Suicide Squad #67 & Secret Six #17 Annotations
by Andrew Dowdell
Thanks for joining us here at Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, a seriously fun look at the activities within the DC Universe. If you love comic books, and the DCU in particular, then I'm happy to have you drop by. In the past, I have written articles, reviews, and blogs dealing with Infinite Crisis, 52, Countdown to Final Crisis, Justice League of America and various other books, and after taking a year off to recharge my batteries, am excited to jump back into the world of review, analysis and trivia. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride...and feel free to e-mail or post a comment if you like! I'd be happy to hear from you!
Suicide Squad #67
"Danse Macabre" Part 1
Writer: Gail Simone & John Ostrander
Artist: J. Calafiore
Editor: Sean Ryan
Synopsis
The Fiddler is raised as a Black Lantern, and his first target is the man who killed him...Deadshot! Meanwhile, the Suicide Squad draws the Secret Six into a trap even as Black Lantern rings descend upon Belle Reve to raise a group of dead heroes and villains...
Notes
Page 1: Suicide Squad (first series) ran from issue #1 in 1987 until issue #66 in 1992.
This is a brief recap of the life and death of the Fiddler. Worth mentioning is that, while his revised origin as seen in Hawkworld Annual #1 remains intact, his death in that issue has been ignored, probably due to a Crisis of the Zero Infinite Hour or some such event.
"My triumph was making him, his fellows and the entire city not only disappear, but forgotten until another Flash restored them all." A reference to the classic "Flash of Two Worlds!" story, originally told in The Flash (first series) #123, and retold in Secret Origins #50. The Fiddler had some help from the Thinker and the Shade in making Keystone City disappear, but you'll probably never hear him say that.
Page 2: The Fiddler, real name Isaac Bowin. First appeared in All-Flash #32. Killed in Villains United #1. Able to use his violin music to hypnotize others and generate powerful sonic waves. Last appeared in Blackest Night #4.
"Irwin Bowin of Earth." Aaaaaaaaah! The Fiddler's real name is "Isaac Bowin," not "Irwin Bowin," as seen here, or "Isaac Bown" as seen on his casket in Blackest Night #1. Does someone have something against the Fiddler and his real name?
This page takes place concurrent with Blackest Night #3, page 26.
"Power Levels 57.01%" Hey, it's been a while since we've seen this! That would place this scene right after Black Lantern Firestorm turns Gehenna into salt (Blackest Night #3, Power Levels 56.58%) and before Black Lantern Hawk kills Hawk III (Blackest Night: Titans #2, 57.03%).
Seen here emerging from their caskets underneath the Hall of Justice are Doctor Light II, Maxwell Lord IV, Copperhead, Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three, the Psycho-Pirate II, Brain Wave I and Baron Blitzkrieg. Black Lantern Firestorm watches from the sidelines.
Page 3: Fiddler uses his Black Lantern power ring to recreate his fiddle.
"Come on guys. There's a few left upstairs." Immediately after this, Black Lantern Firestorm and the raised villains attack Barry Allen, Ray Palmer and Mera in Blackest Night #4, pages 2-3.
Page 4: Count Vertigo, real name Werner Vertigo. First appeared in World's Finest Comics #251. Able to fly and induce a vertigo affect which alters the balance of others and can induce dizziness.
Nightshade, real name Eve Eden. First appeared in Captain Atom (first series) #82. Able to create shadow constructs, become a two-dimensional shadow and transport herself and others through the Land of Nightshades.
Multiplex, real name Danton Black. First appeared (as Black) in Firestorm (first series) #1 and (as Multiplex) in Firestorm (first series) #2. Able to split off into duplicates of himself called duploids.
Richard Rogers "Rick" Flag, Jr., real name Anthony Miller. First appeared in The Brave and the Bold (first series) #25. Seemingly killed in Suicide Squad (first series) #26, but reappeared alive in Checkmate (second series) #6.
Bronze Tiger, real name Benjamin "Ben" Turner. First appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #1. One of the world's greatest martial artists, who has bested the Batman in hand-to-hand combat.
Yasemin Soze, first appeared in Birds of Prey #87. Possesses infallible aim with any gun of any kind.
Page 5: Dr. Amanda Blake Waller, also known as "the Wall." First appeared in Legends #1. A master tactician, strategist and manipulator as well as a brilliant political analyst who is an expert with firearms.
"And now, I am given a choice - either work fulfilling this insane woman's bloody agenda or she detonates the explosive chip she had implanted in my skull." To keep their criminal operatives in line, the Suicide Squad implants an explosive chip in their operative's skulls; if they fail to follow orders...Boom.
Page 6: "Officially, this, this team she put me on, they call themselves Task Force X. But in my circles, they go by another name. The Suicide Squad." Because it's hard to get government funding for a group called "the Suicide Squad," bureaucrats had to give it a more-official sounding name, hence "Task Force X."
Page 7: "Belle Reve" refers to Belle Reve Penitentiary is the prison located in Houma, Louisiana that serves as the base of operations for the Suicide Squad.
King Faraday, also known as I-Spy. First appeared in Danger Trail #1. A highly-trained espionage agent, skilled hand-to-hand combatant and an expert marksman.
Whatever Waller is doing with all of those metahuman corpses in that laboratory can't possibly be good.
"You broke trust with him when you exiled him off planet with all the other villains." This happened in the Salvation Run mini-series.
Page 8: "72 hours later." Since the Suicide Squad-invades-Mexico scene occurred "72 hours earlier" than Fiddler rising, we can assume that this scene take place at the same time as the first.
"The House of Secrets, Rutland, Vermont." The Secret Six uses the House of Secrets as its headquarters.
Bane, also known as "The Man Who Broke the Bat." First appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1. An expert at hand-to-hand combat in peak physical condition, he also possesses a genius-level intellect and is an expert strategist.
The redhead is Liana Kerzner, Scandal Savage's girlfriend and date for the evening.
Ragdoll II, real name Peter Merkel, Jr. First appeared in Villains United #1. Has had his biological joints replaced with artificial ones, which allow him to bend, compress and contort his body in ways even master contortionists cannot.
Page 9: "I feel I must ask. What exactly are your intentions with my...with the girl." Bane has developed an extremely unhealthy fascination with Scandal Savage and her relationships. Unhealthy because Scandal is a lesbian, and really isn't attracted to Bane at all.
Scandal, full name Scandal Savage. First appeared in Villains United #1. A master of hand-to-hand combat who has enhanced durability due to being the daughter of Vandal Savage.
Page 10: Black Alice, real name Lori Zechlin. First appeared in Birds of Prey #76. Able to temporarily borrow the magical powers of other mystical heroes and villains.
Deadshot, real name Floyd Lawton. First appeared in Batman #59. An expert marksman with any type of gun who wears silenced, wrist-mounted magnums.
Catman, real name Thomas Blake. First appeared in Detective Comics #311. A superb hand-to-hand combatant, skilled in the use of bladed weapons.
Mockingbird is the mystery individual who blackmails the Secret Six into taking on missions that they might not normally undertake.
Page 11: "Twenty-four hours later." Why it takes twenty-four hours for the team to get themselves together and onto their plan to fly down to Louisiana is beyond me.
Also, in terms of continuity, it really doesn't feel like the entire Blackest Night storyline takes place over the course of more than a day. Sure, a lot of things happen, but certain issues seem to take place over a really short period of time, Blackest Night #6 being a prime example.
However, over in Blackest Night: The Flash #2, Barry Allen says that he's been attempting to bury his feeling for the past "forty-eight hours," which means that the Black Lantern crisis has been plaguing Earth for two days, so what do I know?
Jeannette, real name unrevealed. First appeared in Secret Six #3. Possesses the abilities of a banshee, including enhanced strength and durability, an extended life, can sense when one is about to die and is able to release a death wail, causing madness and death in others.
"I know this place. It's a total craphole." Deadshot spent plenty of time at Belle Reve Penitentiary as a member of the Suicide Squad.
Page 12: "CATMAN looks like an ad for Grant's Gym..." I would assume that "Grant's Gym" is owned by Ted Grant, also known as Wildcat.
Page 13: "I think it's a giant Goth chick, lieutenant." I like this line. I really like this line.
Page 14: "This place belongs to the scariest damn woman in history." That would be Amanda Waller. She and Deadshot go way back.
Page 17: Virtuosa, real name unrevealed. First appeared in Villains United #5. Uses a high-tech fiddle to control others.
Page 22: More Black Lantern goodness coming your way...
Okay, fair warning time - some of these names don't easily match up with the characters seen here. In fact, we are given seven names, but only six raised characters are depicted. Also, there's one character that I just can't place at all, and several of the names/secret identities are so completely out of the blue, they have never before been revealed. I know, I know, it's fun. So, without further ado...
Manticore I, real name Anastasio Corvo. He's the big, beastly guy on the left. This could very well be Manticore II, III or IV as well, and I am only guessing that his name is "Anastasio Corvo" because the name is close to the character. First appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #1. Killed in Suicide Squad (first series) #2. Possesses enhanced strength, durability, razor-sharp claws and a scorpion-like tail.
Psi, real name Gayle Marsh. She's the woman in the bikini in the back, on the right. First appeared in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1. Killed in The Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special #1. Able to tap into the unused portion of her mind and manifest psychokinetic abilities.
Atom III, real name Adam Cray. He's peeking over Manticore's left arm. First appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #44. Killed in Suicide Squad (first series) #61. Utilized Ray Palmer's size-changing belt to allow him to shrink to subatomic size.
Ravan, no alternate identity known. He is to the right of the Atom. First appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #1. Killed in Suicide Squad (first series) #47. A skilled martial artist who uses a wire garrote and snake-headed dagger to kill his victims.
Shrike III, real name Angel Moore or Vanessa Kingsbury. He true identity, to me knowledge, was never revealed, and neither of those names seems to link up with any other existing character. You can see her under Manticore's left arm. First appeared in Justice League of America #234. Killed in Suicide Squad (first series) #25. Able to fly and emit a sonic scream.
The blond woman to the left of Psi? I have no idea who she is. None whatsoever. And that should say something, because I thoroughly enjoy identifying these wonderfully massive crowd scenes. I liked picking apart and naming everyone on that "Battle of Metropolis" two-page spread in Infinite Crisis #7. I have sick fascination with identifying dead Green Lanterns. But this lady? No freaking clue.
Secret Six #17
"Danse Macabre" Part 2
Writer: Gail Simone & John Ostrander
Artist: J. Calafiore
Editor: Sean Ryan
Synopsis
The Suicide Squad and Secret Six meet in battle, but both groups are unprepared for the threat of the Black Lanterns. Black Lantern Fiddler comes closer to getting his revenge of Deadshot, even as the Black Lantern Suicide Squad is about to kill everything in sight...
Notes
Pages 1-3: A recap of Yasemin Soze's life and death; her last name is revealed here for the first time.
Yasemin Soze last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
Page 4: Amanda Waller, Scandal Savage and Multiplex last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
Insignificus was once a Lowlie from Apokolips who now serves Scandal.
Page 6: That's a big honking gargoyle that the Secret Six has stashed away in the House of Secrets for emergencies such as this.
Page 7: Bane and Nightshade last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67. Note that, when this fight started, Bane and Nightshade were within the prison; it seems that Nightshade has teleported them outside off-panel.
"This was all foretold like the sand of an hourglass." This is awfully...profound for a prison security guard.
Page 8: Count Vertigo last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
I'm not sure how Count Vertigo's ability to "unbalance" others causes Bane to see visions of Batman. He might become dizzy, but to hallucinate? Not buying it.
Page 9: Black Alice last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
"No Scandal. You were meant to be saaafe!" Bane has been overly protective of Scandal for quite some time now; she doesn't really appreciate it.
Pages 10-11: Black Lanterns Atom, Psi, Manticore, Ravan and Shrike last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67; they are wreaking havoc within Belle Reve.
Twister, real name Theresa Zimmer. She is next to Manticore, her face all askew. First appeared in The New Teen Titans (second series) #26. Killed in Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #8. Able to induce horrifying illusions in the minds of others.
Punch, real name Clyde Phillips...perhaps. Punch's real name has never been revealed, but "Clyde Phillips" was apparently raised with the others, so I am going out on a limb and identifying him as Punch. First appeared in Captain Atom (first series) #85. Killed in Checkmate (second series) #7. Wore boots that allow him to walk on air and wields sting strings that allow him to take control of another's actions.
I still have no idea who the undead blond woman is.
"Nasty little sinners. Every one of you." The last time we saw Twister, she had found god and wanted to punish all those she thought of as sinners.
The Belle Reve prison guards are feeling rage, fear and will. The prisoners are feeling rage and fear.
Page 12: Bronze Tiger and Catman last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
Pages 13-15: Not much to say about this fight except for that fact that it's a damn good, knock-down, drag-out brawl. Catman actually holds his own and shows that he's a damn dirty fighter.
Page 16: Ragdoll, Virtuosa and Jeannette last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
"If I still had my - you know - I'm certain they'd be ruptured." Ragdoll has been castrated and is a eunuch.
"Hush. I sense death walking." As a banshee, Jeannette can sense death.
Page 17: Black Lantern Fiddler last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
Jeannette is feeling will; Ragdoll is feeling rage, avarice, fear, will, hope, compassion and love - the whole spectrum of emotions. Virtuosa is feeling love.
"Paganini" refers to Niccolò Paganini, a 17th century Italian violinist and composer.
Page 18: Jeannette is going into full-banshee mode here.
"A little of Pagnini's Caprice No. 1 in E major andante." Caprice No. 1, nicknamed "L'Arpeggio," is one of Pagnini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin. "Andante" refers to the piece's tempo; it is played at a walking pace, 76-108 bpm (beats per minute).
Page 19: Rick Flag and Deadshot last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
Flag is feeling will and rage with a hint of fear.
Black Lantern Yasemin used her Black Lantern power ring to create her guns.
Page 20: The usually unemotional Deadshot is feeling small traces of rage and will.
Page 22: King Faraday last appeared in Suicide Squad (first series) #67.
"Our regular tap of JLA comms has brought a message from the Flash." This was the message that Barry Allen relayed to all of Earth's super-heroes regarding the threat of the Black Lanterns in Blackest Night #4.
According to Suicide Squad (first series) #67, the Secret Six arrived at Belle Reve Penitentiary 24 hours after the Fiddler and the other villains under the Hall of Justice rose. Are we to believe that, after Barry Allen and company escaped from the Hall of Justice shortly thereafter, it took them a full day for Barry to do his "Paul Revere" run around the world? I don't think so. I'm thinking that the "24 hours later" notation is a continuity error.
Check out more Blackest Night annotations at my blog, Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice....
Andrew Dowdell lives in the wonderfully-named Sleepy Hollow, NY, with his wife Allison and miniature schnauzer Casey. Though he works as a bartender, he hopes someday to leave behind the world of customer service to writer for a living. In college, Andrew wrote, directed and produced several theatrical productions, and is currently working to hone his skills as a comic book scriptwriter. In the meantime, he spends his time trying to keep tabs on the convoluted structure and continuity of the DC Universe. His sanity should vanish any minute now. Please feel free to e-mail your questions, comments, thoughts and job offers to andrewdowdell@ymail.com. Emphasis on the "job offers" part...
blog comments powered by Disqus
