Review by CJ

Page count:
192

Format:
Trade paperback

Publisher:
DC Comics

ISBN:
978-1-4012-5238-0

The new Suicide Squad is assembled, adding Joker’s Daughter, Reverse Flash, Black Manta and Deathstroke to the line-up alongside regulars Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang.

Their first trip takes them to Russia for a mission that will test their wits, their teamwork and their (in)sanity. The second mission sends Taskforce X to China where they inadvertently awaken a new metahuman superhero.

Meanwhile, Amanda Waller struggles with a new chain of command and things at Belle Reve Prison aren’t quite what they seem.

New Suicide Squad, Volume 1: Pure Insanity collects issues 1-8 of New Suicide Squad (2014).

Pure Insanity features a fun couple of stories from the New Suicide Squad Collection featuring some of DC’s most infamous villains. I love Suicide Squad stories because the villains are in charge and ready to rumble. The plans never really come together but the mayhem and madness still gets results and is entertaining to boot. Pure Insanity meets all of these aspects to create an enjoyable addition to the Suicide Squad’s catalogue.

The artwork in Pure Insanity is vibrant with dark lines and high contrast, but also feels gritty. This combination greatly enhances the insanity happening within the stories.

I really enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Harley and Joker’s Daughter in Pure Insanity. I knew there would be fireworks as soon as I saw them both featured on the cover, but their interactions — especially on Harley’s end — were very well written.

Both Black Manta and Deadshot have interesting development points in the featured stories and we are exposed to a bit more of their psyche than we are usually shown. These moments of revelation allow the reader more insight into characters who are often portrayed as one-dimensionally evil characters in their respective hero’s stories.

Pure Insanity isn’t an earth shattering addition to the Suicide Squad catalogue but it is an enjoyable one and a great start to the New Suicide Squad series. It does feature many references to story arcs from other series at the same time, so I’d recommend it to readers who are familiar with the Suicide Squad and the Death of the Family story arc from 2012.

Rating: