With the film having premiered and tracked poorly among critics, diehard fans can take some faith in the fact that DC Comic's new release Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 is far more on track with everything we've come to expect and love from the brand, and stays true while pushing some buttons along the way.
After the most recent The New 52 reboot of the line among the titles that got a fresh take was Suicide Squad which relaunched with Deadshot and Harley Quinn at the center of the story. The mercenary with a death wish, Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot began as one of the Caped Crusader's adversaries premiering in 1950's Batman #59. The character would resurface again taking a centrifugal role as one of Task Force X most dedicated resources since the (re)institutionalizing of the team in 1986's DC's Legends mini-series.
The clandestine team of government agents have seen many changes among their roster, but Deadshot has proven a favorite, and so has Harley Quinn. The Joker's paramour has found a home among these misfits and even challenged a lot of her angst into the group's dangerously perilous missions. Often self-serving, or profoundly dedicated to the Clown Prince of Crime's cruel endgame, Harley and Lawton are a volatile combination but an otherwise colorfully combustible mix.
Entering into its latest rebranding effort Suicide Squad: Rebirth puts its mouth where the mettle is and is taking the title back. New series writer Rob Williams is teaming up with DC's Co-Publisher and legendary illustrator Jim Lee to reignite interest in the Suicide Squad. The pair will be introducing a line-up that echoes the recent characters that appeared in the film adaptation that is continuing to evolve the DC Cinematic Universe.
In the just released Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 which is a proper epilogue to the upcoming bi-weekly title run, illustrated by Philip Tan the US government is disavows (again) any knowledge of Amanda Waller's team of agents, but that doesn't prevent the cagey agency director from recruiting a new team leader to run her group of super-villain operatives. And who does Waller decide to put in charge of the reassembled Task Force X? The easy choice is Colonel Rick Flag!
Rick Flag's grandfather served as the leader of the original World War II version of the team (keeping very much with the "Rebirth" initiative to reintroduce legacies into the DC universe) and now it's fallen to Flag to keep Lawton, Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang in line. Of all the recent "Rebirth" titles that set-up the upcoming renumbered titles Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 is firing on all thrusters and really excites on a fresh approach and great potential for the upcoming new series!
If the movie didn't hit the mark, count on the comic book to strike a bullseye!
This is the most recent relaunch for the Suicide Squad title in so many years, and will feature a new roster which will also count among its list of expendable agents Killer Croc, The Enchantress and Katana who was last working with Waller as a member of the Justice League of America.