In the first issue of Absolute Power: Origins, Amanda Waller’s motivations were revealed. To be honest, those motivations didn’t make sense and the issue fell flat. But now that we know how she established her ties with the government; with the second issue, we find out how she created the infamous Task Force X a.k.a. the Suicide Squad. Will this issue falter like issue one? Or will it ramp up the excitement and intrigue revolving around why Amanda Waller is who she is in this prelude to the Absolute Power crossover event? Let’s get into it.
The story starts off with Waller having a conversation with a young man named Clarence Simms about how society establishes a hero (Batman), an “invader” (Superman), and a common enemy (Amazo) where the hero and the invader must team up to stop this existential threat. She explains to Clarence that people will do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means handing over their self-determination and power to heroes like the Justice League. Clarence is confused that Waller knows his name, and Waller tells him that it’s her job to know everything about him. She knows that he’s called “Cyclotron,” and that he was experimented on by a tech company and is essentially a living bomb. Waller manipulates Clarence into joining her new designation, Task Force X, by telling him he’s the key to its success.
Waller later visits her daughter’s fiancé at his job and threatens him with dirt she found on him and warns him that he can’t hide anything from her. Her daughter, Coretta, finds out about this and confronts her mother. Waller explains to Coretta that she just wants to protect her and warns her bad things are coming will all thing “superhero psychodrama.” Meanwhile, she assembles the initial iteration of Task Force X that consists of Cyclotron, Lobo, Doctor Polaris, Emerald Empress, Johnny Sorrow, and Rustam. She sends them on a mission that calls back to issue #9 of Suicide Squad (2017). The issue concludes with the aftermath of this mission and the development of a device that negates metahumans’ abilities.
I thought that this issue was a slight improvement over the first issue but since that initial foundation of Waller’s motivations was so weak and nonsensical, that major problem carried over to this issue. Her motivations were further convoluted, especially when she’s explaining to her daughter why she does what she does. I feel with this series being only three issues really hurt the story. I’m not sure if this is what John Ridley intended the length of the story to be, but I feel with a couple more one to two more issues would’ve been very beneficial for the pacing of the story. I did enjoy that Ridley stayed faithful to the story that was established in Suicide Squad #9, and I appreciated Andrew Dalhouse’s colors gave the illustrations some vibrancy and elevated them. And it’s always cool to see Lobo talk s***, so Ridley nailed his characteristics. After I finished reading the issue, I just wasn’t excited for what happens next to be honest.
Recommended if…
- You are reading every tie-in to the Absolute Power event.
- You want to see the Main Man make an appearance.
- You still care about Waller’s backstory.
Overall
Although I liked this issue a little bit more than the last one, I’m still finding this story very dull. It’s not horrible, but it’s not great. It’s just meh. Even though I mentioned that this series needed like one or two more issues to flesh out Waller’s character development, I’m glad that we just have one issue left. We’ll see if it can end on a good note.
Score: 6/10
English (US) · 