Thread by @GailSimone

Okay, so, due to popular request by me and my dog, I am going to do a breakdown of thoughts about SUICIDE SQUAD trailer right now in this thread of joy and wonder.

SERIOUSLY go watch it first and MUTE THIS THREAD if you are avoiding spoilers, okay?
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Just one last time. MUTE THIS THREAD if you want to go in with as few spoilers as possible, okay?

Last warning, it's the unexpurgated version after this.

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Comic fans might know a lot of this already. So just skip that stuff, supernerds!

Suicide Squad was a highly influential bad-guys-doing-espionage comic, written by the great John Ostrander, and drawn mostly by the awesome Tom Grummett. That started it all.
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It was gritty and grimy and violent and dark and funny, and it posited a relatively rare idea in comics...what if super villains were human beings, with good sides and dark sides?

Missions tended to end in, at best, qualified victories.

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My favorite thing in this trailer is, John Ostrander is all over it, he even does a cameo. And this makes me very, very happy.

To me, it feels like a @jamesgunn movie, with all the great stuff that entails, from a mix of Ostrander, my Secret Six, and Adam Glass's SS run.

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And spoiler alert, I love it, I almost screamed in a couple spots. I cannot WAIT for this movie.

Okay, shot for shot...let's GO!

First, it looks like this story takes place in Corto Maltese, a common DC fake location. This feels VERY like the comic.

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Also, I could be totally wrong about what comics influenced the movie, that was just the feel I got.

First character note...I did not expect Peacemaker to steal so much of the trailer. John Cena is hilariously deadpan as one of the oddest DC Heroes. Look how accurate it is!

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Interesting side note...Peacemaker is not originally a DC character. He was created for a printing company called Charloton that only printed comics because it was less expensive than turning the printers off. He and several other charters were bought by DC later.
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The story for WATCHMEN was originally intended to use those characters. Instead, similar characters were created for the series. The Comedian’s role was originally for Peacemaker.

And yes, his outfit is weird.

I love these oddball Charleston characters, so this is awesome.
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Idris Alba is playing a cool Superman villain called Bloodsport. I’m not sure if he’s the closest thing available to Will Smith’s Deadshot character, but he’s an interesting, tortured character in his own right and looks fantastic. So far, awesome.

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Next, huge apologies, but my brain had a fart.

It was LUKE McDONNELL who drew most of the first run of Ostrander’s Suicide Squad. My mistake, sorry, everyone.

Luke’s work was a huge influence on darker team books, too!

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Next is Viola Davis as the Wall, Amanda Waller. It's hard to overstate how groundbreaking this character was. Killers and heroes alike were terrified of her ruthlessness and steel. She's essential to the Squad, she's the threat that keeps them in line.

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Okay, this first scene with Harley is perfect @jamesgunn
scripting. It starts grim, and then deliberately deflates all the seriousness in a hilarious, yet true-to-character way. It also establishes that this team works together for each other from the start. Perfection.
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Here's where we get to some stuff that made me squee.
First, this is Michael Rooker as Savant, a character I created for my first story in BIRDS OF PREY.
I was so ridiculously thrilled to see him in this trailer.

He was designed by the great Ed Benes!

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I mean, look at this from page to screen. Astonishing.

Savant was supposed to die at the end of my first bop arc. But DC got a ton of response, people liked him, and DC had me rewrite it so he lived. I am betting he dies before leaving Belle Reve. :)
But I love him!

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One interesting fact is, in the comics, he has a huge Russian sidekick named Creote, who is secretly in love with him.

After many trials against the Birds of Prey, the two actually become a couple and live happily ever after.

At the time, this was a big deal!

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To have a gay couple that didn’t end in tragedy was considered a bit daring in mainstream superhero comics at the time, and I recall some were worried about backlash. To DC’s credit, they went ahead, and as usual, the backlash was meaningless. Fans asked for more of them!

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This scene with Savant getting the chip in the head is lovely, because the Doctor doing the cruel implant is none other than John Ostrander himself, creator of the Suicide Squad.

But also, this is possibly my one little sad niggle...

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If memory serves, before the chip implants, the Squad wore a band on one bicep. If they messed up, Waller would blow their arm off.

I just always thought that was scary, not because of the amputation, but because you survived, you still did her bidding. That was creepy.

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Skipping ahead, we get to King Shark, whom I love. He was created by the great @karlekesel and Tom Grummett, I believe as a foil for Superboy. I loved him.

But I got to use him in SECRET SIX, and I think most of the versions you see now can be traced back to that.

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Stallone playing King Shark is such a stroke of genius I can't even stand it. GLEE.

Also, the 'HAND" joke is so perfectly concise, it's just a marvel. We're all going to be saying that for a long time.

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Also, can we talk about how PERFECT the music is for this trailer?

@JamesGunn may like the Pina Colada song, but this is a perfect choice.

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Jeez, some of these characters are so obscure even I don't recognize them.

:)

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Everyone's talking about Peacemaker and King Shark, but this next line is my favorite in the entire trailer.

Bloodsport says, 'We're all gonna die."

And Polka Dot Man, sadly, replies, "I hope so."

Damn, James! That is BALLS ON.

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John Ostrander was and is such a hero and influence to me. I LOVE that this movie has him so much in its bones.

At one point, I got to bring him in to do a Secret Six/Suicide Squad teamup, and it was so surreal. He was professional, hilarious, and just a perfect hero.

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I feel him in this trailer.

That's the best part.

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Followed by lovely, on-point moments of dialog for Harley, Rick, and Peacemaker.

Also, Peacemaker describes his favorite Spring Break activity...

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Some great action sequences.

I love that Harley feels right in this.

Always dangerous. Never predictable.

I hate her as a quip machine, she should be a heart full of cotton candy and razor blades.

And she's SMART.

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One of the great things about a Thunderbolts, or Secret Six, or Suicide Squad is, you get to add all the humanity you want. The villains can be more human than the heroes, often.

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When I wanted to have Batman kiss Barbara Gordon on the forehead as she lay injured and unconscious in a hospital bed, they had to have actual editorial meetings to see if that was allowed.

With the Secret Six or the Squad, we had much more room to show the heart.
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No big deal, just King Shark munching on a skull while wearing jams.

I am so glad to see this. He's gonna steal half the movie.

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And this is where it became clear that this is going to be the best film of all time.

STARRO THE CONQUEROR.

No joke, he is my all-time favorite DC villain.

@jamesgunn, THANK YOU GOOD SIR.

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No kidding, that is where I screamed out loud in joy.

STARRO.

He's ridiculous. And he scared the HELL out of me when I was a kid.

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Perfectly wonderfully filthy final line from Harley and I'm calling it. It's my favorite superhero trailer ever.

Waiting for this movie is going to be AGONY.

@JamesGunn, seriously, thank you for bringing your gifts to this weird sub-genre of villain team comics!

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And thank you to John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell!

That's it, good night, everyone!

Oh, and PS. Thanks for being cool with me doing this, @JamesGunn!

Ps. Dammit, I got auto-corrected BOTH TIMES I spelled ‘Charlton!’

Dang!