Review: Suicide Squad Vol. 4- Earthlings on Fire
Quick Summary
Pros: The book’s main story arc is filled with action and comedy. There is plenty of great character development to be found here. Background plotlines are built up in a way that gets readers excited for futures stories.
Cons: The disconnect between the beginning of this volume and the end of the last one is disappointing. Some of the book’s larger storylines are paced too rapidly.
Overall: In this volume, readers will find a fast paced story with high stakes and plenty of action. Characters lead the excitement and are built up in a way that dedicated readers will be able to appreciate. Though some storylines seem to fly by rather quickly, there is still plenty here to enjoy and the entire adventure ends up being very fun.
Story
Suicide Squad Vol. 4: Earthlings on Fire, by Rob Williams, continues the level of quality from the previous volume while also building up a number of interesting storylines in the background. Numerous characters receive copious amounts of development, most of which is designed to impact the series as a whole. Plus the book has Zod in it, which is always a strong indicator of a good time. The only problem is that the book’s pacing feels off in places; large storylines are introduced and dismissed as if they were only minor problems. Overall, this creates a book that has problems but also provides a lot of potential and fun.
(spoilers start here)
Those coming into this book, after reading the previous volume, might find the beginning to be a bit disappointing. Last volume ended with Belle Reve in critical condition, Deadshot losing an arm, and the Suicide Squad near ruin. The beginning of this book starts off as if none of that mattered. Repercussions are still felt but are so marginalized that they have next to no impact on this story.
However, after putting aside expectations, the actual story here is very interesting. It starts with Amanda Waller’s attempt to obtain a piece of Kryptonite by having the Squad stage a break-in at LexCorp. This portion of the story feels like a classic Suicide Squad story and has the added benefit of being unconnected to almost anything else going on. It also helps that everyone in the story is hilarious and that most characters exhibit a level of comedy that is prefect for the tale being told.
After obtaining the Kryptonite, General Zod’s story arc begins. Waller gets Zod on the Squad by implanting a Kryptonite bomb in his brain. With Zod on their side, the Squad infiltrates one of the People’s bases and takes down nearly everyone inside. However, it doesn’t take long before Zod removes his brain bomb and goes rogue. He terrorizes Belle Reve and nearly manages to release a host of Kryptonian war criminals before being taken down by the combined effort of the Suicide Squad and the Superman Revenge Squad.
On its own, this Zod story arc has quite a few positives. It is full of action, is suspenseful the entire time, and has Zod in it, which is a huge benefit all on its own. It also helps that Amanda Waller and Rick Flag get a bit of character development here. Waller actually expresses remorse for her actions, and admits she is wrong for once; she even attempts to sacrifice herself to save everyone. Flag beats her to the punch though, and sacrifices himself instead, thus showing exactly how far he will go to save the people around him.
The problem with this, and the book’s other main storylines, is pacing. Significant aspects of the story, such as the Rick Flag/Harley romance and Zod’s entire appearance, feel incredibly rushed. Zod only goes on one mission with the Squad before being pushed into the, also short, climax of his story arc. Meanwhile, Flag and Harley speak and act as if they have been longtime lovers, as evidenced by Flag telling Harley that a bit of her crazy rubbed of on him, yet have only just started dating. Not only does this feel rushed but it also feels like an inauthentic way of introducing the book’s next story arc, which appears to be centered around Harley going insane after losing a man she only barely knew. For clarification, this does not completely ruin the book but certainly makes it a bit harder to appreciate.
These larger and more rapidly paced aspects of the series are sharply contrasted with the smaller and better stories going on in the background. June and Croc’s relationship feels far more natural than it did in the previous volume and, at the end of this book, has the additional benefit of furthering their character development. Captain Boomerang is also clearly going through a rough patch after dying in Vol. 1 (Review) and killing Hack in Vol. 3 (Review). And the story of the People’s work against the Suicide Squad is more interesting than ever before. These stories are great and are what made me want to continue reading this series, as they have the potential to pay off dividends in the future.
(spoilers end here)
Art
The art in this volume is a huge improvement form the last. Tony S. Daniel steps into the book and draws a Suicide Squad that matches the high intensity of the series. Daniel excels at drawing overpowered beings with monstrous physiques, so it goes without saying that he draws a fantastic General Zod. With Zod being the most unique aspect of this volume, having him drawn properly helps the book significantly. Daniel’s artwork is followed by Neil Edwards, who tries to match Daniel’s style but does not quite deliever the same level of quality.
The collection ends with a quick chapter by Stjepan Šejić, who’s art style differs radically from the other artists. Šejić draws highly detailed characters that portray a surprising amount of realism. In particular, he brings an excellent amount of imagination to characters like Enchantress, who’s powers look great here.
Despite the fact that all of these artists are above average in terms of quality, the book suffers as a whole from the inconsistent art style. Jumping from John Romita Jr.’s work in the previous volume to three different artists in this volume makes for a somewhat jarring experience. Pat Brosseau’s letters give the series a much needed flair of consistency but are not enough to overcome the changes in art. Hopefully the next volume brings forward some changes here.
Continuity
Suicide Squad Vol. 4: Earthlings on Fire flows directly out of the events of Suicide Squad Vol. 3: Burning Down the House (Review).
The story then continues in Suicide Squad Vol. 5: Kill Your Darlings. Meanwhile, General Zod’s story continues in Action Comics Vol. 4: The New World.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Lex Luthor’s current status as a hero is due to the events of Justice League Vol. 6: Injustice League (Review)
- Lex Luthor’s Superman clones are a concept from Forever Evil (Review).
- Cyborg Superman and the Eradicator are present here because of what happens in Action Comics #980, which is collected in Action Comics Vol. 4: The New World.
Collection Notes
Every issue in found in this collection can also be found in:
- Suicide Squad: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2, which collects: