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Suicide Squad (1987) (Collected Editions)
Suicide Squad, Volume 5: Apokolips Now
THE WALL HAS FALLEN
Amanda Waller has lost her iron grip on the Suicide Squad, pushed aside in favor of a new commander. While she lays plans to take back Task Force X, a supernatural secret society is quietly moving in for the kill.
But an even more powerful enemy awaits—and it’s an enemy within. A traitor in the ranks is scheming to use the Squad as cannon fodder in a bloody power struggle. And the battle won’t take place in the war-torn Middle East, the shadowy streets of Gotham City or anywhere else on Earth. It’s happening someplace even deadlier, even darker.
APOKOLIPS.
Now the home of Darkseid, the embodiment of all evil, will be the scene of the greatest fight the Squad has ever faced. The full fury of his most merciless minions will be unleashed against Waller and her team—including Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Poison Ivy and more. And by the time it’s all over, the Suicide Squad will live up to its name…
Collecting the classic storyline by writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale and a squad of talented artists including John K. Snyder III, Luke McDonnell, Geof Isherwood and Grant Miehm, SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 5: APOKOLIPS NOW takes the DC Universe’s favorite twisted team to the most dangerous destination yet! Includes SUICIDE SQUAD #31-39.
Amanda Waller has lost her iron grip on the Suicide Squad, pushed aside in favor of a new commander. While she lays plans to take back Task Force X, a supernatural secret society is quietly moving in for the kill.
But an even more powerful enemy awaits—and it’s an enemy within. A traitor in the ranks is scheming to use the Squad as cannon fodder in a bloody power struggle. And the battle won’t take place in the war-torn Middle East, the shadowy streets of Gotham City or anywhere else on Earth. It’s happening someplace even deadlier, even darker.
APOKOLIPS.
Now the home of Darkseid, the embodiment of all evil, will be the scene of the greatest fight the Squad has ever faced. The full fury of his most merciless minions will be unleashed against Waller and her team—including Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Poison Ivy and more. And by the time it’s all over, the Suicide Squad will live up to its name…
Collecting the classic storyline by writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale and a squad of talented artists including John K. Snyder III, Luke McDonnell, Geof Isherwood and Grant Miehm, SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 5: APOKOLIPS NOW takes the DC Universe’s favorite twisted team to the most dangerous destination yet! Includes SUICIDE SQUAD #31-39.
200 pages, Paperback
First published December 27, 2016
3 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
John Ostrander
2,082 books172 followersJohn Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 3, 2019
Another great set of Suicide Squad stories from John Ostrander and Kim Yale. I really loved the team stranded in Apokolips. There's a crazy amount of over the top moments, lots of characters getting to shine and a lot of shakeups to the book, just about everything you could ask for. The only problem I had was with the art. John K. Snyder III has this way of making everything look flat and two dimensional. Even when Luke McDonnell returns, Geof Isherwood's terrible inks make everyone look like their skin is saggy.
October 2, 2018
The Suicide Squad just kept getting in deeper and deeper as the series went on. The plot was a nice tight spiral into the troubles the squad became involved in. Good reading and art. Recommended
March 25, 2017
A solid volume of the suicide squad. The Apokalips Now story isn't as good as some of the Squad's greats, but it's still a fun bit of chaos with some really shocking repercussions.
Personnel Files: Father Craemer (31). A nice look at the support staff of the Suicide Squad, but otherwise a very slow story, even for one of these Personnel Files [5/10].
Steel Trap (32). A rescue in Iran, keeping with the Suicide Squad's real-world theming, but otherwise not a particularly notable issue [5/10].
Apokalips Now (33-36). Duchess' storyline has a been a long time coming. Her heel turn feels a little bit extreme, but maybe I'd see that cruelty and sociopathy if I went back and read all her old appearances. In any case, this is a fun trip to Apokalips with rather shocking consequences at the end — to the point where you wonder how the Squad is going to possibly be put together. Other than the fighting getting a bit long in issue #35, this is another of the Squad's winners [7/10].
Repercussions (37-39). These final issues really show the strengths of the Squad's storytelling, focusing on character and long-term arc. This allows Ostrander to put the short-term arc, about the Loa, way in the background, while instead concentrating on the downfall of the rest of the Squad. Each issue, we get another character (Boomer, Bronze Tiger, and The Wall), and by the end we have such a shocking change of state that you wonder if they'll be a #40 at all. Having superheroes actually change like this doesn't happen enough today, and was pretty much unknown at the time, making it that much more notable [7/10]
Personnel Files: Father Craemer (31). A nice look at the support staff of the Suicide Squad, but otherwise a very slow story, even for one of these Personnel Files [5/10].
Steel Trap (32). A rescue in Iran, keeping with the Suicide Squad's real-world theming, but otherwise not a particularly notable issue [5/10].
Apokalips Now (33-36). Duchess' storyline has a been a long time coming. Her heel turn feels a little bit extreme, but maybe I'd see that cruelty and sociopathy if I went back and read all her old appearances. In any case, this is a fun trip to Apokalips with rather shocking consequences at the end — to the point where you wonder how the Squad is going to possibly be put together. Other than the fighting getting a bit long in issue #35, this is another of the Squad's winners [7/10].
Repercussions (37-39). These final issues really show the strengths of the Squad's storytelling, focusing on character and long-term arc. This allows Ostrander to put the short-term arc, about the Loa, way in the background, while instead concentrating on the downfall of the rest of the Squad. Each issue, we get another character (Boomer, Bronze Tiger, and The Wall), and by the end we have such a shocking change of state that you wonder if they'll be a #40 at all. Having superheroes actually change like this doesn't happen enough today, and was pretty much unknown at the time, making it that much more notable [7/10]
June 9, 2025
O último volume de Esquadrão Suicida por John Ostrander e companhia, a Conspiração Janus, não me agradou tanto. Aliás, foi um dos volumes mais chatos dessa fase que eu tinha lido até então. Mas este quinto volume, em que os membros do Esquadrão Suicida são levados à força para o planeta de guerra de Darkseid, Apokolips, para um combate mortal para decidir quem será a líder das Fúrias Femininas. Além disso, nesse volume também ficamos sabendo a resolução de um mistério que vêm importunando o Esquadão desde o primeiro volume e que tem a ver com um produto alimentício pastoso. É muito interessante como as pontas de várias subtramas que vêm desde o primeiro volume são fechadas e novas são abertas, como o próprio futuro do Esquadrão Suicida e o destino da poderosa Amanda Waller. Em compensação ao maravilhoso roteiro da série, os desenhos continuam deixando bastante a desejar. Mas não se pode ter tudo, não é mesmo?
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January 7, 2020Duchess is finally revealed to be Lashina of the Female Furies. Because she’s lost status with the Furies, she gathers (read: forces) Suicide Squad members, including Waller and a few others, to help fight her way back on Darkseid’s elite by going to Apokolips. I’m a big Fourth World fan, so I enjoyed this one. It’s a great set up and stays exciting from beginning to end. There’s some nice art, too, mostly from John K. Snyder III, a name I’m unfamiliar with. The double-page spread of Apokolips, Waller enjoying herself (perhaps a little too much) with the mega-gun, the Forever People boom tubing away... cool stuff.
The Apokolips arc is bracketed by a few standalone issues. We get a nice, if slow, character piece about Father Craemer (I can't be the only one who always misreads his name as "creamer"), plus a hilarious reveal of who’s been throwing all those pies. The Bronze Tiger issue sees Turner interrogated by officials; I wish DC would do more with him - he has a solid backstory, cool look, and he’s a badass. The final issue once again has Waller pissed off and doing what she wants to get the job done. The changes she and the Squad have gone through from issue one until now is impressive from a storytelling standpoint. Ostrander has really turned Waller into one of the more complex characters of the era, and after that final page, I’m sure he has even bigger plans for her.
After the misfire of the Janus Directive crossover, I’m happy that Suicide Squad is back on track.
The Apokolips arc is bracketed by a few standalone issues. We get a nice, if slow, character piece about Father Craemer (I can't be the only one who always misreads his name as "creamer"), plus a hilarious reveal of who’s been throwing all those pies. The Bronze Tiger issue sees Turner interrogated by officials; I wish DC would do more with him - he has a solid backstory, cool look, and he’s a badass. The final issue once again has Waller pissed off and doing what she wants to get the job done. The changes she and the Squad have gone through from issue one until now is impressive from a storytelling standpoint. Ostrander has really turned Waller into one of the more complex characters of the era, and after that final page, I’m sure he has even bigger plans for her.
After the misfire of the Janus Directive crossover, I’m happy that Suicide Squad is back on track.
February 25, 2017
"As long as there are radical security risks - aliens and demons and other hoohah - it makes sense to maintain paranormal operatives."
One of the great things about the Suicide Squad is its rotating cast of criminals, secret agents, and psychos that make up the team. But by this point in the series, the cool c-listers were overstuffed with dweebs like Punch 'n Jewelee, Dr. Light, Poison Ivy, and Major Victory. Then comes the Apokolips. Lashina gathers the cast and spirits them off to Darkseid's domain for a mega-battle that will once again alter the lineup and the status quo. Meanwhile, the Loa are slithering around in the background ready to pounce and the 1980s politics/espionage is ratcheted up as Amanda Waller is pushed to her breaking point. Diversity in comics is a hot topic right now, but writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale were way out front 30 years ago spotlighting strong, complex black characters like Waller, Bronze Tiger, and Vixen. One character even calls out how the racist "established power structure never cares to share power." And here we still are...
Highlights: I've always liked Bronze Tiger because of this series, and this collection contains more of his backstory. Shade the Changing Man, arguably one of the odder additions (John Ostrander makes it work though!), strikes a deal to return to planet Meta that takes a deadly turn. And more teases of who Oracle really is!
One of the great things about the Suicide Squad is its rotating cast of criminals, secret agents, and psychos that make up the team. But by this point in the series, the cool c-listers were overstuffed with dweebs like Punch 'n Jewelee, Dr. Light, Poison Ivy, and Major Victory. Then comes the Apokolips. Lashina gathers the cast and spirits them off to Darkseid's domain for a mega-battle that will once again alter the lineup and the status quo. Meanwhile, the Loa are slithering around in the background ready to pounce and the 1980s politics/espionage is ratcheted up as Amanda Waller is pushed to her breaking point. Diversity in comics is a hot topic right now, but writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale were way out front 30 years ago spotlighting strong, complex black characters like Waller, Bronze Tiger, and Vixen. One character even calls out how the racist "established power structure never cares to share power." And here we still are...
Highlights: I've always liked Bronze Tiger because of this series, and this collection contains more of his backstory. Shade the Changing Man, arguably one of the odder additions (John Ostrander makes it work though!), strikes a deal to return to planet Meta that takes a deadly turn. And more teases of who Oracle really is!
November 15, 2021
When at some point in the previous volumes Waller suggested Duchess was probably Lashina, I felt like an idiot who probably should have seen that coming. Goes to show how little I care for New Gods shit! Well, here’s the climax of that, I guess! It’s pretty eventful and has a decent bodycount so egg on my face I suppose. This is one of the more solid Squad books so far, as it was not hampered by any head-scratching crossovers, which – to be fair— is a general supe book problem and not so much inherent to this one.
Poison Ivy ends up on Task Force X more or less due to coincidence, which is an ironic reversal considering her later girlfriend Harley would become the de facto face of the Squad in popular culture, only she hadn’t been conceived of yet when this book was published. Ivy’s characterization is a rather hilarious MAN eater: “Will there be any… MEN????” I guess the book is from a time when “a sexual character” meant a very specific TYPE of sexuality; Ostrander is certainly well-meaning what with the gay mechanic man and whatnot, but it’s telling that you can’t be gay without that being Your Whole Deal.
Highly amused that the final arc of the book is BASICALLY Marked For Death with Amanda Waller. Shoulda killed that Loa guy twice like Screwface!
Poison Ivy ends up on Task Force X more or less due to coincidence, which is an ironic reversal considering her later girlfriend Harley would become the de facto face of the Squad in popular culture, only she hadn’t been conceived of yet when this book was published. Ivy’s characterization is a rather hilarious MAN eater: “Will there be any… MEN????” I guess the book is from a time when “a sexual character” meant a very specific TYPE of sexuality; Ostrander is certainly well-meaning what with the gay mechanic man and whatnot, but it’s telling that you can’t be gay without that being Your Whole Deal.
Highly amused that the final arc of the book is BASICALLY Marked For Death with Amanda Waller. Shoulda killed that Loa guy twice like Screwface!
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July 29, 2019This could easily have been a right shark-jump. A team naturally at home in the shadows and moral grey areas of DC Earth get thrown into cosmic, Manichean Jack Kirby territory; the art teams seem to change every issue, and even the writing might be Ostrander solo, or with Kim Yale, or just plotting for someone else altogether. Oh, and around the voyage to another world, where characters die and disappear and are changed (and, given the book this is, never the ones you want, or the ones who deserve it), the long-running subplot about a phantom flan flinger continues. But somehow, it all hangs together perfectly. Amanda Waller versus Granny Goodness: once you see it, this is obviously a showdown that needed to happen. The absolute fucking state of Doctor Light here is one of the few old stories where you can really believe someone must have done something unspeakable to his brain; Count Vertigo proves a fascinating addition to the roster; and, strangest of all, there's a clown-themed antihero couple calling each other 'punkin' years before Harley Quinn.
November 10, 2020
Ever since volume 3, I knew this series was something special, but this was the one that solidified it for me.
The action is very forgettable, but that's only because its not the main focus. No, this is a character-driven series. Almost every character has an arc; and with a cast this large, the story can get pretty complicated, which is what I love about team books. With all the plotlines bouncing around, Ostrander and Yale could have easily let the plot get incomprehensible; but the focus is always kept on the current mission, while using these extra plotlines to flawlessly set up the next one.
After getting moderately derailed by The Janus Directive crossover in the last volume, Suicide Squad regains its focus and finally answers some of its most pressing running questions and (seemingly) concludes two major character arcs, leading to some very poignant and gut-wrenching moments in the last two issues. If the series wanted to end here, it easily could have. But no, there are three more books to read. I can hardly wait.
The action is very forgettable, but that's only because its not the main focus. No, this is a character-driven series. Almost every character has an arc; and with a cast this large, the story can get pretty complicated, which is what I love about team books. With all the plotlines bouncing around, Ostrander and Yale could have easily let the plot get incomprehensible; but the focus is always kept on the current mission, while using these extra plotlines to flawlessly set up the next one.
After getting moderately derailed by The Janus Directive crossover in the last volume, Suicide Squad regains its focus and finally answers some of its most pressing running questions and (seemingly) concludes two major character arcs, leading to some very poignant and gut-wrenching moments in the last two issues. If the series wanted to end here, it easily could have. But no, there are three more books to read. I can hardly wait.
February 4, 2020
Collecting issues 31-39 of the original 1980s run of the famed comic title. Revived now, over mainly the collective boners of people around the character Harley Quinn and how good Margot Robbie looks in still shots carrying a huge mallet. As much as I was bored by the film, I am happy it came out, because it spurred DC to reprint the original series. And with ten issues per book, it is reasonably priced at about 2 dollars an issue. The only downside is this run of Suicide Squad came out before Harley Quinn was conceived of as a character (especially not one that would crossover from the cartoon to the regular series). So the character does not appear in any of the stories.
In this volume, the Squad is made up of such villains as Dr. Light, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Lashina, Count Vertigo, Shade the Changing Man, etc., who are given time off their sentences in exchange for agreeing to go on dangerous missions for the U.S. governments. It is led by the Bronze Tiger and headed up by Amanda “The Wall” Waller - easily one of the most nuanced anti-heroes in the DC universe. The writing threads between internal politics of an espionage agency and superhero antics as deftly as any comic could. It’s a tribute to the intelligence of the writers back in the 80s how they really refined the essence of superhero comics and made it shine, all without dumbing down the story or dialogue. There’s a reason why all the superhero films keep plundering storylines from the 80s.
In this volume, the Squad is made up of such villains as Dr. Light, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Lashina, Count Vertigo, Shade the Changing Man, etc., who are given time off their sentences in exchange for agreeing to go on dangerous missions for the U.S. governments. It is led by the Bronze Tiger and headed up by Amanda “The Wall” Waller - easily one of the most nuanced anti-heroes in the DC universe. The writing threads between internal politics of an espionage agency and superhero antics as deftly as any comic could. It’s a tribute to the intelligence of the writers back in the 80s how they really refined the essence of superhero comics and made it shine, all without dumbing down the story or dialogue. There’s a reason why all the superhero films keep plundering storylines from the 80s.
September 18, 2022
Creo que todo el arco de Apokolips es una completa basura. No solo que visualmente es horrendo, sino que narrativamente es lamentable. Se nos tira un personaje tras otro por la cabeza sin contexto, sin desarrollo, sin una verdadera caracterización ni nada similar. Por otro lado... la subtrama de los pasteles... oh por dios... que patético.
Todo ese arco no merece más que una estrella y estaba seguro que este iba a ser el primer tomo de Suicide Squad al que iba a otorgarle esa nota, PERO... Ostrander siempre se redime un poco cuando nos muestra el lado político del escuadrón.
Es verdad que no se trata de nada del otro mundo, pero ver a Weller dirigiendo a su propio escuadrón contra LOA estuvo bastante bien. Solo el número 39# merecería tres o quizás en un buen día hasta cuatro estrellas.
Es por eso que terminé promediando y brindándole al volumen en general esta puntuación. Sin embargo, no quiero dejar pasar el pésimo trabajo que a nivel gráfico se viene realizando por parte de Luke McDonnell. Horroroso, confuso y visualmente malo.
Todo ese arco no merece más que una estrella y estaba seguro que este iba a ser el primer tomo de Suicide Squad al que iba a otorgarle esa nota, PERO... Ostrander siempre se redime un poco cuando nos muestra el lado político del escuadrón.
Es verdad que no se trata de nada del otro mundo, pero ver a Weller dirigiendo a su propio escuadrón contra LOA estuvo bastante bien. Solo el número 39# merecería tres o quizás en un buen día hasta cuatro estrellas.
Es por eso que terminé promediando y brindándole al volumen en general esta puntuación. Sin embargo, no quiero dejar pasar el pésimo trabajo que a nivel gráfico se viene realizando por parte de Luke McDonnell. Horroroso, confuso y visualmente malo.
June 8, 2020
Apokolips Now is the fifth volume of Suicide Squad and collects Suicide Squad issues #31-39.
The Apokolips Now arc wraps up a storyline that started in the beginning issues of the Suicide Squad series and involves multiple teams battling the Female Furies and other New Gods. The remaining issues in this trade deal with the fallout of the battle on Apokolips and Amanda Waller dealing with the LOA, a voodoo gang. This all leads to a lot changes to the Squad.
This has been my favorite Suicide Squad collection to date. The battle on Apokolips was a lot of fun and (seems like) will have a huge impact on the team. I also liked how there was not as much political intrigue in this collection. It is still there, but you don’t need an encyclopedia to keep track of all the characters and agencies at play.
The Apokolips Now arc wraps up a storyline that started in the beginning issues of the Suicide Squad series and involves multiple teams battling the Female Furies and other New Gods. The remaining issues in this trade deal with the fallout of the battle on Apokolips and Amanda Waller dealing with the LOA, a voodoo gang. This all leads to a lot changes to the Squad.
This has been my favorite Suicide Squad collection to date. The battle on Apokolips was a lot of fun and (seems like) will have a huge impact on the team. I also liked how there was not as much political intrigue in this collection. It is still there, but you don’t need an encyclopedia to keep track of all the characters and agencies at play.
September 18, 2024
A rather fantastic climax and conclusion for a lot of the Suicide Squad members!!
Surprised by how the story felt so climactic with the Apokolops setting!
If you've been following these characters this far, it's a must!
I'm very relieved to have gotten at least this volume before the later ones got price hiked. This is a fitting conclusion for most of the members with satisfying reveals abound!
Surprised by how the story felt so climactic with the Apokolops setting!
If you've been following these characters this far, it's a must!
I'm very relieved to have gotten at least this volume before the later ones got price hiked. This is a fitting conclusion for most of the members with satisfying reveals abound!
October 6, 2017
The Janus Directive was not the best plot really, but Apokolips was a great storyline involving the Female Fury. The Coils of Loa was sorta a horror story involving voodoo and zombies. The plots flowed well from one to another, it was also good to see Ivy joining the squad. It finishes at a cliffhanger, which means volume 6 should be fun too.
December 19, 2017
After the last volume left me a little cold, this book tickles my sweet spot by taking the Suicide Squad to Apokolips, shanghaied by Lashina in a suicide mission to retake her place in the Female Furies. Meanwhile, Amanda Waller jockeys to keep her power, the Squad fights a voodoo cartel, and we finally meet Oracle and the pie-thrower! Great volume proving the series still has its legs.
April 14, 2020
After the lengthy, Byzantine arc of The Janus Directive this is profoundly refreshing. A series of single issue stories and shorter arcs that serve to establish the team as a constantly evolving organism. The stakes are high too. Not everybody makes it back alive every time. I particularly value the time spent on the backroom, admin guys. Powerful
February 25, 2021
Issue 34 has Amanda Waller fighting Granny Goodness on the cover... need I say more?
By the final issue, we reach a sort of ending. Certainly not a happy one, but remember the name of this book. It will be interesting to see If Ostrander and Yale can maintain the quality after this.
The panel that finally shows you Oracle is a heartbreaker. Well executed.
By the final issue, we reach a sort of ending. Certainly not a happy one, but remember the name of this book. It will be interesting to see If Ostrander and Yale can maintain the quality after this.
The panel that finally shows you Oracle is a heartbreaker. Well executed.
November 6, 2019
A real solid set of stories - not up to Suicide Squad's best, but a marked improvement over the Janus storyline. The Apokalips arc was fun, as was the impactful aftermath that led to the Squad being decommissioned and Waller going to jail. I can't wait for the next book.
July 24, 2023
The title story was whatever, but the last few issues ... Consider this review an official petition to bring Ben Turner back to current comics. It is also interesting to see Ivy in her pre-lesbian chic days 🤣
September 4, 2023
Another great entry in John Ostrander's classic Suicide Squad run. We finally get the Apokoliptian wrap-up of the Duchess/Lashina story and we finally find out the identity of the mysterious pie thrower. I very much like the artwork of John K. Snyder III and Geof Isherwood. Recommended.
July 20, 2025
I don't know what to think of Amanda Waller riding shotgun on Apokolips. This was a more superhero-ish kind of adventure, and it felt like a good deviation of previous plots. Still very engaging and Ostrander shines as always, but still not quite sure of the turn on the overall arcs.
July 19, 2018
Bronze Tiger and Granny Goodness.
Big Barda and Nightshade.
Dr. Light and Count Vertigo.
Good stuff.
Big Barda and Nightshade.
Dr. Light and Count Vertigo.
Good stuff.
May 16, 2019
John Ostrander's Suicide Squad is one of my favorite 80s comics and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it stands up today.
September 9, 2019
I love this series. Ostrander is an amazing writer. He has several different storylines going at the same time. It keeps things exciting.
July 14, 2020
They need to get themselves together!
February 17, 2022
I enjoy the old suicide squad. So much fun!!
September 3, 2022
Brilliant story, characterisation, especially Amanda Waller, but at times I felt the art was a bit uneven and choppy for my taste. However, it was never bad and was served the story well
July 12, 2023
John Ostrander's legendary run on Suicide Squad plunges to new depths of gloom and doom in Apokolips Now. With the team shattered after a disastrous mission, leader Amanda Waller must wrangle a new squad of expendable felons to battle the lethal threat of Darkseid. Ostrander's nuanced character writing collides with bombastic action against the bleak backdrop of the villainous planet Apokolips.
The stakes have never been higher as Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, and other fractured souls tempt oblivion against a ruthless god. Ostrander's layered plot and scripting sublimely develop the Squad members, exposing their inner damage through crisp dialogue and thought-provoking internal monologues. We gain profound insights into what compels these violent outcasts to keep fighting oblivion's pull.
Visually, artists like John K. Snyder III immerse us in Apokolips' oppressive industrial hellscapes. The fatalism of battling Darkseid dialed up the danger and gloom masterfully channeled by Ostrander throughout his seminal Squad run. He thrusts expendables into impossible crucibles, laying bare scars and flickers of humanity. Contrasts between nihilists like Deadshot and idealists like Bronze Tiger make their interactions utterly engrossing.
Apokolips Now stays true to Ostrander's bold exploration of moral complexity within doomed souls. Their human struggles for purpose and redemption amidst darkness make these antiheroes endlessly compelling. Ostrander's era-defining Suicide Squad remains one of mainstream comics' most thrilling experiments.
The stakes have never been higher as Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, and other fractured souls tempt oblivion against a ruthless god. Ostrander's layered plot and scripting sublimely develop the Squad members, exposing their inner damage through crisp dialogue and thought-provoking internal monologues. We gain profound insights into what compels these violent outcasts to keep fighting oblivion's pull.
Visually, artists like John K. Snyder III immerse us in Apokolips' oppressive industrial hellscapes. The fatalism of battling Darkseid dialed up the danger and gloom masterfully channeled by Ostrander throughout his seminal Squad run. He thrusts expendables into impossible crucibles, laying bare scars and flickers of humanity. Contrasts between nihilists like Deadshot and idealists like Bronze Tiger make their interactions utterly engrossing.
Apokolips Now stays true to Ostrander's bold exploration of moral complexity within doomed souls. Their human struggles for purpose and redemption amidst darkness make these antiheroes endlessly compelling. Ostrander's era-defining Suicide Squad remains one of mainstream comics' most thrilling experiments.
August 4, 2017
The Squad gets shanghaied to Apokolips by Duchess/Lashina, Bronze Tiger gets broken, Sarge Steel asserts control, and a brutal end to the Loa subplot. Just another 9 solid issues of SS; bring on Vol. 6!
December 19, 2019
The Squad changes dramatically. Duchess turns on the team and recruits Shade to help her. She remembers her life as Lashina and wants desperately to return to Apokolips- and her position as leader of the Female Furies. She can't come empty handed though- protocol demands she bring a gift for Darkseid and one for Granny Goodness. She and Shade kidnap as many of the team as she can catch, and talk a few more (Poison Ivy, Count Vertigo and ground crew member Flo Crowley) into coming along willingly. She shanghaies them to her home and uses them as cannon fodder so that she can attack Bernadeth and fight her for leadership of the Furies. The Bronze Tiger mounts a rescue mission using the Forever People to get his team to Apokolips, but despite rescuing most of the team, there is a body count, including noncombatant Flo.
The Loa outs Amanda Waller as the behind the scenes leader of the Squad despite the lie that she stepped down, and Sarge Steel, now in charge of the Squad, shuts them down and tells Waller that Checkmate will handle the Loa. She knows that they will control almost every drug user in the city by the time Checkmate gets after them, and leads her own team to stop them (Ravan, Poison Ivy and Deadshot). Waller earns herself a jail cell for her efforts (the rest of her team goes free).
The Loa outs Amanda Waller as the behind the scenes leader of the Squad despite the lie that she stepped down, and Sarge Steel, now in charge of the Squad, shuts them down and tells Waller that Checkmate will handle the Loa. She knows that they will control almost every drug user in the city by the time Checkmate gets after them, and leads her own team to stop them (Ravan, Poison Ivy and Deadshot). Waller earns herself a jail cell for her efforts (the rest of her team goes free).
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