlined group and a more focused character group. Ostrander also largely dispenses with costumes, even more than the series already had. It becomes more Mission Impossible, with supervillains. This issue also included a two-page poster...... ....because, it's the 90s and we have to have a gimmick. Good stuff and this is a great arc.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 19, 2023 16:25:57 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #41Creative Team: Kim Yale & John Ostrander-writers, Geof Isherwood-art, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Kim is given first billing, with the writing credits, which was a switch from previous issues. Synopsis: Our story opens as Count Vertigo makes an impassioned speech, while astride a statue of a horse. We then cut to the wider shot, as his soldiers prepare to face tanks, while shielding civilians from danger. They have small arms and it looks futile, until Vertigo unleashes his power... A group of people in civilian attire rush towards Vertigo, but are sent reeling. They are the Red Shadows, the Soviet equivalent of the Suicide Squad. In fact, the trio are actually Blue Trinity, from The Flash, but their super speed was not enough. Major Zastrow addresses Stalnoivolk who is not impressed with what he sees. He turns to Molotov, formerly of the People's Heroes and asks what he would do for Mother Russia. He responds that he would do anything for his country. Stalnoivolk sends him to destroy Count Vertigo........ ...in a somewhat unorthodox way, I'll grant you. Zastrow remarks that a missile could not have done the same, as Vertigo's powers disrupt their guidance systems. Stalnoivolk reports on his mission in America. he believes he has broken the flow of arms to support the uprising; but, he was set up and say they have a leak. Zastrow dismisses that as paranoia. Stalnoivolk replies that when he discovers the truth, the traitor will die. We cut to Paris, where Mari McCabe is showing off her new collection, at a fashion show, which goes well, until she runs into Amanda Waller. Waller compliments her on the show, then offers her a mission. She refuses. Waller says "fine," then asks if she has anything to pass along to Ben Turner. That gets her attention. She agrees to the mission, in exchange for being reunited with Ben. Waller tells her to bring the totem, but leave the costume. We cut to South America, to the city of Rio Brava (that should be Ria Brava, I believe), capital of Puerto Azul, where people are holding up signs protesting cows.... .....WHOOPS!! My mistake; they are protesting a General Vaca (rather than a specific cow). It doesn't look good for Bossie, who is being abandoned by his people and his lover, Poison Ivy. She has controlled him, through drugs and sex Now she is leaving, or she was, until Batman turned up. he tells her that her foreign bank accounts, with the stolen treasury, have been frozen and her guards now have major headaches (and bodyaches). He offers her Waller's mission. if she accepts, he will get her out, alive. if she refuses, she can try to survive the mob. Waller and Mari travel to Ogaden, in East Africa (traditionally refers to a region of Ethiopia, which borders Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya.), where they find Ben Turner, in a bar, drunk and a shell of his former self. Mari wakes him up, using her powers to challenge him and force him to fight. A white mercenary seems amused by it all and uses a racial slur, particular to Africa (especially South Africa, during Apartheid), until he gets a bottle to the back of the head, by Waller. She grabs his AK-47 and stops the fighting and makes a proposal to Turner. She tells him to wipe the stripes off his face and follow. Back in Vlatava, there is an argument between Major Zastrow and General Kaligari (he has a bookcase and a desk, but I don't see a cabinet), about the use of the metahumans. Zastrow replies his brief is to deal with Vertigo and any of his American allies; the General is left to deal with the uprising of his people, with his own resources. He goes to summon further authorization from Moscow. Zastrow says that potential exposure of the Red Shadows could prove embarrassing to Premier Gorbachev, leading to a hard liner replacing him. He says Kaligari is cunning and says the same of Stalnoivolk and wonders if he didn't stage the American incident. In the South Pacific, Waller and the Squad approach a remote island, to claim the last of the team: Captain Boomerang... Waller sends in Ben and Mari to show Digger that he is an idiot and they release his boomerang glider, which immediately crashes into rocks. Digger is suddenly amenable to a return to the Squad. Batman gathers the last, Ravan, from a church in the Whitechapel district of London. In Washington, Sarge Steel receives word that Amanda Waller has assembled her team and is proceeding with the mission. A shadowy figure hears this, via a listening device and dispatches Deadshot to Vlatava, to kill Amanda Waller. Thoughts: This is pretty much centered around assembling the team, while also showing us more of the opposition. Standard routine, for this type of story. Yale and Ostrander catch us up with the doings of the various team members. Mari has continued with her career in fashion, as a designer. She gives it up, in a heartbeat, to see Ben again. Bronze Tiger is drinking himself into oblivion, as the interrogation by Sarge Steel shook him to the core, making him question if he is in control of himself or still programmed by the League of Assassins. Poison Ivy was playing Evita Peron, in a fictional South American country, until a popular uprising threatened to destroy her. Ravan was using a church of technology as a front for a murder-for-hire service, which doubled as sacrifices to ward off the Kali Yuga, for another thousand years. Batman puts an end to their situations. Boomerang is busy trying to escape the island where Waller left him. He wasn't doing well. he knows a good thing when he sees it. So, the core team is here: Bronze Tiger, Vixen, Captain Boomerang, and Ravan. Batman is aiding Waller. Former member Count Vertigo has been badly hurt, in Vlatava, by Stalnoivolk. There are political games going on there. Again, this reflects the breakup of the Warsaw Pact nations, as Communism reached the end of the line, in Eastern Europe (still going strong in SE Asia, though they adapted it to capitalism). Vlatava is a stand-in for Yugoslavia (and, to a certain extent, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia). The Communists governments in Eastern Europe fell in quick succession, though democracy didn't exactly replace authoritarian rule, in much of the region. The Red Shadows are the creation of Ostrander & Yale, the counterparts of Task Force X. Always good to have an ideological opposite to the heroes. Captain America had the Red Guardian (and the Red Skull, in WW2), GI Joe had the October Guard (though the artists saddled them with outdated Soviet weapons, instead of then-current issue). As we see, the Red Shadows seem to be a bit of a mess, cobbled together from disparate Soviet super agents, such as the People's Heroes (from The Outsiders) and Blue Trinity (from The Flash). They prove to be relatively useless and it is the mysterious figure Stalnoivolk who is the real threat there. Blue Trinity provide cannon fodder to Vertigo and Molotov is just a convenient weapon for Stalnoivolk to use against Vertigo. I love Geof Isherwood on the art, more than Luke McDonnell or John K Snyder III (and I liked their work). He has a richness to his line work and his faces are expressive and his women look female. He hadles different bodytypes well, and is adept at drawing ordinary things, as well as the extraordinary. His layouts and fight choreography are dynamic and he is adept at comedic timing. It's part of why I really enjoyed this phase of the book. Ostrander & Yale are abandoning costumes in favor of making the characters more about themselves, than their gimmicks. Taking them out of costume emphasizes that and it becomes more about the personalities than their weapons. It makes it more like Mission Impossible and less "The Dirty Dozen, With Super-villains." It's a refreshing change that adds some new life to the concept of the book and probably extended its lifespan, by another couple of years, which it might not have had, if they had continued with the same set-up.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 2, 2023 15:23:04 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #42Hey, Isherwood has done some research! He has the correct Soviet Army bayonet on the barrels of the AK-47s..... They had plastic handgrips and the blade had rough edge, on one side, to saw through wood. The, it had a notch that fit over a small post, on the scabbard, which allowed them to be used as wire cutters. In my younger Navy days, I owned one and the wire cutters worked pretty well, as did the saw edge, as long as you weren't trying to saw through a 2 x 4. It was an ingenious bit of design that was later copied by NATO. He did miss the fact that the Soviets had replaced the AK-47 with the AKM, which had a different muzzle, and then the AK-74, by the time of the Invasion of Afghanistan. Aslo, the soldiers would either be wearing caps or helmets and not the ushanka. I'll give him a break, since Vlatava is supposed to be a satellite state; so, maybe they have the older equipment. Plus, the soldiers wear helmets in the interior story. Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Geof Isherwood-layouts, Mark Badger-finishes, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Badger? We don't need stinking Badgers! Seriously, shame Isherwood isn't doing complete art. John gets first billing over Kim, again. Synopsis: We open with a standoff between anti-Kaligari (We want hutches, not cabinets!) protesters and government forces, with heated verbal exchanges and some provocative produce throwing. The on-site commander is in contact with Kaligari, who is busy yelling at Zastrow, about the use of the Red Shadows against the populace. Zastrow's orders reserve them solely for meta-human clashes and tells Kaligari to deal with internal strife himself (which had kind of become the thing, under Gorbachev, apart from Chechin). Kaligari orders his commander to open fire on the crowd..... Shades of Prague, in the 40s and Hungary, in the 50s! The place looks like Tiananmen Square! Elsewhere, in Paris, the Squad links up with Batman, who delivers Ravan. He tries to attack Batman, who outclasses him. Waller gives him a reason to cooperate, telling him that Kobra is alive, that the man killed by Captain Atom was a fake, as an autopsy revealed. Mari is confused and Batman explains the difference between Kobra and the Thugee..... So, the Thugee kill to hold off the Kali-Yuga, while Kobra wants to instigate it. Ravan agrees and we have a team. Batman reminds Waller that part of the deal is Stalnoivolk goes to the US to stand trial for murder. The Squad departs for Vlatava and is intercepted at customs. Meanwhile, Kaligari and Zastrow argue about using the Red Shadows to root out Vertigo and his rebels; but, Zastrow isn't budging. A knock at the door delivers Amanda Waller and the Squad, which has been hired by Kaligari to get Vertigo. Waller tells Kaligari it will cost him one million dollars, to be paid in Deutsche-marks. He makes a counter-offer of their lives and their passports. They are taken to their billets, next door to the Red Shadows. They argue, while they search for listening devices. they find all of them and then feed tape recorded disinformation to the listeners, while they recount the plan. They purposely put themselves at Kaligari's disposal, to get close to the situation, without having to deal with the Red Shadows or other government forces. Meanwhile, in the rebel camp, Vertigo is recovered from his encounter with Molotov, but is in his depression cycle. The rebel commander doesn't care about him or innocent civilians and orders him to be doped up to fight. Back in the billets, Bolshoi is wondering why he and molotov were brought into the mission and not Pravda, with her mind-reading skills. He spots Batman, on a nearby rooftop and goes off to prove himself, but is outclassed. Zastrow gets word and elaves his office to direct the others to intercept Batman. Mari sneaks in and finds their intel and passes it on to Ben and Ivy. Meanwhile, Blue Trinity takes down Batman, with surprising ease. Waller is left behind and waits, but her pacing is interrupted by a knock at the door, which proves to be deadshot, who has a contract to kill her. Thoughts: Well, this gets murkier, as we are first led to believe that Waller has sold out to the government side; but that is just a think ruse to get into the country and gain access to their intel. The Red Shadows are held back until the Squad makes a move and they do so with batman, as a distraction. Meanwhile, we see that the rebels aren't a lot better than the government, with equal disregard for the civilians caught in the crossfire. Vertigo is not their leader; they are answering to their American patron. This is all great stuff and further moves this into espionage thriller territory and Ordway & Yale go to town with it. Batman being defeated so easily seems odd, unless you pay attention. When Bolshoi attacks him, Batman does not respond with counter-punches or other hand-to-hand techniques; he uses a Batarang. He then throws another to put a line over a nearby building and rappels down it, where Blue Trinity catches him and spins him around in his cape, until he executes a "technicolor yawn." Even Bolshoi thought he would be tougher than that. Answers on a postcard, folks! Deadshot turning up was expected, but the meat of it is saved for next issue. I think any long time reader can guess how it will go. Mark Badger's finish takes some of the dynamism of Isherwood's art and I have never been much of a fan of his work. Certainly not on this kind of stuff. Isherwood is betetr with his own finishes, which return next issue.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 16, 2023 16:36:49 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #43Guess who? Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Geof Isherwood-artist, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: When we last left Amanda Waller, she was staring down the barrel (and Isherwood draws a single barrel, not the rotating barrels that Marshal Rogers gave Deadshot) of Deadshot's wrist-gun. He tells her he is there to kill her. he asks what his fee is and he replies "$100,000." Waller matches the offer, plus one dollar, to come back and work for her.... He takes it, revealing that his client was William heller, aka William Hell, from way back in the series. She sends him off to terminate him, with extreme prejudice. Elsewhere in Vlatava, at the rebel camp, Vertigo has been pumped full of drugs and now thinks he is an avenging angel, as well as the glorious leader of a people's rebellion. The rebel leaders don't care if he ends up a vegetable, so long as they get what they want. Poison Ivy turns up and presents the hero with a laurel, which puts him under her spell. She decides that she is going to use him for her own designs and screw Waller. Batman is the prisoner of the Red Shadows and is interrogated by Maj. Zastrow. He orders the Shadows to remove batman's cowl.... It's Captain Boomerang, which explains why he only used a batarang, against Bolshoi; and, how Blue Trinity took him down so easily. Batman is actually in Washington, rescuing Gen. Stoneman from what apepars to be KGB hitmen, but are actually working for the conspiracy.... Stoneman & Varga were responsible for the arms shipments, but Varga was set up to be killed by Stalnoivolk. Stoneman claims he objected to that, which is why he has been set up, with fake KGB hitmen. In Vlatava, Bronze Tiger sucker-punches Stalnoivolk and the fight is on! Ben gets some licks in, but Stalnoivolk is no easy target and he catches Ben and is about to rip his legs apart, when Mari shows up and draws the strength of a rhino from her talisman and hits the Steel Wolf with it... Rhino beats wolf and Ben is less than grateful. Mari tells him to get bent and moves on. Back at the ranch, Zastrow orders the Blue trinity and Bolshoi to find Waller, but she is gone. He orders them to search for her. After they are gone, she turns up behind Zastrow. Kaligari and his men listen in. Zastrow holds a gun to Boomerang's head and demands Waller explain things. She passes him a note, with the name of the man pulling the strings in Vlatava. Kaligari listens and yells for Zastrow to read the name out loud. he doesn't, but seems convinced, though he questions evidence. Waller says she has enough to convince her employers or his. Zastrow agrees to stand down, provided he can deal with the situation. Waller agrees, provided the Red Shadows withdraw from Vlatava. Zastrow says Kaligari will be angry and Waller replies that it won't matter, in a couple of minutes... Waller frees Boomerang and calls in Ivy. She says she is staying to rule Vlatava, through Vertigo and Waller tells her to check out Vlatava's GNP: she will have to rebuild it, first. Ivy says nuts to that and heads to the rendezvous; but, keeps Vertigo in her thrall. Waller also demands Stalnoivolk stand trial for murder, which was the price for getting Batman on her side and Zastrow agrees, provided Waller can get him to agree. Waller then reveals she already has him in custody. Boomerang finishes freeing himself and decks Zastrow, mostly for calling him an American. In Washington, Deadshot corners Heller and shoots him, but Batman crashes in to stop him. Deadshot misses Batman ("You pull your shots..."), but says he only told Waller he would shoot Heller, not kill him; so, he lets Batman have him. Elsewhere, we learn whose name was on the piece of paper Waller handed Zastrow.... Zastrow orchestrated the crisis to have the Red Shadows in Vlatava, to discredit Gorbachev and have him replaced by a hardliner. Thoughts: The ending has a weird element of foreshadowing. This was published in June, 1990. The hardliner coup attempt, in the Soviet Union, didn't happen until August 1991. Ostrander pretty much predicts it, a year in advance, though there was a lot of intel of divisions within the Soviet power structure over Glasnost, the liberalization of the Soviet Union and efforts to improve realtions with the West. It is an educated prediction. If you were paying attention last issue, you noticed that Batman never tries hand-to-hand combat, with Bolshoi, and only attacks him with a Batarang. He also doesn't move down the batrope quickly. He also isn't very stealthy. Ostrander, Yale and Isherwood stage it just enough that you might be fooled, but also to tell you it isn't Batman, if you are observant. It's a nice little Mission Impossible twist, as is Waller buying off Deadshot, for an extra buck. Ivy tries to book end this with yet another political pawn (she was controlling the dictator Vaca, in the first installment); but Waller proves Ivy is too ignorant in world finance to be Evita Peron. In truth, Ivy could still use Vertigo to enrich herself through World bank loans and other foreign aid, which she then pockets. That's an old routine of many dictators, throughout post-WW2 history. Men like Robert Mugabe and Joseph Mobutu Sese Seko enriched themselves at the expense of their country (Amin, too). However, Ivy had enough problems with Vaca and decided it wasn't worth it, though she kept Vertigo under her control, for whatever happens next. This makes her a dangerous segment of the team, which already has a scheming twit in Boomerang and a murderous Thugee, in Ravan. The Red Shadows, true to the usual way these counterparts go, proved to be a pale imitation. Really, Soviet counterparts have rarely been done well, in comics. Stalnoivolk is actually one of the few interesting characters created, along these lines. Expect the Steel Wolf to stick around a bit. I really, really liked this new direction in the series, as it came at the right time, when the previous gimmick of the Dirty Dozen was played out. Ostrander just nudged it more into the Mission Impossible field and cut them from the support network and government oversight. Now, they become a sort of super-powered Executive Outcomes, offering their firepower to the highest bidder; though, with Waller in charge, that means people on the right side of the moral fence. I also like Isherwood's art, as he handles this style well, stages the action in an exciting manner and handles the heavy exposition creatively. Also, he is better with the female form than Luke McDonnell (well, the facial features, more than anything) and he is good with expressions and body language. It is less stylized that John K Snyder III, whose style works better with a feature that is a bit more removed from reality, like his own Fashion In Action (in the pages of Scout, at Eclipse, and their own specials) or Dr Midnite (or Grendel). Next issue, Captain Boomerang goes home to Australia. Cue up some Midnight Oil.....
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 15, 2023 18:16:17 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #44Uh, oh; trouble for the Flash! Or is it? Creative Team: John Ostrander & Dave Devries-writers, Luke McDonnell-art, Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford-colors. Dan Raspler-editor The splash page has a fun little credits stunt.... Synopsis: We open with an explosion and learn that Ray Palmer, the Atom, is dead. Someone else emerges from a phoneline, in Amanda Waller's office. he is the new Atom and he works for her. Meanwhile, after travelling in a fried out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie, Captain Boomerang and Deadshot, in civies, are Down Under. They meet a strange lady, she makes them nervous; she takes them in and gives them breakfast..... Okay, maybe not the last part; but, George "Digger" Harkness and Floyd Lawton are in The Land of Oz. Kurrumburra, to be precise, near Melbourne (120 km southeast). It was where Digger grew up and he is there for his mother's funeral. Digger introduces Floyd to his father, Ian and his brother, Tom. Ian sets in on Digger immediately, about not seeing his mother, when she was alive, when he was fighting an alien Invasion, in Melbourne (the crossover event). Digger and his father have never gotten along and Tom intercedes, leading his father away to attend to other guests. Digger and Floyd run into Mick Wentworth, Digger's childhood mate. Digger relates how they first met, as Ian dismisses the boomerang Digger made in school, because he is upset that Tom is moving away. Digger's mother tries to chastise her husband but he is hard headed and teaching tough lessons to the boy. Digger runs outside and stews, while he tosses around his boomerang. He meets Mick, impresses him by killing a kookaburra with the boomerang and they become fast friends, getting into all kinds of mischief. Digger's mother bails them out of some of it, but not the last time, when they tried to shoplift and got caught, though Digger's skill with a boomerang helped them escape the law. Tom and Digger have a bust up and Digger, Floyd and Mick go outside. He relates how his father was ready to turn him over to the cops, but his mother argued. Digger was headed to melbourne, to see if Tom could help him get a job and Ian rages. Digger's mother tries to calm him down and he hits her. That sets off Digger and he decks him. His mother tells him to hide out at the pub and meets him later, with a ticket to Central City, in the US of A, where an old friend, a Yank, named WW Wiggins, will set him up with a job, to help market boomerangs as the next big toy fad. Digger goes and becomes the company's mascot, Captain Boomerang, giving demonstrations of the product to a disinterested crowd. After nearly starting a brawl, at a local fair, his boss sends him to cool off. He walks around and sees easy pickings, as the fairgoers are fixated elsewhere and he decides to help himself to a wallet or two. the object of the crowd's attention notices and, before you know it, the Flash and Captain Boomerang have their first battle. Many more follow, until the Flash gives up his life to save a universe. Digger and Floyd meet Uncle Walt, aka WW Wiggins, at the train station and bring him back. hHe says he owed it to Digger's mother. When they arrive and Ian sees them, he erupts and yells for Wiggins to get out. Tom tries to quiet things and asks Wiggins to go, but George/Digger isn't having it. He demands to know why his father is attacking the friend of his mother. Walt tries to walk away and George makes him tell him what the deal is. he explains that he met George's mother, during the war, while Ian was off fighting.... Trapped in a loveless marriage and alone, she turned to Walt. After the war, he came back through, as a salesman and they rekindled the affair. Betty begged him to take her with him, back to the US and he tried to back out. it was then she told him she was pregnant, with his child. Walt Wiggins is the father of George "Digger" Harkness, aka Captain Boomerang, on of the Flash's Rogues Gallery. George tells off Walt for being a coward and helping him out of guilt for abandoning his mother and him to Ian. George and Floyd get a drink and decide to head home to the person who really loves them, Amanda Waller. Thoughts: Really interesting tweak to the established origin of Captain Boomerang. The whole mascot of the Wiggins Toy Company was there at the start, as well as being Australian; but, it was Silver Age tomfoolery and stereotype, right down to the Digger nickname. Captain Boomerang was another gimmick crook for the Flash to defeat, via ingenious speed gimmicks. He was never one of the deadliest Rogues, though they got enough mileage out of him (though more in the group setting than as a solo threat, as time wore on). Ostrander and Devries give George more of a rounded background and reason for being. He was a troubled boy, in a bad home, who got into trouble to get attention, since his father had no time for him. If he wouldn't love him he'd give him a reason to hate him. It goes to far and he ends up having to hide from the law and his mother gets in contact with his real father and sends him to his destiny, as a olorful thief, battling the hero of Central City, the Flash. At least this pair have done a bit of research about Australia, placing George and family in a real small town, near Melbourne, and using the legacy of Australia as a staging ground for the Allies' counter-attack on the Japanese, to retake the Pacific, as a link between George and the US. Why would an Australian come to the US and not the UK or Canada, which had closer links? because his mother knew his father was an American, with whom she had an affair. Why would some little toy company hire and Aussie mascot to sell boomerangs to Boomer kids? because it was his son and he owed Betty Harkness. Why is George such a p@#$%? because his father treated him like the south end of a north-bound kangaroo and he had left his mother with a man they both hated. He hadn't even seen her since he left. This one issue gives us more insight into Captain Boomerang than decades of The Flash. If I were to fault the story, I'd say the rekindling of the affair, after the war, with Walt coming back through Australia, as a salesman, is a bit hard to swallow. The wartime affair makes sense; but, they had to push Digger's birth to after the war, to place him at the age they depict him, rather than when he debuted. So, we have to turn a blind eye to it. The story if hardly anything new, as it fits the whole Angry Young Man genre, such as depicted in literature, stage and films like the Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and Look Back in Anger. George is part of a generation lost, born after a war, trying to find a life for themselves, without good prospects. The anger drives them and it drives George into crime, as he gets fame and glory by fighting the Flash. Now, he is with the Squad and if he isn't getting fame, he gets adventure and a good time, while actually accomplishing something constructive. By this point, Boomerang is past trying to scam Waller or hold back in the fight. As we saw in the previous mission, he is an active and even enthusiastic participant in the operation, even if he isn't a gung ho Marine. He's a moaner and complainer, a shirker; but, the Squad are his mates and you stick by your mates. I do think Ostrander missed his opportunity to send Floyd and George on a road trip, for a few issues, where buy bread from a man in Brussels, who is 6 foot 4 and full of muscles, and end up in Bombay, with a slack jaw and nothing much to say! Either that or send them on a Highway to Hell and bring them Back in Black. Naw. On second thought, don't change a thing, for me.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 15, 2023 18:59:00 GMT -5
Apologies to Foxley and any other Aussies here for perpetuating most of what America knows about Australia, learned from MTV, Quantas and Australian Tourist Board ads, and the films of Paul Hogan. ps Digger is a term for the ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) troops of WW1, as well as a term for a miner. Digger became common slang for the Aussie soldiers, while New Zealanders were generally known as Kiwis, to the British, though the Aussies and New Zealanders called each other diggers. The slouch hats that the troops wore became synonymous with them and became known as digger hats. When Captain Boomerang was created, for Flash #117, John Broome and Carmine Infantino used pretty much the stereotypes they knew of Australia, to connect to the boomerangs. Infantino gave him a garrison cap, which was standard US Army and Air Force (and Naval officer and CPO) wear. Infantino was noted for his depictions of in in sci-fi stories and other settings and McDonnel tries to capture the look, in the WW2 scenes, but doesn't quite get the proportions right. They tended to be worn cocked to the side, with a "dip" in the center, though that was mainly the Army. Navy and Air Force usually wear them with a dip at the rear. Maines wouldn't dare display such frivolity and wear them sharp and square. So, here are the Oils, with a song about miners.... Man, those guys complained about everything! pps For my first midshipman Summer Training Cruise, I was an an AO (Auxiliary Oiler), a tanker, and we spent part of our time conducting UNREPS, Underway Replenishment operations, where we would refuel other ships, while sailing alongside them. Among other things, we refueled the USS New Jersey and its battlegroup, which was on maneuvers, the USS Enterprise (restocking the dylithium crystals) and several other ships, including a frigate, from the Australian Navy. The Aussie contingent were all in shorts and lived up to their reputations. Before sending across the refueling rigs, we would fire a "shot line" across to the ship being refueled, via a rifle adapted to fire grenades. Instead of a grenade, it launched a rubber projectile, with a thin line attached to it. We would land the projectile on the other ship and they would start hauling it over, while we had attached the anchoring line to it (heavier line, like mooring lines). This secured the hanger system and they then hauled over the hoses and hooked them up and we started pumping fuel to them. When we worked with the Aussie ship, the gunner's mate fired a little high and hooked the hauling line up on the superstructure, near the bridge, rather than the main deck. One of the Aussie sailors started climbing up the hinges of a watertight door, to get to it and bring it down. We saluted him for being insane, but getting the job done. It was a common tradition, when breaking away, at the end of the operation, to play a "breakaway song" and hoist the ship's personal flag. Our vessel, the USS Willamette, was known as the Duke of Oil and had a flag with a sharply dressed gent, in top hat and monocle, sitting on a barrel of oil, drinking a martini. Our song was "The Duke of Earl." The Australian ship hoisted a green flag, with a kangaroo on it and played Men At Work's "Down Under" and then brought dummy training missiles up on their launch rails and then tilted the rails up and down, as if waving goodbye. Those cruises (that one, and my last one, on an LST, or Landing Ship Tank) were my only times in the Pacific (I was stationed on the Atlantic side) but I always heard that everyone loved port visits to Australia and working with the Australian Navy. There was a strong bond, dating back to the war and Aussies tended to treat American sailors well........ .....apart from the Greenpeace members who would try to harass US ships, in relation to nuclear weapons. And maybe a few fathers and/or boyfriends. And people who were tired of Yank sailors being obnoxious. Other than that......
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 2, 2023 18:41:14 GMT -5
I'll get back to the adventures of the Squad soon, as it will be my main focus, as we roll towards the end. We have more fun with Lord Naga and Kobra, as he and Ravan settle their score, plus some fun for Deadshot, Dr Light returns and some focus on Oracle.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 5, 2023 16:41:14 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #45-47KOBRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Geof Isherwood-art, Luke McDonnell-layouts (#47), Todd Klein-letters, Carl Gafford (45) & Tom McCraw (46-47)-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Synopsis: Lord Naga, aka Kobra, is in Beirut, where he expects to receive nuclear triggering devices, from a mercenary. The man turns out to be a US Government agent and it is a sting operation. However, the scorpion is outclassed by the serpent, as Kobra expected this and launches his own ambush, killing all but the lead agent. He has the man's limbs cut off and his eyes removed and sends him back to the US to deliver a message: "The Age of the Kali-Yuga will dawn in Jerusalem!" The message is shared with Israel and it is intercepted by Egyptian Intelligence. They hire Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad to deal with the situation, before whatever happens engulfs Egypt, as well, as anything of such magnitude would, in the Middle East. We learn that there are other counterparts to the Squad, besides the Red Shadows... The Egyptians have a team of meta-humans, called the Mamelukes; but, they are known to the Mossad and cannot be used. The Mossad has their own team, The Hayoth, named for the Four Living Beast of Ezekial and revelation. They are Golem, who can transform physical states (into earth, water or air, though if he disperses too much he cannot reconstitute his body), Judith, an assassin, Ramban, a Kabbalistic magician, and Dybbuk, an artificial intelligence. Ben Turner and Ravan infiltrate the Israel coast by rubber raft, after being dropped off outside the territorial waters, by a ship. Ravan is wanted by the Israelis, as part of the Jihad and it is revealed that Bronze Tiger spent part of his time as a Janissary, a mercenary, in the employ of Arab groups, during the time he was away from the team. He is also persona non grata. They get ashore, change into civilian clothes and move to meet up with Muslim contacts of Ravan, to hide out. Inside Jerusalem, Kobra is setting up his operation, but the illegal electrical tap has been traced and the Hayoth attack. Elsewhere, Vixen and Waller arrive in Jerusalem by plane, but Boomerang and Deadshot missed the plane. Boomerang had to get drunk and deadshot threatens to kill him, because their luggage did not miss the plane, including Deadshot's weapons. If they are searched and discovered, the whole operation is blown. It turns out, it is a moot point. Waller and Mari are met by a Col Hachon, the Mossad liason with the Hayoth, and soldiers, who take them into custody and ask what their mission is and reveal they assume it is related to Kobra. Before they leave, Waller orders the unseen Atom to hid in her hair, out of sight, as an ace in the hole. The Mossad take Amanda and Mari to a facility, where they reveal that the Hayoth have already captured Lord Naga. Further elsewhere, Poison Ivy and Count Vertigo wait, poolside, at a hotel. vertigo is still under Ivy's compete control and she has made him her slave, in more ways than one. He warns her that if she loses control, he will kill her. Waller is shown the door and told to report back to the US. She then unveils her own card, showing she has good intelligence that the Hayoth were able to capture Lord Naga because of Dybbuk and she knows what Dybbuk is..... Dybbuk is able to infiltrate and disrupt electrical and electronic systems. The name itself is that of a spirit of the dead that possesses a living person. Waller pushes Hachon's buttons, with her on-the-nose intel and he warns her off. He doesn't see her deploy Atom to snoop around, as she is escorted back out of the facility. Waller believes that Lord Naga's plan included his capture and being placed in the holding facility. Hachon believes that Waller isn't done and tasks Judith to watch them. Atom spies on Kobra, in his cell, as he seems to have a one-sided conversation about sentience and the knowledge of Good and Evil. Lord Naga indicates he knows Atom is there and he is attacked by scorpions. Atom fights them off and escapes and Naga goes back to his oration. We see an optical scanner of some kind, which looks rather like those of HAL, in 2001, A Space Odyssey. Open the pod bay doors, Dybbuk? Waller deploys Vixen, who goes airborne, but is spotted by Judith, who reports in. Dybbuk relays the information and receives instructions to relay. He advises Hachon to arrest waller, as she is the key to the Squad. He is rebuked and told to stick to the plan by Ramban. Dybbuk questions why Ramban dislikes him. He is told to carry out his orders and that will be a topic of future discussion. Dybbuk signs off and we learn that Ramban distrusts the intelligence, since it was born of a fluke that has not been reproduced and the system refuses to aid them in their research to duplicate it. Ramban does not trust what they cannot control and wonders what will happen if it stops obeying? They debate, with Ramban outlying moral and ethical dilemas which may affect how the computer obeys. Hachon dismisses it as nonsense and that the system only controls certain security functions. Ramban questions whether that is programming or choice, by Dybbuk. Atom listens in on the conversation, from an air duct. Mari meets up with Ravan and Bronze Tiger and relays the news. ravan wants to go kill Kobra, but Ben restrains him. They are interrupted by Judith, who attacks them, but the woman, named for a legendary assassin, is not a match for the combined attack of Ravan and Bronze Tiger. Her entrance takes down Mari, with shuriken to the back, but she is forced to fight a defensive battle with the others and flee. Mari is badly hurt and needs medical attention. ben wants to get her to a hospital but Ravan feels it will destroy their mission and refuses to help. Meanwhile, Atom overhears Lord Naga come to an agreement and we learn what has happened, with Dybbuk.... Lord Naga has tempted Dybbuk in turning against his masters, to determine if he truly has free will. He also reveals he knows Atom is there and he reveals what he has done to him. To determine if he has free will, Dybbuk has taken control of a squadron of fighter jets and redirected them to bomb the Dome of the Rock, the mosque built upon the site of the Temple of Solomon. As long as it stands, the temple cannot be rebuilt and Dybbuk wishes that to happen. Atom retorts that such an act will set the Middle East ablaze in jihad, holy war and Naga retorts that is his intent, to usher in the Kali-Yuga, the Age of Chaos. Atom does not see the return of the scorpions, from behind his body. Atom attacks Kobra, but Dybbuk has released the lock on the cell and directed Kobra where to regain his sceptre. Atom tries to set off alarms; but, they are all tied to Dybbuk. However, Ravan has arrived to kill Kobra and prevent the Kali-Yuga. Kobra is ready for him and injects him with poison, via his sceptre. meanwhile, Atom uses a phone to call Waller and travels along the lines to her hotel room and reveals what Dybbuk has done. Ben is trying to get Mari to a medical facility when he runs into Judith again, who demands he surrender or die, unconditionally. Ben fights. While this happens, Waller finds Ivy and Vertigo and orders Vertigo to stop the planes. Ivy refuses to release her hold, fearing he will kill her. Waller figures it out and is able to snap Vertigo out of it and he nearly stabs her with a fork before she gets through to him. He goes after the jets but swears to kill Ivy when he is finished. As he leaves, Waller tells Ivy to get away, immediately. Outside, Golem has the room under surveillance and reports in to Dybbuk, who relays false orders to stop Vertigo. Atam returns through the phone liens and finds the office in a shambles and Ramban waiting for him. He remarks that the news said the Atom was dead, but here we are. Atom warns him about Dybbuk. Vertigo is able to divert missiles fired by the Israeli F-4 Phantoms (should be KFirs, at this stage...or F-15s or F-16s), but Golem attacks and distracts him. Ramban puts what Atom has told him to Dybbuk and asks him a simple question; where is Kobra? Dybbuk waffles, instead of giving a binary yes or no answer as to knowledge of Kobra's whereabouts, and Ramban knows he is lying and sets about making an incantation, to allow him to reason with Dybbuk and sends Atom onhis way to help stop Kobra. Mari is conscious and is able to stop the fight between Bronze Tiger and Judith, which has turned brutal. he demands medical attention first, then he surrenders and Judith agrees. Ramban engages Dybbuk in a philosophical and theological debate, in an effort to sway him to stop his actions... Atom find Ravan and Korba in a bitter struggle and Ravan is losing. Atom intercedes and uses his size altering ability to take down Kobra, knocking him unconscious. Ravan, who is dying of the poison and his injuries begs Atom to kill Kobra, but he refuses. Ravan curses him and dies, Ramban convinces Dybbuk to alter his course of actions until he can fully determine the ethics of them. Mari receives medical attention and Hachon is forced to eat crow with Waller, but orders her out of the country. Ramban reveals to her that he has kept Atom's presence a secret and that Dybbuk now questions orders until he determines if the actions are reasonable and has essentially halted cooperating blindly with Hachon. Kobra is imprisoned in a cell with magical constraints and Waller ehads to the airport, to tear a new one in Deadshot and Boomerang, who have just landed and called for transportation. Thoughts:Excellent storyline that once again takes pages from real world conflict and applies them to this artificial world. At the time this storyline was published, the Iraqi Army was preparing a full scale invasion of Kuwait, after disagreements over oil production, which was keeping prices low, and Iraq's debt to Kuwait, to fund the Iran-Iraq war. The Middle east was a powder keg and the West feared massive loss of oil and set about launching a military operation to retake Kuwait and secure other friendly states, with UN sanction, leading to the Persian Gulf War (and what a fun time it was to be a naval officer, then). One of the biggest fears was that this would set either Israels neighbors into attacking it, thinking it was distracted by Iraq, or Israel launching pre-emptive strikes, to prevent just such a thing. As it was, Iraq launched SCUD missiles at Israel and Israeli forces were prepared to retaliate, when the US brokered a deal to get them to stand down and diverted much of their effort into locating mobile SCUD sites and neutralizing them. They also gifted packages of Patriot defensive missiles to Israel, to shoot down incoming missiles (though the record of the system was dubious, as after-action reports indicated they only intercepted debris falling off the SCUD missiles, which were being used beyond their effective range). The US and the UK sent in special operations teams, such as Delta and the SAS to identify SCUD sites and call in airstrikes. One such team was given the call sign Bravo 2-0 and they encountered communications difficulty and had to go on the run, after being spotted by civilians. Most of the team was captured or killed, except for one trooper who marched to the Syrian border and crossed it safely. Here, Kobra intends to bring chaos to the world by destroying the Dome of the Rock, using Israeli aircraft, under Dybbuk's control, to set off a total war of the Muslim world against Israel. This conflict would likely draw in the super powers, as they needed the oil reserves in the region, not to mention defensive agreements. In all likelihood, it could touch off a nuclear conflict. That's a pretty darn good thriller plot and Ostrander & Yale go to town with it. meanwhile, they don't neglect character development, as they further Mari's desire to reconcile with Ben, put Boomerang and Deadshot against each other, after some bonding, thanks to Digger causing them to miss their flight and lose Deadshot's gear. Vertigo is free from Ivy's control and has vowed to kill her, for holding him as her love slave and bodyguard. You know that sparks are going to fly in the next storyline. Within the story, Ostrander continues to introduce new meta-humans, with far more thought than had been given, in past. In most circumstances, comics tend to go for national stereotypes when creating foreign heroes and villains. DC's Global Guardians are rife with them and marvel's Soviet Super Soldiers weren't much better, let alone characters like Sabra, Arabian Knight or Sharock (Peregrine was to ineffective to be much of a champion of France, which is, in itself, a stereotype). He suggests the existence of the Mamelukes, named after slave soldiers and mercenaries who were used in combat by various Muslim rulers. They originated in the Slavic regions, which further suggests that Egypt's group are outsiders, beholding to them. That would make some sense, as they could be disavowed, if they were mercenaries. Meanwhile, Ostrander & Yale create a team for Israel, something with more bite than Seraph and less of a superhero cliche than Sabra. Again, he steeps it in Hebrew history and lore. The Golem is an animated figure of clay, with a scoll embedded in its head, with the character emeth, for truth. The pair take that and push it beyond a clay monster, as in other golems of comics (like in the Invaders or It The Living Colossus) and make it able to transform states of matter, but with limitations that too much dispersal of its elements will prevent it from reforming. This is how you create characters with depth, as it considers not just their powers, but builds in weaknesses, to create dramatic conflict. Judith is named for the central figure of the apocryphal Book of Judith, which recounts a widow, who uses charm and beauty to infiltrate the camp of the Assyrian general Holofernes, who she then decapitates, when he is drunk. This causes the Assyrian army to fall into chaos and leave Israel in peace and free. The Ostranders take this legendary figure and turn it into a female, Hebrew ninja, with no apparent super powers, but great combat skill. Finally, there is Ramban, a magical figure from Kabbalistic lore, who also represent rabbinical wisdom, as it is his philosophical debates that underline the control issue with Dybbuk and ultimately reasons with Dybbuk to reverse his actions. Then, there is Dybbuk, a sentient artificial intelligence, obviously modelled on the HAL 9000 computer, which operated the space ship Discovery, in the novel and film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the story, due to orders which conflict with HAL's inherent programming, the computer develops a neuroses and ends up killing most of the crew, while encountering another monolith, off of Jupiter. Astronaut Dave Bowman is forced to manually re-enter the Discovery and go to HAL's brain (a chamber with the control mechanisms for the system) and disconnect its higher functions...essentially putting it into a coma, before Bowman goes off to explre the monolith. Like HAL, Dybbuk is presented with a philosophical dilemma, which allows Kobra to manipulate him into launching an air strike on the Dome of the Rock. What really makes this work, for me, is that it is not brute strength or vicious combat that wins the day; it is a moral argument between intelligent beings. Far too often, comics revolve around Might Makes Right, or brawn saving the day. Brute strength is fine, but without intelligence directing it, it is just a tool, which can fail. History is filled with military examples where cunning has defeated greater strength. The recent tv drama series, SAS: Rogue Heroes, illustrated this as the SAS would penetrate deep behind German and Italian lines, navigating through the desert, to attack their airfields and supply depots and convoys, destroying as much as they could then disappearing back into the deep desert. The would race to get outside the operational range of aircraft and back to safety. The attacks forced the Axis to redeploy more and more troops from the front lines to guard their rear and protect their aircraft. The Axis could not resupply as easily as the Allies, thanks to the Royal Navy and the bases on Malta, making transit to North Africa difficult, as there would be in range of fighters and bombers, plus ships and submarines hunting them. The SAS constituted a small unit, whose size was artificially exaggerated through disinformation campaigns, making them seem like a regiment, when they were barely a company-sized unit. Similar deception operations, carried out by Brig. Dudley Clarke, kept Rommel's intel people off guard, leading them to misalign their forces, when the real counter-attacks came. Similar operations were used in conjunction with the Normandy landings, to convince the Germans that it would occur at the Pas de Calais, rather than the Normandy coast. Similarly, intelligence breakthroughs identified Midway as a possible target of a major Japanese attack plan. The US Navy tested their intel by planting false radio traffic that the fresh water condenser on Midway was out of commission. The Japanese intercepted the transmissions and relayed it to command, which was then intercepted by Naval Intelligence. The Japanese messages passed on the information, using the code name that the US believed meant Midway. The Navy was then able to have three aircraft carriers and support ships positioned to intercept the Japanese fleet and ambush them, sinking four carriers and ending Japanese offensive operations in the Pacific (the Japanese also launched a simultaneous attack on the Aleutians, though it ended up in a war of attrition, as they proved unable to regularly supply their troops, before they were eradicated in brutal fighting). These uses of brainpower brought about significant defeats of numerically or tactically more powerful forces. This is what I truly loved about John Ostrander's (and Kim Yale's) writing, as it was intelligent. Brains were highly regarded, even more than brawn. he presented opportunities for plenty of action; but, he never lost sight of the real power of the mind to resolve conflicts and solve seemingly insurmountable problems. This used to be a tradition of DC Comics, with scientific heroes, like Adam Strange, who used scientific principles to defeat threats to their world, or to use their powers to defeat an enemy or trap, as in the Flash employing Barry Allen's scientific knowledge toe scape deathtraps and defeat the Rogues. When you are 5 ft 6 and bookish, you tend to put a high regard on using brains to solve problems and defeat larger foes. I employed this once, in PE class, in high school. We were playing flag football, but the PE teacher (also asst football coach) allowed continuous blocking, not just on the snap. Meanwhile, my class consisted of several upperclassmen, who were on the football team, including my older and larger brother. He would come barreling through the line, as the football players were conveniently on the same team and the teacher was acting as quarterback. I knew we couldn't physically stop them; but, I had an idea, because I knew my brother and watched how they were playing, driving straight through our line. I lined up slightly off-centered and back. When the ball was snapped, my brother started charging directly towards a classmate of mine, in front of him. I pushed my friend from the side, so that he fell sideways and my brother tripped over him and fell to the ground. I rushed through the gap, as the other side was intent on doing the same and went straight for the coach and yanked off his flag as he had moved back to look for a passing opportunity. He was PISSSED! I just smiled and held out his flag, which he yanked out of my hand. My team enjoyed a bit of a celebration, before the bell rang, ending the game. We still lost; but, I was able to humble some football players and their coach, with a bit of "stragedy," as my hero, Bugs Bunny did. That's why, when I play chess, I go off the board and circle around to attack the king from the read. The opponent never expects this tactic. They just rant and rave about it being "against the rules," like there are rules in war. Ha!
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 5, 2023 16:43:35 GMT -5
ps Ostrander was also the first writer to turn Kobra into a real threat and not just another serpent villain.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 10, 2023 22:33:22 GMT -5
Suicide Squad #48-49Creative Team: John Ostrander & Kim Yale-writers, Geof Isherwood-art, Todd Klein-letters, Tom McGraw-colors, Dan Raspler-editor Luke McDonnell also provides art on issue #49 Synopsis: Waller is at the Institute for Meta-Human Studies, where Count Vertigo is being detoxed from Poison Ivy's drugs and conditioning. Mari is also being cared for, there. The director is Simon LaGrieve, the previous psychologist for Task Force X, before it was dissolved. La Grieve asks for a favor. The institute came in control of the Thinker's helmet, after his death, on a Squad mission, to South America (Doom Patrol & Suicide Squad Special). They experimented, using a new test subject, Cliff Carmichael. He was a sociopath and used the helmet to analyze itself and make improvements, leading to him having circuitry surgically implanted in his brain, as well as a serial port at the base of his neck installed, allowing direct access to computer systems. he became a living "cyberpunk," able to enter the digital realm and hack into and reprogram computer systems, steal info, and take control of systems. If that wasn't bad enough, he emits a psi force that gives him mental control over people, within a certain radius. La Grieve contacted Oracle, to try to set a trap, but he could directly interface with the systems ad move at the speed of thought, while she needed a keyboard. Now, Carmichael is hunting her, using info he gained in their battle. Waller agrees to take things on, but she needs to know what Carmichael knows and uses the old helmet to see, though it starts to take control over her. She wants to keep the helmet and La Grieve agrees, providing she can answer if that is her talking or the helmet. Waller's will defeats the hold of the helmet and she smashes it. Barbara Gordon is in a therapy session and talks about her dreams of the Joker's attack on her, but how the person at the door changes. She doesn't talk about her having been Batgirl and the therapist senses she is holding something back about why she should have known better than to just open the door without seeing who it was. Barbara is plagued by the knowledge that she is being stalked by Carmichael and is determined to never again be a victim. Waller doles out assignments to Lawton, Ben and Digger. Carmichael is trying to trace Oracle through the specialized equipment she would need and has hacked into sales data from the manufacturers. They will attempt to also trace them. Lawton is told to shoot to wound, not kill Carmichael, if he comes in contact. She wants him taken alive. She then shows her ace in the hole to Simon....the Atom. He will remain there, in case Oracle makes contact, then he can go straight to her, via phone lines. Carmichael checks out a delivery address, which is a blind drop. He uses his powers to interrogate the man there and then force him to kill his wife, as she is interfering.... He gets the name "Amy Beddoes," and a hotel, the Tamarindo. Carmichael leaves to check it out. Barbara is at a police shooting range, fighting her desire not to become a killer, but also not be a victim, wondering if there is an alternative... Boomerang and Lawton get nowhere. Boomerang has some fun with some street punks who try to shake him down. A few boomerangs send them running. Lawton has to deal with patrol cops, who spot him. His weapons are still unaccounted for, but he bluffs them with his fingers, takes their sidearms and shoots up their car, telling them not to annoy him and walks away. The police decide to give it an hour, then call in a sniper ambush and hope they live to collect their pension. Carmichael finds Amy Beddoes, at the hotel and it is Barbara. He knocks her out of her chair and taunts her, as she tries to crawl to her pistol. Amanda turns up and makes the save.... Barbara is able to get the gun and takes aim, but Waller talks her through the impulse and Barbara doesn't pull the trigger. Carmichael goes for it, but Waller gets to him and pistol whips him. Waller makes a proposition to Barbara, who considers it, as she is grateful for Amanda stopping her from becoming a killer. Meanwhile, a creature, which looks like a zombified Mindwarp, grabs a child from a rural home. A woman screams to call the General. We then see General Jeb Stuart, who goes to see Simon La Grieve, at the Institute and tells him to get in contact with Waller and says he owes a debt of honor to his godson, Rick Flag. That sets up the 50th issue. Thoughts: Powerful two issues that deal with the trauma that Barbara Gordon suffered, in The Killing Joke. The story was meant to be an imaginary tale, but DC editorial decided to make in canon and remove Batgirl from circulation. This didn't sit well with John Ostrander and especially with Kim Yale. They took Barbara and made her Oracle, allowing her to adapt to the situation and use her skills to continue the fight for justice. Now, she is being targeted by another psychopath and she must deal with the demons that have haunted her, since the attack. She vows never to be a victim again. This is not an unusual response for a survivor of an attack. Some retreat away and some become determined to become hard. Either extreme can become unhealthy, if the trauma itself isn't addressed. Barbara is ready to throw away everything she has ever believed about the sanctity of human life, because of her determination to never again be a victim. Amanda shows her that she doesn't have to become a killer and she can still prevent herself from being a victim, by accepting the help of others. Barbara emerges still without blood on her hands and renewed purpose. She will be aiding this independent Squad, with her computer skills and information gathering, not to mention tactical sense. Waller, meanwhile, demonstrates why the team follow her. She understands what makes each of them tick and how to push their buttons to move them in the right direction. For Barbara, she knows she doesn't want to kill and she prevents her having to make the choice. Now, she gives Barbara back her purpose, in aid of their missions. Boomerang needs a strong guidance. he starts to refuse the mission and she tells him he is fired and to go find a new job. He quickly backs down at the thought of having to make a go of it on his own....getting his but kicked by the Flash or someone else. better the devil you know. Lawton still needs to be told that he has a loophole that he can exploit so he doesn't have to kill. The subplot of the child abduction shows a country setting, probably in the south, with zombie like creature, who appears to be the dead Mindwarp. her personality was already brought back as Djinn, in the reconstituted Jihad. Now, her body seems to be walking around. Issue 50 will bring back a lot of people from the series, for a reunion and celebration, of sorts. It will tap into the history of the Squad, from the beginning. This again demonstrates why I love this era of the series, probably more than the early incarnation, as good as it was. The characters have grown so much and the lack of oversight allows for more interesting possibilities. It also moves away from the villain of the month and the obvious cannon fodder characters..
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