L.A. Williams: If success creates opportunities, then Emmy winner Viola Davis, Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Jared Leto, and Oscar nominee Will Smith have a wide option of projects to star in. So why collaborate in “Suicide Squad,” a comic book-based movie team that’s unfamiliar to the masses?
Jermaine McLaughlin: “Suicide Squad” represents two things for DC Comics/Warner Bros. It’s their first attempt since the ill-fated “Green Lantern” film of 2011 at bringing one of their properties to the big screen not titled “Superman” and/or “Batman.” And it establishes that their characters all play in the same movie sandbox. But DC choosing the “Suicide Squad” may come across as an odd choice, primarily because … it is.
Williams: It is. Partly because, despite its tagline, it’s not a super hero movie. It’s about the villains!
McLaughlin: Mr. Smith plays Deadshot in this one, with Affleck reprising his role as Batman from “Batman v Superman,” Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Davis as Amanda Waller and Leto as the Joker, an impressive cast. But if you’re thinking, “Batman I know but what the heck is a Captain Boomerang?”maybe diving into the source material will help pique your interest.
McLaughlin: The Suicide Squad debuted in a 1986 comic miniseries entitled, “Legends,” starring super characters avid comic book fans had known for years.
Williams: Deadshot debuted as Batman rogue in 1950, Rick Flagg in 1959, Captain Boomerang first battled the Flash in 1960, etc.
McLaughlin: The Squad is basically a super-powered version of the “Dirty Dozen.” The hook of both groups is get the worst criminal/prisoners and send them out on extremely dangerous missions.
The Squad leaders are Rick Flagg, their government handler/field leader and Amanda Waller who assembles the team based mission needs. But for the criminals, Squad participation was hardly voluntary, and had certain conditions, such as
Understanding you’re not expected to return from the mission.
You’re outfitted with explosives which detonate if you attempt escape or defiance.
If you’re exposed, captured, or killed, the government will deny knowing you.
Williams: Very “Mission: Impossible”!
McLaughlin: Yep. And if you somehow survive the mission, you get time off of your sentence … and sent back on similar missions.
Williams: Until you’re given the ultimate time off!
McLaughlin: It was a radical concept for a comic series, combining the worst the DC Universe had to offer and a floating roster of C- and D-list bad guys to fill out the core group as members … ahem … left the team.
Williams: That’s a key part of why it works. In an uncertain world, we love the reliability of fictional heroes because they never (permanently) dishonor, disappoint or die. But “Suicide Squad” has characters who grow, flip, fail and croak, adding to the surprise and enjoyment of the stories.
McLaughlin: There’s infighting, hidden agendas, questions of competency/field readiness … and that’s just among the good guys directing the team! It’s worse when you get down the prisoner operatives themselves, who dispel the idea of “honor among thieves.” The thing to remember about the “Suicide Squad,” and what co-creator John Ostrander captured expertly in his writing, is this is not a story about nice people. Think of “Suicide Squad” as bag of wet cats: surly and unpredictable while in the bag and worse when let out. There’s no way this team should work. There’s no reason you should ever cheer for any of these characters individually, let alone as a unit.
Williams: True. But people also cheer for flawed or criminal characters on “Empire,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away With Murder” and in this year’s presidential race!
McLaughlin: It’s astounding to see (when the stories are done well), how this ill-fitting house of cards stays standing, even as forces from within and without, try to regularly pull it down. I recommend
Legends TPB
Suicide Squad Vol. 1 “Trial by Fire”and Vol. 2 “Nightshade Odyssey”
New 52: Suicide Squad Vol. 1 “ Kicked in the Teeth”
Williams: In those collections, you’ll discover Will Smith’s Deadshot character is white there.
So why did these actors with wide options chose to be in this film? Cynics will say it’s for the expected revenue comic films have been generating, but that doesn’t explain why audiences have been enjoying the genre. Perhaps the actors and their agents realized that although the name Suicide Squad is new to many, it has characters with 30 to 70 years of legacy, depth and fans.
And when you see the film (opening Aug. 5) and your companions are dazzled by your pre-film knowledge, remind them of all the things they can learn from the New York Amsterdam News.
Jermaine McLaughlin is a 15-year veteran of the comic book industry, with a lifelong knowledge or general geekdom.
L.A. Williams is a former comic editor who runs AquaBabyBooks.com online bookstore.
