To capitalize on the increased profile of the Suicide Squad following the release of the team’s summer blockbuster film, DC Comics has been putting out the Suicide Squad: Most Wanted miniseries spotlighting various members of the villainous group. El Diablo is the connective tissue between issues, appearing in the miniseries-long story by writer Jai Nitz, artist Cliff Richards, and colorist Hi-Fi, making the fiery ex-con the target of both the global peacekeeping organization Checkmate and Amanda Waller’s newest Suicide Squad.
Nitz, who created this current version of El Diablo a decade ago, has crafted a plot that delves deep into Chato Santana’s character and the legacy of the El Diablo name, and Richards has pushed himself to explore more unconventional layouts in his artwork, finding exciting ways to visually depict Nitz’s script. Each issue of Suicide Squad: Most Wanted splits its page count between El Diablo and another member of the Squad, with the first four issues spotlighting Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc for two chapters each. The miniseries wraps up with a focus on Amanda Waller, and this preview of this week’s issue #5 gives readers their first look at writer Vita Ayala, artist Matt Merhoff, and colorist Beth Sotelo’s take on the team’s hard-as-nails leader.
This marks the first time a black woman has written The Wall, and Ayala has a great handle on the intimidating intensity of the character, which is reflected in Merhoff and Sotelo’s evocative artwork. The full-body shot of Waller on the first page has the character back in her original plus-sized frame, and the title splash page presents a frightening vision of the woman as she prepares to do the tough work no one else is willing to do. The characters in this miniseries were underserved by the Suicide Squad movie, so fans that want to learn more about these characters should seek out Most Wanted to get a better idea of who these people are and how they fit into the DC Universe.