Suicide Squad: Behind the Scenes with the Worst Heroes Ever

by Signe Bergstrom

The officially authorized companion to Suicide Squad, the eagerly anticipated film from Warner Bros. Pictures based on the DC Comics antihero team. Along with photos of the cast and crew, this lavish full-color official tie-in book will contain behind-the-scenes stories and images, removable items, and more, making it a must have keepsake for every fan!

They are the worst of the worst, a task force of the most dangerous people on the planet—incarcerated Super Villains unleashed to do some good. Assembled by U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller and armed with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, the Squad is sent on a seemingly impossible top-secret mission: eradicate a powerful, enigmatic threat.

But once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability, will the members of the Suicide Squad choose to die trying—or decide it’s every man for himself?

The blockbuster movie has a star-studded cast that includes Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Viola Davis as Amanda Walker, and many more.

Special interactive and removable items in the book include a blueprint of Belle Reve prison, replicas of letters from Deadshot’s daughter to her father, a Joker playing card and Joker temporary tattoos, a poster of the Suicide Squad, 6 postcards, a 16-page dossier and much more.

SUICIDE SQUAD and all related characters and elements © and TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s16)

Genres: Nonfiction, Dc Comics, Art, Superheroes, Comics, Film, Media Tie In

176 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2016

Reviews

[Jon Huff]

The movie itself has certainly divided critics and audiences, but I am unashamedly fond of it. Warts and all, I thought the aesthetic was fresh, and just had a really fun time with it. This tie-in book certainly speaks of a lot effort and time spent to try to make the movie something special. Even if some of those efforts seems a little overwrought (like Leto's method acting) so many of them bear fruit in the final movie in a way that makes the utter dismissal of the movie in some corners seem simplistic, if nothing else.

It's clear that the aesthetics and attitude, which seemed to turn off some (notably often older) audiences was certainly intentional and thought out. The book is much more focused on art and photography than text. There are some interesting insights into the making of the movie, the philosophy behind it, and the techniques they used. But that's smattered amongst a lot of material that you'd find in your typical press release-type material. There are some fun extras in the book that you normally get with a "vault" type book. Little replicas of documents. A playing card. Some tattoos. It's all a lot of fun, though some of them (like the post-card like photos smattered throughout) seem like a little less effort went into them than others.

But, the book really benefits from the overall look and feel of the film and it's marketing campaign, which it mimics. It's nicely laid out and lively. It rises above the making of books of the other DCEU films on that score.

[Helen]

This was a really interesting behind the scenes look at the Suicide Squad movie. The illustrations were gorgeous, the book was high quality and the removable items were also really well made.

In terms of content, apart from the odd bit of repetition, all the information seemed well-researched and it was a fascinating read. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the process of the film-making, especially the director's rigorous training methods, and the concept art. It was strange seeing just how different some of the characters might have looked based on the original drawings.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of the Suicide Squad movie, it has some really great things inside (such as temporary tattoos) and it's definitely worth picking up!

[Imani Allen]

I really liked all the cool pictures and I really really thought it was cool

[Tanya]

This was an outstanding behind the scenes look at the Suicide Squad movie. The illustrations were gorgeous, the book was high quality and the removable items were really well made. I particularly enjoyed the temporary tattoos, the files on the squad members was interesting as well as the replica letter from deadshot's daughter and loads more definitely a must have piece for all suicide squad fans out there

[Michela]

This book was a solid read. I liked seeing all the concept art and the props that they add into the book. I felt like the commentary in this book was okay. I liked reading about the actor's thoughts on their characters. I found it kinda boring to read at times but it was cool to see all the behind the scenes pictures. Overall, if you want a book that has cool art and props then this is the book for you.

[Tamara aka SoMysteriousLee]

Super fun book with all sorts of little items inside, like temporary tattoos (have many of my own so those will stay in the book haha), styled in a way that parts remind me of taking a journal or case file and just added them to the mix. Every page has something going for it, and have already gifted a few to some other comic fans. Yes, I am very popular this year.

[Andrew Shapter]

A fine companion piece, although actually pretty light on actual behind the scenes content, there are plenty of art which I like and stills. Not the best of these type of books but certainly not the worst...

[Angela]

Really fun detailed account of the movie production, lots of things I hadn't noticed, like how Harley Quinn's 20 tattoos are mainly on 1 side of her body, to symbolize her"out of whack" mental state!

[Aurora]

This was a really interesting in-depth look into the movie.

[Art of the Film]

Suicide Squad takes the DC film universe in a new and different direction by focusing on the bad guys and their stories. I have mixed feelings about the film, but overall enjoyed the experience. This companion book, "Behind the Scenes with the Worst Heroes Ever", is absolutely wonderful. It's a hybrid of a making-of journal and and art book. There's a ton of information about the movie, the cast of characters, and the filmmaking process; and it's supplemented with a bunch of imagery (including a healthy dose of concept art and set photos).



Characters are front and center in the book. The text discusses the importance of each role, casting the part, and the actor's process in finding the character. The most interesting aspect is seeing the various design concepts and costume sketches - it's fascinating to see how the look of the characters (Harley Quinn and the Joker in particular) evolved over time and eventually got to their finished form. The book devotes a fair number of pages to all members of the Squad, including the more secondary characters such as Slipknot and Captain Boomerang.

The most interesting portion of the book is the section "All Inked Up", which discusses the importance of the tattoos to the characters and shows in high detail the tattoos that appear on the Joker, Harley, and Diablo. The book also provides a closer look at the weapons of the film; whether a gun, a bat, or a boomerang, it's detailed in this book



Much like the Dark Knight Manual, this book is made even more interesting by the inclusion of various artifacts inserted throughout the book (some can be removed). The full list of inserts, plus photos, is available at MovieArtBook.com

[Hannah McCarthy]

I liked all the pictures and it was good to learn a bit more about a side of the comic book world i didn't know anything about. I liked this book but would have appreciated a bit more writing as a lot of what was said in this book I somewhat already knew from behind the scenes footage for the films release. Other than that, I think people will like looking at the extensive artwork and the design of the cover.

[Chase Livesey]

I enjoyed this book because it was very good. I love superheros and marvel and DC comics and i also love the idea of evil super heroes. When i heard there was a movie i was happy then i heard there was book and i was even happier. I would recommend this book to people who like reading and anti superhero action books.

[Emily Gerard]

This book is awesome because you get to have a look at the origins of all the different characters in the Suicide Squad movie. It gives you background information, pictures, and original costume designs and some temporary tattoos for fun. I would recommend the book to anyone who liked the movie.

[Natalia]

I love seeing the behind the scenes of movies and shows. I'm still really upset that so many of the Joker's scenes were cut out of the film. There better be an extended movie on the dvd release. -_-

[Cindy Kleback]

Great behind the scenes look at the Suicide Squad film. Lots of photographs and costume design drawings are included. If you're a fan of this movie and these characters, you'll like this book!

[Maebh Delahunty]

Loved it! Great read for someone who loved the movie you get a huge insight into the behind te scenes action. Especially loved all the freebies inside the book! ;)

[Dani Kristine]

Good coffee table book. I like how they put this together, it's tactile and interactive. There are fake tattoos! I like that just like the movie, it attempted not to take itself too seriously.

[Beth]

Full of pictures, background on characters & some extra cool & fun stuff to check out!

[Jud]

If you are a DC fan and you like these characters, you will love this book. If you want to know more about how they wanted to bring them to life, this is your book!

[Lady Entropy]

While the movie was terrible, the design was absolutely on point, and this book reflects it. Not only is filled with gorgeousity, but it's also an amazing prop, containing IN WORLD info on the characters and places, maps, temporary tattoos and ideas for other props.

On the design value alone, definitely a 5-star book.