Kung Fu Masters and Tail Swinging

SUICIDE SQUAD #18, DC Comics, October 1988
Though I'm a fan of Marvel's kung fu masters, DC's have usually left me cold. Richard Dragon... Karate Kid... No, the only one I have any affection for is the Bronze Tiger. And that's largely due to his role in Suicide Squad.

As I've said before, Suicide Squad is, page for page, issue for issue, one of the best comic book series ever put out. From start to finish, it rocks. Grabbing an issue with martial arts action on the cover at random, I've hit upon "Manhattan Massacre", a rematch between the Squad (a collection of government agents and super-criminals looking for parole by engaging in black ops activity) and the Jihad (super-powered terrorists from around the globe). Destroying these guys was the Squad's first mission, but you can't keep a good terrorist down (as we have since figured out for ourselves).

As usual, you've got a mission briefing at the start, though the set-up was really in the previous issue. Basically just orders from leader Rick Flagg as to who goes after who. As usual, you've got resident jerk and former Flash villain Captain Boomerang questioning things right off the bat when Flagg won't let him go after Jaculi, the superfast javelin thrower of the Jihad:
"Your record against super-speed characters isn't great... Your record stinks for itself. Deadshot goes." Boomer is totally Flagg's bitch! When Boomer's dropped off at a building, it's at the very top. Why? "If you want to survive, you'll have to work your way down and maybe -- just maybe -- do your part in this mission." See what I mean? He can't get no respect.

It's all one-on-one fights from there, but let's talk about the best bits. First there's the one advertised on the cover (must give credit to Karl Kesel whose inks I always loved on SS covers). I don't know if writer John Ostrander is having a bit of fun with us here, because it's not quite a drag out battle. Because the Bronze Tiger had crippled Thuggee assassin Ravan in their previous bout, he guesses that Ravan's now using some kind of exoskeleton.
Makes a move for the power pack and voila. Out in less than a page. Of course, the real twist is that the Bronze Tiger then proceeds to RECRUIT Ravan for the Squad. That's just the kind of outfit this is - where surviving enemies are likely to fight on your side next issue! (Watch you back!)

Speaking of surviving (or not), I love Deadshot's fight with Jaculi. The crackshot assassin shoots her in the knee and she says: "Kill me... American... or I will come back for you."
"I believe you." This proves once again that if Deadshot isn't the frickin' coolest guy in comics, he's certainly the COLDEST.

But wait, I'm forgetting Flash villain Captain Cold. He's here too as the "guest villain" of the month. These guys are non-regulars who do their mission and leave... usually in a pine box. But to everyone's surprise, he not only makes it out alive, but he even gets a few badass lines: "Hate is cold! Hell is cold! And sucker -- I am Captain Cold!" This guy definitely isn't cool, but that's just about as bad as he ever got. Suicide Squad lets out your inner villain no matter how silly your escapades with the Flash were. (Deadshot still manages the best line about that exchange, later telling Flagg: "Cold made an ice-cube of his joker. Be interesting to see what happens when the guy's thawed out." Only Deadshot thinks of these things.)

Another good fight (of interest to us this week) is between the Duchess (former fatigues-wearing Female Fury and the Squad's resident psycho killer - well, one of them, at any rate) and the Jihad's Manticore. That guy's a cyborg made to look like a mythical creature. After the two of them get washed out of a tunnel (Duchess blew a whole in a wall, probably for fun), she starts swinging her opponent by the tail... until it rips off!
And then proceeds to beat the living crap out of the guy with it! Lovely. So no casualties for the Squad this time! Doesn't happen very often, though that's hard to tell given that the two issues I've reviewed so far were death-free. I'll try to give you a real massacre next time (should really do a Suicide Squad month).