The hottest teams in comics are about to class against a common enemy bent on either the annihilation of everything that is or dedicated to saving the world!
They’ve been branded the “worst heroes” on the block but the Suicide Squad continues to gain momentum and increase their popularity especially after the release of their first high stakes blockbuster feature this past summer. The recent retooling of this group of expendables which include among their ranks Harley Quinn (right now the most wanted character in comics), the marksman Deadshot, Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang has moved them center stage, not only guaranteeing them a hit comic series, but a sequel film and headlining franchises of their own!
Surely the big guns including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash can glean some credibility from all the attention these bad-asses are getting (especially after making some film cameos). It’s no wonder that DC Comics has decided on correlating the timing of this very special team-up Justice League vs. Suicide Squad with the release of the “Extended Cut” of the film on Blu-ray and Digital HD. The six-issue weekly series helmed by Joshua Williamson with art from a team of the business’ biggest names launched this week.
Most recently the Batman assembled his own group of malcontents in effort to extract the Psycho Pirate from the dangerous grip of his arch enemy Bane in the “I Am Suicide” arc that was published in the bi-weekly Batman title. That storyline planted the Dark Knight right in the crosshairs of Amanda Waller, the lead administrator in charge of the covert organization Task Force X. Batman and Waller have always had a sensitively tender spot for one another, but it appears that the Caped Crusader is not in-line with her subversive use of known felons as fodder.
When the story began in last week’s Suicide Squad #8 (by Rob Williams with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Francesco Mattina) the prelude introduced a longtime comic book favorite that has experienced a resurgence thanks to the popularity of The Flash television series on The CW. Caitlin Snow, the Killer Frost was seen joining the residents of Belle Reve and by extension, the Suicide Squad. Other iterations of the character have crept into the current DC Comics mythology but this iteration of the character is heading for bigger and brighter tomorrows.
In the release of this week’s JLvSS #1 Batman exposes to the league Waller’s pet project and the potential threat that the Suicide Squad presents. Series writer Joshua Williamson (who is also commandeering the current highly successful run of The Flash) said about the team-up event: “My goal with Justice League vs. Suicide Squad was to give readers a crossover that felt like a big blockbuster summer movie, but also a lot of strong character moments between two teams that should not and will not get along.” Inspired by the bombastic sensibility of the big screen, fans can expect the action to match their expectations.
The initial arc will reintroduce into the Post-Rebirth continuity a modern-day classic villain that everyone has always loved to hate. Maxwell Lord returns and appears to be constituting a lethal force of baddies for himself, with one goal: take down Amanda Waller! If what you’re looking for is an all-out action brawl, then you’ve come to the right place! Justice League vs. Suicide Squad the 6-issue series takes off Dec. 21st and will dominate into the first month of 2017 with additional crossover stories appearing in Justice League #12 and #13 and Suicide Squad #9 with an epilogue to appear in Suicide Squad #10.