Exclusive Preview: ‘Suicide Squad’ #18

Suicide Squad features a singularly ugly family reunion next week, in one of DC's consistently best books.

Suicide Squad is a book with a storied history at DC. The original idea was your standard issue government task force and was fairly obscure. When the concept was revived in the '80s, John Ostrander came up with a brilliant idea: What if it wasn't a bunch of square-jawed government agents, but supervillains doing black-ops work for the United States government to reduce their prison sentences? It explained how these guys got out of jail so quickly... and also meant Ostrander could kill any cast member at any time.

The result is one of the most beloved books of the '80s and a concept that has been part of the DCU ever since. Adam Glass was handed the job of bringing it back to its grittier '80s concept, and he's done a remarkable job of doing it. Glass picks off minor villains constantly and doesn't shy away from emphasizing that the government doesn't care about the Suicide Squad: They're disposable, and treated as such. It's a dark, sometimes gleefully nasty book that balances superheroics (well, supervillainy) and government espionage in a way that makes sense.

And now, apparently, obscure villain Yo-Yo is about to get his moment in the spotlight, especially since he's up against his sister. Take a look...