Deadshot #1 (November 1988)

In the DC Universe, when the government needs an extremely dangerous mission done, they turn to Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad. One of the mainstay members of said Squad is one Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot. Created by David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz from a concept by Bob Kane, Lawton debuted in Batman #59 (June 1950). Yeah, the character is a lot older than most realize. In this 1950s story, Lawton was a tuxedo-clad criminal who used standard weaponry. 

The character would not be seen again for nearly thirty years...until the events of Detective Comics #474 (1979). Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin revamped the character, giving him the silver-and-red costume and wrist-mounted guns he still wears and uses today. In the 1980s, Deadshot would be made a member of the Suicide Squad, where he underwent further development, becoming an assassin with a death wish, but also with his own code of ethics. 

Deadshot's time in the Squad significantly upped the profile of the character, allowing him to appear in other media like the DC Animated Universe, the Arrowverse, and the DC Extended Universe. 

The comic we're looking at is the first issue of a miniseries called, naturally, Deadshot: Beginnings. It's meant to explore the origins of the titular character, showing how he became the man we know today.

The cover is a Luke McDonnell piece. It's really cool. What I especially love about this cover is the usage of the issue number. We see Deadshot fighting Batman inside the giant number one. The cover is a real eye-catcher.

"Die But Once"
Writers: John Ostrander, Kim Yale
Pencilers: Luke McDonnell
Inker: Luke McDonnell
Colorist: Julianna Ferriter
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Editor: Robert Greenberger
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with a woman walking into a grimy apartment building. 

“God, I can smell the rat poo…”

She's looking for our man Floyd Lawton. Lawton isn't in the building. In fact, he doesn't even live there. Lawton only uses the place as a mail drop-off. A man the woman meets tells her he forwards it to a Post Office Box. She asks him if he'll forward a note she has for him. He agrees to do so, asking if she's a relative of his. She says she is not...she's his ex-wife.

So, where is Floyd himself at? Well, he's presumably in a tropical area of the world, having a drink at a bar. An old acquaintance of his finds him.

Meet Silas, although Floyd likes to call him "Silage". The two have a bit of small talk about their time in an old gang together. Silas learns from Floyd that the rest of the members are all dead now, all having gotten killed in jail. Silas got out early, so he didn't know. Floyd's there because he got a message from Silas about meeting someone. The two leave, unaware they're being watched.

The watchers are the bionic-handed Sarge Steel, and Floyd's regular Suicide Squad sparring partner Rick Flag Jr. The two want to see Deadshot as their best chance to take down someone called "El Jefe". Sarge Steel points out that the odds of Deadshot surviving this mission is low, but that's why Deadshot will do it. The man wants to die, but he wants to go out fighting. 

At Belle Reve, the headquarters of the Suicide Squad, Marnie Herrs (the Suicide Squad's psychiatrist) goes over the history of the man called Deadshot. Flowd Lawton was the son of a rich family, the dad making his fortune in real estate, and his mother being from a family of bankers. Seeing Batman fight crime inspired Lawton in some way, and he started adventuring as Deadshot, a dapper tuxedo-clad crimefighter. But it was a ruse. In actuality, Lawton was running a criminal gang and was posing as a hero. Batman exposed him and sent him to jail.

When he got out, Lawton went after Batman again, this time wearing his iconic red-and-silver costume. He eventually ended up back in prison, until he was recruited for the Suicide Squad. When Batman invaded Belle Reve, Deadshot said he'd kill Batman because he'd love to put a bullet in the Dark Knight. Batman points out that Lawton is way too good to have not killed him already. Lawton pulled his shots around the Dark Knight, and Batman knows it.

The psychiatrist finds it rather revealing. Here's this rich kid who turns to crime. He certainly did not need the money. He could easily kill Batman, yet always fails. This leads Herrs to believe he not only sets himself up to fail, but he's trying to get someone to kill him. Meanwhile, Silas introduces Deadshot to a man working for "El Jefe".

“Lawton nearly ruined this cigar for me!”

This man is not El Jefe. His name is Ariosto, and he tests men who want to meet El Jefe. After all, a man like him has a lot of enemies who would be all too eager to end his life. Ariosto has a man brought to Deadshot. The gray-haired gangster believes this man was a mole planted by the US government. He orders Deadshot to kill him, and Lawton, well, does. 

Sarge Steel assures Flag that the man Lawton killed was not a mole, as they don't have anyone that high up in El Jefe's organization. But Rick Flag knows that Floyd didn't know that, and even if he did...he would still have killed that man. 

Meanwhile, Ariosto is not happy with this. 

Well, Ariosto didn't want Lawton to kill the man right there. Floyd answers that he should have said so. I agree with Lawton on this. You have to be clear in your orders, Ariosto. It helps avoid mistakes like this.

This ends up leading to a standoff. Ariosto calms the situation and tells Lawton that he's shown that he can meet with El Jefe. Not just meet the man, but El Jefe here may have some work for him...in about six months to a year. You know, even in a criminal organization, you have to deal with bureaucracy and paperwork, yada yada yada. Deadshot decides to walk out. After all, he's got better things to do than wait around a year. Ariosto agrees to arrange a meeting tonight. 

Meanwhile, back in Belle Reve, Herrs is continuing to go over Deadshot's files. Another thing about the man is that he has an antipathy towards women. 

Floyd grew up a rich kid, and he's seen plenty of women marry rich men simply because they want money. He compares them to prostitutes, saying they only demand money once, yet the women who marry rich men demand it forever. Dr. Simon LaGrieve, Herrs's boss, wants her to stop trying to get into Lawton's mind, as he fears she is letting her personal feelings towards Lawton affect her job. And it's not hard to see why.

“Dude, you taste like cigarettes and moldy concrete.”

LaGrieve believes there is a mutual attraction between the two of them. Herrs is convinced there is a way to help Deadshot, and she takes a leave of absence. 

El Jefe's plane lands, and Ariosto leads him inside, Floyd tossing the hidden microphone that Flag and Steel planted on him. The plane takes off, and El Jefe reveals himself.

“Yes, I am fond of pink shirts. They bring out my smoldering eyes.”

You see, the man is a traveler. He never stays in one place for too long, and always changes up his transportation. It's how he's been able to stay alive so long in this line of work. And in this case, being in a plane is insurance. If Deadshot tried to kill him, then it would depressurize the plane's fuselage, killing everyone else on board. Thing is, Lawton does not care. Which he demonstrates...by shooting El Jefe and causing a cabin depressurization. As the plane goes down, Deadshot makes sure everyone on board is dead. Ariosto is sucked out of the plane and falls to his death. The last remaining man is Silas. Deadshot gives him a bullet, revealing that he was the reason the rest of their old gang is dead, as he killed them all. 

Floyd blows his way out of the falling plane and is rescued by fellow Squaddie Black Orchid. Waller is happy that the mission to take out El Jefe was a success, despite Deadshot's improvisation. It's here that Floyd gets the letter from his ex, and the story ends with him taking some time off. He's not going on vacation. 

I enjoyed this comic. It's a very interesting character study. This issue does a good job giving as an idea of Lawton's past and the kind of man he is. And it hints at further exploration of said past. We also get to see him on a mission, and this helps show his character. He's a bit of a defiant man who is willing to risk his own life for the mission. However, as this issue hints, he may not be completely heartless. It's very intruiging.

If you want to read this, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Deadshot: Beginnings. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!