Justice League of America 7.1
Special “Villains Month” Title: Deadshot 1
Matt Kindt, Sami Basri, Keith Champagne, Carmen Carnero, Bit
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
This is much more of a Suicide Squad tie-in than a Justice League of America one, but regardless of the misleading title (and cover), this book is just more proof that Deadshot could totally carry his own ongoing series. Matt Kindt does a great job bringing the diverse art team of Sami Basri, Keith Champagne, Carmen Carnero, and Bit together to tell a unique and compelling story that is part origin story, part crossover event, and part one-and-done one-shot tale.
The artists with past and present did a great job interweaving an untold origin story with a current (and relatively well-tied-together) mission. We get to see Floyd Lawton go from scared little kid stuck in his own imagination while his parents and sister are violently gunned down in front of him to upper-level enforcer, to super-villain (more accurately, assassin for hire), and into the current events that take place pretty much immediately after (or maybe even simultaneously) within the pages of Forever Evil’s premiere issue. I have to say that it was pretty awesome to see the Amanda Waller cameo and the forever-hinted-at but not quite stated friendship between Lawton and the Wall. The fact that Deadshot is a killer makes him a villain, yes, but the concept of working for the highest bidder is amazing when Uncle Sam’s not too worried about high prices. Can’t wait to see him save Waller (and hopefully team up with her) in the future issues to come.
I’m also extremely excited to see where Kindt takes the Squad after this month and am glad to know that Ales Kot’s (and Adam Glass’s and even John Ostrander’s before him) tenure are not wasted. I might have to go check out Mind MGMT back issues while I’m at it. Of course, because this issue actually matters and the fact that it’s one of the few 3-D effects that works for everyone, no matter how much you oppose the effect, this one is definitely worth the extra dollar for the awesome cover. Go pick it up and continue reading the events of Suicide Squad by Kindt and company, which has been billed as a direct crossover with Forever Evil after Villains Month concludes.
My Rating: 4.5/5
