Task Force X, better known as the Suicide Squad, are hunting down Joker, and they’re teaming up with Batman’s former protege Red Hood to do it. A new Black Label limited series from Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned) and Alex Maleev (Batman: No Man’s Land), Suicide Squad: Get Joker will see a deadly team including Harley Quinn, Firefly, Wild Dog and an assortment of other currently incarcerated ne’er-do-wells attempt to end the threat of the Joker for good
While Black Label stories aren’t necessarily bound by ongoing comic continuity, this story does follow a similar theme to the current ongoing series The Joker, which sees former Commissioner James Gordon hired to perform a similar task of ending the Clown Prince of Crime. Following the crossover event “Joker War” and the A-Day attack on Arkham Asylum, the Joker is more wanted than ever, skipping town while Gotham is still reeling from his reign of destruction. It appears that Gordon’s mysterious benefactors are not the only ones interested in bringing down Mr. J, as the United States Government, represented here by Amanda Waller, is sending the crew of expendable villains to do the same.
According to an announcement by DC Comics, Waller will enlist Batman’s former partner, Jason Todd, the resurrected Red Hood, to lead a new iteration of the Suicide Squad to finally kill the Joker. The three-issue miniseries will feature over-sized 48-page issues in Prestige Plus format, with covers by Maleev and a first-issue variant cover from Jorge Fornes. DC’s Black Label gathers together content for readers over 17, suggesting there’s likely to be some gruesome violence and bad language as villain hunts villain. Enjoy a preview of the first issue’s art and cover below:
Azzarello is no stranger to the Black Label, and this will be his third series after Batman: Damned and Birds of Prey, the former of which was among the first Black Label series and was met with some controversy for its depiction of a nude Bruce Wayne, turning uncensored copies into collectors’ items. Despite a sterling reputation for comic writing focused on villains – including the critically acclaimed 100 Bullets – this will be Azzarello’s first time working with the Suicide Squad, and his style of sardonic, brutal action is likely to be right at home.
Suicide Squad: Get Joker will also be a revealing look at the Red Hood, whose belief that the Joker needs to be put down rather than arrested has created a rift with his former mentor. Teaming up with the worst of the worst, Jason Todd is likely to see his heroism and sense of morality tested by the Suicide Squad – a group of vicious criminals who are nevertheless forced into cooperation by threat of death. It remains to be seen whether Red Hood will consider this his chance to finally “get Joker,” or whether he’ll be more concerned with escaping the iron fist of Amanda Waller. Caught between villains, it’s only a matter of time before Red Hood shows who he’s truly become, and readers can witness this struggle firsthand when Suicide Squad: Get Joker #1 goes on sale from physical and digital retailers on August 3.
