Suicide Squad 3 (January 2012)

Okay… I’m going to say it.

This issue of Suicide Squad is nearly okay. The issue’s plot is fantastic–the Squad has to pretend to be normal people for two hours until they get evacuated by Amanda Waller. In that time, friendships are formed, Harley and Deadshot almost get it on, that idiotic Mad Dog character shows up.

New artist Cliff Richards is probably better than the last guys, but he’s still not any good. But he’s not bad enough to ruin the issue.

Instead, it’s Glass’s dialogue. Even when he can plot out a fun issue, he can’t write the darned thing. Maybe Deadshot and Harley’s dialogue is all right (they’d do better in their own series, à la Bonnie and Clyde, than part of this one).

The issue starts crumbling with the arrival of Captain Boomerang, but good will carries it. Glass’s been reading Jeff Parker’s Thunderbolts apparently.

CREDITS

Last Chance; writer, Adam Glass; artist, Cliff Richards; colorist, Val Staples; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Sean Mackiewicz and Pat McCallum; publisher, DC Comics.

Dark Horse Presents Annual (1998) 2000

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It’s the “all female” issue… without a single female creator working on the book.

The best is in the Buffy story, when they turn rape prevention into a pun.

The Buffy story is the worst–Fassbender and Pascoe’s writing is, tasteless jokes aside, awful. Their dialogue is weak as is their plotting. Richards and Pimentel’s art isn’t awful.

Motter writes an indistinct Star Wars. But Owens’s artwork on it is fabulous.

The Xena story, from Edginton, Deodato and Nelson, is probably the best. Though Deodato’s photo referencing is annoying and ineffective. Edginton writes funny dialogue and comes up with solid plot developments.

Kennedy’s Ghost story isn’t bad. Brunner’s artwork varies. He has some good panels and some weak ones. Kennedy’s able to manage a good pace with a lot of details.

The one from David and Henry–Spyboy–is amusing. It’s breezy action; David gets in a good closing joke.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #150

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The issue opens with Petrie, Richards and Pimentel on Buffy. Petrie’s writing is awful (Buffy explains the story to herself through expositional dialogue) and the art is fairly weak. Even the resolution is lame.

Chadwick’s Concrete is bad, but in interesting ways. Chadwick avoids the usual humanity of his stories (good or bad) and concentrates on the action. His art’s odd too—he outlines Concrete in thick inks.

The Devil Chef has a single good joke at the end. Maybe Pollock’s first good joke….

Amara and Davis finish The Nevermen. As usual, great art, bad writing. Here we find out the Presents three-part story is just a pointless prologue.

Brunner’s story about recent college graduates is hilariously awful. It’s so absurdly written, one wonders if Presents had any submission standards at this point.

And Moncuse’s Fish Police closes the issue. Another dumb story (with pedestrian art) for a bad issue.