[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Mike W. Barr, Jai Nitz
Artist: Phillippe Briones
Colors: Gabe Eltaeb, Guy Major
Summary
And in “SUICIDE SQUAD BLACK,” by writer Jai Nitz and artist Scot Eaton, Sebastian Faust, the U.S. government’s top arcane operative, has gone rogue! To track down America’s most dangerous magician, Amanda Waller assembles a special-ops team unlike any other: an expendable coven of dark-arts experts including El Diablo, Enchantress and Gentleman Ghost. They are Suicide Squad Black, and they will take you to places where even the dead can die!
Positive
Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and having a double feature comic certainly brings out that little kid in readers who grew up in the era of 5 cent books. Suicide Squad: Black Files is one of the most entertaining books that has popped up in awhile. Relying on past continuity to break new ground. Continuing Katana’s story from the Kobra arc and the Squad cleaning up the mess left behind by the group, we get a new layer of the character resurfacing past defeats and perhaps in the best Katana sequence we have seen in comics, she delves deep into her own sword, her most prized possession and come face to face with her dead husband. Having Katana deal with her emotions while still guiding a younger ward to fit in a tough world and still leaving the twist end where she must truly face what at one time was her other half really sets up an exciting future for the sword keeper. The second story focused on break out character El Diablo. Diablo leads a new “Black” team to better understand magic and how it affects the DCU, this gives Diablo a chance to shine in a world where he has outlived many characters. The story has many layers and keeps the reader guessing whats to come as well as plenty of death that may turn up later.
Negatives
Katana’s story was refreshing and gave new legs to a character that is always taking the back seat while i have small gripes, this story is well worth the read and fits perfectly in this new DCU. Nitz has followed Diablo for almost 10 years now, his stories have lifted the character so much he had a starring role in the Suicide Squad live adaptation. Katana had a great story and Diablo needs one too, its time for the character to take its place at the top of the heard, not stuck behind being the forever supporting character.
Verdicts
This is a great direction for the Squad, its exciting to not only have a new direction for a team that at times feels stale or locked ins stories that don’t go anywhere but this new direction launches the team to places we never though possible.
