Who’s ready to smile? The Joker is back, so he inevitably pays a visit to his favorite Hench girl. The resulting story is a mixture of “Death of the Family” and Suicide Squad. Guess which one’s the better read? One character dies, another is reunited with her long lost love… unfortunately for Harley! Yes, the Joker is back in this “Death of the Family” related issue, and he needs Harley to complete his latest scheme. Plus, we see Amanda Waller interrogate the squad’s traitor.But really, who wants to talk about that?
The already mediocre overarching-story written by Adam Glass in Suicide Squad is overshadowed completely by the Joker’s guest appearance. This issue really should have just focused on that since every time we switch back to a scene without the Joker, it’s very easy to lose interest. In a normal issue, I may find myself more interested, especially when reading the scene between King Shark and Yo-Yo. But since the “Death of the Family” has to tie into this issue, the scenes between any members of the Squad are cut short to make way for Joker – when, really, they could have been cut out completely… though it is called Suicide Squad and not Joker and Harley. But the opening was a great way to segway from last issue into this one, leading to an awesome reunion and snatch scenes between the Joker and Harley, but I have two major complaints. The initial fervor of seeing Joker after a year without his sadistic grin is slowly wearing off on me. He still makes a good impression in this issue, but I expected to enjoy him more than I did. Though it is hard to live up to a year’s worth of expectations.
My other complaint involves the dead Suicide Squad member. I won’t spoil who is dead in this issue (even though the preview gives it away and it is pretty obvious), but I hope it’s the usual comic book dead and they will come back. This series made me fall in love with their character and inspired me to track down past issues they appeared in. They carried the squad, and I hope they bring them back or else the squad could fall apart. It’s already had a mediocre plot that I haven’t bothered covering these last few issues and the characters are the only reason readers should stay on, which is why as suspenseful it can be to kill off your characters, don’t break ones you’ve already built up so far and can tell more stories with. Though I will say, if they really are dead, at least it was an honorable death (despite what some of the characters in this story think…). But moving on from my mourning, let’s talk about Harley. Not only is she legitimately affected by this death (which makes me enjoy her character all the more for having depth and not just being a bubble-headed bimbo), it also gives her the motivation to work with Joker, who she isn’t exactly falling all over like I’d hoped she wouldn’t. Her relationship with the Joker in this issue is what you would expect: an abusive soiree that is the same as an abusive husband returning to his battered wife. To make her character even stronger, I’m hoping to see Harley stand-up for herself next issue after the dilemma she’s placed in this issue’s cliffhanger – but they better not kill off Harley!
I also learned from Suicide Squad #14 that Harley an... interesting taste in funeral wear. Really, Harl? Purple? Only you. The get-up, drawn by Fernando Dagnito and colored by Matt Yackey, does suit her character, but takes the serious focus off of the funeral and puts a humorous focus on her. But I do love how her mascara runs all over her face, giving her a hysterical look that fits with the tone of the comic perfectly. The rest of the art is solid, but not as eye-catching as Harley’s funeral attire. Joker looks menacing as always, even with his face being used as a mask… in fact, that makes his whole appearance all the more twisted.I have mixed feelings about Suicide Squad #14. First I liked it, but after stewing on it for a couple of days I find myself getting more and more disenchanted by it. I expected a bit more from the Joker. His appearance in this issue was very underwhelming. Still, this is a must read for Harley fans, and you should also read Batman #13 and #14 which connect with this issue and the “Death of the Family” story arc. Regardless, I’m still looking forward to seeing how Harley gets out of her dilemma in the next issue of Suicide Squad.
An all-around nerdette, I’m a comic book connoisseur, horror aficionado, video game addict, anime enthusiast and an aspiring novelist/comic book writer. I am the head of the comic book department and the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Fuse. I also write and edit articles for Comic Frontline. I am also an intern at Action Lab Entertainment, a comic book publisher at which I edit comic book scripts, help work on images in solicitations and help with other comic book related project. My own personal website is comicmaven.com.
The already mediocre overarching-story written by Adam Glass in Suicide Squad is overshadowed completely by the Joker’s guest appearance. This issue really should have just focused on that since every time we switch back to a scene without the Joker, it’s very easy to lose interest. In a normal issue, I may find myself more interested, especially when reading the scene between King Shark and Yo-Yo. But since the “Death of the Family” has to tie into this issue, the scenes between any members of the Squad are cut short to make way for Joker – when, really, they could have been cut out completely… though it is called Suicide Squad and not Joker and Harley. But the opening was a great way to segway from last issue into this one, leading to an awesome reunion and snatch scenes between the Joker and Harley, but I have two major complaints.
The initial fervor of seeing Joker after a year without his sadistic grin is slowly wearing off on me. He still makes a good impression in this issue, but I expected to enjoy him more than I did. Though it is hard to live up to a year’s worth of expectations.
My other complaint involves the dead Suicide Squad member. I won’t spoil who is dead in this issue (even though the preview gives it away and it is pretty obvious), but I hope it’s the usual comic book dead and they will come back. This series made me fall in love with their character and inspired me to track down past issues they appeared in. They carried the squad, and I hope they bring them back or else the squad could fall apart. It’s already had a mediocre plot that I haven’t bothered covering these last few issues and the characters are the only reason readers should stay on, which is why as suspenseful it can be to kill off your characters, don’t break ones you’ve already built up so far and can tell more stories with. Though I will say, if they really are dead, at least it was an honorable death (despite what some of the characters in this story think…).
But moving on from my mourning, let’s talk about Harley. Not only is she legitimately affected by this death (which makes me enjoy her character all the more for having depth and not just being a bubble-headed bimbo), it also gives her the motivation to work with Joker, who she isn’t exactly falling all over like I’d hoped she wouldn’t. Her relationship with the Joker in this issue is what you would expect: an abusive soiree that is the same as an abusive husband returning to his battered wife. To make her character even stronger, I’m hoping to see Harley stand-up for herself next issue after the dilemma she’s placed in this issue’s cliffhanger – but they better not kill off Harley!
I also learned from Suicide Squad #14 that Harley an... interesting taste in funeral wear. Really, Harl? Purple? Only you. The get-up, drawn by Fernando Dagnito and colored by Matt Yackey, does suit her character, but takes the serious focus off of the funeral and puts a humorous focus on her. But I do love how her mascara runs all over her face, giving her a hysterical look that fits with the tone of the comic perfectly. The rest of the art is solid, but not as eye-catching as Harley’s funeral attire. Joker looks menacing as always, even with his face being used as a mask… in fact, that makes his whole appearance all the more twisted.
I have mixed feelings about Suicide Squad #14. First I liked it, but after stewing on it for a couple of days I find myself getting more and more disenchanted by it. I expected a bit more from the Joker. His appearance in this issue was very underwhelming. Still, this is a must read for Harley fans, and you should also read Batman #13 and #14 which connect with this issue and the “Death of the Family” story arc. Regardless, I’m still looking forward to seeing how Harley gets out of her dilemma in the next issue of Suicide Squad.
