Suicide Squad #7 Review: Earned With Every Pull Of A Trigger

Let's just skip the first two pages, or pretend they said another name there. It'll read better and make more sense, because this issue is all about Mister Floyd Lawton, who does business under the name Deadshot, and the creative team does everything they possibly can to do right by him.

Lawton has a full pardon for the many, many horrible bullet related things he's done. He has one thought, and one thought only: go home to his little girl. In some casual clothes and some slip-on boots, he approaches the front door to the home where his daughter lives, winding himself up for it. "Come on, you've been stabbed," he thinks to himself in a voiceover caption. "You've been shot. You've faced Batman. It's just a door. And behind it … probable rejection."

From there on, Tom Taylor shows why he deserves the crown, a virtual king of characterization, delivering a script that gives every possible emotional beat for the character, his child, and the estranged love he left behind. There are no fewer than three amazing "dad" moments that give you the character underneath it.

However, unlike this week's Darth Vader book, this also shows you exactly why he's called Deadshot and why he's a presence to be respected if not feared. Daniel Sempere, Juan Albarran, Adriano Lucas and Wes Abbott present visual moments of such cleverness and nuance — from the silhouettes in the title to the crosshairs indicating Lawton's thoughts in voiceover, to one of the most succinct and effective action scenes since Jamie McKelvie had Marvel Boy fight people in a dance club. Deadshot isn't broken because of the humanity underneath his reputation, they're wholly separate entities, and the reputation is earned with every pull of a trigger. The artwork even gets an archer's hand positions right, and the clarity and the detail here cannot be overlooked. Are a couple of these beats from Hawkeye in The Avengers movies? Maybe, but they have a much harder edge with this character and are done with a very different intent.

Just when you think it's about to go one way, there's a delicious surprise that changes up the entire game and gives you a complete Godfather Part 3 vibe that's amazing.

This is a quick, breezy read with layers that is sure to please. RATING: BUY.