While many of Future State's possible glimpses into the DC Universe's coming timelines have largely hinted at darker things to come for the iconic heroes, it appears the final week of the publishing initiative's inaugural month saved the most violent for last. Future State: Suicide Squad #1 features a pair of stories focused on the more villainous characters of the DCU, both with the eponymous ensemble and a tale even farther into the future starring fan-favorite antihero Black Adam. And both stories mesh quite well reminding readers that sometimes it's good to be bad and paint with the extensive darker colors that the DCU can provide without coming off as unsavory.

The main story, by Robbie Thompson and Javier Fernandez, brings together the latest iteration of Task Force X. With Amanda Waller still in complete control of her lethal lineup, now with Superboy as the team's field commander, the new Suicide Squad is designed to resemble the classic Justice League as the government-monitored team saves the day in their own brutal way. A back-up story by Jeremy Adams and Fernando Pasarin takes place in the 853rd century, the native timeline of DC One Million and the Justice Legion Alpha. In this far-future setting, the activities and whereabouts of Black Adam are revealed as a new Khandaq is menaced by a new threat, putting the antihero back in explosive action.

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Both writers know the extensive casts of their respective stories, with Thompson especially having a strong handle on Amanda Waller and Conner Kent while Adams deftly captures the sense of regality inherent to Black Adam. Thompson's story hits the ground running, showing his team in action before gradually pulling back the curtain to reveal his hand and the full scope of the story being told. By direct contrast, Adams' story takes a bit of its time to immerse readers in the admittedly strange 853rd century before having his electrifying protagonist gradually go back to what he's best known for. The worlds of DC One Million always took a bit of getting used to but once the story settles into its far-future setting the fun really picks up.

Fernandez, working with colorist Alex Sinclair, presents all the usual trappings of a typical superhero story with a sinister edge that quickly builds as the story progresses. The action sequences are big and bombastic but with a decided edge as the true nature and identities of this Suicide Squad come to the surface, with the art team employing the use of shadow and light to convey that sense of menace and dread. Pasarin, with inker Oclair Albert and colorist Jeremy Cox, delivers the psychedelic visuals of the 853rd century to great effect, with Cox's color palette really playing up the mind-bending nature of this far-future while Pasarin's linework remains as clean as ever.

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From the subversion of common superhero tropes in the main story to pushing Future State even further ahead of the main DCU, Future State: Suicide Squad #1 is one of the stronger issues released among an already impressive line of titles. Going a bit more violent and darker than many of its immediate counterparts, the creative teams maintain the balance of crafting a harder-edged tale without going too far with its subject matter. And with the sense that both creative teams are only just getting started, this Future State miniseries looks like it's in excellent hands.

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