Next Level: One Shot #1 review

Deadshot, the greatest assassin in the DC Universe, is being chased across the rooftops of Chicago by masked assailants. Did I mention that Floyd Lawton is the greatest assassin in the DC Universe?

‘Flag’ is Rick Flag Jr, soldier, spy Deadshot’s old ‘pal’ in the Suicide Squad and devotee of yellow tee-shirts. He’d asked Deadshot to meet him outside Chicago, and Floyd was surprised to find the usually calm Squad field commander distinctly frazzled. Flag talked of a conspiracy, of people not acting like themselves, and Deadshot thought he’d had a breakdown until…

Flag claimed everything was connected to Cadmus, the cloning project which has caused all kinds of hassle for Superman down the years.

Like it or not, Deadshot has been dragged into Flag’s mess, he’s a target. Armed with a pad in which Flag has noted down people he believes the drones want to murder, and accompanying ‘kill windows’, Deadshot heads for Chicago. And that’s how he came to be chased by dog-like drones whose super-speedy aircraft he commandeers after shooting them through the head.

Inside the notebook Flag has left a computer doodad that reprograms Deadshot’s bionic aiming eye, though he doesn’t know what the result will be. The book sends Deadshot to Michigan, where one of the targets is slated for an attack.

Next Level: One Shot is, to use a technical term, great stuff as the killer-for-hire is thrust into the position of secret defender of heroes who would try to arrest him as soon as look at him. Writer Gerry Duggan’s script is structured with skill, the narration by Deadshot illustrating his character, from ego to pitch black humour. There’s also a nifty way of including what amounts to a DC Secret Files entry. The story structure is spot-on, with characters and plot points introduced organically and entertainingly. I’m also impressed by how seamlessly Duggan weaves in little bits of DCU lore, such as the Beast World nonsense of a couple of years ago. And the relationship between longtime uneasy teammates Floyd and Flag is excellently portrayed.

I’m hugely intrigued by Flag’s notebook. Which ghosts are the Doom Patrol chasing? Is that a Brainiac doodle by Superman’s name?

By the end of the issue I’m all in on the central mystery, which links to the next wave of DC Next Level books – Vixen, Doom Patrol, Teen Titans and the Demon… speaking of that Devil, I love this throwaway line.

The urban landscapes laid down by Fernando Blanco are spectacular, more so thanks to the gritty colours of Jordie Bellaire. The characters look equally fine, from Deadshot with his graceful approach to a kill, to an old enemy Floyd really hoped to avoid. The dog drones are seriously freaky, while the targets are distant cameos, their current status quos waiting to be revealed in their own books.

And look at those socks, that’s such nice character detail – from Gotham playboy to jobbing killer.

Blanco’s cover is a winner, too, with the realistic outline of the spotlight – not a perfect circle – nicely observed.

Buddy Beaudoin’s subtly jaunty letters are another boon for the book, perfect for Floyd’s cynical tone.

I wish the title Next Level: One Shot didn’t so aptly describe the comic`, because I’d love more issues from this creative team. As is, we have a double-length story kicking off, hopefully, a serial hopping from book to book that will keep up the superb quality of this first chapter.

And if you need any more reasons to buy this issue…