Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot

Suicide Squad Most Wanted #1

by Brian Buccellato (Writer), Viktor Bogdanovic (Illustrator), Richard Friend (Illustrator)

One of the stars of this year's highly anticipated action blockbuster takes aim at a shocking solo adventure in SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED: DEADSHOT, from writer Brian Buccellato (THE FLASH) and artist Viktor Bogdanovic (BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT) —a high-octane thriller that will blow you away!

SHOOT TO THRILL!

Floyd Lawton is the deadliest marksman in the world—but there are targets even the legendary mercenary known as Deadshot hasn't been able to hit.

As a longtime member of the Suicide Squad, he does the bidding of his ruthless supervisor Amanda Waller, killing whomever she says needs killing before heading back to Belle Reve Penitentiary to reload. And when the Squad saddles him with a new partner, the time to take the safety off has come.

Now Deadshot's on his most personal mission of all: he's going to kill the parents who made him the man—and the murderer—he is today.

But Floyd's far too valuable an asset to let loose, and the Suicide Squad will stop at nothing to put this lone gunman back in their arsenal—including threaten the one person he truly cares about. Deadshot's about to learn the hard way that when it comes to weapons, there's always a bigger gun...

Collects: stories from Suicide Squad Most Wanted #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Fantasy, Crime, Action

136 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2016

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: A retcon done right, all plot twists and fights, excessive, but clever, some eye-rolls, however, it's bark along with bite.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Much better than I assumed it would be!



I figured this was going to be some kind of cash grab aimed at fans of the movie, so I went into the story with very low expectations. And, no, I'm not saying this was FANTASTIC, or that you need to run out right now and buy a copy. But if you're looking for a little extra something about Deadshot, you could definitely do worse.



The Tough Guy Loves His Daughter theme is heavy in this volume. For some reason, it sounded like wah, wah, wah in my head. Probably because I have no heart.
*grunts*
But I will grudgingly admit that it mostly worked to move the plot forward.



If you're looking for something with Floyd's backstory, you'll be happy to know that some of his origin is retold (and twisted about a bit) in this one. I wasn't super-duper familiar with his story, so this was a bonus for me.



The other members of the Suicide Squad don't play a big part, but there are a few requisite cameos from Harley that should make her rabid fans happy.
*sigh*



The gist is that there's a bad guy vying to be the Suicide Squad's new Deadshot, and Lawton has to defend his title...while saving his kid.
Because Amanda Waller never gets tired of being a bitch.



Normally, I'm not a fan of these gimmicky spin-offs, but this was decent enough to make me want to check out the volume with Katana!

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, have I gotten into Deadshot. Deadshot is the assassin who never misses. The elite of the assassins, who commands premium rates. Between Harley Quinn and Deadshot, he's my second favorite Suicide Squad member. Let's be clear, it was before Will Smith played him in Suicide Squad. I thought Will did a great job, but I like the Lawton in the books. He's definitely a villain, no question. But there's something very appealing about him. I always did have a thing for assassins in fiction. While I didn't think Katana's book was that great, this book was everything I wanted and more. The story takes place in the present, but it clarifies Lawton's backstory for those who are unfamiliar. Amanda Waller sends Deadshot on a mission with a new partner, Will Evans, who goes by Rookie. This is Rookie's chance to prove himself in the Suicide Squad. Deadshot only works for Waller because he has no choice. He can't stand Rookie. Deadshot jumps ship because there's something he really has to do. I won't tell you what that is. You have to read the book. Oh my goodness if there aren't plenty of twists and turns in this one. Even the machinations queen, Waller, is kept on her toes.

I loved that although Deadshot will never be a hero, he is the hero in this book. But still his typical antiheroic self. At least he has some lines he won't cross, and he is saved by his love for his daughter, Suchin (or Zoe depending on the story), something that keeps this mercenary hitman from being a soulless killer. It's clear what Deadshot could be without that part of him that belongs to his daughter keeping him human.

This book is full of action, pefectly played. And there are some Suicide Squad cameos too. Much recommended for those who are new to Deadshot, the Suicide Squad, or fans of the movie. BTW, he's so much cooler than on the tv show Arrow (which I love but I think their Deadshot is mega lame).

Hey, DC Comics, maybe you should restart the Deadshot series, just saying. Can't have too much of him.



Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I expected. What I expected was a cash grab with the movie coming out. What we get is a well told story changing Floyd Lawton's origins (Be warned, it's dark!). We also get a new upstart looking to take down Deadshot and take his place as the world's top hitman. And of course, it's all driven by his need to protect his daughter. Viktor Bogdanovic is quite the talented artist.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked the Deadshot character. This is a cool solo story showing more of his origin, although it's not strictly an origin tale.

Deadshot vs. New Deadshot, with a bunch of criminals and the Suicide Squad in between. The art is better than average as well.

If you're a Suicide Squad fan this is worth checking out.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing.
Good story.
Interesting art choices.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid DEADSHOT tale. They try to rewrite some history which I don't think works but I liked the angle of someone trying to be THE NEW DEADSHOT.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. I didn’t have very high expectations but this was great. I loved the art; it reminded me of Sean Murphy. This really gave a personality and heart to Deadshot, a character I didn’t know much about other than he’s a ruthless hitman that doesn’t miss. Which is true, but this dives into what made him that way. It even made the cold-blooded killer a sympathetic figure, and made me want to read more of this version of Floyd Lawton. The story reads like an action thriller, something like a Bourne Identity movie, complete with bitter rivalries, manipulations, and slights of hand.

The only negatives I have is that there are a couple of logical leaps you have to concede, i.e at one point Amanda Waller does something pretty uncharacteristic she...trusts someone?!. I was willing to make the stretch while reading tbh just to see what happens next.

So this was definitely a pleasant surprise. I’d read a longer series of Deadshot under this same team, as unlikely as that may be.

I read this on DC Universe, and the version I found was bundled together with the Kitana story of the same concept. I’m not sure why, but that’s how they had it, and I had to skip through the Kitana issues because while the art was nice the writing was...not. So for whatever that’s worth.

[Mr. Stick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"AFTER TWO YEARS OF TRAINING AND ANOTHER SEVEN PROVING THAT I'M THE BEST DAMN KILLER IN THE WORLD, I WANTED TO STRIKE.OUT ON MY OWN. I ALSO NEEDED TO MAKE DEADSHOT PAY FOR STEALING MY FAMILY TRAGEDY AND PAWNING IT OFF AS HIS. HE MUST'VETHOUGHT I WAS SOME KIND OF PUNK. I WAS GONNA SHOW HIM DIFFERENT."
- Will Evans, Deadshot's (sort of) protégé and would-be replacement.

Will Evans wants to be Deadshot. Problem is, there already is one. And he doesn't like suck-ups. Few ideas are truly original, but I think this one is genuinely original (correct me if I'm wrong).
I thoroughly expected this to suck and I was delighted when it didn't. Deadshot's backstory gets revised in a dark, intriguing way. The editors took a huge risk when they decided to let Buccellato run with this. Totally worth it. Darker than I prefer, like Snyder and Capullo's Batman, but just as compelling.
Four stars.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, editorially this should have been divided into two separate collections. Second, these books that are written only to appeal to the potential movie goers are a shame. Instead of trying to get new readers to dive into years of comics, we try to shape them around a movie that may or may not be successful (It wasn't). The Katana story was beyond bad. Plot holes and ridiculous writing decisions hampered it throughout. The art by Neves was very good but simply bad writing held it back. The Deadshot story suffered similarly but not to the same extent. Floyd Lawton being turned "noble" isn't a welcome change to me, unless in Secret Six by Gail Simone. Overall, the book should never have been commissioned.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rather surprised at how good this was. I figured that this would just be a action shoot-em-up, but there's some great character moments for not just Floyd and his rival/antagonist Evans, but characters like Amanda Waller, and even Harley Quinn has a great moment where the psychiatrist takes over. The art is also really good -- reminds me of a cartoonier Greg Capullo, but still converts emotion and horror when necessary.

[Paolo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never understood the appeal of the Suicide Squad, other than having Harley Quinn be, ironically, the voice of reason around the others. I wasn't expecting to like the book and story from the get go, but oh man, the panels and the layout of some the pages were really confusing and distracting from the already tired and cliched storyline.

Skip this.

[Sylvester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deadshot's portion was significantly better despite the fact that I don't like Viktor Bogdanovic's art style. This time Buccellato explore Deadshot's past and he is also faced with a new threat to save his daughter Suchin. It actually had continuity from the New 52 series, but the mini-series still felt short. I wish they could kill Suchin and be done with this storyline.

[G-E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un comics intéressant qui nous en apprend beaucoup sur le passé de Deadshot. Il y a de l’action, mais aussi un côté psychologique très intéressant.

[Dominic Sedillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Deadshot. This is one of the better of the newer Suicide Squad stuff that I’ve read recently. It’s more than decent but it’s a one-off for me.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised at how engaging this was.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was great but the art was junior leagues.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a couple missions that Deadshot undertakes for Amanda Waller. Lawton gets a message early on that something from his past needs his attention, but Waller won't let him "off book" to take care of it. But Lawton doesn't take "no" for an answer. When the next mission comes up, Lawton leaves his new protege hanging and takes off. But just what did that message mean for Lawton, and how will he handle it?

I'll admit there was a lot more to this story than I thought there would be! We get a nice look at Lawton's backstory, and its apparently not what we all thought! Buccellato twists things up a bit to make the story more interesting. We learn about Lawton's youth and his family, as well as his later life and the daughter that he loves deeply. Sure the love for his daughter has been a part of this character for a while, but it really comes through as a major point in this story and it feels right. The tragedies of Lawton's own childhood only make it more important to him that his daughter be happy.

The action elements of the story are also spot on. While Waller has a replacement in mind, Lawton's not ready to call it quits just yet. This is kind of a spin on the replacement/doppleganger/clone kind of thing, but it has a lot more depth to it than expected. Deadshot's rival, Will Evans, really has an axe to grind with him, but admits to being inspired by him. The back and forth between them throughout the book is compelling and fun to follow. It really does get you rooting for Lawton, though!

I thought the artwork by Victor Bogdonovic held up pretty well. There were some layouts that were really dynamic and interesting, but others were a bit confusing as to the panel progressions. In general he did a nice job with the characters and emotions in the book. I'd like to see more from him.

This surprisingly emotional story is worth reading for anyone who wants to see more of Deadshot beyond his appearances in the regular Suicide Squad books.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't as engaged for some reason, shows more about Floyd past, killing bro and lame parents. Stole backstory of will Evans, who replaced dead shot and is badass killing everyone. Dead shot kills will, and returns to suicide squad

[Ch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need more Tatsu! Glad to have this series center about two of my favorite from the TFX. Tatsu and Floyd. Can't wait to see more! :-)

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels like a strong follow-up to the Ostrander and Yale Deadshoot mini...from the 80s!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some excellent writing here adds some much needed depth to Deadshot. While the story points follow a typical action movie arc, the points are well done and are most satisfying.

[John H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that there was more character development in this book than in the other Suicide Squad books I have read, which is to be expected with a book focusing mostly on one character.

[Jaclyn Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't know why this is called Deadshot and Katana. Katana isn't in this at all. Better than I expected.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solo adventures mixed with backstory - self contained and easy to read.

[Jinuka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read, especially the chapters on his parents

[Spot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to start, but got better