"New Suicide Squad Volume 2: Monsters" satisfies many of my personal preferences when reading graphic novels. The book is largely self-contained; while it is not original material, the story it tells in reprint stands alone with an introduction, conflict, crisis, and resolution. It explores personal / social issues in this case, dealing with terrorism as a cult, what attracts followers to these organizations and the people who run them, and how they can be dealt with (both within and outside of the law). The art is nice to look at on its own AND it helps propel a story which is augmented via word balloons and captions.
The protagonists of Suicide Squad are not honorable people they are villains given a chance at freedom or reduction of sentence in return for going out on dangerous missions. These missions may result in their injury or death; if discovered, these missions will not be acknowledged by the government that conceived and organized them. Even the characters who are not active members of the team are not heroic in the traditional sense of the word each has character traits that would be considered socially undesirable by the majority of people.
"New Suicide Squad Volume 2: Monsters" is probably my favorite overall graphic novel since the Squad was first organized by writer John Ostrander in the 1980s. I hope that future publications continue this trend, providing both entertainment and food for thought.
RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where ½ stars are not allowed.
The protagonists of Suicide Squad are not honorable people they are villains given a chance at freedom or reduction of sentence in return for going out on dangerous missions. These missions may result in their injury or death; if discovered, these missions will not be acknowledged by the government that conceived and organized them. Even the characters who are not active members of the team are not heroic in the traditional sense of the word each has character traits that would be considered socially undesirable by the majority of people.
"New Suicide Squad Volume 2: Monsters" is probably my favorite overall graphic novel since the Squad was first organized by writer John Ostrander in the 1980s. I hope that future publications continue this trend, providing both entertainment and food for thought.
RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where ½ stars are not allowed.
