By Cat Wyatt
The Secret History of Task Force X Part Three picks up from where we left off in issue #28, with our anti-heroes heading towards the moon. In a surprisingly Meta twist, it turns out that there’s a vault under the Apollo Moon Landing site which is where dangerous extraterrestrials are stored. All I can say is that I certainly hope Waller isn’t in charge of keeping them in place! We all know what she would do with them, given half a chance.
Leading the crew on this little adventure is another Flag, not the one we all knew and love, of course, with Karen Grace giving directions from Earth. Personally, this whole thing started feeling like a setup the moment Flag’s eyes started turning a brilliant shade of monster red. This feeling is further confirmed once Katana reveals that Soultaker (her sword) has been silent from the moment Flag and Karen joined their team. If that thought doesn’t make your skin crawl, I don’t know what will (maybe the fact that this means she can’t hear the spirit of her husband anymore?).
It’s no surprise that after spending the entire issue setting us up to believe something is wrong with Flag that he then flipped around and betrayed the team. It’s essentially what they wanted us to expect. It turns out his goal never was to kill the Red Wave Monsters, but to free it. I’m unsure at this point if he was possessed by the monster (the red eyes and all) or if something bigger is going on here. Regardless the team is going to have one crazy fight on their hand's next issue. The plot continues in the next issue; Say Hello, Red Wave Goodbye!
While I appreciate what Williams was trying to do here, I was instantly put off by how Meta the whole thing was. To not only have the Apollo Moon landing become part of DC canon but to then add on a member of that team? Just a bit too much for me, thank you very much. I’ve always felt that subtlety was key, though admittedly I don’t read Suicide Squad for its nuanced plot and dialogue, but rather for character interactions and zany plots.
The more lose and fluid art style that Begenda prefers works decently here, though in truth I would have liked to see more definition in the character’s faces. A lot of details are lost in their expressions if they’re not in the forefront, which considering this happens a lot during large action scenes is a shame.
Score: 2/5
Suicide Squad #29
Writer: Rob Williams
Pencils: Barnaby Begenda
Inks: Jay Leisten
Backup Story Artist: Wilfredo Torres
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Lettering: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: DC Comics