Review: Suicide Squad Vol. 3- Burning Down the House

January 3, 2018 ComicBookWire

Quick Summary

Pros: The book has a solid mystery to it that will keep readers interested. All characters are written in a way that puts the focus on them. Comedy and humor are handled well.

Cons: The book has some problems in terms of structure. Romances are handled poorly. The majority of the book’s art does not look good.

Overall: This volume is an enjoyable read on its own and a step in the right direction for the series in general. Each member of the Suicide Squad is fun and full of surprises, while also becoming more well developed than ever. Not to mention that the story’s overarching plotline and big mystery will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. There are a few potholes here and there but are ultimately overshadowed by the book’s positives. Anyone coming from Justice League vs. Suicide Squad or just looking for a place to jump into this series is recommended to start here.

Story

In Suicide Squad Vol. 3: Burning Down the House, Rob Williams shifts the focus of the series from a chaotic action fest to a character driven cruise ride. Character moments have always been the best aspect of this series, but the way they are drawn out and developed here make them better than ever before. This doesn’t mean that the story is completely based on personalities though, as the book’s central mystery keeps things intense and suspenseful throughout. There are a few problems in terms of the book’s structure but nothing compared to previous installments. This is the best volume in the Suicide Squad series so far and a positive indication of where things may head in the future.

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A large majority of this book revolves around the villain Rustam, from Justice League vs. Suicide Squad (Review), and his vendetta against Amanda Waller. Despite not receiving an abundance of screen time, Rustam ends up being a well developed villain who is also easy to sympathize with. He has legitimate concerns with Waller as a leader and as a human being that any reader can understand. However, his destructive and violent adherence to anarchy prevent him from becoming too easy to relate to, and thus make his ultimate defeat satisfying.
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Rustam isn’t even the most compelling aspect of this new story arc though; Amanda Waller’s “death” proves to be far more interesting. Early on in this book, Waller is killed in the wake of losing her position as head of the Suicide Squad. After this happens, readers are fed clues as to who her killer may have been but are never given a direct answer. This was a successful way to build up suspense and interest in the story as a whole,; I blazed through the chapters just to get to the reveal at the end. When the reveal finally happened, it was as satisfying as the buildup promised and worked well with the rest of the story too.

Along the way, readers get to see the Suicide Squad’s true colors as each member has a chance to show what makes them unique. This leads to endearing, and often humorous, moments between the Squad where their humanity shines through and reminds readers that these villains are people too. Haley Quinn’s emergence as a team leader and Deadshot’s love for his daughter are the highlights but every character has a nice moment or two. Even Captain Boomerang appears to be traveling down a pathway of inner self-actualization. All of this helps to build themes about what makes a villain and how this can be overcome, which have a lot of potential to play out in the future.

Not all of these character moments are great though. In particular, I found it a bit odd how relationships are being pushed among this team. June and Croc had one tender moment together in Suicide Squad Vol. 2: Going Sane (Review) and are now talking about moving in together. In a similar way, Harley and Rick Flag have a pleasant conversation and now talk as if their relationship is on the immediate horizon. It seems odd to push these romances in the first place and even more odd to push them so quickly.

While on the topic of negatives, the book’s structure is less than ideal. The way the plot jumps forward between issues causes some initial confusion at the beginning of every chapter. This confusion does not last long but did manage to slightly hamper my enjoyment of the reading process as a whole.

The volume concludes with the “War Crimes” story written by Suicide Squad creator John Ostrander. While not relevant to the themes Williams has been working with thus far, “War Crimes” is a great short story that stands completely on its own. It covers the beginning and end of a single mission in which the Squad is clever, precise, and brutal all at the same time. The entire thing feels like a classic Suicide Squad story and works as a nice interlude for the series.

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Art

Unfortunately, while the story in the volume is the best of the series so far, the art is the worst. John Romita Jr. joins the series and brings with him an art style that simply does not suit this type of book. Romita Jr. does well in books where characters wear masks, as the way he draws faces is far too blocky to look natural. In this book, only one character wears a mask and thus the Achilles heel is exposed. In addition, Romita Jr.’s work often lacks imagination when based in environments like those that the Suicide Squad work in, leaving the final product more plain and generic than ever before.

The backup stories throughout the volume look a lot nicer, as Eddy Barrows’ work simply fits better here. These backups are realistic and dark in a way that suits the Suicide Squad well and compliments the book’s tone. Plus, they convey emotion better which works well with the character driven moments that are so numerous here.