5.2 Reasons to Join Suicide Squad

Sometimes you need to be bad to do good—and when it comes to being bad, the criminal members of the Suicide Squad are about as bad as they come.

As villains forced to take on missions in order to shave time off their incredibly long prison sentences, the Suicide Squad is a volatile group by its nature. Throw in members like the deranged Harley Quinn, the sadistic Unknown Soldier, the insanely deadly King Shark, and more, and you’re looking at a situation more explosive than a Michael Bay film.

Wednesday’s SUICIDE SQUAD #20 marked a perfect jumping on point for new readers, with the introduction of a brand new creative team and the addition of a great and twisted new team member—which is why this week we’re giving you the 5.2 Reasons to Join the Suicide Squad!


SPOILER ALERT! Spoilers for SUICIDE SQUAD #20 follow below! Proceed with caution!

 

1. The Squad’s Newest Recruit

The big twist from this week’s issue came with the revelation of James Gordon Jr.—you may know him as the so-very-completely-insane son of Commissioner James Gordon—and if you don’t please go read THE BLACK MIRROR right now—joining the team. The team’s already full of crazies, but this guy not only puts them to shame, but is also terrifyingly intelligent.


2. Team Dynamics

As mentioned, one of the interesting things about Suicide Squad is watching these groups of criminals interact. This often leads to confrontations both hilarious and violent (sometimes simultaneously if Harley is involved). Heck, issue #20 already saw the Unknown Soldier graphically beating the heck out of Voltaic, which also reminds us...


3. Pretty Much Anyone Can Die

There have already been a lot of causalities throughout course of the series, and with his first issue, writer Ales Kot is keeping that tradition up by having Voltaic literally explode while on the operating room table. At this point there’s a wicked combination of waiting to see who’s going to be next and exactly how they’re going to go.


4. Patrick Zircher on Art

While we can certainly talk about the effectiveness of the details and page layout in the above-mentioned death scene, it’s the little things that make Zircher’s art shine—namely, the fine changes in facial expressions that can convey so much. Just a simple crease in the forehead that wasn’t there before can express so much.


5. Jason Pearson Covers

Yup. Jason Pearson is doing the covers. Take a look:


5.1 Creative Sound Effects


5.2 Harley’s Bedwear is Adorable

 

What did you think of the new issue of Suicide Squad? What villains would you love to see on the team? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: 
5.2 Reasons, suicide squad, harley quinn

5.2 Reasons We're Excited for Injustice

We’ve all be there. Discussing our favorite super heroes with our friend (let’s randomly say, oh, Jimmy) and suddenly the conversation turns to who would win a fight. Not between us and Jimmy (obviously, that’d be us—what now, Jimmy?!) but in match-ups between Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman and SHAZAM!, the Flash and Green Lantern. The debate rages, and even though Jimmy is clearly wrong because he’s a big, stupid, jerkface, you never come to an agreement.

Well, things are about to change because with the release of the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game on April 16, you can finally take the debate to the ring by pitting your favorite super heroes and super villains against one another in a scenery-smashing, face-punching, level-exploding brawl across the DC Universe.

The early videos got us buzzing and the more we’ve seen—between online reveals and convention demos—the more that buzzing became an all-out electrocution of anticipation. With the game’s release less than a week away, we’re breaking down the 5.2 Reasons We’re Excited for Injustice!

 

1. The Story

Yes, we realize Injustice is a fighting game and generally speaking, who needs a story when Catwoman is dropkicking Solomon Grundy in the face—but we’re actually really interested to play through the story mode and explore a world where Superman and other members of the World’s Greatest have taken over, turning the Earth into a totalitarian regime. And have Catwoman dropkick Solomon Grundy in the face while doing so.


2. The Battles

There’s just no getting around it. We’re really excited to pit these characters against one another, to finally settle these debates once and for all... at least until the next round. And for those who have been joining us each week for Injustice Battle Arena—which culminates on Monday night in a final fight between Batman and Superman—and demanding rematches, well, now you can have it! There’s definitely going to be a lot of “best two out of three,” “best six out of ten,” “okay, okay, best eleven out of twenty.”


3. The Cast

Sure we’ve got the basics we all wanted—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg—but some revelations about the extended cast got us incredibly excited: Nightwing, Raven, Ares, SHAZAM! AND Black Adam, Hawkgirl, Sinestro and more. Not to mention who knows who else they’ll bring out for DLC.


4. Interactive Environment

Each level comes equipped with a multitude of environmental weapons at your disposal with unique usages depending on your particular character build. Powerhouses like Doomsday and Bane can pick up cars and bash them into their opponent’s heads while acrobats like Nightwing and Deathstroke can utilize overhead items to escape from a tricky situation. Not to mention being able to knock your opponents through buildings or floors of the Batcave into a whole new section of the level.

 

5. Multiple Game Modes

We’ve mentioned the Story Mode and of course there’s your standard versus mode, but Injustice also includes Battle Mode, an online “King of the Hill” mode, and S.T.A.R. Labs, which include 240 character-specific challenges.

 

5.1 Super Moves

In Superman’s Ultimate Attack, he punches you into freaking space!


5.2 Alternate Costumes

Nothing quite beats Red Son Wonder Woman uppercutting the hell out of Blackest Night Batman.

 

What are you most excited for and what characters would you love to see as DLC? Let us know in the comments! In the meantime, we’re going to prepare to prove to Jimmy once and for all that Harley Quinn could totally beat Doomsday in a fight!

Tags: 
5.2 Reasons, Injustice, Batman, Superman, wonder woman, Flash, Green Lantern, hawkgirl, cyborg, harley quinn, shazam, black adam, joker

DC Entertainment Named Top Publisher by Diamond Comics Distributors

Diamond Comics Distributors announced the winners of their 2012 Diamond Gem Awards, and we are pleased to report that for the fourth year in a row, DC Entertainment has been named Diamond Gem Publisher of the Year!

Designed to recognize “quality, creativity, and overall sales impact” of the publishers and their individual products, the Gem Awards are nominated by Diamond professionals, and voted on by comic book retailers around the world.

In addition to the big win, DC Entertainment was also named Backlist Publisher of the year, is the recipient of the Best Original Graphic Novel award for BATMAN: EARTH ONE and DC Collectibles was awarded Toy Manufacturer of the Year with special accolades for: 

The Justice League New 52 Action Figures which were named the 2012 Toy Line of the Year.

The DC Comics Cover Girls Harley Quinn was named the 2012 Collectible Statue of the Year.

And the We Can Be Heroes Justice League 7 pack Box Set was named the 2012 Toy Product of the Year.

For a full list of this year’s winners, head over to Diamond Comics. Congratulations to all!

Tags: 
diamond comics, gem awards, DC Entertainment, DC Comics, DC Collectibles, Batman: Earth One, We Can Be Heroes, harley quinn, Justice League

So You Want to Date a Super Hero

Ah Valentine’s Day. That time of year where love saturates the air like cheap air freshener in a dorm the day of a parental visit. You literally can’t escape it. No matter how hard you try. It’s everywhere. Every. Where.

 

In the spirit of this wonderful love-filled holiday (and in the midst of our lonely nights eating ice cream on the couch while watching back-to-back marathons of Justice League Unlimited and Love Connection) our cookie-dough addled brains began to wonder: what would it be like to date in the DC Universe?

 

DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 certainly has quite a few options for romance—from super men and wondrous women to vengeance-fueled vigilantes and alien beings (to each their own; we won’t judge)—and to help prepare you for any potential surprise Valentine’s Day super hero dates, we’re giving you some tips for dating some of the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.

 

SUPERMAN

Pros: Arguably the world’s most famous super hero. Super nice. Both powerful and confident yet also willing to act dorky and vulnerable. Can uppercut a mountain into space.

Cons: 2 to 1 odds he leaves in the middle of dinner a few times to save someone and come back. At one point he enjoyed having life-like statues of friends and family on display in his home.

Good First Date Topics: The state of journalism. Life on a farm. Corn. The crazy stuff in his Fortress of Solitude.

Topics to Avoid: Kryptonite. The fact that he’s an alien. Taking off his glasses.

Ideal First Date Venue: County Fair

 


BATMAN

Pros: Incredibly intelligent. Ripped. More money than he knows what to do with. Enjoys a multitude of activities. Owns a T-Rex and a Giant Penny.

Cons: Really, really, really obsessed with “work.” Constantly comes up with contingency plans for taking down even his closest friends. Likely researched everything about you already. Might be crazy.

Good First Date Topics: Justice.

Topics to Avoid: His dead parents.

Ideal First Date Venue: The Circus

 


GREEN LANTERN

Pros: Has been to space and seen countless alien life forms. Very imaginative. Accomplishes things he sets his mind to by sheer strength of will. Chance you will find yourself surrounded by multi-colored Lantern Corps.

Cons: Emotionally immature. Co-workers can be a bit intimidating. Chance you will find yourself surrounded by multi-colored Lantern Corps.

Good First Date Topics: Himself.

Topics to Avoid: Himself.

Ideal First Date Venue: Planetarium

 


THE FLASH

Pros: Honest. Noble. Very friendly. Full of random facts. Job title is “Police Scientist.” How awesome is that?

Cons: Habitually late despite being the Fastest Man Alive. Has a strange relationship with his Rogue’s Gallery. Could leave, go do about 10 other things, and come back and you wouldn’t even notice.

Good First Date Topics: CSI. How long it takes him to do things. Treadmills. The existence of Gorilla City and how that’s a thing.

Topics to Avoid: His mom. Explaining the Speed Force.

Ideal First Date Venue: The Flash Museum

 

 

CYBORG

Pros: Knows everything there is to know about technology. Former star athlete.  Can hack into anything, anywhere. Free wi-fi.

Cons: Is a cyborg. Knows every MP3 you’ve ever downloaded and your entire browsing history.

Good First Date Topics: Football. The latest tech news. Various gadgets and gizmos that he comes equipped with.

Topics to Avoid: Robocop. The Terminator. Blade Runner.

Ideal First Date Venue: Reddit Meetup

 

 

WONDER WOMAN

Pros: Intelligent. Strong. Expert tactician. Compassionate. Expert in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, archery, and a multitude of other skills. Loves learning about culture. She’s Wonder Woman.

Cons: Family of ancient Greek gods tend to be petty and cruel and will mess with