By Cat Wyatt

Issue 34 is still focused on poor Juan Soria. If you remember from last time, Juan is one of those background type characters who are always in the wrong place at the wrong time. The problem is he knows it, and he’s in the worst place of all; he’s an extra on a Suicide Squad mission. He’s already witnessed most of the other (unnamed) backup team members die (and pretty horrifically I might add), so things aren’t looking too good for him at the moment.

If you asked me to list out all of the good ways to die, being telepathically drained by green alien tentacles wouldn’t even make it in the top fifty. And it would appear that poor Juan agrees with me, as it looks like he’s about to unleash a load of bricks in his pants (not that I blame him). The creepy tentacle is inches from his face, he’s already down one hand, and the Suicide Squad (as in, the named members) are just standing by watching. Or you know, they were, until Croc decided he didn’t like the idea of the aliens getting all the fresh meat in the room (ick).

So you’d think with the Suicide Squad (again, the named guys) moving into action it’d mean that Juan was safe, right? Well…about that. You forget that the Task Force X program specifically pulls people that are considered expendable, and thus they don’t really care about shooting through them. The last two unnamed characters that Juan was with, bite the bullet thanks to friendly fire. I’m pretty sure this is where Juan hits an all-time low, which is saying something, considering all he’s been through.

This latest wave of depression brings us a new set of flashbacks, mostly showing us the training (or lack thereof) that the backup team gets. During this time it’s made even more clear how Juan knew just how screwed he was. He isn’t a named or known character, he hasn’t the skills to get himself out, and the other characters don’t care about him much (or at all, really). He knows what happens to those people, and he wants out. Too bad there really isn’t a way out for him.

You’re probably thinking things couldn’t get worse for Juan from here, right? Well you should know better than to think that, Juan certainly did. Which is why when he found a little bit of hope he got kicked in the balls when it was taken away. Have I mentioned how bad I feel for Juan?

Up until now I thought that this was an interesting analysis on side characters in series like this. It’s commonly accepted that there’s going to be collateral damage in a superhero series, and it’s a given when they’re antiheroes like Suicide Squad. So perhaps they were trying to point out the lives we overlook every day when reading comics such as this? I actually really enjoy those little thought provoking ideas, and liked thinking about this predicament, about all the Juans out there that get screwed over by people like the Suicide Squad.

Granted, it turns out everything that happened here was for a purpose, though I think the reason is even more messed up than the idea of him just being overlooked. It just stands as a further reminder that Waller is a cold, hard, bitch, and she’ll do anything it takes to solve a problem. And that she resents messes, and would prefer a tidy cleanup after the fact. More reasons to dislike her, I suppose. But I’m pretty sure that’s the point.

This was an interesting and thought provoking plot. I actually kind of wish they hadn’t added the “reason” for Juan getting so beat down, but maybe that’s just an emotional reaction for his sake? I like the concept of the forgotten characters, the ones that were never introduced in the first place; the “Red Shirts” of the comic world, so to speak. Seeing a story from their perspective would be pretty interesting (and for a while, that’s what we got here). So I give points for the idea, but I’m taking some away for the follow through.

I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t a big fan of the artwork for this issue. First of all, what the heck is happening on the cover? What is wrong with Harley’s spine? She’s going in for a swing, but her upper body is twisted towards us (and away from her opponent), giving us a full look at her breasts. It’s ridiculous how much they contorted her here in an attempt to make her look sexy while fighting. As if that wasn’t enough, the twist of the upper body makes her waist and spine look, well, wrong. There’s no way she has enough force for an attack when all twisted up like that. It’s so frustrating to see.

While the rest of the artwork wasn’t as bad as the cover, it wasn’t great either. Okay, some moments were good, like the close up on Juan in the beginning, or when Killer Croc is tearing into this, but the second the artwork pans out and loses those details, things just start looking off. Facial expressions are half done, things like that. But then again I prefer more detail over less.

Score: 3/5

Suicide Squad #34
DC Comics