Task Force Z introduces haunting versions of the Bat Family and Batman's rogues gallery.
In a preview for Task Force Z #7 written by Matthew Rosenberg with art from Eddy Barrows, Red Hood/Jason Todd is seen fighting numerous Gotham City villains -- such as the Joker, Riddler and Penguin -- and seemingly kills them all. Nightwing and Batwoman confront Jason over this violence, before he turns to see that all the villains and the two heroes have turned into zombies, surrounding him. There are a few indicators that this is a dream sequence though.
It is unclear when exactly during the DC Comics timeline that Task Force Z takes place, but a few elements from the panels are not how they appear in other titles. For instance, Ra's al Ghul has not been sporting his classic villain look since he appeared as a wise, bearded mentor to Damian Wayne in Robin (and that was long before Ra's was murdered by a Deathstroke imposter during the "Shadow War" event). Ra's is not the only one looking different though, being that Jason is seen in his older outfit from The New 52 era of DC, reverting to using guns after he swore to never use them again in Batman: Urban Legends.
A clear indicator that this is a dream sequence though is how rapidly Jason changes costumes again. Once Nightwing and Batwoman appear, his Red Hood attire turns into his old Robin suit, which is quite snug on the hero and seems to still be fitted for a young child. Of course, Jason has made a fast wardrobe change from Red Hood to Robin in comics before, specifically when he hid a whole Robin suit under his clothing before fighting Tim Drake in Teen Titans #29 from 2005.
In Task Force Z, Jason leads a team other than those seen in Red Hood and the Outlaws, consisting of zombified villains instead of heroes like Arsenal, Starfire or Bizarro. The series forces dead villains to go on missions in exchange for more Lazarus Resin, a substance that reanimates them and keeps them alive. Task Force Z #7 will release alongside Suicide Squad #15, which ends the Suicide Squad run that began in March 2021. After that, Task Force Z will be the main Suicide Squad-like team with an ongoing series from DC as of writing.
The preview and solicitation for Task Force Z #7 can be found below.
TASK FORCE Z #7
- Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG
- Art and cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
- Variant cover by LUCIO PARRILLO
- 1:25 variant cover by DAN SCHOENING
- $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
- ON SALE 5/3/22
- Solomon Grundy. Victor Zsasz. Madame Crow. Copperhead. No, these are not this year's nominees for sexiest maniac alive…they are the new recruits for Task Force Z! What does this mean for Red Hood and Bane? Will Mr. Bloom's Lazarus Resin heist spell certain doom for the Resurrection Twins? How many rhetorical questions can I possibly squeeze into one paragraph's worth of copy? 1) A lot. 2) Yes. 3) Three.
Task Force Z #7 is written by Rosenberg with interior and cover art by Barrows, inks by Eber Ferreira and colors by Adriano Lucas. Variant covers for the issue were made by Dan Schoening and Lucio Parrillo. The book goes on sale May 3 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics