Review – Suicide Squad #4 (DC)

Publisher: DC
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artwork: Daniel Sampere (pencils), Juan Albarran (inks)
Colours: Adriano Lucas
Lettering: Wes Abbott
Release Date: 25th March 2020

Issue #4 of DC’s Suicide Squad features a new mission for Task Force X and a new artistic team to work alongside series writer Tom Taylor as the pencil-and-ink combo of Daniel Sampere and Juan Albarran join the fold. It also sees us digging a little deeper into the origins of the ‘Revolutionaries’, providing some much-needed insight into how they came to cross paths with the ‘Squad back in issue #1.

With each passing issue, the new faces are feeling more and more comfortable as part of the team, and as we get to learn more about them it’s difficult not to become more and more invested in their mission. Harley and Floyd provide consistency and familiarity, and the dynamic between the two ‘groups’ as they all covertly agree to try and bring down the real driving force behind Task Force X (and no, it ain’t Lok) keeps the pages turning rapidly here.

Oh, and if that’s not enough, Digger Harkness is back, bay-bee! Okay, so I’m a bit of a self-confessed Captain Boomerang fanboy, but Taylor does a great job capturing both the dry humour and surprisingly efficient violence of ol’ Digger here. Likewise, Sampere and Albarran do a solid job of bringing him to the page, showcasing both his impressive knack for inflicting bodily harm and his fondness for beer.

For the most part, the new artistic team deliver a great looking issue, although for my tastes Adriano Lucas’ colours come on a little heavy in places, and feel like they’re drowning some Sampere and Albarran’s artwork. That said, there are still some cracking moments of violence and humour along here, including one fantastically comedic exchange between Wink and Harley during their Australian ‘road trip’.

The final pages deliver the showdown the issue had been building up to, and – very possibly – feature the death of yet another Squad member. After a strong introductory mission, Taylor is really starting to stamp his mark on this particular arc, and the more invested we become in these new faces, the harder it’s going to be to watch the inevitable happen (hey, we all know how this comic tends to go, right?). Either way, the series has the same blend of humour, drama and slightly over-the-top violence that has made these characters so damn enjoyable to read over the years, and I’m definitely on board with this new run for the long haul. Well worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]