Even more documents liberated under the Freedom of Information Act...
Files 001-003 - Files 004-007
Subject: Penguin
Profile: Classic Batman villain
Powers: Criminal strategist/gimmick umbrellas.
Mission: To plan and take part in a mission to break a political prisoner, codename Firebird, out of Russia.
Chance of survival going in: Absolute. There's no way a seminal Batman villain (arguably one of the Big Three along with the Joker and Riddler) would ever be killed, especially not in a non-Batman title.
Retirement: RELEASED. The Penguin made it out of Russia alive, though the mission ended in failure, with the death of Codename Firebird and the capture of team member Nemesis. (Suicide Squad #7)
Final report: The Penguin would go back to Batman's books, bringing the Bat's attention to Task Force X in Suicide Squad #10 (oops!). He continues to feature heavily to this day (in fact, more than he ever did).
Subject: Slipknot
Profile: Lame Firestorm villain (pun not intended)
Powers: Rope specialist (cough).
Mission: To place the experimental bomb Baby Huey as close to the center of the Manhunter stronghold in the Louisiana swamps.
Chance of survival going in: Low. An extremely minor villain with a gimmick ill-matched to his principal foe. As the creative force behind Firestorm as well as Suicide Squad, Ostrander could do away with that title's villains without so much as an editorial peep. And to further compound matters, Slipknot had taken part in a previous mission (to apprehend a rogue Firestorm) and had betrayed his team.
Retirement: MAIMED. As a result of Captain Boomerang's manipulations, he tried to run with a standard issue explosive bracelet mid-mission, blowing his arm off. So Boomer knew his own was not a bluff. (Suicide Squad #9)
Final report: He survived despite being found by Duchess/Lashina in the swamp, and has appeared here and there, often in custody in the 2000s. Predictably, his arm was replaced with a bionic prosthesis, but not a very good one. He was recently killed by the Tattooed Man in Final Crisis: Ink.
Subject: Karin Grace
Profile: Suicide Squad support personnel
Powers: Medical doctor.
Mission: To place the experimental bomb Baby Huey as close to the center of the Manhunter stronghold in the Louisiana swamps.
Chance of survival going in: Good. While we might expect supervillains to be done in, the Suicide Squad's regular supporting players had an air of invulnerability about them. You expect to see them month to month, especially Flag's love interest, and at the same time, they don't seem "important" enough to be bothered with.
Retirement: DECEASED. Karin sacrifices herself to deliver a bomb inside the Manhunter compound to make up for betraying the Squad (and Flag) after she is manipulated by the Manhunters. (Suicide Squad #9)
Final report: Not surprisingly, Karin Grace never came back from the dead.
Subject: Privateer
Profile: Character is search of an identity.
Powers: Peak physical training/Manhunter expertise
Mission: To place the experimental bomb Baby Huey as close to the center of the Manhunter stronghold in the Louisiana swamps.
Chance of survival going in: Fair. Though at that point, nothing great had been done with Mark Shaw (either as Manhunter, Star-Tsar or Privateer), he was presented as a roguish hero figure. Heroes are notoriously better survivors than villains and a more precious commodity (well, they used to be, anyway).
Retirement: RELEASED/REFORMED. During the course of the mission, Mark Shaw not only survives, but alleviates everyone's fears that he might be a Manhunter agent. He leaves with a plan to revive his old, heroic Manhunter persona. (Suicide Squad #10)
Final report: Mark Shaw would go on to star in his own Manhunter series, which lasted 24 issues between 1988 and 1990. He is still secretly active (despite seeming to have died in the Eclipso series) and an ally of the current Manhunter, Kate Spencer.
Files 001-003 - Files 004-007
Subject: Penguin
Profile: Classic Batman villainPowers: Criminal strategist/gimmick umbrellas.
Mission: To plan and take part in a mission to break a political prisoner, codename Firebird, out of Russia.
Chance of survival going in: Absolute. There's no way a seminal Batman villain (arguably one of the Big Three along with the Joker and Riddler) would ever be killed, especially not in a non-Batman title.
Retirement: RELEASED. The Penguin made it out of Russia alive, though the mission ended in failure, with the death of Codename Firebird and the capture of team member Nemesis. (Suicide Squad #7)
Final report: The Penguin would go back to Batman's books, bringing the Bat's attention to Task Force X in Suicide Squad #10 (oops!). He continues to feature heavily to this day (in fact, more than he ever did).Subject: Slipknot
Profile: Lame Firestorm villain (pun not intended)Powers: Rope specialist (cough).
Mission: To place the experimental bomb Baby Huey as close to the center of the Manhunter stronghold in the Louisiana swamps.
Chance of survival going in: Low. An extremely minor villain with a gimmick ill-matched to his principal foe. As the creative force behind Firestorm as well as Suicide Squad, Ostrander could do away with that title's villains without so much as an editorial peep. And to further compound matters, Slipknot had taken part in a previous mission (to apprehend a rogue Firestorm) and had betrayed his team.
Retirement: MAIMED. As a result of Captain Boomerang's manipulations, he tried to run with a standard issue explosive bracelet mid-mission, blowing his arm off. So Boomer knew his own was not a bluff. (Suicide Squad #9)
Final report: He survived despite being found by Duchess/Lashina in the swamp, and has appeared here and there, often in custody in the 2000s. Predictably, his arm was replaced with a bionic prosthesis, but not a very good one. He was recently killed by the Tattooed Man in Final Crisis: Ink.Subject: Karin Grace
Profile: Suicide Squad support personnelPowers: Medical doctor.
Mission: To place the experimental bomb Baby Huey as close to the center of the Manhunter stronghold in the Louisiana swamps.
Chance of survival going in: Good. While we might expect supervillains to be done in, the Suicide Squad's regular supporting players had an air of invulnerability about them. You expect to see them month to month, especially Flag's love interest, and at the same time, they don't seem "important" enough to be bothered with.
Retirement: DECEASED. Karin sacrifices herself to deliver a bomb inside the Manhunter compound to make up for betraying the Squad (and Flag) after she is manipulated by the Manhunters. (Suicide Squad #9)
Final report: Not surprisingly, Karin Grace never came back from the dead.Subject: Privateer
Profile: Character is search of an identity.Powers: Peak physical training/Manhunter expertise
Mission: To place the experimental bomb Baby Huey as close to the center of the Manhunter stronghold in the Louisiana swamps.
Chance of survival going in: Fair. Though at that point, nothing great had been done with Mark Shaw (either as Manhunter, Star-Tsar or Privateer), he was presented as a roguish hero figure. Heroes are notoriously better survivors than villains and a more precious commodity (well, they used to be, anyway).
Retirement: RELEASED/REFORMED. During the course of the mission, Mark Shaw not only survives, but alleviates everyone's fears that he might be a Manhunter agent. He leaves with a plan to revive his old, heroic Manhunter persona. (Suicide Squad #10)
Final report: Mark Shaw would go on to star in his own Manhunter series, which lasted 24 issues between 1988 and 1990. He is still secretly active (despite seeming to have died in the Eclipso series) and an ally of the current Manhunter, Kate Spencer.
Comments
Roger
And I loved the Mark Shaw Manhunter book. Man, I've wanted an action figure of that for years.
I was a fan of Manhunter too.
Roger
Not seen in Blackest Night, unless somebody spotted him...?
Mark Shaw was a great character and I liked his series.
Personaly I would like to see him on the active again. And I think he would still fit wonderfully in the squad.
I put a link to this on my Task Force X Facebook page.
Keep up the great work and keep the Squad alive!