Legends Of The Suicide Squad

It had been a time of Crisis, when everything in the universe had changed.  Old heroes were new, groups like the Teen Titans and the Justice League of America were being torn apart, and heroes across the globe were being consumed by all their own trouble....so, who were the average person on the street suppose to turn to....the villains?

That was the idea that Amanda Waller had, using jails overflowing with super criminals.  Here is who she recruited to join the Suicide Squad during the Legends 6-issue mini-series of November, 1987 to April, 1988 by John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne and Karl Kesel.

Rick Flag

Rick Rogers Flag, Jr. was part of a military family, and knew the meaning of sacrifice, which he was using ever since we first met him, as the leader of Task Force X, otherwise known as the Suicide Squad in Brave and the Bold #25 (August-September, 1959, by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito).  Rick was a man with military talents, being able to shoot well, and he led his team on a few successful missions, until things went bad on one trip, involving a golden pyramid...which led to him working briefly with the Forgotten Heroes against Vandal Savage, and then against the Forgotten Villains, before being assigned to be the field leader of this version of the Suicide Squad.

Rick's appearances before Legends include Brave and the Bold #25, #26, #27, #37, #38, #39 (1959 to 1962, with the Suicide Squad pre-dating the JLA), Action Comics #552 and #553 (1984) and DC Comics Presents #77 and #78 (1985), with the Brave and the Bold issues and first Action Comics issue also featuring the rest of his Suicide Squad team of Karin Grace, Jess Bright and Hugh Evans; what happened to the three of them unfolds over the course of the 1980s Suicide Squad series.

Deadshot

Floyd Lawton was a man who had come from a troubled family, where he had learned to stick up for himself.  He first faced Batman in Batman #59 (June-July, 1950 by David Vern, Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Charles Paris) trying to be a hero in a top hat, but secretly stealing on the side.  It was his second appearance in Detective Comics #474 (December, 1977 by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin) that gave this man his second shot at life, finally escaping prison (thanks to Penguin), and coming back to match his trick  shots against the Batman (which he could never quite shoot, maybe a throw back to looking for an authority figure in his life, or a subconscious feeling about being not worthy to live, only being a killer).

Deadshot's appearances before being caught by the Flash (Wally West) in Legends and being recruited by Amanda Waller and Rick Flag into the Suicide Squad include Batman #59, Detective Comics #474, Batman #351, Detective Comics #518, #520, Batman #354, #369, Detective Comics #536, Crisis On Infinite Earths #10 and Batman #400, and Floyd dealt with his issues during the 1980s Suicide Squad run (and even a 4 issue mini-series all his own at that time), and much later, ran across Green Arrow, another complex man with uncanny aim.

Captain Boomerang

George "Digger" Harkness was an Australian by birth, having been sent to America to get away from his step-father, taking a job with W. W. "Walt" Wiggins as of Flash #117 (December, 1960 by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson).  In America, Digger became Captain Boomerang, a mascot for Wiggins company (but used his boomerang throwing ability to commit crimes, running afoul of the Flash, who beat the Boomerang).  Captain Boomerang lived up to his moniker, continually coming back, sometimes alone, sometimes with other foes as a part of Flash's Rogue's Gallery, or even working with other foes of the JLA in the Secret Society of Super-Villains, with villains like Grodd against Captain Comet.

Captain Boomerang was among the earliest recruits to face Darkseid's forces in Legends, and had one of the longest histories of characters recruited into Task Force X (and also caused the most trouble in the group, being just not a nice guy).  Captain Boomerang appeared in Flash #117, #124, #148, #155, #174, Justice League of America #61, Flash #209, #227, #242, #243, #244, Secret Society of Super-Villains #1, #3, #4, #5, #6, Batman #322, Flash #275, #278, #283, #310, #311, #325, #337, #338, #339, #340, #341, #342, #348, #349, #350, Batman #388, Detective Comics #555, Crisis On Infinite Earths #5 and Blue Devil #30.    

Bronze Tiger

Ben Turner first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #1 (April-May, 1975 by Jim Dennis and Leopoldo Duranona), but his life as the Bronze Tiger didn't start until Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #18 (November-December, 1977).  Ben was a kid from Central City, who killed a man attacking his parents, liked it, then tried to learn martial arts to calm his anger, ending up with the O-Sensei, where those two recruited Richard Dragon.  Richard and Ben fought the League of Assassins, including Dr. Moon, the Preying Mantis, Professor Ojo and the Axeman, who killed Ben's girlfriend, Janey Lewis, and with the help of Dragon and Lady Shiva, Ben tracked down the Axeman and killed him, though being captured by the League, brainwashed and turned into the Bronze Tiger.  While under the control of the Sensei, the Bronze Tiger fought Batman, being thought to have killed Kathy Kane (Batwoman), and eventually Richard found his friend and got him to the government, which led to Amanda Waller recruiting him, and trying to have him use his martian arts to atone for his misdeeds.

Ben Turner appeared in all but one of the 18 issues of Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter of the 1970s, (missing #6), but it was the last issue that turned him into the masked Bronze Tiger.  The Bronze Tiger was in Detective Comics #485 and #489, and found by Richard Dragon in DC Comics Presents #39 (after which, the rage of tiger hit the wall....and then Ben was ready to work to save Earth's Legends, and later healing his soul during the 1980s Suicide Squad, and even finding love again with Vixen). 

Enchantress

June Moone was a freelance artist who went to a masquerade party with a friend, when the party took a strange turn and June found a secret passage leading her to the Dzamor, a demon who was willing to grant the quiet girl powers to magically fight evil, by saying the name, Enchantress, who she would turn into.   This started her career in Strange Adventures #187 (April, 1966 by Bob Haney, Howard Purcell and Sheldon Moldoff).  June only had two more adventures as a heroic Enchantress, until the use of her mystic powers pushed her over to the evil side, returning to face Supergirl, then later to lead the Forgotten Villains (with Rip Hunter's foe, Kraklow, among others) against Superman and the Forgotten Heroes (and having a new look briefly at that time).

June didn't like becoming evil, and went for help, ending up in the Suicide Squad, where Bronze Tiger was their to watch her (and also being linked to another future member of the team, Nightshade as well, but that all happened during the 1980s Suicide Squad run....and June later returned during the Day of Judgment mini-series, and again as a member of mystical group, Shadowpact).  Her appearances before the Legends mini-series were in Strange Adventures #187, #191, #200, Superman Family #204, #205, DC Comics Presents #77, #78 and Crisis On Infinite Earths #12.

Blockbuster

Mark Desmond was a smart kid, but tired of being picked on, so he developed a formula to turn himself into a hulking monster with super-strength, but it also destroyed his mind, and made him a victim of his criminal brother, Roland, who used the lad for crime and facing Batman and Robin as of Detective Comics #345 (November, 1965 by Gardner Fox, John Broome and Joe Giella).  Blockbuster was enraged by Batman, but could be calmed by Bruce Wayne (who had saved the life of young Mark earlier).  The Blockbuster was a hulking brute, usually being manipulated into fighting the Batman (often with the Justice League and Justice Society), or any of Batman's friends (including Wonder Woman), even working for the Secret Society of Super-Villains for a time, along with the Reverse-Flash and the Wizard.

Mark was hoping that the government could help him control his rages and keep others save from him before he was recruited for his short lived time with the Suicide Squad, which didn't work out so well for him (though his brother would later fight the team at the end of the run of the 1980s Suicide Squad).  Mark's appearances as Blockbuster before Legends include Detective Comics #345, #349, Justice League of America #46, #47, Batman #194, Justice League of America #135, Secret Society of Super-Villains #12, #13, #14, #15, Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2, Justice League of America #166, #167, #168, Batman #308, #309, Detective Comics #498, #499, Wonder Woman #294, Crisis On Infinite Earths #5, #9 and #10.

Amanda Waller seems to have brought a few of these folks into Task Force X.

But, who was Amanda Waller?

Who else would be on the team?

Check back for more!

Forgotten Heroes Short Runs

Even more Forgotten Heroes!  This group of neglected 1960s heroes were mostly forgotten, until dusted off by Marv Wolfman as he got ready for the Crisis On Infinite Earths....


....and, like Dolphin, they didn't have too many appearances back in the day, but were gems in the making (well, some more than others...).

So, let's dig into more Silver Age characters of yesteryear....

Cave Carson

If you talk about digging, Cave Carson is your man.

Calvin "Cave" Carson started his spelunking in Brave and the Bold #31 (August-September, 1960 by France Herron and Bruno Premiani), being contacted to investigate the disappearances of a radio tower and some freight trains and find "The Secret Beneath The Earth".  Cave goes to investigate, while his friends, Bulldozer Smith and Christine Madison, finish work on Cave's Mighty Mole (a machine which would allow the team to tunnel underground).  Getting a message to his team via balloon, Christine and Bulldozer take the Mighty Mole underground to rescue Cave from the magnetic monster responsible for the chaos, starting a series of adventures inside Earth.

Cave and the crew of the Mighty Mole next find "The City 100 Miles Down" in Brave and the Bold #32 (October-November, 1960, by France Herron and Bernard Baily), finding a whole city and civilization beneath the Earth, planning to invade the surface world.  Cave uses the Mighty Mole to overheat their artificial sun, with Cave, Bulldozer and Christine being the only survivors.  The group next face "The Alien Robots From Inner Space" in Brave and the Bold #33 (December-January, 1960/1961 by France Herron and Bernard Baily), with Cave Carson, Bulldozer Smith and Christine Madison facing robots under the Earth, planning to conquer the Earth, whose plans are thwarted by the crew of the Mighty Mole....

...the group return, with Brave and the Bold #40 (February-March, 1962 by France Herron and Joe Kubert) to face the "Three Caverns of Doom", facing off against Zenod, an evil collector, bent on finding three magical crystals.  In Brave and the Bold #41 (April-May, 1962 by Jack Miller and Mort Meskin), Cave and crew stop alien thieves (with the help of authorities from their world, after being taken to their world, then returned) in "The Raiders From The Secret World".

Still digging for a permanent home, Cave and his Mighty Mole crew show up in Showcase #48 (January-February, 1964 by Bob Haney and Lee Elias), facing off against "Killers Of The Dead-End Maze" (a fellow named Emile Basto, a old foe of Cave's).  Cave and crew get new red uniforms in this issue, as well as getting a bit of the team's past (learning of Christine's past boyfriend, Johnny Blake, presumed lost while investigating a French cavern), and that Bulldozer has a pet lemur, named Lena, and that he had a history as an ex-con.  This story continues in part in Showcase #49 (March-April, 1964, by Bob Haney and Lee Elias), with the Mighty Mole team going to face a fire giant in South America, with Christine being kidnapped by it, and Cave and Bulldozer finding the missing Johnny Blake, Bulldozer finding an ancient sceptre which releases a fire bird, then rescuing Christine and Johnny while destroying the fire bird!

The team have one final adventure, in Showcase #52 (September-October, 1964 by Bob Haney and Lee Elias), as they nearly become "Prisoners Of The Lost World", while testing a saucer-shaped aircraft, they are taken to an underground city, where a scientist named Dr. Damion wants Cave to take over protection of the city from an energy creature, all while Johnny is turned to stone and the rest of the team faces the energy creature, with Cave defeating it, Bulldozer deciding to stay, and Johnny being restored as Cave and Christine leave the city (Bulldozer decides to leave with them as well).

The team had been fracturing, and when we next see Cave Carson, in Action Comics #536 (October, 1982, by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton), Cave has become a recluse, grown a beard, and doesn't want to use the Mighty Mole to help people (but Lois Lane and the Omega Men convince him to help Superman against the Mole).

Cave then shows up in Action Comics #545 (July, 1983), meeting with Rip Hunter and Dane Dorrance, and then in Action Comics #552 (February, 1984), wherein he explains a little of the break up of the Mighty Mole team, and prepares to help Superman and other heroes in a battle against Superman.      

Suicide Squad

The next recruit for the Forgotten Heroes comes from the government, specifically Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad.  The team of troubleshooters first recorded mission happened in "The Three Waves of Doom" in Brave and the Bold #25 (August-September, 1959, by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru), with Air Force Colonel Rick Flag leading space medicine specialist Karin Grace, and civilian scientists Jess Bright and Dr. Hugh Evans against a red wave of fire sweeping across the sea.  While the team stopped the red wave, they then unleashed a mutant creature, which they then lured to a space rocket, and left the mutant in space.  The team would have more menaces to fight (both inside and outside the team, as these heroes who had survived life threatening menaces alone came together again to defeat the odd....all before the Justice League of America had formed!).

Next up for the government team, was "The Sun Curse" in Brave and the Bold #26 (October-November, 1959 by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru), where the team returns to Earth and is shrunk to small size, and fights enemy agents to prevent an atomic attack (and to get home and returned to normal size!).  Then, when they get home, the team also faces the "Serpent in the Subway" as they take a quick vacation in Paris (also a story by Kanigher and Andru).  The team then faces "The Creature Of Ghost Lake" in Brave and the Bold #27 (December-January, 1959/1960, by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru), which came from experiments of a Professor Duane and his Formula X.

The team took a little hiatus, until Brave and the Bold #37 (August-September, 1961), with two adventures, first facing the "Raid of the Dinosaurs" (by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru), with Karin drawing pictures of dinosaurs destroying the Earth and the rest of the team working to stop it from really happening, and then Task Force X facing the "Threat Of The Giant Eye" (also by Kanigher and Andru), with the team fighting the giant cyclops, Polyphemus.  The team also faced two menaces in their next issue, Brave and the Bold #38 (October-November, 1961, both by Kanigher and Andru), first with the Suicide Squad facing a pterodactyl (and chasing it to find a hidden alien spaceship in a cloud above New York City) and defeating the aliens in the "Master Of The Dinosaurs", then facing the invading alien Mirage Master, and repelling his attack.

The last of the original Suicide Squad's death-defying adventures happen when the team finds themselves "Prisoners of The Dinosaur Zoo" in Brave and the Bold #39 (December-January, 1961/1962, both by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru), thinking they were transported back to the time of the dinosaurs (but really were on a spaceship that had been on Earth collecting specimens millions of years ago)...

...and then facing a "Rain of Fire", with a sculptor who uses a golden metal to turn people into statues.

 

Then the team wasn't seen again until their final mission, facing off against yetis to find a golden pyramid (a mission that did not go well for Karin, Jess or Hugh), as related in Action Comics #552 (February, 1984), which led to Rick joining the Forgotten Heroes for a time, and later in Secret Origins #14 (May, 1987)  and in Suicide Squad #50 (February, 1991)  (with the more familiar idea of Task Force X using super-villains as their forces, thanks to Amanda Waller; but more on that later....). 

Enchantress

June Moone started as a heroine back in Strange Adventures #187 (April, 1966) as "The Enchantress of Terror Castle" (by Bob Haney and Howard Purcell), changing after her boyfriend, importer Alan Dale, brought her to a costume party at Terror Castle...


...and June encountered the Dzamor, who told her to state the name, "Enchantress", which allowed June to become the supernatural super-heroine and defeat the evil of the castle (and then change back to June, to leave the party with Alan, who had no idea of the Enchantress' true identity...).

June returned in Strange Adventures #191 (August, 1966 by Bob Haney and Howard Purcell) pulling her switcheroo-witcheroo by becoming Enchantress and saving Alan Dale and the Earth from an underground monster that emerges from the Earth by tricking it to board a space probe into space, then while at a museum with Alan, June becomes the Enchantress to stop thieves from stealing "The Guardian Eye" in Strange Adventures #200 (May, 1967, by Bob Haney and Howard Purcell).  Sadly, even with all this attention, the Enchantress couldn't even get a full cover in her three original solo appearances!

Maybe it was the lack of attention that turned Enchantress evil, because she was evil when next she showed up, in Superman Family #204 (November-December, 1980 by Jack C. Harris and Win Mortimer), making "The Earthquake Enchantment" as she faced off against Supergirl.  The Enchantress still held a grudge against Supergirl, facing her again in Superman Family #205 (also by Harris and Mortimer), unleashing her "Magic Over Miami", where the Enchantress made Supergirl forget her dual nature as the Enchantress and June Moone.

After facing Supergirl, the Enchantress returned again, but this time with help.  The Enchantress wasn't a hero at the time the Forgotten Heroes were formed, so she instead changed her look a little, and formed her own "Triad Of Terror", with magic users Kraklow and Yggardis in DC Comics Presents #77 and #78 (January and February, 1985 by Marv Wolfman and Curt Swan), and along with Rip Hunter's foe, worked with Sea Devils' villain, Mr. Poseidon (formerly known as Mr. Neptune), Challengers of the Unknown foe ULTIVAC, the Faceless Hunter From Saturn and obscure Superman/Batman foe, the Atom-Master (and don't worry more info on the Forgotten Villains will not be forgotten to come soon...).

The Enchantress returned to her usual outfit, and worked with DC magic users like the Wizard in Crisis On Infinite Earths #12 (March, 1986, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and also featured many of the Forgotten Heroes, like Rip Hunter and Dolphin, along with Animal Man and more in space fighting Brainiac), and was soon after recruited by Amanda Waller to work for her Task Force X along side Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and Bronze Tiger during the Legends six issue mini-series of 1986 and 1987 (making her and Rick Flag teammates, after being on opposite sides before....).

Still have a few more Forgotten Heroes to cover, so don't forget to come back!