My Rating
“For the Wicked, No Rest”
A broken asset has escaped Belle Reve, leaving several members of the medical staff and security guards splattered across the halls of the prison complex. Precautions had been taken, as this particular prisoner—or perhaps “prisoners”—was undergoing a dangerous medical procedure. Candace Laramie and her symbiote, Dennis Gaines, had become one of Amanda Waller’s more unusual assets. But on this night, the death of one has triggered a massive lockdown inside Belle Reve.
Determined to recover her prized science experiment, Waller calls upon the Suicide Squad as the clock begins ticking. With Candace Laramie injured and wandering somewhere in the Louisiana swamplands, the warden of Belle Reve has only six hours before her valuable asset bleeds to death. Unfortunately, Waller’s A-Team is already on assignment somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. That leaves her with little choice but to hastily recruit a new squad from the population of killers, monsters, and psychopaths under her control.
The mission sounds simple enough: find Candace Laramie and bring her back alive. Of course, nothing involving Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad ever remains simple for long. Malcolm Merlyn receives the unenviable job of leading a collection of sociopaths who would probably rather kill each other than work together.
What strange forces have been unleashed by the death of Dennis Gaines? Can Malcolm Merlyn keep his dysfunctional Suicide Squad alive long enough to complete the mission? And who will become the secondary asset targeted by Amanda Waller before the night is over? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
There are far worse things between Heaven and Hell than those terrorizing the streets of Gotham. I’ll state this right up front: I’m a fan of the Suicide Squad movies, and I hope DC makes more of them. Strangely enough, however, this annual marks the first Suicide Squad comic book I’ve ever read. Why start here? Well, I recently discovered that one of my favorite obscure DC Comics characters from the 1990s meets her unfortunate end in this particular issue.
I’m referring to Nina Skorzeny, better known as Scream Queen, the vampire lead singer of the punk band Scare Tactics. Writer Len Kaminski created Nina and her monstrous bandmates during the strange little corner of 1990s DC Comics sometimes associated with Marv Wolfman’s “Weirdoverse.” Kaminski took that concept and produced some wonderfully bizarre stories revolving around a rock band composed of monsters and supernatural misfits. Unfortunately, Scare Tactics lasted only twelve issues before disappearing into comic book history—and Scream Queen largely disappeared along with it.
That makes her appearance in this 2018 annual something of a minor event for fans of the original series. More than twenty years had passed since I had seen this vampire hottie prowling through the pages of a DC comic book. Unfortunately, Amanda Waller doesn’t exactly provide the warmest welcome back.
The Findings
I found it interesting to see Scream Queen locked away inside Belle Reve, especially considering the complicated continuity surrounding the old Weirdoverse material. I’m not entirely sure when—or how—Nina became incorporated into the primary DC continuity. With DC Comics and its endless supply of crises, alternate Earths, reboots, and reality-altering events, I suppose anything is possible. Either way, it was great seeing this forgotten character dragged out of mothballs, even if her return proved painfully short-lived. Curse you, Amanda Waller!
Suicide Squad Vol. 4 Annual #1 was an excellent read, even if the story itself felt a little light on substance. This is primarily an action book, with enough mystery and supernatural weirdness thrown into the background to keep things interesting. The makeshift Squad also works because these aren’t necessarily the characters most casual readers would expect to see. I always enjoy when DC digs through its enormous catalog and gives obscure characters another chance in the spotlight—even when that spotlight ends with a body bag.
This annual also convinced me that I should probably spend more time with the Suicide Squad. I’ve read plenty of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern over the years, but sometimes the strange characters lurking around the edges of the DC Universe are far more interesting. Give me a team of expendable psychopaths, forgotten villains, monsters, and a vampire punk-rock singer over the usual big guns any day of the week. Despite my disappointment over Scream Queen’s fate, Suicide Squad Vol. 4 Annual #1 earns a solid four out of five stars from me.