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The Brave and the Bold (1955) #25-27, 37-39
Suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus
When a large wave carrying a heated object capable of destroying anything in its path appears, the authorities throw everything they have at it to stop it from making landfall. When all other options are exhausted, the U.S. calls in their new team, Task Force X, led by Rick Flag!
Soon to be a major motion picture, this new graphic novel collection features the origins of the Suicide Squad! Collects THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD#25-27, #37-39, and STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES #110, 111, 116-121, 125, 127, 128.
Dinosaurs have long been an irresistible draw to children of a certain age. But what's cooler than a dinosaur? A giant dinosaur. A giant dinosaur battling a handful of brave soldiers? Even better.
The 1960s were a tumultuous and stressful time. During that era, the original Suicide Squad--Rick Flag and his team of regular guys (and one woman)--stood between monsters and mankind. Their stories flourished during an era of social upheaval, when there was always a reader for a story in which someone small and brave could succeed against the big scary monster.
Soon to be a major motion picture, this new graphic novel collection features the origins of the Suicide Squad! Collects THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD#25-27, #37-39, and STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES #110, 111, 116-121, 125, 127, 128.
Dinosaurs have long been an irresistible draw to children of a certain age. But what's cooler than a dinosaur? A giant dinosaur. A giant dinosaur battling a handful of brave soldiers? Even better.
The 1960s were a tumultuous and stressful time. During that era, the original Suicide Squad--Rick Flag and his team of regular guys (and one woman)--stood between monsters and mankind. Their stories flourished during an era of social upheaval, when there was always a reader for a story in which someone small and brave could succeed against the big scary monster.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published August 2, 2016
18 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kanigher
584 books8 followersSee also as Bob Kanigher
One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.
One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 26, 2021
Suicide Squad: The Silver Age collects material from The Brave and the Bold #25-27 and #37-39, as well as Star Spangled War Stories #110, 111, 116-121, 125, 127, and 128.
I'm not a Suicide Squad fan but I saw an ad for this in the back of the Doom Patrol omnibus I read a little while ago. I checked Amazon and saw it for $19 and some change, marked down from $50, so I took the plunge.
The creative team is pretty stable throughout. Robert Kanigher handles the words and Ross Andru and Mike Esposito handle the pictures, apart from some guest art by Gene Colan, Russ Heath, and Joe Kubert.
There had to be a huge WTF factor from fans of the Suicide Squad movie that bought this. While I had a faint inkling this contained weird war stories, I bet a lot of people expected a team of semi-reformed super villains like the movies and the modern comics featuring the team.
The TB&TB issues in this deal with the 1950s version of the team while the Star Spangled War Stories issues feature the World War II incarnation. Both teams go up against dinosaurs about 99% of the time. That's an exaggeration but this thing is packed to the gills with dinosaurs.
The 1950s team feels a lot like the Challengers of the Unknown or the Sea Devils, three guys and a girl up against whatever menaces that Mission X sends them up against. Rick Flagg and Karin Murphy (I think that's her last name) can't succumb to their throbbing biological urges without alienating the other two guys on the team, two scientists so characterless that I can't remember their names or even what they look like.
The Star Spangled War Stories are all dinosaurs, all the time. The team members of Suicide Squad, aka Task Force X, are rotating in and out but this is pretty much soldiers vs. dinosaurs, no girls allowed.
The writing is par for the time period but less cringe-inducing than a lot of Stan Lee dialogue from around the same time. Read this for the art because Ross Andru was tearing it up. I have to think he was tired of dinosaurs forever after this wrapped though. The only story that stands out for me was Tidbit for a Tyrannosaurus and that's because it features both Joe Kubert art and GI Robot! I need more GI Robot!
It wasn't the best $19 and change I've ever spend on an omnibus but Suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus has some great art and 99% more GI Robot than your favorite comic. Three out of five dinosaurs.
I'm not a Suicide Squad fan but I saw an ad for this in the back of the Doom Patrol omnibus I read a little while ago. I checked Amazon and saw it for $19 and some change, marked down from $50, so I took the plunge.
The creative team is pretty stable throughout. Robert Kanigher handles the words and Ross Andru and Mike Esposito handle the pictures, apart from some guest art by Gene Colan, Russ Heath, and Joe Kubert.
There had to be a huge WTF factor from fans of the Suicide Squad movie that bought this. While I had a faint inkling this contained weird war stories, I bet a lot of people expected a team of semi-reformed super villains like the movies and the modern comics featuring the team.
The TB&TB issues in this deal with the 1950s version of the team while the Star Spangled War Stories issues feature the World War II incarnation. Both teams go up against dinosaurs about 99% of the time. That's an exaggeration but this thing is packed to the gills with dinosaurs.
The 1950s team feels a lot like the Challengers of the Unknown or the Sea Devils, three guys and a girl up against whatever menaces that Mission X sends them up against. Rick Flagg and Karin Murphy (I think that's her last name) can't succumb to their throbbing biological urges without alienating the other two guys on the team, two scientists so characterless that I can't remember their names or even what they look like.
The Star Spangled War Stories are all dinosaurs, all the time. The team members of Suicide Squad, aka Task Force X, are rotating in and out but this is pretty much soldiers vs. dinosaurs, no girls allowed.
The writing is par for the time period but less cringe-inducing than a lot of Stan Lee dialogue from around the same time. Read this for the art because Ross Andru was tearing it up. I have to think he was tired of dinosaurs forever after this wrapped though. The only story that stands out for me was Tidbit for a Tyrannosaurus and that's because it features both Joe Kubert art and GI Robot! I need more GI Robot!
It wasn't the best $19 and change I've ever spend on an omnibus but Suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus has some great art and 99% more GI Robot than your favorite comic. Three out of five dinosaurs.
September 18, 2018
Before the current Suicide Squad that everyone loves on the big screen DC had a silver age version. Made up of more mainline human members they fought weird menace monsters. Good reads. Recommended
August 28, 2016
So I have a feeling this isn't what a lot of people expected. I've been reading comics for decades, but even I didn't realize The Suicide Squad started out as a military group that battled dinosaurs.
The original issues were a team very similar to the Challengers of the Unknown, who for some reason was always fighting Dinosaurs. I never really saw the connection.
Then we started getting stories of different members of the Suicide Squad, which morphed into a secret group of soldiers during WWII (I got the impression the original Squad was contemporary, which at the time would have been the late 50s early 60s.)
These were classic silver age, which meant stories that sometimes didn't make sense and characters that could be annoying. For example, one storyline dealt with two squad members who hated one another and it seemed like every other panel one was telling the other "I have my .45 on you to make sure you don't push the panic button." Seems like that should have been reported to the brass, but whatever.
So overall it was silly and nonsensical, but was still kinda cool to see soldiers fighting dinosaurs. The art was from Ross Andru mostly, who I always liked mainly because he drew the early PUNISHER appearances in Amazing Spider Man for Marvel. Joe Kubert and Gene Colan also show up, so the art was strong. The colors and book itself are also very high quality.
So, if you are a fan of the more modern Suicide Squad, I don't think this book is for you. If you like Silver Age stores in the vein of Challengers of the Unknown or The War That Time Forgot, check this one out.
The original issues were a team very similar to the Challengers of the Unknown, who for some reason was always fighting Dinosaurs. I never really saw the connection.
Then we started getting stories of different members of the Suicide Squad, which morphed into a secret group of soldiers during WWII (I got the impression the original Squad was contemporary, which at the time would have been the late 50s early 60s.)
These were classic silver age, which meant stories that sometimes didn't make sense and characters that could be annoying. For example, one storyline dealt with two squad members who hated one another and it seemed like every other panel one was telling the other "I have my .45 on you to make sure you don't push the panic button." Seems like that should have been reported to the brass, but whatever.
So overall it was silly and nonsensical, but was still kinda cool to see soldiers fighting dinosaurs. The art was from Ross Andru mostly, who I always liked mainly because he drew the early PUNISHER appearances in Amazing Spider Man for Marvel. Joe Kubert and Gene Colan also show up, so the art was strong. The colors and book itself are also very high quality.
So, if you are a fan of the more modern Suicide Squad, I don't think this book is for you. If you like Silver Age stores in the vein of Challengers of the Unknown or The War That Time Forgot, check this one out.
March 5, 2021
One great by-product of the recent Suicide Squad turkey is that DC collected these Silver Age stories that have nothing to do with the super villain team in the film. Way back in 1959, when DC was slowly getting back into the super hero business, Robert Kanigher wrote three issues for the tryout magazine The Brave and the Bold featuring a team of adventurers similar to the recently successful Challengers of the Unknown. Drawn by DC's workhorse duo of Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, the stories are aimed squarely at the interests of kids...full of dinosaurs and story elements like a giant alien falconer who uses pterosaurs to hunt, or an immense spaceship containing an entire prehistoric ecosystem, a dinosaur zoo. A total of six Suicide Squad comics was produced, all of them reprinted here along with a bunch of stories from the screwball war comic Star Spangled War Stories, that featured World War II soldiers fighting unlikely dinosaurs in every issue.
By modern standards, these are not great comics, barely plotted, with characters who struggle even to be one dimensional, but they sure are fun to read. Andru and Esposito may be the all-time king of dinosaur comic artists too, depicting all the favorites and making up new ones to order. Well printed in DC's Omnibus format, this volume is an essential buy for dinosaur lovers and Silver Age comic enthusiasts, but probably of no interest to Harley Quinn fans.
By modern standards, these are not great comics, barely plotted, with characters who struggle even to be one dimensional, but they sure are fun to read. Andru and Esposito may be the all-time king of dinosaur comic artists too, depicting all the favorites and making up new ones to order. Well printed in DC's Omnibus format, this volume is an essential buy for dinosaur lovers and Silver Age comic enthusiasts, but probably of no interest to Harley Quinn fans.
September 11, 2016
If it weren't for the Suicide Squad movie, I'm sure these stories would never have been reprinted in color in such a deluxe format as the DC Omnibus. Let's be serious here, these early tales of the original Suicide Squad(s) are not the pinnacle of Silver Age storytelling, by any stretch of the imagination. Although the art is by the veteran team of Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, with tales written by Robert Kanigher, they are rather repetitive monster-of-the-week type stuff, done much better in the Jack Kirby-influenced Challengers of the Unknown. Still, these are pretty fun to read, if you can suspend your 21st century comics sensibility for 300+ pages.
The original Squad actually appears in the second half of the book, and it's not clear that there was any original intent to tie in to the second Squad, which appeared first. The first squad is a WW2 era group of servicemen who, for some reason, continually get involved with missions in the Pacific Ocean area which includes Dinosaur Island. These stories are part of the War That Time Forgot series in Star Spangled War Stories, so there is that. We get a few repetitive characters, most memorably a former Olympic tobogganer who froze going into a curve, causing a crash and the death of his teammate. Said teammate's brother takes this very personally and as an affront to the USA, and when they both end up in the Suicide Squad, he makes sure that the Olympian doesn't freeze again and put the USA in danger, going as far as to keep a .45 pointed at his teammate the entire time. There are other similar tales, with different angles. The fights against the various dinosaurs is fun to read, and unintentionally humorous at times.
The first Squad to make print, but the second group chronologically, appeared in The Brave and the Bold in 1959, consisting of Lt Rick Flag, his girlfriend and "space nurse" Karin Grace, and two generic scientists whose names I've already forgotten. Like that other DC foursome, The Challengers, they do impossible missions and are always ready for death. Like their forebears, they encounter plenty of dinosaurs, along with aliens and mad scientists. An interesting subplot is the fact that Flag and Grace are in love with each other, but won't go public with it because the two generic scientists are also in love with her.
These two groups are explained in detail in the first Suicide Squad paperpack Suicide Squad, Volume 1: Trial By Fire. It goes into details not available in these early stories, fleshing out the characters of Flag and Grace, and explores the reason behind the WW2 unit. Interestingly, the 1959 SS was formed right after the disappearance of the Justice Society, as the government needed a Task Force to handle all these horrible missions the military couldn't.
Anyone who is a fan of DC's Silver Age should pick up these stories. They're certainly serviceable and entertaining enough. Followers of the super-villain Squad, however, will be disappointed and may not really enjoy these stories at all. Still, it's a nice looking book with some great reproductions. It's Deluxe sized, also, if that's a plus for potential readers.
The original Squad actually appears in the second half of the book, and it's not clear that there was any original intent to tie in to the second Squad, which appeared first. The first squad is a WW2 era group of servicemen who, for some reason, continually get involved with missions in the Pacific Ocean area which includes Dinosaur Island. These stories are part of the War That Time Forgot series in Star Spangled War Stories, so there is that. We get a few repetitive characters, most memorably a former Olympic tobogganer who froze going into a curve, causing a crash and the death of his teammate. Said teammate's brother takes this very personally and as an affront to the USA, and when they both end up in the Suicide Squad, he makes sure that the Olympian doesn't freeze again and put the USA in danger, going as far as to keep a .45 pointed at his teammate the entire time. There are other similar tales, with different angles. The fights against the various dinosaurs is fun to read, and unintentionally humorous at times.
The first Squad to make print, but the second group chronologically, appeared in The Brave and the Bold in 1959, consisting of Lt Rick Flag, his girlfriend and "space nurse" Karin Grace, and two generic scientists whose names I've already forgotten. Like that other DC foursome, The Challengers, they do impossible missions and are always ready for death. Like their forebears, they encounter plenty of dinosaurs, along with aliens and mad scientists. An interesting subplot is the fact that Flag and Grace are in love with each other, but won't go public with it because the two generic scientists are also in love with her.
These two groups are explained in detail in the first Suicide Squad paperpack Suicide Squad, Volume 1: Trial By Fire. It goes into details not available in these early stories, fleshing out the characters of Flag and Grace, and explores the reason behind the WW2 unit. Interestingly, the 1959 SS was formed right after the disappearance of the Justice Society, as the government needed a Task Force to handle all these horrible missions the military couldn't.
Anyone who is a fan of DC's Silver Age should pick up these stories. They're certainly serviceable and entertaining enough. Followers of the super-villain Squad, however, will be disappointed and may not really enjoy these stories at all. Still, it's a nice looking book with some great reproductions. It's Deluxe sized, also, if that's a plus for potential readers.
December 10, 2017
The first mission of the Suicide Squad! This is the first incarnation of Task Force X which is completely different to the one we know and love today, except for one member, Rick Flag! This was an interesting comic that had a majorly unrealistic thing happen! It was alright first story but could have been improved with some realism, which might sound weird for a comic that has (spoiler alert) a giant lizard monster in it but they travel to the sun on a space ship that was only meant to go to the moon and wasn't even meant to have people on it in the first place! Tell me, what sounds more unrealistic to you?
April 12, 2022
In anticipation for the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, DC Comics released a slew of material. This hardcover collection was one of them. But don't expect to see Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang or Amanda Waller in this book. In fact, don't expect any superheroes at all!
This Silver Age Omnibus is basically broken into 2 parts. The first section reprints the issues #25-27 and #37-39 of The Brave and The Bold prior to it becoming a Batman team-up series. The section part collects a handful of stories from the war anthology title Star-Spangled War Comics.
The Brave and the Bold stories are the ones that are perhaps the most connected to the modern Suicide Squad that most fans know and love. Also called Task Force X, this team is summoned to action when the military fails. The team is led by Rick Flag Jr. and is comprised of a field medic, a physicist and an astronomer; all who were the lone survivors of horrible tragedies. Promising that their colleagues deaths would not be in vain, the members of Task Force X are highly trained operatives who are willing to give it their all, including their lives as a Suicide Squad!
If the second half of this book looks like it's a collection of stories from the War That Time Forgot, give yourself a cookie! Almost a dozen stories of World War II adventures atop Dinosaur Island star a group of Allied special forces operating in the Pacific known also as the Suicide Squad. But there is no apparent connection between this version of the team and the Brave and the Bold group other than the name. Oh, and that of both having the same creator.
Robert Kanigher (E.C.'s Psychoanalysis) created both versions of the Suicide Squad. And both versions are of differing quality. The Task Force X stories utilize giant monsters (later reanimated dinosaurs), science, and insipid romance. Rick Flag and field medic Karin Grace are secretly in love with each other. But Flag refuses to acknowledge the affair because it might upset the other two Suicide Squad members who are also pining for Karin. So all this running around gets tiring pretty quick. But not as quick as the dialogue in the Dinosaur Island stories.
The first 2 stories involve characters that are all rather likable. I don't think Kanigher was a big fan of this because after that first couple of tales, the replacement characters become really unlikable. I mean to the point that you wouldn't mind if they all got eaten by dinos or killed by the Imperial Japanese.
In these remaining tales, you have a pair of Suicide Squad members pitted together. One hates the other one (and vice-versa) to the point that they constantly threaten to kill each other should the other one turn chicken or turn their back on the other. And the dialogue gets repetitious. And do I mean repetitious.
For example, in one story, a soldier accuses the other of chickening out a total of 4 times in the span of 3 pages! With the same phrase 'Are you chickening out on me?' Another story has a different solider taunting another to shoot him in the back 6 times in a span of 4 pages! I thought this was supposed to be the greatest generation!
I'm not making this kind of thing up! It's one of the biggest criticisms fans of the Golden and Silver Age of comics have about Robert Kanigher. That sort of one-note level of dialogue and his ability to piss off the artists he worked with!
I had read all of these Dinosaur Island stories before in the pages of Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot, Vol. 1. But I never noticed how monotonous the dialogue could be. Maybe that's because that volume had all of the Silver Age Dinosaur Island stories and not just the Suicide Squad ones. But I am amazed how much I overlooked this!
Lastly, what is up with the numbering of this book? It's listed as a Volume 1. What are they going to consider a Volume 2? There's nothing else involving the Suicide Squad to publish from the Silver Age! Everything else was Bronze Age or newer stuff. I'd be okay if this book was listed as an Omnibus with a Volume 1 because I understand that poor sales can kill a proposed reprint series. But it aggravates my OCD to no end when you improperly title something.
Also- that's a great Easter Egg by cover artist master, Michael Cho. Unfortunately, the trade paperback cover doesn't have it!
Fun Fact: Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot is also listed as a Volume 1. However, there was still enough material from the 70s and 80s to publish a second. It'd be a small volume. But at least it was still possible aside from this book.
This Silver Age Omnibus is basically broken into 2 parts. The first section reprints the issues #25-27 and #37-39 of The Brave and The Bold prior to it becoming a Batman team-up series. The section part collects a handful of stories from the war anthology title Star-Spangled War Comics.
The Brave and the Bold stories are the ones that are perhaps the most connected to the modern Suicide Squad that most fans know and love. Also called Task Force X, this team is summoned to action when the military fails. The team is led by Rick Flag Jr. and is comprised of a field medic, a physicist and an astronomer; all who were the lone survivors of horrible tragedies. Promising that their colleagues deaths would not be in vain, the members of Task Force X are highly trained operatives who are willing to give it their all, including their lives as a Suicide Squad!
If the second half of this book looks like it's a collection of stories from the War That Time Forgot, give yourself a cookie! Almost a dozen stories of World War II adventures atop Dinosaur Island star a group of Allied special forces operating in the Pacific known also as the Suicide Squad. But there is no apparent connection between this version of the team and the Brave and the Bold group other than the name. Oh, and that of both having the same creator.
Robert Kanigher (E.C.'s Psychoanalysis) created both versions of the Suicide Squad. And both versions are of differing quality. The Task Force X stories utilize giant monsters (later reanimated dinosaurs), science, and insipid romance. Rick Flag and field medic Karin Grace are secretly in love with each other. But Flag refuses to acknowledge the affair because it might upset the other two Suicide Squad members who are also pining for Karin. So all this running around gets tiring pretty quick. But not as quick as the dialogue in the Dinosaur Island stories.
The first 2 stories involve characters that are all rather likable. I don't think Kanigher was a big fan of this because after that first couple of tales, the replacement characters become really unlikable. I mean to the point that you wouldn't mind if they all got eaten by dinos or killed by the Imperial Japanese.
In these remaining tales, you have a pair of Suicide Squad members pitted together. One hates the other one (and vice-versa) to the point that they constantly threaten to kill each other should the other one turn chicken or turn their back on the other. And the dialogue gets repetitious. And do I mean repetitious.
For example, in one story, a soldier accuses the other of chickening out a total of 4 times in the span of 3 pages! With the same phrase 'Are you chickening out on me?' Another story has a different solider taunting another to shoot him in the back 6 times in a span of 4 pages! I thought this was supposed to be the greatest generation!
I'm not making this kind of thing up! It's one of the biggest criticisms fans of the Golden and Silver Age of comics have about Robert Kanigher. That sort of one-note level of dialogue and his ability to piss off the artists he worked with!
I had read all of these Dinosaur Island stories before in the pages of Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot, Vol. 1. But I never noticed how monotonous the dialogue could be. Maybe that's because that volume had all of the Silver Age Dinosaur Island stories and not just the Suicide Squad ones. But I am amazed how much I overlooked this!
Lastly, what is up with the numbering of this book? It's listed as a Volume 1. What are they going to consider a Volume 2? There's nothing else involving the Suicide Squad to publish from the Silver Age! Everything else was Bronze Age or newer stuff. I'd be okay if this book was listed as an Omnibus with a Volume 1 because I understand that poor sales can kill a proposed reprint series. But it aggravates my OCD to no end when you improperly title something.
Also- that's a great Easter Egg by cover artist master, Michael Cho. Unfortunately, the trade paperback cover doesn't have it!
Fun Fact: Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot is also listed as a Volume 1. However, there was still enough material from the 70s and 80s to publish a second. It'd be a small volume. But at least it was still possible aside from this book.
April 29, 2021
DC tried to launch a Harryhausen style feature in their Brave & the Bold anthology book, which didn't catch on all that much since they were only in 6 issues. While there are some funny out-there plots and gags, the team of adventurers tasked to take on the big Technicolor beasties is a dull bunch. The only characteristic they all seem to have is "in love with Karen" and Karen's characteristic is "in love with Rick." I can't blame her since, I would be hard-pressed to tell you any defining traits of either Dr. Evans or Jess Bright! Even the name is half-assed: while the title of the feature is "Suicide Squad", they're technically Task Force X, with SS their nickname. Editorial compromise? I mean they call 'em the Suicide CLUB on occasion so you know someone really preferred TFX.
The Suicide Squad would be revived in prequel tales in 11 issues of "Star-Spangled War Stories", where it turns out the Squad was already running ops in the Pacific, and had a doggone tendency to constantly crash on that mist-covered hellhole Skull Is... uhhh I mean... Not Skull Island???
The dino adventures here are very tedious, as they are literally just a non-stop barrage of "dino charges, soldiers throw grenades at 'em."
Only occasionally does the writing manage to spruce things up with gimmicks like "Dino the baby pterodactyl" or "MAC THE ROBOT GI" but a lot of the issues are barely distinguishable work-for-hire filler stuff.
I did laugh a bunch of times, so the typical Silver Age kookiness shines through occasionally, but one of the book's theoretical strengths (a comprehensive collection) is also one of its weaknesses -- I probably would have had a much better time if it was a "greatest hits" book about half its length.
The Suicide Squad would be revived in prequel tales in 11 issues of "Star-Spangled War Stories", where it turns out the Squad was already running ops in the Pacific, and had a doggone tendency to constantly crash on that mist-covered hellhole Skull Is... uhhh I mean... Not Skull Island???
The dino adventures here are very tedious, as they are literally just a non-stop barrage of "dino charges, soldiers throw grenades at 'em."
Only occasionally does the writing manage to spruce things up with gimmicks like "Dino the baby pterodactyl" or "MAC THE ROBOT GI" but a lot of the issues are barely distinguishable work-for-hire filler stuff.
I did laugh a bunch of times, so the typical Silver Age kookiness shines through occasionally, but one of the book's theoretical strengths (a comprehensive collection) is also one of its weaknesses -- I probably would have had a much better time if it was a "greatest hits" book about half its length.
November 21, 2020
The package itself is very well produced: Page size is slightly larger than the standard trade, and reproduction is very crisp. The problem is the contents.
Here's the thing most people are going to be turned away by: If you're expecting something that resembles the modern Harley Quinn Suicide Squad, this isn't it. This is a mid-1960s DC war comic collecting the early episodes of "The War that Time Forgot", in which the troops encounter an uncharted island full of dinosaurs. But I knew that going in.
What I wasn't prepared for was the unexpected monotony of the stories. There are three or four good stories in this volume, but out of seventeen stories total that's not a great average. Worse, there are five or so sets of lead characters, and each set apparently has one story worth telling...but it's told over and over and over...
Worse yet, the stories are relentless action. Characterization is limited to one dialog balloon per chapter, and it's the *same* dialog for each set of lead characters. Karin loves Rick, but Rick orders her not to reveal this to the other members of the team, because THEY love her too (or at least Rick tells us they do: Nothing they do or say indicates that this is true). Morgan's brother died in a sporting accident, for which he blames his Squad partner Ace and holds him at gunpoint throughout their missions promising to shoot him sooner or later. "Get me, Ace?" "I get you, Morgan." And so on.
You wouldn't think it would be possible to make WWII soldiers vs dinosaurs dull. Robert Kanigher must have hated writing this book.
Here's the thing most people are going to be turned away by: If you're expecting something that resembles the modern Harley Quinn Suicide Squad, this isn't it. This is a mid-1960s DC war comic collecting the early episodes of "The War that Time Forgot", in which the troops encounter an uncharted island full of dinosaurs. But I knew that going in.
What I wasn't prepared for was the unexpected monotony of the stories. There are three or four good stories in this volume, but out of seventeen stories total that's not a great average. Worse, there are five or so sets of lead characters, and each set apparently has one story worth telling...but it's told over and over and over...
Worse yet, the stories are relentless action. Characterization is limited to one dialog balloon per chapter, and it's the *same* dialog for each set of lead characters. Karin loves Rick, but Rick orders her not to reveal this to the other members of the team, because THEY love her too (or at least Rick tells us they do: Nothing they do or say indicates that this is true). Morgan's brother died in a sporting accident, for which he blames his Squad partner Ace and holds him at gunpoint throughout their missions promising to shoot him sooner or later. "Get me, Ace?" "I get you, Morgan." And so on.
You wouldn't think it would be possible to make WWII soldiers vs dinosaurs dull. Robert Kanigher must have hated writing this book.
Read
September 26, 2019This collection is split between two versions of the Suicide Squad. The first team, appearing in The Brave and the Bold, consists of four members led by Col. Rick Flagg. If you’ve read Darwyn Cooke’s New Frontier, these are the people in that book. I like these stories okay, but they’re formulaic even for the time. It’s basically a Challengers of the Unknown ripoff with more dinosaurs than aliens. Fun, but they don’t really stand out.
The second incarnation comes from Star Spangled War Stories and features pairs of G.I. Suicide Squad members fighting dinos on Dinosaur Island. These stories are also formulaic, but they’re enhanced by first person narration (uncommon for the time) and varied dynamics between the characters, lending to occasional emotion. And hey, they’re basically war comics with dinosaurs, which is a win for me.
Not the best Silver Age comics I’ve read, but if you want some cheesy pulp with lots of dinosaurs, check it out. It’s safe to say these versions of the Suicide Squad bear little resemblance to the modern teams.
The second incarnation comes from Star Spangled War Stories and features pairs of G.I. Suicide Squad members fighting dinos on Dinosaur Island. These stories are also formulaic, but they’re enhanced by first person narration (uncommon for the time) and varied dynamics between the characters, lending to occasional emotion. And hey, they’re basically war comics with dinosaurs, which is a win for me.
Not the best Silver Age comics I’ve read, but if you want some cheesy pulp with lots of dinosaurs, check it out. It’s safe to say these versions of the Suicide Squad bear little resemblance to the modern teams.
April 20, 2018
These tales of the original Suicide Squad were written by Robert Kanigher and mostly illustrated by Ross Andru. The first six adventures star Rick Flag (who would later go on to lead the more famous version of this team), nurse Karin Grace, and two scientists Jess Bright and Doc Evans. Task Force X as they were also known tackled missions too crazy for regular forces all while Flag and Karin kept their love hidden from their teammates (who also held torches for the young lady). These stories are weird and wonderful in that zany silver age way. Kanigher later used the name "Suicide Squad" for a series of stories set in WWII and a war that time forgot where a rotating cast of characters fought dinosaurs as much as each other and the enemy. These stories were okay but less of my cup of tea. Also it seemed excessive to me for Morgan and Mace to reiterate why they hated each other not only every story but it seemed like on every other page of every story. Interesting idea, not always executed to its fullest potential.
May 6, 2022
Back in 1959 during the Silver Age of Comics, the original DC Comics Suicide Squad made their debut. Similar to the then Challengers of the Unknown (who first appeared a couple of years before), and also a lot like a non-superhuman Fantastic Four (who would make their debut a couple of years later), the three men and one woman of Task Force X (their official name) took on incredibly dangerous missions (to say the very least!) that gained them their nickname.
Suicide Squad: The Silver Age collects the original Squad's adventures, and it's great late-'50s comic-book fun. Written for the youth of that time, the action and ideas NEVER let up - what can happen within just one episode is truly staggering and wonderfully inventive. Some of it is also unintentionally hilarious in today's eyes, but that's part of the overall charm.
The adventures of the original Suicide Squad are a blast and a scream :)
Suicide Squad: The Silver Age collects the original Squad's adventures, and it's great late-'50s comic-book fun. Written for the youth of that time, the action and ideas NEVER let up - what can happen within just one episode is truly staggering and wonderfully inventive. Some of it is also unintentionally hilarious in today's eyes, but that's part of the overall charm.
The adventures of the original Suicide Squad are a blast and a scream :)
May 8, 2019
I enjoyed the stories in this book, especially the Task Force X stories that lead off the volume. The "War That Time Forgot"/Suicide Squad stories are different, but still okay. I wonder if Morgan and Mace ever got a fitting resolution to their story, or if they've been dancing around the whole "Mace, you killed my brother" thing for more than 50 years. (A quick check on the Internet reveals the promise of future Morgan and Mace stories (with Caveboy and Dino!) was just that -- a promise, though it looks like the World War II Suicide Squad's history was touched upon in John Ostrander's 1980s-era SUICIDE SQUAD series.)
March 22, 2020
It was a lot of fun but it still reeks of Silver Age with crap science, repetitive dialogue and one-note characters. It gets to the point where the two main characters of multiple issues are known only as "Skipper" and "Professor." It is also very hard to tell how and where this fits into the grand scale of the DC universe but that won't be an issue for everyone.
Regardless, I had some genuine laughs and the stories sometimes got surprisingly dark for Silver Age stories. I was really impressed by some of the art too.
Regardless, I had some genuine laughs and the stories sometimes got surprisingly dark for Silver Age stories. I was really impressed by some of the art too.
February 1, 2025
This is 30% comedy (some of it intentional, some not) and 70% dinosaurs. What shines the most in this book are its characters, there are some fascinating team dynamics here and so many endearing sidekicks like the giant gorilla and Dino.
But really, these characters are so complex yet so badly written that they kind of broke my brain. Is the man who joined the Suicide Squad just to obsessively threaten his late brother's Olympic toboggan riding partner insane, or is he a tragic character? I don't know.
But really, these characters are so complex yet so badly written that they kind of broke my brain. Is the man who joined the Suicide Squad just to obsessively threaten his late brother's Olympic toboggan riding partner insane, or is he a tragic character? I don't know.
February 4, 2025
Qual é a dos dinossauros?
Pra quadrinhos que mostram guerras com dinossauros é meio difícil ser tão chato assim. Os personagens são bem simples e ficam repetindo O TEMPO INTEIRO suas histórias do jeito mais expositivo possível e repetindo toda hora as mesmas frases, deixando o que era pra ser um quadrinho de ação muito, mas muito chato.
Eu sofri um pouco pra conseguir ler isso aqui, achei que seria uma boa ideia antes de ler a run mais famosa de esquadrão suicida mas meua migo que tempo perdido.
Pra quadrinhos que mostram guerras com dinossauros é meio difícil ser tão chato assim. Os personagens são bem simples e ficam repetindo O TEMPO INTEIRO suas histórias do jeito mais expositivo possível e repetindo toda hora as mesmas frases, deixando o que era pra ser um quadrinho de ação muito, mas muito chato.
Eu sofri um pouco pra conseguir ler isso aqui, achei que seria uma boa ideia antes de ler a run mais famosa de esquadrão suicida mas meua migo que tempo perdido.
January 15, 2018
a fun read but not exactly classic material. uneven, weakly plotted and the art could have been better.
i enjoyed it only as nostalgia and because of my own fascination with DC's history.
inessential .
i enjoyed it only as nostalgia and because of my own fascination with DC's history.
inessential .
December 21, 2020
This is a fun collection of Sci-fi military tales starring the first Suicide Squad. These take place directly after WWII. They all deal with crazy monsters and dinosaurs attacking. It’s still fun but it also gets repetitive after a few stories. The art is top notch.
February 2, 2020
This series did not age well, it feels very dated.
February 6, 2020
Although the cheese is always appreciated for DC's silver age line, this collection of the early adventures of Task Force X lacks any substantial characters or storylines.
August 16, 2020
The first half is delightfully hokey, fast moving and fun.
The second half is repetitive. Both halves have lots, and lots of dinosaurs.
The second half is repetitive. Both halves have lots, and lots of dinosaurs.
May 7, 2022
3 stars for the amount of lunatic stares and dinosaur fights.
September 29, 2023
The first part was nice with the team made of 4 protagonists. The second part, the war stories, were very boring and some themes were repeated again, again and again. Also why so many dinosaurs?
November 23, 2017
This is some really nostalgic fun, particularly with the old fashioned renditions of the dinosaurs that pervade most of the stories, but after the first six issues, nothing at all ties them to the later iteration of the Squad, which seems to go from present day to World War II (a late story is clearly set there, since we see a Japanese naval crew). The artwork, which is all by Ross Andru apart from one story by Joe Kubert and one by John Buscema is stupendous. It gets annoyingly repetitive as the formula of one guy wanting to shoot the other guy gets carried through several sets of characters, but when you're reading the stories months apart as originally published, it might have been a bit refreshing. Morgan and Mace are the first pair, but then we get the Wild One who wants to shoot the Sheriff. Toward the end we get a tryout of the G.I. Robot concept, although the robot itself is destroyed.
The first team consists of Rick Flag, Karin Davies/Grace (her surname is given only twice; the latter was used in the later stories), Dr. Evans, and his assistant Jess Bright. These characters are more interesting than the later G.I.s, but it's a bit farfetched. Rick won't make public his love for Karin because Jess and Dr. Evans both love her, and Flag fears it will interfere with team solidarity. Part of the problem is that after they encounter giant monsters (sometimes referred to as dinosaurs, but they often don't look like any known species), they still seem to think that it's impossible any more such creatures could have survived in attempt to build suspense, which seems to be an attempt to build suspense that doesn't really work since the reader even then had to be ahead of the story. Kanigher's writing appears in all except the John Buscema-illustrated story that closes the volume. Early on, the multiple uses of the word "lovely," especially to describe Karin, stick out as bad writing. This isn't as bad in the second trilogy as it is in the first, though.
The next team we get is Skipper Allan and the Professor, the former looking a lot like Flag and the latter looking like a bald version of Evans, and they take us through several stories.
The third version of suicide we get is Vic Morgan and Andy Mace (initially called Barry). The former keeps his gun trained on the latter because the latter accidentally cause the death of Bill Morgan, Vic's brother. They take us through several stories, and it gets all the more farfetched as we go along that Morgan would get to keep his .45 pointed at Mace the entire time on mission after mission without someone finding out it was more than Mace's word against Morgan's. Over the course of their adventures, they meet a baby pterosaur Mace imaginatively calls "Baby Dino," and Morgan remains convinced through each subsequent story that Baby Dino is not their friend and should be killed. I didn't like seeing so many dinosaurs getting killed every issue, and I'm not sure why dinosaur loving kids would go for that so much, especially since it often seemed overkill in the most literal sense. In the last of these stories we meet the even more imaginatively named Caveboy.
After that, none of the Suicide Squad members appear in more than one story. Kanigher seems to have liked Mace as a surname because there is a Dr. Mace in one of the Flag-era stories. Mac the Second is also the name of the G.I. Robot.
There is a Showcase Presents volume of The War that Time Forgot that includes many of these stories. Presumably the only ones reprinted here are those that actually use the term "Suicide Squad" or "Suicide Squadron," since that volume reprints stories from nearly every issue of Star Spangled War Stories back to #90. I'm particularly amused by the cover copy of #125, p. 289, "The 'secret war' that no one will admit is being fought!" I can't help wondering if Jim Shooter read this issue. Both of these volumes end with the story from #128, and as '60s comics in low grade tend to be pricey and hard to come by, I'm not sure if the volume 1 on the cover has any meaning. All the golden age Doctor Fate stories were collected in one volume, but it was still called volume 1 even though there was nothing else from that period to collect.
It's true that Secret Origins #14, which appears in the first trade volume of the 1987 series does connect all these versions of the Suicide Squad, but it's quite tenuous here beyond the name.
This volume is printed somewhat larger than comics of the time, which were about an eighth of an inch wider than today, and with much smaller margins than were the norm at the time, which enhances the experience slightly.
The first team consists of Rick Flag, Karin Davies/Grace (her surname is given only twice; the latter was used in the later stories), Dr. Evans, and his assistant Jess Bright. These characters are more interesting than the later G.I.s, but it's a bit farfetched. Rick won't make public his love for Karin because Jess and Dr. Evans both love her, and Flag fears it will interfere with team solidarity. Part of the problem is that after they encounter giant monsters (sometimes referred to as dinosaurs, but they often don't look like any known species), they still seem to think that it's impossible any more such creatures could have survived in attempt to build suspense, which seems to be an attempt to build suspense that doesn't really work since the reader even then had to be ahead of the story. Kanigher's writing appears in all except the John Buscema-illustrated story that closes the volume. Early on, the multiple uses of the word "lovely," especially to describe Karin, stick out as bad writing. This isn't as bad in the second trilogy as it is in the first, though.
The next team we get is Skipper Allan and the Professor, the former looking a lot like Flag and the latter looking like a bald version of Evans, and they take us through several stories.
The third version of suicide we get is Vic Morgan and Andy Mace (initially called Barry). The former keeps his gun trained on the latter because the latter accidentally cause the death of Bill Morgan, Vic's brother. They take us through several stories, and it gets all the more farfetched as we go along that Morgan would get to keep his .45 pointed at Mace the entire time on mission after mission without someone finding out it was more than Mace's word against Morgan's. Over the course of their adventures, they meet a baby pterosaur Mace imaginatively calls "Baby Dino," and Morgan remains convinced through each subsequent story that Baby Dino is not their friend and should be killed. I didn't like seeing so many dinosaurs getting killed every issue, and I'm not sure why dinosaur loving kids would go for that so much, especially since it often seemed overkill in the most literal sense. In the last of these stories we meet the even more imaginatively named Caveboy.
After that, none of the Suicide Squad members appear in more than one story. Kanigher seems to have liked Mace as a surname because there is a Dr. Mace in one of the Flag-era stories. Mac the Second is also the name of the G.I. Robot.
There is a Showcase Presents volume of The War that Time Forgot that includes many of these stories. Presumably the only ones reprinted here are those that actually use the term "Suicide Squad" or "Suicide Squadron," since that volume reprints stories from nearly every issue of Star Spangled War Stories back to #90. I'm particularly amused by the cover copy of #125, p. 289, "The 'secret war' that no one will admit is being fought!" I can't help wondering if Jim Shooter read this issue. Both of these volumes end with the story from #128, and as '60s comics in low grade tend to be pricey and hard to come by, I'm not sure if the volume 1 on the cover has any meaning. All the golden age Doctor Fate stories were collected in one volume, but it was still called volume 1 even though there was nothing else from that period to collect.
It's true that Secret Origins #14, which appears in the first trade volume of the 1987 series does connect all these versions of the Suicide Squad, but it's quite tenuous here beyond the name.
This volume is printed somewhat larger than comics of the time, which were about an eighth of an inch wider than today, and with much smaller margins than were the norm at the time, which enhances the experience slightly.
September 20, 2016
The only thing this iteration of Suicide Squad shares with the 2016 movie & comic series is the name. This books features comics mostly from the 1960s. These were clearly aimed at kids, as the plots were extremely simple and formulaic and very outlandish. Group of soldiers (with scientists added in the early issues) go on some type of military mission, encounter giant monsters or dinosaurs, attempt to escape. Lather, rinse, repeat. There are also lots of running gags, like how anytime someone fires a gun at the monster/dinosaur they are said to be eating it like popcorn or some other foodstuff, and how Morgan is constantly asking Mace "you get me?", to which Mace replies "I get you!" This will probably be of limited interest to anyone who doesn't have a nostalgic connection to these comics.
November 10, 2016
Lots of Silver Age fun in the first half with a consistent 4 person roster. We have connected plot threads, we discover an alternate dimension threat of invasion by cognitive dinosaurs, and we develop/repress personal feelings toward team members. Then a major writing shift occurs.
Issues become repetitive in the second half when the narrative rotates among 2 person missions. Most of these involve vicious, personal rivalries that began prior to the service, and require teammates to train their weapons on each other throughout a mission. Some involve a lone, friendly dinosaur ally, whose intentions always seem clear to only one team member.
Issues become repetitive in the second half when the narrative rotates among 2 person missions. Most of these involve vicious, personal rivalries that began prior to the service, and require teammates to train their weapons on each other throughout a mission. Some involve a lone, friendly dinosaur ally, whose intentions always seem clear to only one team member.
October 8, 2016
The initial stories with the team led by Rick Flag were okay, but after that they get really silly and repetitive with every story beginning with a pterodactyl taking out a plane and then a succession of lizards attacking the heroes only to be stopped by grenades.
If someone wanted to play a drinking game every time someone called a dinosaur a "blockbuster" in this collection, you could get really hammered.
A curiosity, but nothing special, I'd almost say avoid this and stick with the 80's version.
If someone wanted to play a drinking game every time someone called a dinosaur a "blockbuster" in this collection, you could get really hammered.
A curiosity, but nothing special, I'd almost say avoid this and stick with the 80's version.
October 10, 2016
As a kid I liked a few of these tales since I got my comics on sale even when a dime or fifteen cents. But while all together the whole early series is a good way to follow the storyline, it is also very dated and not all that great.
Want to read
August 18, 2016Omnibus, tomo 1.
April 23, 2017
So, some good came out of that train wreck of a movie: DC reprints everything with the Suicide Squad on it.
The silver age version is cashing in on the big adventure team theme that peaked with Challengers of the Unknown.
A secret government team ( that makes public appearances for charity...?) deals with weird and dangerous missions that always seem to end up involving giant monsters and/or aliens.
Fun, as it's always cool to see normal people dealing with big threats and despite the heavy handed drama of the love quadrangle, the cast is likable.
The World War 2 version is interesting, but the rotating cast and short story format leave very little room for characterization, so you end up with vaguely defined generic soldiers fighting generic dinosaurs.
Some good ideas, but without a set cast you don't form any connection and so if our heroes live or die is only a vague notion.
Wish the WW2 version had been more of an Easy company type team, but otherwise a fun bit of adventuresome fluff.
The silver age version is cashing in on the big adventure team theme that peaked with Challengers of the Unknown.
A secret government team ( that makes public appearances for charity...?) deals with weird and dangerous missions that always seem to end up involving giant monsters and/or aliens.
Fun, as it's always cool to see normal people dealing with big threats and despite the heavy handed drama of the love quadrangle, the cast is likable.
The World War 2 version is interesting, but the rotating cast and short story format leave very little room for characterization, so you end up with vaguely defined generic soldiers fighting generic dinosaurs.
Some good ideas, but without a set cast you don't form any connection and so if our heroes live or die is only a vague notion.
Wish the WW2 version had been more of an Easy company type team, but otherwise a fun bit of adventuresome fluff.
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