JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. SUICIDE SQUAD #1 Review
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Jason Fabok
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: December 21, 2016
DC Comics has found a successful formula in their DC Rebirth initiative. After months of accolades and number one sellers, the time has come to push the envelope in the blockbuster event series Justice League vs. Suicide Squad.
Both teams are the center of the current DC Extended Universe film franchise, so it only makes sense to have the two interact inside the pages of the comics. What makes this first issue extra special is having superstar artist Jason Fabok kick things off. He expertly handled the “Darkseid War” story arc in the New 52 volume of Justice League and that also involved a large cast. Fabok has a knack for taking a script and transforming it into cinema-style magic. With colorist Alex Sinclair, they make the Justice League appear as Gods walking among men, especially in one splash page as the two teams meet for the very first time.
Writer Joshua Williamson uses the opening, middle, and ending acts to introduce the main players in this weekly event. As the true threat creeps out of the shadows, we see the Suicide Squad on one of their standard missions. The banter between teammates is crisp, and it doesn’t take much for the reader to become acquainted with each character, even the newest recruit, Killer Frost.
Ties to other titles in Rebirth are alluded to, but not in a confusing way. It also makes sense for the Justice League to want to bring an end to Task Force X when you recall that some of their fiercest enemies are a part of the program.
The real draw of this issue (and event) is the villains that will eventually bring the Justice League and Suicide Squad together on the same side. If you’ve managed to avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal who the mastermind is and who this person has on their side. But it raises many questions on where these characters have been. There are references to being “forgotten” and the world needing fixing. Fixing from what? From who? Is this all tied to the greater mystery behind Rebirth?
FINAL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
