Comic book super-teams routinely change out their rosters, but few do it as often and as swiftly as the Suicide Squad. Officially titled Task Force X on government paperwork, the team of incarcerated super-criminals earned its nickname for its low survival rate in the field. The new lineup of Suicide Squaddies for the team's latest relaunch, written by Tom Taylor with art by Bruno Redondo, debuts a group of fresh-faced villains ready to become future cannon fodder.
When it comes to the Suicide Squad, a big cast of brand new characters usually indicates a body count on par with the works of George R.R. Martin or William Shakespeare. Led by Task Force X veterans Harley Quinn and Deadshot, the new Squad consists of a group of recently captured international terrorists known as the Revolutionaries. The fact that the Suicide Squad is now full of the very criminals they just beat down doesn't bode well for the team's survival. Furthermore, they're being led by a stone-hearted leader who isn't the team's usual handler, government strongwoman Amanda Waller.
DC offered a sneak peek at the current roster, and the new Suicide Squad is full of flashy and fun-looking characters created by Taylor and Redondo. Their aesthetics range from intimidating to adorably quirky. It's a pity many of them likely won't live long enough to appear in other comic books since new characters on Suicide Squad tend to last about as long as "red shirts" on Star Trek. Even Tom Taylor himself tweeted that fans shouldn't get too attached to the new group, adding that he already misses some of them.
Overall, the new squad almost looks like they would be better suited as characters on Blizzard's team-based shooter Overwatch than on Task Force X. The Aerie resembles a more vibrant and bare-footed version of X-Men's Archangel, while Chaos Kitten, T.N.Teen, and Wink look like they purchased their costumes at Hot Topic (but in a good way). The sharply dressed Lok and Deadly Six could probably land leading roles as Bond villains, while Osita and Thylacine appear formidable and proud in their poses. Rounding out the rest of the team are Atlantean creatures Scale and Fin, and a spandex-clad runner simply called Jog.
What has kept the Suicide Squad comics so fresh after so many decades has been the books revolving door of characters. The team is a great place for D-list supervillains to get a final, bloody sendoff or for new villains to rise up the ranks to global infamy. Team staples Harley and Deadshot are also fun to pair together, regardless of who is writing the material. And with a new team of recently captured rookies to lead, the two former Batman villains will likely have their work cut out for them.