By Cat Wyatt

Things have been pretty messy for the Suicide Squad the last few issues. First Hack started attacking Belle Rive as well as the inmates themselves (to figure out which one had killed her, of course), and then The Wall (run by none other than Rick Flag) used that excuse to invade the prison and take control. The last issue concluded with him knocking the whole team out (nothing new to them, of course), so who knows what’s happening now.

This issue starts off with a big happy and public demonstration of the Wall’s suit. Apparently, they weren’t kidding when they said they wanted to be out in the open; the opposite of Suicide Squad. I had a feeling they were planning on showing the suit off – why else would they design it to look so patriotic?

What is worth noting is the man behind the suit? He has a chip in his brain (why on earth anyone would allow this is beyond me). So while he’s currently in control of himself and the suit, Flag could easily take control should he feel compelled to. Or at least that’s the theory. This whole thing sounds open to abuse. Why would you put a chip in the brain of the man wearing one of the most powerful suits yet designed? I mean, we’ve seen plenty of hackers lately, so I don’t think I need to tell you how poorly that could go (also, I’m more aware now of just how lucky he was when he took out Hack upon his arrival).

The guy behind the suit may look all pretty and patriotic…but he acts a lot like the people we’ve gotten used to seeing on the Suicide Squad’s team. He’s belligerent and arrogant, and you can tell he’s been an active problem for Flag to control. To be honest, I have no idea why they would pick a man like this, but that wasn’t my call so whatever. At least Flag has training in dealing with jerks like him.

From this pretty little showing, The Wall gets to fly over the northern border (without clearance from Canada, mind you), and kill a dozen or so terrorists. I don’t even think they got warning shots. So much for acting better than the Suicide Squad. They may be out in the open and above the board, but that doesn’t mean they’re following the rules. I see this ending poorly.

Speaking of endings, Belle Rive is getting cleared out. Apparently, it’s no longer considered secure (gee, I wonder how that happened), so all the inmates have to be removed. I’ll admit I’m more than a bit curious as to where they were planning on moving everybody, but of course, the soldiers didn’t bother telling Waller (I wouldn’t have either, for the record).

Harley takes to the move pretty much as expected; she was the only one that actually enjoyed being on the Suicide Squad (unless you count Katana and Rick, who must have been at least okay with it, since they were there voluntarily). Deadshot couldn’t resist the urge to rub this mess in Waller’s face (don’t blame him), and Boomerang felt compelled to make a joke about how their romantic feelings for each other will forever go unrequited now (man do I hope he’s joking). But hey! Good news! Apparently Hack didn’t actually kill Boomerang in the last issue. I wasn’t certain about that one. Now I have my answer.

Oh and Moon and Croc? Well…the soldiers made the mistake of splitting the two of them up, and while I was predicting a major disaster from that, everything mostly seems okay? For now, at least. It does seem odd that Croc didn’t really react to being split up form Moon, or about how she was being so manhandled. Perhaps they were trying to show us that Croc isn’t fully back to his old self yet?

That leaves just Katana (remember, Rick flew the coop ages ago). Who won’t stay behind, not if she can’t keep seeking vengeance the way her sword demands. So Waller is finally, and truly, alone. A little bit satisfying, perhaps, though we all know it won’t last.

So, remember just a few paragraphs ago when I was talking about how putting a chip in the Wall’s brain was a bad idea? Well, as it turns out, I was totally right. The guy got hacked, in what, his first week on the job? None of Flag’s attempts to gain control seem to be working, and nobody else is having any luck either (shock, that’s what happens when a better hacker gets control of something like that).

Being that the Wall is only eighty seconds from Washington D.C., it’s no surprise that everyone started to assume the worst about what was going to happen next. Only, instead of going towards the White House…he’s heading towards the Pentagon. That may arguably be worse, depending on whom you ask.

A distinctive blue light coming from the Wall and hacking all of the Pentagon’s computers tells me all I need to know about who is controlling him. Why, hello Hack. Apparently he hadn’t succeeded in killing her after all. Which means that bringing him in close proximity to her really was a horrible idea (somebody should have thought that one through). I think we can all take a guess at what Hack’s next plan of action is (she did leave some business unfinished), but we’ll have to read the next issue to be sure.

This was another issue that felt more like it was setting up than anything else. This issue established the weaknesses in the Wall, the Suicide Squad’s fragile existence, and Hack’s survival. The combination of all three is pretty messy, but that’s not terribly surprising, considering who we’re talking about. I feel like they’re constantly increasing Hack’s power levels and ability sets…which is both interesting and a tiny bit annoying (I’m not a fan of overpowered characters). Hopefully we’ve reached the cap of her abilities, but who knows.

Score: 3/5

Suicide Squad #38
DC Comics