Suicide Squad #2: Wet Work

Redondo and Taylor’s Suicide Squad picks right up where #1 left off, giving readers a classic look at their favorite black ops team with a sharp new twist. The shift in leadership and the influx of newly created team members gives the Squad a fresh new look and feel. The Revolutionaries still have a ways to go before readers can properly bond with them but the character work Taylor has been known for throughout his career is clearly at work creating such bonds, particularly in the cases of The Aerie and Fin in this issue. Those small character beats, such as learning The Aerie hates to fly (by means of aircraft) are well served.

The return to true wetworks is a strength of the book and also finds itself playing to Taylor’s many strengths. The further the team gets from such operations as the overthrow of governments and assassinations (typically in favor of typical cape-on-cape action) the less necessary the book tends to feel. But as an added bonus, the black ops angle creates space for Taylor to inject political commentary as well, such as election rigging and immigration reform. Coupled with his propensity for knocking off major characters in other projects, Suicide Squad is a perfect fit for Taylor to run wild inside continuity for a change.

Redondo’s artwork in this issue is nothing short of exceptional. There are subtle Steranko undertones to the work and his use of silhoutetting is beautiful. There are numerous pages where sihoutte’s are used to mask violence and highlight the darkness of the book while keeping it accessible to a wider audience.