Full disclosure: I love Suicide Squad. LOVE.

In theory. Because, you see, I've never read the comics. And I still haven't watched the movie.

But Bad Guys as Good Guys is my all-time favorite trope. And not only are the Suicide Squad the bad guys, they are bat shit crazy. If you don't think this is something I should've been reading from birth, you don't know me that well.

So when I had the chance to read an ARC of the new Suicide Squad, I lept at the chance. And I wasn't disappointed in the least. Would someone who's been a fan for years be disappointed? I honestly couldn't say, because I can't read from that perspective.

But as a long time fan, first time listener, I think this is such a promising series. The characters are witty, and darkly funny. There's so much surface that's only been grazed, not even scratched. You get background on almost all of them, but I am aching for more. Katana's was, by far, my favorite. I don't know what series she regularly appears in, but I need in on that.

I have a soft spot for Harley. She didn't let me down here. She, naturally, got all the best lines. Though Boomerang fought for that top spot.

The ink work is also fantastic. Sometimes the action got smushed in the panels, but that's normal for comics, and it's just me being a whiny brat.

I am pumped for the rest of this series. So pumped.

I have enjoyed all of the modern iterations of the Suicide Squad, and the Rebirth version is no exception. Humor, action, and great artwork make this a must-read volume. The standalone vignettes at the end are also very entertaining. Highly recommended.

A new, albeit familiar, Suicide Squad is formed as part of DC’s Rebirth project and easily falls in line to capitalize on the familiarity that the recent film provided. And like the movie before it, the comic is generic, played safe, and features a linear, if head-scratching, plot.

The premise is tried-and-true and even a bit cliché at this point. The baddest of the bad are recruited by the government to be the ultimate of shadow ops and installed with missions that no one in their right mind would take on. All of the usual personalities are in place for the role call: the assassin Deadshot, the Joker’s protégé Harley Quinn, the merc-with-a-gimmick Captain Boomerang, the cannibalistic-mutant Killer Croc, and so on. The basis for the organization is an easy one, and the formula is ripe with success. However, the plot for this graphic novel, much like the feature-length film, is as lackluster as it is frustrating.

For this particular starting point, the team is hastily put together in order to invade a secret Russian vault and abscond with a Phantom Zone generator. Yeah, like that Phantom Zone. Superman and General Zod and all that. Instead of a mirror floating endlessly in space, this portal is represented as a back orb. Yet never in this story, and perhaps this why the “Volume 1” designation appears, does writer Rob Williams bestow any answers for the whys. Why does Russia have this? Why does America want it? And why send a squad that is almost entirely comprised of typical human agents who simply wield guns, swords, or, well, boomerangs, to go against a potential Kryptonian menace? Hello, yellow sun. And finally, with all that has happened before with this series, even looking back to the John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell’s conception back in the eighties, why isn’t this introduction more exciting? Jim Lee’s artwork, which is merely serviceable in this outing, does not provide any further answers.

Fortunately, Suicide Squad, Volume 1: The Black Vault contains some entertaining back stories on key characters. One to note of features the gorgeously illustrative work of Gary Frank spotlighting Harley Quinn. Another focuses on Captain Boomerang and his amusing fantasy of being an Australian super-spy. Both of these tales were written by Williams, proving he can break out the imagination when needed and crafts the back-ups with more attention and appeal than that of the main plot. Maybe that imaginative force is behind bars at Belle Reve and is only allowed to work on certain missions? Yet another question that requires an answer.

Thanks to both Netgalley and DC Comics for the advance preview of the new Suicide Squad title. Reminds me of my letterhacking days and receiving similar advance copies for solicitation. I’m glad to be able to contribute such reviews again.

I was never a comic book reader but that is changing, and fast. D.C. Comics has me hooked and Suicide Squad is just the latest in the awesome comics I have read from their publishing house. Suicide Squad The Black Vault is part of D.C. Rebirth (this gives you all the back stories on all of the characters in the comic, awesome for people like me new to the series), has all of the characters that you know and love or will get to know and love, like Capt. Flag, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc, Boomerang, Enchantress, Katana, and Waller, not to mention all the gruesome bad guys. This was a awesome action packed first edition and I can't wait for the next.


review will go live 3/7/2017

After the mixed reviews of the movie, the comic is a welcome return to what the Suicide Squad is really all about. Part of the DC Rebirth platform, Suicide Squad Rebirth, The Black Vault brings together the squad again under the command of Rick Flag. An easy read comic that can be for new recruits or more seasoned readers brought beautifully to life by Jim Lees stunning pencil.

I've never been much of a Suicide Squad fan: the concept is a lot of fun, but I've never felt like the characters chosen were really right for what you want for this. Especially when Boomerang is a major player in the squad. This was, well, more of the norm. The story isn't bad (I'll probably end up picking up part 2), but nothing to go out of your way for.
I do like this way more than any Suicide Squad New 52 stuff I read, so it does seem to be moving in a generally positive direction.

Now this, this is a book with good Suicide Squad stories. Better than the movie, and the previous New 52 stories I've read. Very entertaining, slightly influenced by the movie, but followed the comics more than anything. Had some side stories that are just as good, Good job Rebirth.

I haven't really liked Suicide Squad since the third volume written by Adam Glass. Yet, I continue to try! Am I a glutton for punishment? Probably. I think it's just because I love Harley so much, that I want to read everything she's in. I need to stop! I think Suicide Squad is SO boring. It's like, the characters are compelling enough, but the story-lines are just blah. Maybe someday they'll find a writer who can write an arc i'll actually like. I guess I'll find out since I apparently don't learn and will probably continue to read it!

This book was pretty awesome and I loved the illustrations! The story was pretty good too and I liked the part where all the backgrounds were given. It helped me connect to all the characters as I didn't know about half of their pasts.

The dialogues were good too and overall I think this is one of the best graphic novels that I've read in the recent years. The female characters were neither over-dramatically sexy or muscle-ly or gay. They were really awesome and bad-ass and I really liked Harley Quinn and Katana.
I loved Deadshot and Colonel Rick Flag and even Croc, but Boomerang was just... meh.. though his background story was cleverly told.

All in all, I liked this book better than any other that had Harley Quinn in it and hence, I'll be giving it an extra star.

3.5 Stars
A well-illustrated graphic novel for Suicide fans. I enjoyed the flashbacks and backstories of the characters and look forward to the possible introduction to new super villains, but the plot was slow in some areas and not always clear. Again, the artwork was fun and this book would be a good addition to any new Suicide Squad aficionado, especially those readers who may have seen the recent film and want to learn more about the other medias for this franchise. Overall, it's convinced me to keep following this series.

Net Galley Feedback

A great rebirth of the Suicide Squad focusing on each inidividuals origins as well as their first mission together. The banter and action is entertaining and beautifully merges with the DC world.

SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK VAULT is part of DC Rebirth and introduces the members of the Suicide Squad for readers new to the series, or readers only familiar with the characters through the "Suicide Squad" film. Fans of the film will recognize Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Rick Flag, Katana, June Moone aka Enchantress, and Captain Boomerang. The only character that was in the film but not in this book is Diablo. Jim Lee's artwork in SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK VAULT is superb as always, and he makes misfit action heroes and science fiction warfare look beautiful.

SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK FAULT has a bit of art imitating life. Just as the cold war between the US and Russia in the 1950s and 1960s spawned some great science fiction, current world events frame this story of the fantastical and the slightly whacky. The first few pages of SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK VAULT give the reader a taste of who these central characters are and what they're all about. Much of this book dealt with Rick Flag's ability to control his team and bring things to a successful conclusion without things blowing up in his face. Unlike the "Suicide Squad" film, there wasn't really any hint of deeper feelings between Flag and June Moon, so it will be interesting to see if anything develops in later stories. The quirky helpers, out-of- this-world bad guys, and unknown quantities along the way in SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK VAULT provide an opportunity for amusing snarky comebacks, and a striking contrast to the group of disaffected antiheroes that make up Task Force X.

SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK VAULT is full of stylized techno wizardry, badass characters, and intriguing possibilities. Included in this book are background stories involving Deadshot and a past encounter with Batman, a glimpse into Captain Boomerang's psyche, a detailed look at Katana's tragic past, and a solo mission involving Harley and Rick Flag. As someone who has never read many comics featuring Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and Katana, it was interesting to see them outside of a group setting and get a better feel for their personality. Although I was always partial to the character King Shark in the "Suicide Squad" comics, I always wanted to see Killer Croc get better stories than his past Batman-centered stories, and I hope to see him shine in future books. Also included at the end of this collection is a variant cover gallery with artists like Amanda Connor, Jim Lee, Lee Bermejo, and others. I look forward to reading more "Suicide Squad" books in the future.

One of the things I liked about the book was the background info included so you didn’t have to be overly familiar with the characters to enjoy this. I was surprised that the violence had been toned down. I’m guessing this was written to entice all the new fans that are flocking to DC due to the movies so newbies to the series will probably enjoy it more than those who have been around so long they forget where reality begins and DC ends.

Rob Williams wrote a decent plot line that will engage the reader with its humor and well developed characters. I’m a fan of Harley Quinn’s so I was happy to see her humor had been given a chance to flex its muscle and to show she’s more than an escaped asylum candidate.  

Overall I liked the art work but felt Harley’s breasts are starting to get a little out of control as it seemed like she had been given a breast enhancement sine her previous manifestations. Just because the movie was popular doesn’t mean you need to use that Hollywood money to move her up to a Triple D. Aside from Harley’s back breaking chest augmentation I liked the grittiness of the art work, its realism, the tone downed color palette and most importantly that it did such a great job complementing the literary aspect of the graphic novel.

This is the first graphic novel I have picked up in regards to the Suicide Squad and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a quick read filled with excitement. The graphics are very unique and detailed which emphasized the storyline. I would have wanted to see more humor from the characters, but enjoyed the dialogue that has been developed thus far. I will definitely pick up the rest of the volumes and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, relaxing read between tasks.

Fast paced from the get go, The Black Fault shows the overall spirit of the Suicide Squad from the get go. For those interested in the greyer side of super powers, this volume is for you. The interviews between Waller and the Task Force members are a great way to know the backstory of the characters if you're only familiar with Harley Quinn. On that note, if you're looking for a different interpretation from Conner's Harley, this is the series for you. Overall an action packed volume leaving you ready to read more.

A fun collection of the Suicide Squad. Everything you need to get started or for the returning vet.