Review: Suicide Squad Volume 2 - Basilisk Rising

Having apprehended Harley Quinn after her escape from Belle Reve, the Suicide Squad is in shambles. Harley’s betrayal plus the certainty of another traitor in their midst has increased tensions within the team. Yet, they must work as a cohesive unit in order to infiltrate and take down the villainous cult known as Basilisk. Can they get along long enough to defeat the nefarious Regulus?

Suicide Squad Volume 2: Basilisk Rising collects Suicide Squad #8-13 and 0 and Resurrection Man #9, written by Adam Glass and with additional writing by Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett.

This collection begins with a crossover with Resurrection Man, assisted by fan-favourite scribes Lanning and Abnett. The Squad are tasked with bringing in the aforementioned Resurrection Man, but are intercepted by another party who are charged with taking him down. This two-parter is largely unnecessary and comes across as filler, giving the impression that it was created if only to give Harley time to recover from her injuries sustained during “The Hunt for Harley Quinn.” Even still, there’s a suggestion that Waller’s motives in apprehending Resurrection Man have further implications down the line. Regardless, the crossover fell flat.

The bulk of Basilisk Rising deals with the Squad’s fight against Regulus and his organization Basilisk. This storyline takes the team abroad, where the traitor finally makes his move and thereby nearly destroying the Squad and Amanda Waller in the process. It’s very G.I. Joe-ish (Basilisk = Cobra), which creates a problem tonally. It’s evident that the Squad is meant to be something akin to Gail Simone’s Secret Six, but with a twist of militarism thrust in. Glass is still valiantly trying to make us care for these characters, but they continue to lack the depth necessary for keeping the readers’ interest during an otherwise unremarkable story arc. I want to like these characters, but find that I’m not given enough to really invest in them. Glass could have killed off Deadshot, El Diablo, King Shark and Black Spider, and I probably would have welcomed their replacements with general ambivalence. There are exceptions though – Amanda Waller and Harley Quinn.

Harley is the real star of Suicide Squad. She’s funny and unpredictable, which makes her far more interesting than her more dour teammates. After the events of the preceding trade, it’s also suggested that Harley has two distinct personalities – the villainous Harley Quinn and the more upstanding Dr. Harleen Quinzel. This allows the character to waffle between zany and sharply observant. Truth be told, the issues without her full presence are a bit torturous. Similarly, Amanda Waller carries a presence that’s exciting for readers. She’s a total badass and is not one to be trifled with. You never know what she’ll say or do next, so it makes her all the more fascinating. Of course, it also helps that Glass elaborates on her past as this allows the reader to understand her and sympathize with her more.

Taken at face value, Basilisk Rising is a run-of-the-mill book about a secret paramilitary force that goes on James Bond-esque missions for a shadowy organization. The story leaves a lot to be desired, as does the character development. The frustrating thing, however, is that there’s so much potential with this book. Glass does a great job with Harley and Amanda, while the concept of Basilisk was really cool. The real problem it seems is that Glass doesn’t do enough showing. He hints at events from the characters’ pasts, but doesn’t elaborate on them. After 13 issues, he needed to show us something. We can’t care for characters if they’re all forced into generic roles with bland dialogue. Harley stands out because she’s so amusing and because we got to see her origin play out in the last trade.

Rating: C+