Review: Suicide Squad Vol. 1- The Black Vault
Quick Summary
Pros: The backup issues are great. The book, as a whole, serves as a good introduction. The art in the main story and the backups is fantastic.
Cons: The main storyline is below average. The book constantly tries to maintain the illusion of high stakes action but is never able to deliver on this.
Overall: This isn’t a horrible book, but it isn’t a good one either. Disappointing plotlines and a lackluster main story drag the collection down. In terms of introducing readers to the Suicide Squad and capturing the essence of their characters, it is a moderate success; however, this is simply not enough to make the book.
Story
For the most part, Suicide Squad Vol. 1: The Black Vault by Rob Williams, is a below average introduction to a series that could be a lot better. The story is unappealing and spends all of its time in building up each plot point, only to have each one end up going nowhere. However, the collection’s backups and characterization are a lot better and provide a solid level of entertainment. This gives hope that this collection’s story suffered from being an introduction and thus has the potential to develop into something better with the next volume.
(spoilers start here)
The first half of this collection tells the story of the Suicide Squad adjusting to the leadership of their new commander, Rick Flag. They go on a mission together and accidentally free General Zod from the Phantom Zone. They are able to subdue the Kryptonian and deliver him back to Amanda Waller.
One of the biggest negatives is how poorly expectations are mounted and delivered upon throughout the book. The first major conflict in the book is built up as something dire and dramatic but ultimately revolves around Killer Croc drowning in his own vomit. Then, Zod is released, meaning a Superman level disaster should be around the corner, yet he is subdued by foes who are leagues below him in terms of strength. In addition, while the rest of this is happening, the Annihilation Brigade is introduced and set up to be a formidable threat, only to make absolutely no difference in the story whatsoever. It is a series of disappointments which make it hard to become interested or invested in the story at hand.
The most egregious of these disappointments is probably the death of Captain Boomerang. Boomerang is too large and important of a character, in the DC Comics universe, to be disposed of in such a quick and undignified manner. Because of this, readers can only assume that his “death” here will be temporary. This makes the moment feel gimmicky and pointless rather than intense and dramatic.
The second half of this collection contains a series of backup issues, each detailing the secret history behind a member of the Squad. In all honesty, these backups prove to be more entertaining than the main story, as they allow each character to have an intro fitting their specific personality and unhampered by other characters. For example, Katanna’s story is able to be completely serious and sad while Captain Boomerang’s is still able to be a ridiculous and comedic James Bond parody. Plus, all of these stories help readers see into the motivations of the characters they are about, thus building a greater understanding of their role on the team.
It is these backups, and brief character moments from the main story, that give this series some potential. Williams clearly has a grasp on the voice of the characters he is writing; it is just the story that doesn’t work out. Maybe now that the series’ plot and status quo have been established, the next volume’s story will end up coming into its own.
(spoilers end here)
Art
It goes without saying that Jim Lee does great work in nearly every comic book that he draws, which is why he is one of the biggest names in comics. The best part about his work through this collection is his attention to detail. The pages here are wonderfully detailed in a way that helps bring characters and environments to life. Splash pages specifically are done so well that readers might end up spending far more time looking at the art than they do reading the story.
In addition to Jim Lee’s work on the main story, there are a number of other artists featured in this collection, mostly in the backup issues. Superstars like Jason Fabok, Ivan Reis, and Gary Frank each put a couple of gorgeous pages into this collection. The book already looked great, but the additional variety and quality provided by these backups is simply the icing on the cake. Overall this is a book that simply does not disappoint in the visual department.
Continuity
Suicide Squad Vol. 1: The Black Vault is the first volume of the Suicide Squad Rebirth series. Rebirth is not a continuity reset at all; it is more of just a good jumping on point for readers. This means that, although the Suicide Squad was last seen in New Suicide Squad Vol. 4: Kill Anything, an in depth knowledge of their past is not really required to enjoy this series.
The story here is continued in Suicide Squad Vol. 2: Going Sane (Review).
The story still references previous stories so we will be listing them below.
- A significant reference was made to the Darkseid War event. This event occurs through Justice League Vol. 7: Darkseid War Part 1 (Review) and Justice League Vol. 8: Darkseid War Part 2 (Review).
- General Zod was last seen in Superman/Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Power Couple (Review).
Collection Notes
Every issue in found in this collection can also be found in:
- Suicide Squad: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1, which collects: