Suicide Squad, Volume 1 by John Ostrander

The books from this era are mostly available on comiXology, which is the easiest place to get them. Ostrander would return to the team in 2007 for a limited series titled Raise the Flagthat was also well-received. I would say it’s only really necessary for hardcore completists. The main SS series lasted 66 issues until it was eventually canceled in 1992. It’s not a bad book, but it’s kind of hard to track down, and you can easily read the main series without it. If you want to get super-technical, the first appearance of Ostrander’s Suicide Squad was in an event book called Legendsthat told a self-contained story. The series breezes through different genres (war, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, espionage) while exploring themes like redemption, mental illness, utilitarianism, and the ethics of the prison-industrial complex. Ostrander effortlessly weaves the silly world of costumed criminals with the dark themes of the premise, creating a book that is often tragic and hilarious in equal measures. In addition to being the book that really launched the Squad as a fan-favorite team, it holds up remarkably well for a comic from the 80’s. This is the book that reinvented the Squad as a secret government organization sending costumed criminals on deadly missions. Suicide Squad (Volume 1) by John Ostrander (and later also Kim Yale, who does not get enough credit) is really where you should start if you want to get into the Suicide Squad. These comics were recently released in a hardcover collection if you consider yourself a completist. Really, given that the premise is entirely different also (altruistic self-sacrificing military heroes), the only connection between these comics and the more popular Ostrander era is the names. The four core characters do make later appearances, but their personalities are completely revised and all relevant information is explained in flashbacks. They also have almost nothing to do with the later series. The original Suicide Squad comics of the Silver Age aren’t bad for their time, but they do not hold up very well. We’re gonna walk you through which eras of the Suicide Squad are worth reading and which are really not worth your time. It can be confusing figuring out where to start, with so many years of Suicide Squad continuity, so we’re here to help! The DC Comics Database has you covered for all of your Suicide Squad needs.

If you’ve never read any, now is a great time to pick up some Suicide Squad comics to get yourself in the mood. We are rapidly approaching the release of the Suicide Squad movie on August 5th.

Suicide Squad, Volume 1 by John Ostrander