“Only The Strong”
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Jesus Hervas
Color Artist: David Baron
Letterer: Andworld Design
Review by Philip Clark
It all comes down to this, the final issue; Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum #5. The previous four have led us on a journey of action, violence, and escaping criminals, and this one matches that style.
The final member of Taskforce X from the video game, King Shark, is the focus of this issue. I enjoy the flip of expectations in this issue, instead of it being a blood fest, Shark seems cautious about killing.
Survival of the Swimmingest
After her carefully structured test, Amanda Waller has her four survivalists. This issue is my favorite out of the five, as I’ve always been a fan of subverting tropes or norms. King Shark does exactly that.
The big brutish looking types are usually exactly that, the “bull in a china shop” that just smashes into things until they’re a bloody mess. King Shark, however, seems to have more philosophical interactions with people in this issue.
Taskforce X, or the “Suicide Squad” as they’re lovingly referred to, is made up of survivors, and none moreso than King Shark himself, who makes it very well known that he wants nothing more than to be the last shark swimming; well standing… both.
John Layman and the rest of the creative team have done a great job at setting up a prequel mini-series for the Rocksteady game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League by exploring each character’s escape from Arkham, as well as how they came together for the task at hand.
Conclusion
Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum #5 is probably the best chapter of the entire series, in my opinion. it ties up all the threads from the previous issues, and if you look hard enough, you can even see previous scenes happening in the background of this one.
I am now even more excited to get my hands on the video game.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
