Who'd Like A Cocktail? #17

I had a hard time choosing this week's Cocktail post (which I'm endeavouring to make a little more regular than they have been of late.)

Green Lantern Corps #22 seemed little more than a vague attempt to give Boodikka a background; Countdown To Final Crisis #7 was confusing to say the least, and not just because the heroes ended up on an Earth other than their own; Green Arrow And Black Canary #6 sported the gorgeous artwork of Cliff Chiang which, if I'm honest, is fast becoming the only reason I'm reading it; and JLA Classified #54 brought the series to a somewhat limping end.

Meanwhile, Countdown To Mystery #6, Lord Havok And The Extremists #5 and Salvation Run #5 were all in the running for the post and Booster Gold #7 almost pipped it but it was Suicide Squad #7 that really nailed it for me this week.

As I mentioned before, John Ostrander's writing on this series - once the somewhat laboured return of Rick Flag was out of the way - has been spot on and with the Squad in action and with just a single issue left, this is easily one of the best mini-series out there.

It's the turn of the bad guys again to steal the spot light as The General betrays the rest of the Squad with his fellow traitors at his command.

Not only can this issue be seen as a lesson in how to become a turncoat after laying some very careful plans, but it also reveals the sound someone's head makes when it is literally squeezed off their shoulders.

General Eiling's plans don't all go according to plan, though, as Plastique rejects his call to betray the Squad and instead informs Bronze Tiger of his intentions, just as another of Eiling's lackeys - Cliff Carmichael - takes control of Chemo, resulting in the death of Windfall. Carmichael himself, though, is quickly dispatched, leaving Chemo running wild.

With the Squad divided, it isn't long before the two sides are pitched against each other, fighting in the rubble as they wait to find out whether Flag and Deadshot have managed to find and kill the board.

That, in itself, may not be the easiest thing due to Deadshot having been partially blinded in one eye and having to deal with Marauder who, under Eiling's orders, is protecting the board.

Unlike some of the more recent events in - among other series - Countdown To Final Crisis - the deaths that take place in Suicide Squad seem much more believable. Ostrander isn't killing characters for the sake of it or to make a point or to try and create an event. These characters are dying because the story demands they do, and while it's a shame to see even the bad guys die, I can at least accept those deaths within the context of the story.

There's only one more issue to go and it's looking to be a corker but please, DC, give John Ostrander a monthly title again.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #13

Despite being really busy with boring things like work, I'm going to endeavour to get back into the weekly swing of things as far as the Cocktail posts go. Having said that, I'm away next weekend so that one might be delayed as well.

Tricky one this week: The Four Horsemen came to a satisfying conclusion with #6; Green Arrow And Black Canary #4 almost redeemed Judd Winick's urge to kill every hero from the previous issue (though I still have reservations which I'll deal with in another post); Green Lantern Corps #20 almost made it but the short hand conversation between Kyle and Guy rankled a little; Countdown To Final Crisis #16 killed a lot more people; Salvation Run #3 almost got the Cocktail for the great surprise ending; The Boys #14, while a good solid read, didn't do anything spectacular; and the frankly bizarre Teen Titans Lost Annual #1 was just too . . . bizarre to cope with unless you'd taken as many drugs as Bob Haney had.

Which you couldn't because he'd taken all of them. All of them.

As you can tell from the picture, though, it was Suicide Squad #5 that stood out for me this week.

Having taken his time in explaining how Colonel Rick Flag (previously thought dead) was back in the Squad, John Ostrander's story begins to pick up pace nicely as the first mission for the new Squad is placed in jeopardy before the members even leave the warm and welcoming corridors of Belle Reve prison.

Giving the bad guys the most attention this month, Ostrander neatly reveals that The General is still as devious a son of a bitch as he ever was. Unknown to Amanda Waller, the Squad's leader, The General is in control of Flag and plans to sell the Squad down the river to the very people they're due to go up against.

On top of that, Bronze Tiger has to reprimand Captain Boomerang for pissing off Deadshot, neatly foreshadowing an upcoming conflict between the pair. Deadshot and the original Boomerang were never the best of friends and with the new Captain's ill considered attempt to annoy him, it's certain that things will quickly come to a head.

Rather than rush into explaining how Flag returned, Ostrander once more showed what a damn fine writer he is by bringing him back in a way that, while bizarre, made perfect sense within the larger world of the DCU. Using the same steady flow, he has built the series towards what promises to be a damn fine climax which should hit just before Final Crisis.

I for one can't wait.