6 Autobots
allhailgrimlock

Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I'm a well read grad student who's bluntly honest about all things, although I try to be most honest about myself.   

Currently reading

Separate Orbits
Yael Mermelstein
Progress: 119/427pages
BATMAN #53 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman53, TomKingBatman53
BATMAN #54 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
MattWagnerBatman54, TomKingBatman54
BATMAN #52 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman52, TomKingBatman52
BATMAN #51 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman51, TomKingBatman51
Infinity Wars: Iron Hammer (2018) #1 (of 2)
Al Ewing, Humberto Ramos
Champions (2019-) #4
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente
SUICIDE SQUAD #46 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSS46, RobWilliamsSS46
SUICIDE SQUAD #45 ((SINK ATLANTIS)) ((DC REBIRTH )) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSuicideSquad45, RobWilliamsSuicideSquad45
Champions (2019-) #3
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente

Not the strongest Suicide Squad story

Suicide Squad Special: War Crimes (2016) #1 - Bud Smith;Lydia McDonald;Lisa Mitchell Parker;Joe Saldibar;Gus Sanchez;Trista Payte;Christopher Luke Trevilla;Marvin Waldman;Aaron Dietz;Michele Vazquez;Owen Cooney;Megan Elizabeth Corry;Janice Bevilacqua;Christine Conte;Chuck Howe;Shelley Hirsch;Heather

I think this tells me something about Ostrander and Yale: how much of an influence she was on this series.  I knew because Ostrander himself has said so, but there's knowing and having the point illustrated.  

 

This is illustrating the point, to me.   

 

It's all Suicide Squad, but not as much as the original.   Again, there's something there in the oldest and newest series.   The older one focused a lot on the political, balancing that with character.   Given what happens in the Deadshot mini-series - both of them, in fact - and the dealing so overtly with current political issues, it was clear that both Ostrander and Yale weren't interested in towing lines.   They wanted to tell a good story, and lines be damned.   

 

They succeeded.  I'm not sure if it's the current writing clime where some topics are taboo, or if it's the new lineup - with Harley - or if Ostrander simply was truly buoyed by Yale, but this felt like it was trying too hard to capture what the original had.   (Much like the movie, it felt more like it was told to get toned down and it did.   If the movie, and this comic, had gone further - or perhaps been allowed to go further - I think it would have been a boon to both of the stories.)

 

The newest series lacks some of what the original has - the political commentary is what I'm thinking of in particular - and may not be quite as risqué, but it at least acknowledges what happened previously - and I"m thinking of Deadshot in particular here - and makes up for this by dealing so well with the characters.   Or at least it does for me.  I've heard rumblings and complaints about the character backstories, instead of one continuous story, but I personally love them.  

 

The problem with this is that it feels like it's trying to straddle.   It doesn't get risqué, but doesn't quite manage to be as in depth with the characters as the current series, either.   So I feel like I'm left without either of the two things that truly attract me to the series I love.   (Not to mention, even though the original series may have not done constant character studies, they went pretty deeply into the character psychology.   Oracle, and Deadshot, and Mindboggler?   Amazing what they did with them.  Minboggler has been on my mind: the more I think about it, the more digitizing her, then having Dybbuk fix her, and having her revert to Leah - she doesn't have all the insecurities, after all, is mind-blowing.   She and Dybbuk also decide to get married, so Jewish AI wedding?   I want one of those!)

 

That being said, the felt a little flat.  I've read a lot of praise online for this, but I don't know.   It just didn't make me feel all that strongly.   It was a good story, and a good execution and everyone was in character - but the political commentary could have been much more scathing, as it often was in the original series.   

 

I'd be hesitant to buy anything new by Ostrander in this.  I'd sample the work, certainly, and read reviews before I did.   Because his original run was amazing, but I don't think hoisting Harley on him - I keep bringing her up because I feel like she was the weakest character in this - or limiting what he can do does this series justice.  Or maybe Ostrander changed his writing style or his views of the world, and that's okay.   I just find it doesn't make as compelling a story for me. 

 

I'm glad there was a lot of the elements in there: the politics, the way the characters interact - with them often not getting along like gangbusters - but it just wasn't enough for me.   Maybe if I hadn't read his earlier works, I'd be more impressed - but I have, and so I wasn't.   

 

Onto more Squad, although I took time to catch up on comics and read some new ones I acquired first.