Deadshot and Katana are flying solo.
With a Suicide Squad movie on the way, DC understandably wants to put a spotlight on some of the characters who will be making their big-screen debut in August. Harley Quinn is more than covered at this point, but what about the rest of this team of miscreants and murderers? That’s where Suicide Squad Most Wanted comes in. This series essentially offers two comics in one as it delivers separate stories featuring Deadshot and Katana. Both halves of issue #1 are nothing if not competent, but they may not do a lot to make newcomers care about either character.
Writer Brian Buccellato and artist Viktor Bogdonavic tackle the Deadshot story, which sees Floyd Lawton carry out a particularly dangerous mission for Amanda Waller while simultaneously wrestling with a mysterious family matter. Complicating matters is the addition of a rival sharpshooter assassin with whom Floyd is forced to team up. The dynamic between these two characters is amusing, though at times Deadshot’s partner is so similar to Deadshot himself in terms of look, personality and skills that he barely seems like a character at all. Buccellato keeps his script light and breezy, with the promise of a deeper look at Floyd’s troubled past and family history in issues to come.
Bogdonavic is a solid fit for this series, and he brings the same smooth yet gritty approach seen on the recent Arkham Knight prequel comic. Bogdonavic’s action scenes are tightly rendered, and he captures the seedy, sordid appeal of Deadshot’s world. Bogdonavic’s facial work is always as expressive as it needs to be, however, and it’s just as well that Deadshot spends half the issue covered by a full face mask.
The Katana story has the novelty of bringing back writer Mike Barr to work on his co-creation. Unfortunately, the action-heavy focus in this chapter allows even less chance for Barr to dig into Katana’s psyche than Buccellato does for Deadshot. There’s lots of slicing and dicing and not much else here. Diogenes Neves renders said slicing and dicing well enough, but nothing about his figure work particularly stands out. The plot is given some weight by the fact that Katana is forced to choose between self-preservation and defending a group of innocent civilians. Still, hopefully Barr has a few more complications in mind as his story gets underway.
This Suicide Squad spinoff offers a decent showcase for the two characters. The Deadshot tale in particular offers plenty of action and character banter. Just don’t expect much in the way of depth from either tale at this early stage. Hopefully that will change as the series unfolds.
