Please note this issue is not released until August 1oth
Written by:
Art by: Oscar Bazaldua and Cliff Richards
Publisher: DC Comics
Suicide Squad has always had an interesting cast, but unlike other team books, most of these characters have never had books of their own. The Suicide Squad Most Wanted series attempts to make up for that by focusing on each member of the Squad. The last series focused on Katana and Deadshot and this new one is focusing on El Diablo and Boomerang.
The El Diablo story is a take on brutality of the American criminal justice system, most likely inspired by current events, and it’s the better half of the two stories featured in this book. It’s a little too on the nose, with Uncle Sam making an entrance and delivering a speech on American values. But it’s still an entertaining story.
El Diablo, after burning down a church, decides it’s finally time to leave the Squad and head back home. Amanda Waller becomes a terrifying villain in this story as she forces him to instead lead another task force, El Diablo denies and is promptly beaten up the same people he was supposed to lead. It’s a brutal scene and makes you feel for El Diablo. Eventually El Diablo is released and we get to see a glimpse of his life at home. It would have been an interesting take if the series was about El Diablo adjusting to life outside prison, but instead he quickly joins another group and embarks on another mission. While it’s not shaping up to be the most original story, the story succeeds by making the readers care and root for El Diablo.
The Boomerang chapter is a disappointing follow up story after the El Diablo one. Unlike what the El Diablo story did for it’s character, I still don’t care about Boomerang and still think he’s a goofy villain. The premise behind it, Boomerang being left behind by the rest of Squad and having to go all Jason Bourne on a foreign dictator is interesting and the action is great too. The mystery behind little kids being turned into metahumans is also intriguing and something i want to learn more about. The new character Breaker and her powers are very cool, and she’s already more likable and interesting than Boomerang. Literally everything about the Boomerang story is promising except the main character himself. With the whole point behind the Most Wanted series being to flesh out the Suicide Squad cast, it’s disappointing Boomerang is still a boring and unfunny character that I have a hard time taking seriously. Hopefully the other issues focus more on Boomerang.
Overall, I think this issue is pretty entertaining. While the El Diablo story is far better than the Boomerang one, neither are truly great stories. If all you’re looking for is some solid boomerang and fire action, then this book will not disappoint. Those looking for something deeper, like a story about a supervillian adjusting to normal life after being released from prison, or those looking to finally care about Boomerang, will be disappointed.
