Task Force Z (2021-) Vol. 1: Death's Door

Task Force Z (2021) (Single Issues) #1–6

by Matthew Rosenberg, Eddy Barrows (Artist), Eber Ferreira (Inker)

In life, they terrorized the people of Gotham. Now, they’re Gotham’s last hope! It’s Suicide Squad meets zombies, with Red Hood leading the way!

Task Force X saw villains working their way to freedom. Task Force Z will see dead villains working for a new chance at life!

On A-Day, the attack on Arkham Asylum left hundreds of Gotham’s most cunning and deranged criminals dead…now, a mysterious benefactor has activated the government’s Task Force clause to bring them back as the ultimate army of the night! To lead this team of the undead, only a person who knows exactly what it feels like to be brutally murdered and brought back to life can handle the job…enter: Red Hood. But when Jason Todd unravels the mystery surrounding Task Force Z’s creation, will he try to destroy it…or embrace it?

BANE. MAN-BAT. THE ARKHAM KNIGHT. SUNDOWNER. MR. BLOOM. RED HOOD. THEY ARE TASK FORCE Z, AND DEATH WAS JUST THE BEGINNING...!

This volume collects Task Force Z #1-6, and the Task Force Z short stories from Detective Comics #1041-1043.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Fiction

195 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

"I haven’t always been a writer. My parents are writers and my brother is a writer, and I resisted that as long as I could. When I was 17, I hopped in a band’s van and I went on tour for a summer, and that was it, that was what I wanted to do. I ran a record label for 10 years, a small indie punk label. I did everything in music that you can do that doesn’t involve having musical ability. Eventually the music business, probably in a similar way to comics, will just start to break your heart, and I realized one day that I kind of hated music. I was resigned to thinking, if I’m going to be involved in music forever, I’m going to hate it for the rest of my life. I just stopped. I stopped having any sort of business with music, any involvement.

I read comics my whole life, so I just naturally fell back into another medium that is marginalized and hard to make a living in."

Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles...

Writer of comics WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, SECRET WARS JOURNAL, OUR WORK FILLS THE PEWS, 12 REASONS TO DIE, & MENU.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Amanda Waller is planning to use the Suicide Squad to take over Earth-3, a new team is rising from the dead to replace Task Force X. Red Hood leads a team of zombie Batman villains on covert missions. The back story behind all of this is slowly being doled out. There's some solid stuff here.

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I thought it was going to be just another Zombie style of the Suicide Squad. It us actually done pretty well. Some nice surprises as well.

This book continues right out of Detective Comics 1041 - 1043 (these are in this book as an intro). Jason Todd (Red Hood), the problem child of the Bat-family has been "recruited" to Task Force Z along with the person (apart from the Joker) he wants to kill the most in the world.

What is the secret of Task Force Z? Who are the puppets snd the puppeteer? It is not who are the good guys, but are there any good guys?

The book finishes with a couple of character sketches and a varient cover gallery.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will read anything with Jason and Task Force Z is just really fun at times.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lazarus Resin y'all! It's the next big thing.

We've got a brand new spin on the Suicide Squad with this team of Batman villains who (almost) come back from death to fight for the government. It has potential, I think. There's definitely a hole left by Waller leaving for her Earth-3 business. Every other Task Force (whatever letter) has felt adrift without her pushing the buttons.
The origin seems a bit contrived but it does offer you a cast of characters that would normally be off the table. It DOES give DC something to do with Mr. Bloom. That character is just exotic enough to be difficult to place as an antagonist anywhere. We'll also see how, YET ANOTHER, Red Hood vs Batman ideology battle turns out. It feels like this gets rehashed with every writer whenever the two meet. Every time you use it, the freshness fades.

Overall, if you dig Suicide Squad, this will be a fun monthly pull

Bonus: Jason Todd yeets Bane
Bonus Bonus: You never leave the "Task Force". You just switch letters.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well goddamn, this was fun! Task Force Z volume 1 is a chaotic and compelling read that blends the best parts of a horror story with a superhero epic. Jason Todd being a leader of a group is nothing new, but this time he has an undead army of villains as his backup. The book has major Secret Six vibes, with Jason forced to use a team of resurrected rogues to get to the bottom of a conspiracy involving secret organizations weaponizing dead villains.

The plot kicks off after the devastating "A-Day" at Arkham Asylum, leaving many of Gotham's most notorious criminals dead. Jason is tapped to lead Task Force Z, a team of zombified villains brought back to a semblance of life with Lazarus Resin. This crew includes familiar faces like Bane and Man-Bat, and watching Jason try to wrangle them while unraveling the mystery behind their resurrection is the core of the book's appeal.

The story is a wild ride, with a fun conspiracy theory storyline that seems to put Jason in the middle of a war between Two-Face and Amanda Waller, at least until we find out more. Jason is an excellent lead, and his morally gray perspective makes him the perfect person to lead this unhinged group. There are some truly sick and messed-up moments, particularly the one with Bane, which is so perfectly Jason and so fucking twisted that you can't help but love it.

Overall, if you're looking for a zany, fun team book with plenty of blood and death, this is one you should definitely check out. It's a high-octane mix of humor, horror, and action that will keep you guessing. I'd give it a solid 3.5 out of 5.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Rosenberg fez uma fase sofrível nos X-Men, mas na DC Comics parece que ele acabou se dando melhor nos títulos que foi alocado. É o caso deste Força-Tarefa Z, cujo nome vem da equipe do Esquadrão Suicida, a Força-Tarefa X, só que o Z é porque ela é formada por zumbis de vilões do Batman mortos em Gotham City. A equipe é liderada por Jason Todd, o Capuz Vermelho. A trama é intrigante porque queremos saber como e porque o governo dos Estados Unidos, liderado por um homem misterioso nas sombras quer usar zumbis reanimados pela substância de Lázaro para cumprir missões duvidosas e inescrupulosas. A revista em quadrinhos também conta com a arte realista e sombria do brasileiro Eddy Barrows que também é auxiliado por outros artífices, alguns deles até mesmo brasileiros. Então que, diferente de Batgirls, Força-Tarefa Z me surpreendeu positivamente, o que vai me fazer procurar o seu segundo volume para ler, caso a Panini Comics Brasil resolva lançá-lo.

[Mariella Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce, sweetheart, if you would listen to your son for once in your damn life, we'd all greatly appreciate it *giant sigh* That is all.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and solid, though there's a lot of setup without a lot of payoff, which makes sense considering it's only half the story. I think Jason and Harvey both sometimes seem more hapless than they actually should, but that's just comics.

[Ness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Todd and a zombie task force what more could u ask for

[Bianka Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll read anything with Jason

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun trainwreck of a book. I was in a bad mood and this made me laugh so hard it made my day better.
The early issues are more compelling than the rest of the volume. The book presents a setup that is so gruesome and horrific it circles right back into being funny: a bunch of dead villains are resurrected through a "Lazarus resin" and recruited to be part of a Suicide Squad knockoff.
The concept isn't terribly original - reminds me of a Suicide Squad arc I've read before, where Waller was secretly giving members of her squad some chemical that accelerated their healing so they could be even more effective weapons. Still, it's amazing to see a force of nature like Bane being turned into a lifeless puppet, or reading Deadshot's reaction as he realizes he was resurrected just to be part of another Suicide Squad.
As the volume progresses, more and more villains are introduced to the point the plot gets kind of confusing - I hope the next volume doesn't devolve into complete nonsense because that would be a shame.

[Andrew Shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this canon? It’s pretty bonkers!

[Akshay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly... I was tempted to give this a 2-star rating when I first started the series.

It's a weak concept that's not terribly exciting and feels boring and derivative on the surface. Under the surface... it's still mostly that but it's not pathetic and not entirely boring.

The only reason I checked it out was because I do like the Jason Todd character and feel he's had one of the most roller-coaster times in the DCU with real peaks and valleys - even the "Red Hood and the Outlaws" book that started waaaay back with the *ugh* New52 era and was a book that I felt had a lot of potential, became pretty weak, had good moments and then when it was revamped with Jasons second Outlaws team of Artemis and Bizarro, really came into its own as a good book. (Yes, I know, I'm probably one of the few people that will openly admit that flaws taken into account, I actually enjoyed the series).

As for Task Force Z... Jason is taken by a secret govt organisation that has plans to zombify and revive super-villains and use them as a kind of Suicide Squad and in fact seems to be competing with Wallers' pet project. The hilarity is that a couple of issues in, the concept of having brutal agents supposedly doing good under mandate of a shady organisation, being shredded/shot/stabbed/exploded and then pieced back together made me think "Guys, we've done this already! It was by Image Comics in the 90's and it was called Bloodstrike!".
But anyway, there's an attempt at intrigue, inter-agency "chess-playing" (more like tic-tac-toe) and mostly it's peopled by characters that are bland and not interesting. They cleverness is not very clever and the mysteries are not interesting enough for me to want to pay to own any more of this series and even barely to source for free and read the rest.
This is NOT to say that it's a terrible book. I'll be honest that there are good moments littered around. There are aspects like Jasons angst at having to work with Bane who was responsible for killing Alfred, the too-few bits with Mr. Bloom and Man-Bat which are all given less space because there's focus on the bigger game instead of the people in the game.

I can't say that Rosenberg doesn't try and balance things, he does, but somehow it all doesn't carry as well for me as a reader and the whole seems weaker and less enjoyable. Given some of the great books he's written like his time on The Punisher, this is definitely a weaker and less enjoyable entry into his bibliography.
The art is perfectly passable. There's some great panels, the dark and moody colours are very much suitable for the book and I think overall it is a good choice for the kind of story being told. But that said, some panels aside, it's not all that exciting so I can't take the time to say any part or issue really stood out for me.

Overall it's a solid attempt by the writing and art teams. It's a serviceable book that will get us from A-to-B with this mystery of WHAT Task Force Z is and WHY Task Force Z exists and all that and lead in from when Jason was brought into this from the other books til wherever he goes after this ends and what it will mean for relationship with his former mentor with the pointy ears. But that's all these first few issues feel like - competent, passable, filler.

[Batgirl_ALT_21 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this was a remarkable read 😉👍🌟!!

I have never fallen so quickly for a story arc as gritty, angsty, and oddly morbidly wonderful as this plot right here.

The setup feels very reminiscent of Dick Grayson's days as Agent 37 with a whole new spin on assigned teammates.

The story of the century sits on the desk of Donna Donovan as strange things have been happening at the Gotham City morgue and Red Hood is directing the trail. All lines lead to an operative known as Project Halperin and the mission is going down tonight. Donna knows she has the upper hand on the where and when as she stakes out the morgue but little does she know that the Bats of Gotham always have a trick up their sleeves.

When 4 masked criminals attempt to steal the bodies of famed villains then all bets are off as Red Hood & Batman emerge from the shadows to take down the squad of crooks. Batman saves the reporter who got a little too close to the action but when the heat turns up Red Hood refuses to run and is K.O.ed in battle claiming to be used as spoils by the surprised squad of F.B.I agents.

It is then revealed that Red Hood is being blackmailed into becoming Task Force Z's new leader in exchange for his immunity as a wanted man of Gotham. What could possibly go wrong with a squadron of the most psychotic monstrous villains of Gotham teaming up to recapture the revitalizing substance Lazarus Resin to keep the dead team alive and under the complete control of the mysterious 'Mr. Crispin'? Did I mention that Task Force Z is composed of Zombies with a thing for cannibalism 😳?

The plot only becomes stranger from there as Red Hood falls deeper into the rabbit hole. We follow corrupt government officials, mad scientists with a thirst for greed, and an inside operative who backstabs the entire team. What began as a simple assignment quickly escalates and it is up to Red Hood to see this mission through. Is Jason Todd in over his head or will he be the one that winds up dead?

I absolutely adored this eerie and morbidly gothic arc for Red Hood 🥰❤️🦇!! It reads like a Suicide Squad mission on steroids with an even more intense setup. The suspense and plot twists were incredible as well as a heart-wrenching speech delivered between Red Hood & Batman towards the end of the book. This was perfection!! I can't wait to read vol 2, 10/10 🌟!!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gunna review all of Task Force Z here, because the series is over and it's just easier that way.

Task Force Z is a stupid concept that shouldn't work - it's a zombie Suicide Squad full of Bat-Villains, headed by Jason Todd and Two-Face, which sounds ridiculous even writing down, and YET, it's hilariously good fun, even if it's a little difficult to keep up with sometimes because there's a lot of double and triple crossing going on, as well as a couple of late game reveals that are both insane and perfectly in sync with the atmosphere that the series creates.

It's great to see a few characters that we don't usually get to see in the spotlight, including the return of Mister Bloom from the New 52 Batman run, lesser villains like Copperhead and Arkham Knight, and even a proto-Batman Beyond tie-in in the form of the Powers Corporation. And while some characters are literally just cannon fodder, it's clear that there's more at play in this series, because it'll likely be the way some previously dead characters like Deadshot get to come back and play.

Eddy Barrows pencils 8 of the 12 issues in their entirety, shares 2 issues with Dave McKeown, and only skips out entirely on 2 issues in favour of Jack Herbert. The book's very visually consistent even with the changes, and Barrows' command of shadows and the sweeping colours of Adriano Lucas ensure that the horror aspects are never far away.

Task Force Z is daft, and yet the fact that it knows it's daft really works in its favour. It's not going to be for everyone, but if you're looking for a surprisingly complicated series that plays fast and loose with the concept of death, or even if you just really like zombies, Task Force Z is worth a look.

[Parker J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave up on this series last year after issue two and wasn't sure if or when I would return to it. I thought the concept was interesting but the execution and writing was weak. But I'm here now to say "okay fine, it was pretty good". I have been proven wrong, and I'm not mad about it.

The story isn't amazing and the writing isn't top notch, in fact it is a bit convoluted at times, but it is also a lot of fun. I actually like the twists and turns quite a bit and I'm here for the double crossing to triple backstabbing soap opera-ish antics. And while the characterization of Jason Todd won't work for every fan, I like him in this a lot. His motivations are clear and understandable and while I could do without the Jason v. Batman story line (yet again) I think it works fine.

I also like the way it connects to other overarching universe plot lines going on right now in the DC universe, I always find it very satisfying to see other comic's plots having ramifications for characters and events in other series.

I'm just hoping that by the end of this series Man-Bat and Arkham Knight get to fully come back.

[Darik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y'know what? This is a blast!

A weird mad-science/horror-movie/spy-thriller/superhero hybrid with an underlying theme about broken people seeking redemption? Featuring zombies fighting supervillains? Sign me the hell up! This is even one of the stronger uses of Jason Todd as the Red Hood since... well, basically since he was first introduced (he really worked far better as a supervillain, IMO). And the fact that this team is essentially a Batman-villain jamboree is pretty well justified in both WHERE they got all these dead villains (in the wake of a massive Joker-venom poisoning at Arkham Asylum) and who is ultimately behind this new Task Force (no spoilers).

The plot does get a little labyrinthine when it comes to a big reveal near the end of the volume, but Rosenberg's dialogue is punchy and sharp enough to carry you through the multiple twisty flashbacks. And Eddy Barrows' artwork is heightened and cartoonish enough to make the zombies fun and not, like, unpleasant to look at (which is a problem with a lot of zombie comics IMO). It's a fun read!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
This book is a crazy idea! Take Suicide Squad, but make them all zombies...
But it works.
Red Hood, who seems to always need redemption, leads a team to work for an anonymous agent. The team: Arkham Knight (dead), Man-Bat (dead), Bane (dead), Mr Bloom, and Sundowner. The dead members are kept alive with a new invention called Lazarus resin, and they are earning a massive dosage which would fully resurrect them. Agent Crispin, their benefactor, turns out to be Harvey Dent, Two-Face himself, and the missions they are sent on gain them the pills they need to keep going.
When another half-dead team shows up, Mr Bloom shows his true colors and betrays Task Force Z, setting himself up as the antagonist for Volume 2.
Overall, this is a fun book, and I'll keep on it for a bit, but I would need something stronger to tie me to it than a gimmick.
Recommend, but at your own discretion.

[Shazne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixed rollercoaster ride worth jumping onto. Volume 1 is half of its main story, Volume 2 is where the bigger picture can be defined but as a concept, Task Force Z starts off very strong with Red Hood leading the way. It's cool and badass with some sprinkle of depth but the issue is the execution in between the action is what holds the book back from its potential. When the story is in motion it's pretty cool but the second it slows down, it's just word bubble exposition fest. The balance wasn't dynamic enough but it still managed to hold my immersion due to those exposition scenes didn't over stay their welcome. Just when the book is about to pull you out, the next page pulls you back in. Despite the ups and downs of the execution, it was an absolute page turner so that deserves a big credit. Mordern comics have horrible pacing, often feels lazy and lackluster but this one had a good grip and conviction which pushed it to an enjoyable read so far. Rating: 3.5/5

[Jemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lil bit of fun, tad gory and convoluted at times, but at it's heart it's a decent Jason Todd story with some amusing moments and a story that could shape up to be quite interesting in the second half (although I'll have to wait until flamin March before reading it unless I want to buy single issues...)

Charactization: Honestly pretty decent for Jason, lil on the edge for Batman but at least he's not beating his son to a pulp this time....
Art: Good for the most part, lil weird for Jason at times though
Zombie rating: not too yuck for me to complete avoid it like I do pretty much everything with zombies

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating concept since we had already established that there were MULTIPLE ways to come back from the dead in the DC Universe, but the first time somebody said "zombies who can do your bidding are kind of like a suicide squad right?"
Regardless, a fun ride with the Red Hood as he is forced to lead a buncha brainless, slathering, walking dead at first, but as they get more & more "success" they get more & more doses of the stuff that will fully revive them, making them more & more like their former selves again. Plus the mastermind behind this madness makes a fair point that he's trying for redemption same as Jason Todd and the rest of Shambler Suicide Squad.

[Robby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully spooky take on the Suicide Squad and Batman mythos. Red Hood is recruited by a shadowy organization to lead a team of zombified criminals. While Hood at times can be a bit of a one-sided, angsty character, Rosenberg's take gives him more dimensionality, allowing for a possible future outside Batman's shadow. Barrows' artwork captures the horror atmosphere perfectly. The plot does get a bit overly complicated almost as soon as the team gets started; the premise could have used more room to breath. No doubt volume 2 will reveal if Task Force Z has a future, or is doomed to implode.

[Alek Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad that DC is finally giving Red Hood the attention he deserves and with writers that are actually pretty good. The Lobdell era is over and we're finally getting something interesting.

The concept and characters of this story are highly enjoyable. With action that is entertaining and humor that is actually funny.

A Suicide Squad composed of zombies lead by Red Hood and governed by Two-Face. That follows an intricate plot that makes things fun instead of confusing.

[connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As fun as a Jason Todd story can possibly be when it also involves him hashing out his incredibly vitriolic relationship with Bruce. It's like watching two brick walls run at each other full speed. They're so close to getting to the root of the problem but neither will ever admit to being wrong about anything, so they'll just butt heads until they die (again).

Appropriately angsty but also surprisingly funny!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Z stands for Zombies, which is to say the absurd number of major Batman villains killed in the recent Arkham incident, partially raised with Lazarus Resin.

I actually didn't have much hope for this comic once I heard the full premise, but it turned out pretty good, primarily because it does a great job on focusing on mysteries and on characters. Jason comes across very well, as does Bloom and even a few of the zombies!

I'm eager to see the rest of this story.

[Crystal Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read! I enjoy when DC dips into creepiness. I think it has a good old fashion plot line of mad scientists, clones, and the bringing stuff back to life concept.

It's basically the new suicide squad. You also have the usual Batman and Jason turmoil relationship. Mr. Bloom is a creepy and interesting character.

Fun read if you love the quirkiness of Suicide Squad, you'll enjoy this.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always down to read the comics that put Jason in the forefront of the story and I think this was a fun story. It had a few moments that made me laugh out loud, specially Jason's usual quick wit and exasperation at having to herd his undead teammates like cats. The plot got a bit confusing towards the end when the other group showed up in the lab, but maybe the next volume will straighten some of that out? Also came out of this liking Lady Arkhma more than I did before.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been out of DC a while, but this looked fun, and Rosenberg is a great writer to juggle action and comedy. Unfortunately, the spooky setup of Red Hood forced to lead a Suicide Squad of zombie Batman villains felt kind of tired by the third of six issues, and the jokes weren’t frequent enough to pull it up into a great dark comedy so much as a murky gloom with a few laughs.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea, a little convoluted at times but a great elseworld story that has a pretty unique idea attached to it with what if the Suicide Squad was made up of zombies that were promised resurrection if they completed enough missions. Again the ideas are nice and I do like the characters they chose for it.

[Jordan Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a good Matthew Rosenberg story to cleanse the palette right?? This concept is fun, it feels like Jason Todd’s chance to have a status quo similar to Dick Grayson’s spy era a few years back!

Eddy Barrows does a wonderful job on the art. The story gets convoluted and I don’t know if I’m a fan of all the turns in the story. However I am totally along for the ride!