As Infinite Frontier begins, the new Suicide Squad hits the ground running in an action-packed debut issue at a breakneck pace.
As Infinite Frontier rolls out, launching an ambitious, new era for the DC Universe, one of the most prominent titles in the first wave of comic books for this bold initiative is a relaunched Suicide Squad by Robbie Thompson and Eduardo Pansica. The opening issue is easily the bloodiest debut in Infinite Frontier so far, with a narrative that hits the ground running, and one of the more impressive tales that sets the stage for the DCU’s new direction while underscoring that the stories from the recently concluded Future State initiative are more consequential and foreshadowing than they may have initially appeared.
Peacemaker has become the recently installed field commander for Task Force X, sent on a mission to infiltrate Arkham Asylum to recruit a targeted new member for the team, in the Court of Owls’ master assassin Talon, at whatever cost. And as the clandestine recruitment mission in one of the most dangerous corners of the DCU quickly goes off the rails, Amanda Waller reveals the true scope of her mission as she approaches her own intended recruit that played a prominent role on her ensemble during Future State: Conner Kent, Superboy.
Thompson, who is fresh off penning the main feature in both Future State: Suicide Squad issues, is able to pick up a lot of the plot threads and characters he had established in that glimpse into a possible future for the DCU. The issue grabs hold of the reader right from its opening pages, with the story launching in media res before Thompson begins to pull back the curtain on the tale he’s weaving. And while Waller does provide the necessary exposition, this runs concurrently with Peacemaker’s ill-fated mission — reminding readers why exactly this team is nicknamed the Suicide Squad in the first place — with the action never really letting up and forming an impressive balance.
Pansica, working with inker Julio Ferreira and colorist Marcelo Maiolo, appropriately deliver a book packed with shadowy artwork, punctuated by plenty of bloody action to keep readers riveted to the page. Just as Thompson’s scripting keeps the narrative moving, so does the art team really infuse each panel with a sense of kinetic energy, this issue has its characters on the move and that sense of urgency is apparent from cover to cover. There’s a swagger and menace with many of this issue’s main characters — the ones that survive, anyway — with Waller and Peacemaker both coming off as being fully in control of their respective areas, even as things don’t proceed according to plan. And the action itself is gorgeously illustrated, like a sanguine staccato note to keep everyone on their toes.
Thompson and Pansica had big shoes to fill after Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo closed out the DC Rebirth era for the Suicide Squad with their own widely acclaimed run. Fortunately, this opening issue suggests that the new creative team is more than up to the task, weaving in elements from Future State while remaining perfectly accessible to those that may have missed the preceding two-issue miniseries that teased how Infinite Frontier would affect Task Force X. With its freewheeling action, ambitious new scope and a firm grasp on the nefarious characters that make up the latest iteration of the DCU’s most lethal team of supervillains and antiheroes, Thompon and Pansica, et. al have provided readers with a thrilling jumping debut issue as they dive headfirst into the darkest corners of the DCU.
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