Suicide Squad Retirement Files 040-043

We are very close to the end of the first series now, but there are still several of Amanda Waller's files from this period to disclose...
Files 032-035 - File 036-039 - Previous

Subject: Sportsmaster II
Profile: Obscure Manhunter villain
Powers: Sports equipment-related gimmicks.
Mission: During the event known as the "War of the Gods", collect intel from the island fortress of the sorceress Circe.
Chance of survival going in: Low. With only one appearance under his belt, and in a Suicide Squad cousin book - Manhunter - Victor Gover had little chance of continuing his copyright infringement on the Golden Age model, "Crusher" Crock.
Retirement: RELEASED. Sportsmaster escaped Circe's island unscathed and was by all accounts released with a full pardon. (Suicide Squad #58)
Final report: Gover later tried his luck against Wildcat and ended up bruised, battered, and forced to retire and join Gamblers Anonymous. You don't mess with Wildcat!

Subject: Major Victory
Profile: Obscure patriotic hero
Powers: Suit that gives him super-human strength and toughness.
Mission: During the event known as the "War of the Gods", collect intel from the island fortress of the sorceress Circe.
Chance of survival going in: Low. Prior to joining the Squad, Major Victory had only ever been seen with the Force of July, most of which were massacred during the Janus Directive. In other words, none of them had any depth and were considered expendable. Since the Major had effectively quit just as the Squad was dissolved, his return during the War of the Gods might have been his blaze of glory moment.
Retirement: QUIT. America sells out. Was offered a leadership position with the Captains of Industry and jumped at the chance to leave an organization he was never truly comfortable with. (Suicide Squad #59)
Final report: In his next appearance, Major Victory joined the Shadow Fighters, a group of heroes assembled to fight Eclipso. Most were massacred, the Major among them. His name has since been used by at least two other heroes.

Subject: Atom III
Profile: Suicide Squad original character
Powers: Shrinking.
Mission: As part of an extended mission to pose as Ray Palmer in order to attract the Cabal's attention, allow himself to be captured by the Cabal's Micro Squad
Chance of survival going in: Fair. As usual, character specifically developed for the Squad are labeled as expendable, though there still seemed to be some juice in the character of Adam Cray, not least of which a fateful meeting between him and Deadshot over the shooting of Senator Cray. It is possible that the powers that be needed Ray Palmer's Atom to return, requiring this legacy hero to die prematurely (sound familiar?).
Retirement: DECEASED. Nailed in the back by Blacksnake, a member of the diminutive Micro Squad. (Suicide Squad #61)
Final report: Adam Cray was raised from the dead as a Black Lantern and finally destroyed in Blackest Night.

Subject: Atom II
Profile: Classic DC hero
Powers: Shrinking.
Mission: Escort Blacksnake to jail.
Chance of survival going in: High. Though Ray Palmer agrees to help the Squad for a little while, there was little chance that this Silver Age legend would die, especially this soon after the death of another Atom.
Retirement: ASSOCIATION ENDED. After a single mission (to protect Quraci president Marlo from assassins), Ray Palmer left the group. He may have been injured when Cabal assassins hit Blacksnake, forcing his hand in the matter. (Suicide Squad #64)
Final report: Jumping from title to title, from crossover event to crossover to event, from paradigm to paradigm, the Atom went on to almost rejoin the Justice League, get regressed to his teenage years, found a team of expendable Teen Titans, and most recently be the object of a search through the multiverse.

Next time, the books close on the Suicide Squad's first volume.

Comments

i think Adam Cray's death was one of the most tragic in the Squad's history. i'm kinda sorry to hear about Major Victory's untimely demise too thanks for that bit of info. just because the suite gave him enhanced strength i never really understood how he could take a hit to the face which the suite didn't cover from Lashina and be able to get up after wards. there were certainly some aspects of that character the writers didn't think through too well. the Sports Master kinda came off as a knock off of Marvel's Task Master with how he can mimic other people's fight moves.
thanks for the comments you left on both my blogs today. i'll link this round of retirement files to today's Suicide Squad posting.
Siskoid said…
You know, I've liked ALL the Atoms. Al Pratt was one of my favorite Golden Agers, I'm one of the few who avidly collected Power of the Atom during the 80s, I really liked Cray here, and was a big fan of Ryan Choi and was outraged by his treatment post-Gail Simone.

There's something about a diminutive hero, I guess.
De said…
Wasn't it Ryan Choi's ghastly death that made Mark Waid write off superhero comics for a while? I know I was awfully tempted.
Siskoid said…
Is it? I'm not sure the timeline bears this out.
Aliera said…
At that time I was schocked by Adam Cray's death. his character was being build, with his being senator's Cray son, and he was a likeable character.
Siskoid said…
That's why I think editorial fiat may have called the hit.
Michel Fiffe said…
I know this and the other entries, were posted a year ago, but my obsession with the Suicide Squad is timeless. Is there a place I can mail you some SS-related comics that I think you'll greatly dig?
Siskoid said…
I've seen your work online Michel, and greatly enjoy it (inventive story telling is right up my alley). You've done a Suicide Squad related comic?

Write me at my email adress (available in profile) and I'll give you a snail mail destination for your - and spotlight your work on this space!
Michel Fiffe said…
Oh, really? That's cool to hear!

Let's just say that if you're a fan of the SS title, I'll soon have something not unlike Amanda Waller's government pet project.

This is weird... there's something funny going on with the mail service on the computer I'm on, as it's not working properly. If it's not too much trouble, contact me anywhere listed here:

http://michelfiffe.com/about.html