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!

Superman #4 (April 1987)

With the film The Suicide Squad coming up, I thought it would be nice to help use this blog to talk about some of the characters in the film. The film is using quite a few lesser-known DC supervillains in it, one of them being Bloodsport. Who is being portrayed by Idris Elba. I thought, why not take a look at the comic that introduced him? This is Superman #4! I do want to warn you, this comic can be pretty violent, so just keep that in mind before proceeding. 

I like the cover. A John Byrne piece, it shows our man blasting the comic's masthead logo to smithereens. I admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for covers that mess with the masthead logo. 

"Bloodsport!"
Writer: John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Karl Kesel
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Andrew Helfer, Mike Carlin
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Jimmy Olsen and his then-main squeeze Lucy Lane eating at a fast-food joint. Jimmy is trying to convince her to help him discover some shady goings-on at the airline she works at. Jimmy then hears a man screaming, and the bullets start flying.

Page 8, Panel 2

Bloodsport fires into the crowd of people, ranting and raving about how people are wasting the freedoms he and someone named "Mickey" fought in Vietnam to defend. Bloodsport rides off on his motorcycle, blasting the restaurant one last time in the process. Jimmy summons Superman with his signal watch. The Man of Steel looks into the restaurant, and he is understandably sickened by the sight of the corpses.

Captain Maggie Sawyer of the Metropolis Major Crime Unit (making her debut here) estimates about twenty-five people are dead. She has an APB on him, but it's like the man vanished. Superman is able to pick up the trail with his heat vision. Jimmy Olsen tries to go after the Metropolis Marvel (he wants the scoop on Bloodsport), but his car decides now is a good time to break down.

Olsen's car is equipped with a police band scanner, and it alerts him to Bloodsport rampaging in Kenmoore Lanes, a bowling alley Jimmy used to go to as a kid. He's getting a taxi! Speaking of Bloodsport, the man has decided to fill everyone in the alley with hot lead, except for a hostage. Superman and the murderous madman face off. Bloodsport tries to blast his hostage's head off, but Superman's able to push his gun aside and knock him on his butt, but the psycho has one more trick. He makes a little futuristic pistol appear in his hand.

Page 16, Panel 3

It's like the needler from Halo, but packing Kryptonite. Yup, the gun fired a small sliver of the toxic green alien rock, and as anyone with an ounce of knowledge about the Man of Tomorrow knows, Green K can hurt or even kill Superman with long enough exposure. Anyway, Bloodsport is about to finish off the Man of Tomorrow when an unlikely savior comes to his aid.

Page 17, Panel 1

Yup, Jimmy Olsen has had all he can stands, and he can't stands no more. Even he would be able to hit Bloodsport with that mega-cannon at this range. Despite this, Bloodsport gets away with the aid of a smoke bomb. Olsen is able to get Superman to a hospital. The Man of Steel is weak, but he still has to stop Bloodsport. And since he has access to Kryptonite, that means there's a man behind the man. And that man? One Lex Luthor.

Page 19, Panel 1

Luthor had Bloodsport prepared as a weapon against Superman, naturally. But the man was clearly unstable, and well...all this has been happening. Luthor demands that the plug be pulled on Bloodsport, if you know what I mean. Superman re-engages Bloodsport, but his injured state makes him really unable to bring down the madman. He gets ambushed by a tank provided by Luthor. Interestingly, Bloodsport seems unaware of Luthor being his patron. 

Bloodsport materializes a bazooka to destroy the tank, which gives Superman an idea of how to stop him. Superman uses his heat vision to ionize the air around the psychopath, screwing up the teleporter he uses to get his weapons. However, Bloodsport has one last ditch weapon. You see, the bandolier he wore was not just to look cool.

Page 26, Panel 2

It's a bomb activated by a dead man's switch. A bomb powerful enough to blow a ten square-mile crater in the Big Apricot. Another man tries to make one last attempt to try and talk him down.

Page 27, Panel 1

Meet Mickey DuBois. This is the man Bloodsport was ranting about. He pleads with Bloodsport to let this end, as the war in Vietnam is over. It's here Jimmy Olsen reveals the whole story of the DuBois brothers. You see, Robert "Bloodsport" DuBois was a draft dodger. When his number came up to go to 'Nam, he fled to Canada. It wasn't because he was against the war. He fled out of fear. Mickey went in his place, posing as Bobby. When Bobby learned of Mickey's loss of all his limbs in 'Nam...he went insane. Bobby had spent the last decade in mental hospitals in Canada. 

The story ends with Bobby hugging his brotherl

I did like this story, although I can understand if some may be turned off by the violence of this story. Considering the epidemic of shootings in the United States in recent years...yeah. I get it. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2004 trade paperback Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 3.

The Suicide Squad Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in October of last year, I gave my thoughts on the roll call teaser for the DC Cinematic Universe's upcoming 10th film: The Suicide Squad. I remember being quite excited for this movie thanks to that teaser. Well, now...there's a full trailer! Let's take a look!

Now, before we begin, I must warn you all. This is a red band trailer. That means this trailer will likely not be safe for work, if you know what I mean. There's gore and some characters using adult language.

Peacemaker isn't wrong here. Harley's a bit...unstable.

It is kind of hilarious seeing Peacemaker in civilian clothes, but still wearing his big silver helmet. I think John Cena's having fun being this guy. 

...Blast it, Harley! You always gotta ruin it!

I still think Savant will bite it. James Gunn is not afraid to kill of Michael Rooker. He's done it before.

Yeah, Blackguard is totally dead.

I think for Weasel, death will be a mercy.

Hey, that's John Ostrander as one of the doctors! Ostrander and his late then-wife Kim Yale co-wrote the run on the Suicide Squad that made the series famous. They also revamped Barbara Gordon into Oracle during that run.

James Gunn is either a god for some kind of film sorcerer. I can't imagine convincing Sylvester Stallone to not only voice a shark-man, but also say the words "NOM NOM". That's just amazing to me.

Heh heh, Peacemaker taking notes.

...I'm actually hoping King Shark makes it now. 

I would not be surprised if Polka-Dot Man spends the entire movie trying to get killed, only to make it through. That would be hilarious.

A personalized license plate beat up Harley's parents once. At least that's what she says.

Eh, Harley's more understandable about coughing without covering your mouth. Especially these days. It's not only rude, but dangerous.

Yeah, Peacemaker is going to be a breakout character. Again, you can tell John Cena is just having fun playing this guy.

Steely Dan's "Dirty Work". Gunn's got great musical taste.

How many King Sharks does it take to rip a man in half? Just one.

Harley Quinn's ballet ideas were rejected by the Bolshoi for a reason.

Aww. I hope those two make it.

OH. MY. GOD. WAS THAT...STARRO?! FREAKIN' STARRO THE CONQUEROR?! THE FIRST VILLAIN OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE?!

...JAMES GUNN, YOU ARE A MADMAN! YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL MAGNFICENT MADMAN! IF I COULD, I WOULD HUG YOU!

Oh, this film looks to be quite a lot of fun. I can't wait for this! 

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! See you next time!

The Suicide Squad Roll Call Teaser, My Thoughts

The DC Cinematic Universe is rolling on! In 2016, WB released the movie universe's third installment: Suicide Squad. Based on the comic book series, the David Ayer-written and directed film was about a group of supervillains and anti-heroes conscripted into government service. The film was given a mostly negative reception from critics, but it was praised for its cast and makeup. It even won the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards. The film would get a spinoff in Birds of Prey, and now...it's got a standalone sequel that was written and will be directed by James Gunn. Let's look at the trailer!

Makes sense Amanda Waller would come back.

And we got a new actor for Rick Flag Jr.

Savant - aka Brian Durlin. First appearing in Birds of Prey #56 (August 2003), created by Gail Simone and Ed Benes. A wannabe-vigilante turned blackmailer. Martial artist with genius intellect. I'm also not surprised that Michael Rooker would be in this movie. After all, James Gunn is directing. I think Savant will die, because of his obscurity and his lack of any real superpowers.

Javelin - Real Name unknown. First appeared in Green Lantern #174 (February 1984), created by Len Wein and Dave Gibbons. A former German Olympian athlete turned supervillain, he's skilled with his namesake weapon. I think this dude will be cannon fodder.

Harley Quinn - No introduction really needed. She first appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor" (first broadcast on September 11, 1992), and made her comics debut in Batman: Harley Quinn (October 1999), created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. She's a psycho psychologist who is a skilled acrobat/martial artist. In the comics, thanks to enhancement from Poison Ivy, she is immune to toxins and poisons. She will definitely live. And I like her costume here better than her outfits in Birds of Prey.

Polka-Dot Man - Real name Abner Krill. First appeared in Detective Comics #300 (February 1962), created by Sheldon Moldoff. The dots on his costume contain various devices. He's pretty obscure, and I can imagine the film getting a couple of gags out of his costume's gimmicks, but yeah, he's toast.

Ratcatcher - Real name Otis Flannegan. First appeared in Detective Comics #585 (April 1988), created by Alan Grant, John Wagner, and Norm Breyfogle. Flannegan had the power to command, well, rats. Interestingly enough, the Ratcatcher was an actual rat-catcher before becoming a supervillain. This film's version is female and called "Ratcatcher 2", implying she's a legacy character. I think it will be a tossup if she lives or dies.

Bloodsport - This Bloodsport is likely based on Robert DuBois (the first Bloodsport, there have been three in the comics), first appearing in Superman #4 (April 1987), created by John Byrne and Karl Kesel. He has a teleporter grafted into his body that allows him to summon weapons. I think he'll survive the movie because he's likely there to take the place of Deadshot.

King Shark - Real name Nanaue. First appeared as a cameo in Superboy #0 (October 1994), then fully appeared in Superboy #9 (November 1994), created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett. A demi-god, he has a human mother and his father was a shark god. He's super strong, has a healing factor, and you don't want him to bite you. He's a powerhouse character, and considering the popularity the character has gotten thanks to the Harley Quinn animated series, I think he may live.

Mongal - First appeared in Showcase '95 #8 (Deptember 1995), created by Peter Tomasi and Scot Eaton. An alien powerhouse, super speed, strength, durability, etc. I found her an utterly bizarre choice for this movie, and I would not be surprised if she gets killed off. Should be hard to do, though.

The Thinker - Likely the Clifford DeVoe version, this incarnation first appeared in All-Flash #12 (Fall 1943), created by Gardner Fox and E.E. Hibbard. In the comics, the Thinker was known for using a device known as a "Thinking Cap" to use various mental powers. Considering who is playing him, I think he may live.

Sol Soria - I think she's a new character, so she may likely survive. She's been described as a "South American revolutionary", so its possible that this may be a hint as to the Squad's mission in the movie.

Blackguard - Richard Hertz. First appeared in Booster Gold #1 (February 1986), created by Dan Jurgens. In the comics, Blackguard wore armor that allowed him to create a mace and shield made of energy. He's pretty obscure, so I think he's going to be toast.

TDK - Real name Floyd Belkin. First appeare in Secret Origins #46 (December 1989), created by Gerard Jones and Curt Swan. Has the power to remove his arms and use them as limb. He's often thought of as a bit of a joke, so he'll likely get killed off.

Weasel - Real Name: John Monroe. First appeared in The Fury of Firestorm #35 (August 1985), created by Gerry Conway and Rafael Kayanan. In the comics, Weasel was a serial killer in a costume, not a mutated animal like he seems to be here. He's dead.

Captain Boomerang - Real name George "Digger" Harkness. First appeared in The Flash #117 (December 1960), created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. An Australian supervillain, he uses, well...boomerangs. He'll likely survive, as he's one of the "iconic" members of the Suicide Squad.

Peacemaker - Real name: Christopher Smith. First appeared in Fightin' 5 #40 (November 1966), created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette. Skilled martial artist, and weapons user. I hope he survives, personally. John Cena can be pretty funny. I expect him to be a breakout character. I have heard there was more stuff with him in the works, so it's likely he'll live.

I admit, I am rather excited for this movie. I never saw the first one. Looking back, the promotion for that one gave me the impression they were trying to respond to Guardians of the Galaxy. Kind of ironic that James Gunn is directing this film, then. Huh. This trailer gives me the impression that this will be a good time popcorn movie. The kind of film you just sit back and have fun watching. And I am all for that. I also like that this film is giving some spotlight to some lesser-known DC characters...even if it's only brief.

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, and wear a mask! See you next time!

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Trailer, My Thoughts

There's a new danger, and what the world needs to fight this menace...are supervillains. And not just any group of supervillains...they need a group that will go in aware that if something goes wrong, they will be disavowed. And they will be seen as expendable. After all, nobody will miss them. These villains will have Hell to Pay. Which is their new animated adventure. Here's the trailer!

Well, an R-Rating would be appropriate for this bunch.

Why did they have Amanda Waller skinny? There's a reason she's called "The Wall", and it's not a pun on her name.

So, this roster is not exactly the movie roster. Nice to see some other villains included, like Killer Frost (I hope they use either Crystal Frost or Louise Lincoln, not Caitlin Snow) and Copperhead. And I LOVE that they included Bronze Tiger from the Ostrander run. And you cannot have the Suicide Squad without Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Although I do wish that they let Deadshot have his cool helmet thing.

So, they're going up against Vandal Savage. Interesting opponent for them. I wonder if Scandal will appear.

I stand corrected on the Deadshot not having his helmet thing. And there's a punk rock Silver Banshee. I'm guessing this one is one of Savage's cronies.

And I'm betting the short-haired woman with the X-23 claws is Scandal. and the redhead in green is her Apokoliptian love of her life, Knockout. The comics may have erased them, but nice to see they weren't forgotten.

Something about Deadshot's voice seems...of to me. I can't explain it.

Is that Tara Strong as Harley Quinn? Hey, nice to have her back!

The animation style kind of reminds me of Young Justice.

This looks...interesting. I wonder if this will be direct-to-video.