In this review of War For Earth-3, get a glimpse into the trippy, dysfunctional, and downright weird conflict between the Crime Syndicate and the Suicide Squad!
We pick up War For Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate basically, evil versions of the Justice League, bickering among each other in space. Ultraman and Power Ring (The evil versions of Superman and Green Lantern) quickly spot Amanda Waller in Metropolis. She and her interdimensional Suicide Squad tell the Syndicate that they’re taking over Ultraman’s city for their own.
Just when it looks like Ultraman might respond to Waller calling him out, the narcissistic Kryptonian sees Superwoman and Owlman sleeping in the Owlcave. In a fit of rage, Ultraman orders Power Ring to take care of the problem, while he sorts things out. Unfortunately for the Power Ring, he’s taken out rather easily by the Suicide Squad. To add to things, Ultraman, Owlman, and Power Woman are too busy bickering like children about Owlman’s affair with Superwoman to try to counter the serious threat to their home dimension. I for one, think it’s amazing.
To prove that he’s not completely worthless to the Syndicate, Owlman decides to step up to the plate to get rid of the Suicide Squad. Once again, the Squad is able to disable him as well pretty easily. Leaving Ultraman and Power Woman to figure out what to do in this mess.
Meanwhile, Rick Flag, who has recently gone rogue from Waller, leads a team of former Suicide Squad members against an alternate version of Clayface. The group struggles to do any damage to the hulking beast until Rodriguez injects herself with some kind of vial that turns her into a clay monster of her own, calming down Clayface. This scene seems a bit random. It’s not like it’s bad or anything and Ambush Bug’s commentary is pretty entertaining even if it feels too reminiscent of a certain Merc with a Mouth.
Back in Metropolis, Ultraman and Superwoman are finally forced to confront Waller themselves. While Superwoman is busy fending off Bizarro, Waller convinces Ultraman to join forces with her as long as she and the Suicide Squad get rid of any of the annoyances the evil Kryptonian has had to put up with at the Crime Syndicate.
The issue ends with Rick Flag and co. going through a portal to confront Waller in Metropolis. Waller is already ready for him though, as she’s flanked by Ultraman, Black Lantern, Bizarro, Talon, and Power Ring.
This issue ended up being much more comedic than I thought. For a story called “War on Earth-3”, the war itself is treated as business as usual for the now dimension-hopping Suicide Squad. I still had a good laugh out of it though, especially with the Earth-3 counterparts of the Justice League. Seeing Power Ring’s lantern ring mock him for his cockiness was pretty funny. Owlman having an affair with Superwoman but seen being cowardly to Ultraman sounds exactly the opposite that the normally intimidating and reserved caped crusader would do in his downtime.
That being said, if you’re looking for something with a little more action, I’d recommend checking out other titles in DC’s catalog. This issue does a good job of establishing Waller’s willingness to go to any lengths to carve out her own stake into Earth-3. But if you were expecting something more dramatic, the title can be a little misleading in that regard. This issue was still plenty of fun in its own right and I recommend you check it out if you’re interested.
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