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. Fingers crossed clever editors Kathleen Wisneski and Paul Kaminski have something planned.
And if you need any more reasons to buy this issue…
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I liked this more than I thought I would. Even with an overused clone/drone/imposter plot. There are enough little DCU elements that are being used in creative ways that I want to see where it goes. I wish we had some kind of idea where the story will be picked up and how Deadshot will fit into that story, but I can wait patiently.
I tried to decipher the journal pages that Deadshot was reading. Man! Rick Flag’s penmanship sucks! Having said that, here’s my best guess…
I can’t read the first page at all (the one with Superman and brainiac symbol)
Second page
Fourth page
The more human the DNA – the more stable especially the blah blah
Make of all that what you will.
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Thanks for having a crack at the notes, Murray, how intriguing.
I expect the Deadshot plot will be picked up in the various new series upcoming.
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This was not on my radar at all but you’ve got me interested, Martin. What an odd project, though. Is Gerry Duggan on any other DC titles right now? And it’s hyping up a bunch of books that probably have no business being tied into any event given they are the “artsy” series as opposed to the ongoing mainstream DC books leading into Absolute Crisis. Maybe Duggan is writing a new Suicide Squad series? If so that’s def been kept under wraps. – Brian
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I’d love to see that Suicide Squad series, fingers crossed.
Hope you enjoy this comic, Brian!
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Howzabout a Suicide Squad where they are all terminal and do missions for access to super science or magic as a cure in way of eventual reward.
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Poor Project Cadmus. Do you remember the days when it was a government division that was protected by the Guardian, the Newsboy Legion, and Superboy? The Haries were zooming around, Habitat was above, and DNAliens like Angry Charlie were roaming the halls – chomping down antique furniture.
Considering most readers probably can’t track where it is now, it makes sense that it would have been traded like a baseball card. And my guess that with all signs pointing to Darkseid, Mokkari & Simyan are somehow involved with this iteration. I wonder what other Kirby creations will return…
Eyeless Superman is creepy. But not as creepy as the armored trunks.
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Armored trunks, eek.
And once again I have guilt about not having read that big old Fourth World Omnibus upstairs… and I was there at the start too, reading Jimmy Olsen and wondering who the heck Don Rickles was.
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Kirby’s Jimmy series has to tie Forever People for worst 4th World book. Not that I liked any of it. Having read it after Conway’s better scripted take, I loved it more because I always much preferred Don Newton’s art to Kirby’s.
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It’s been a while since I read it. I think one of thing I found is that you have to read Fourth World for the grand ideas. The dialog is stilted at best, even by ’70s standards. And the plots meander from issue to issue. So often it feels like the DC Challenge, except Kirby is the one who has to resolve the cliffhanger he left for himself each issue.
But oh, man – the ideas! The worldbuilding. The characters. The mythology. That is all so amazing. Each issue is crackling with so much potential. It’s batshit crazy at points, but who cares? It’s fun!
I can’t help you with Don Rickles.
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I also forgot to say “Thank you!” to the creative team for putting Deadshot back in his classic Marshall Rodgers costume. The various attempts to “update” it over the years have never worked.
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You know, I’d forgotten about all the less-than-great tweaked versions, it was just good to see the classic.
Mind, I wouldn’t be at all against one adventure with him back im the Mandrake the Magician suit and top hat…
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