Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum

Suicide Squad: Miniseries

by John Layman

Before The Suicide Squad takes on your favorite heroes in the upcoming  video game, Suicide Kill The Justice League , pick up this thrilling prequel and watch them kill Arkham Asylum!

Amanda Waller has taken control of the recently rebuilt Arkham Asylum, and her brutal tactics and merciless methods have led to the most secure Arkham Gotham has ever known. But when the cell doors open and the inmates are left in a free-for-all deathmatch, Waller's true intentions reveal Identify the strongest, smartest, and most brutal inmates of the Asylum to serve her on Task Force X. Things are gonna get messy in this prequel to Rocksteady's Suicide Kill The Justice League !

Collects Suicide Kill Arkham Asylum #1-5

About the author

John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun enough and I think John Layman gave a slight more Adult edge to the action/script

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-sensical violence pitting villains against villains. All taking place after the Batman: Arkaham games. Easily the best part is my girl Harley is back in one of her Arkham outfits (Arkham City as it was last, not my fave of them but it’s still pretty awesome).
Wasn’t a big fan of Waller’s look in this one. A little too manly and far too skinny for what Amanda Waller looks like in my mind. Overall just a snippet to hype a video game and lead into the newer Task Force X. Really just DC trying to bring their most successful Suicide Squad characters back together briefly (as we know from Task Force X that comes). But I’ll take almost anything my gal, Harley Quinn, is in and add it to the shelf. ;)

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kill Arkham Asylum is a perfectly serviceable prologue comic series that uses five issues to introduce the members of the Suicide Squad that feature in the Kill the Justice League game and shows how they got to where they are when the game begins.

Kill the Justice League had big shoes to fill, following on from the Batman: Arkham series, and it failed miserably. Fortunately, this series fares much better. The story is more interesting (and, unlike the game, occasionally funny or well-written), the characters are presented with more appealing personalities through issues dedicated to each of the four of them, and the art style balances the grit of the Arkham universe with the lighter tone of the Suicide Squad game's visuals. In particular, King Shark's thoughts and dialogue here blow the game's version out of the water.

Unfortunately, it still doesn't really feel like Batman: Arkham to me. The introductory issue tries hard to tie things back to the Arkham games, with Amanda Waller rebuilding Arkham Asylum, and there are constant references to events of the games throughout the series. But it still feels jarring to see Batman again and hard to believe it's the same character I spent so many games controlling.

Overall, this is a fine series that suffers from one fatal flaw: it's a prologue to a very, very bad videogame that you should avoid playing. And since that's the case, why read it?

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still love the 'Batman: Arkham' videogames?

This is a prequel comic to the latest game in that universe. It has a few references to events that took place in those games, but it shouldn't throw you off too much. As a comic, it doesn't do much heavy lifting or rewrite any bits of Batman history....but it's readable.

Readable IS a compliment.
Swear to G.O.D.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was super fun if amounting to little. I don't play video games but I love the suicide squad, so even if the setup is obvious ( everyone in Arkham vs. everyone in Arkham) there were enough twists and character moments to make me happy.

[Dan Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely dog crap. Awful.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of cool action but not that much happens. I don’t think this will feel alienating to anyone who hasn’t played all the games though.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this thinking it would convince me to finally drop money on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. I completed the graphic novel and did not purchase Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

[Sonic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good amount of anarchy with mostly passable illustration.

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid stories set for the prequel to the game that gives good background.

[John Reimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A nice short read. The Boomerang and King Shark issues were the best in my opinion

[The_J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly violent and more than a little over the top. So much death and of so many characters.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed that. I love that King Shark got so much "screen time".

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun origin story to the making of the original suicide squad. Waller is a horrible person. Eruditic shark. Bumbling boomerangs. Strange friends for Quinn. Uneasy allies for Deadshot.

[Justin Biondo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wack

[Jackson Talbott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just like the game, this prequel is pointless. (Again, just like the game, I don’t it’s as bad as people say)