Reading order
Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suicide Squad, Volume 1: Kicked in the Teeth | 2012 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 2 | Suicide Squad, Volume 2: Basilisk Rising | 2013 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 3 | Suicide Squad, Volume 3: Death is for Suckers | 2013 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 4 | Suicide Squad, Volume 5 | 2014 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
The 2011 Suicide Squad series launched as part of DC Comics’ New 52 initiative, which rebooted the publisher’s entire superhero line. The series follows Task Force X, a covert government programme that sends imprisoned supervillains on dangerous missions in exchange for reduced sentences. Amanda Waller and Rick Flag manage the team, which includes Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and other rotating roster members.
The four collected volumes cover the run from the series’ launch through to its conclusion. Volume one, Kicked in the Teeth, introduces the new team and its dynamic, establishing the high casualty rate that characterises the book. Basilisk Rising and Death is for Suckers develop the antagonist organisation that becomes the central threat across the series’ middle act. The fifth volume collects later issues that round out the run’s conclusion.
The series is collected separately from the later Rebirth-era Suicide Squad run, which Dan Abnett wrote beginning in 2016. Readers interested in the New 52 version should read these four volumes in order, as the storyline builds on itself across the collected editions.