It's been a decade or more since Deadshot was in the spotlight, but I have to assume that his small role in Identity Crisis has prompted DC to trot out a new story. The storytelling here is solid. Gage builds upon what came before in Suicide Squad and the previous Deadshot limited series, but he maintains an accessible tone for new readers. The opening scene featuring super-villains at work is an entertaining one, full of personality, but the main premise that unfolds later in the book is rather cliched. I've sampled Steven Cummings's work on fill-in issues of DC and Marvel titles, and while those efforts were capable, he shows real growth and skill here. I also like the new design for the title character... save for one element.
After successfully carrying out another hit along with three super-villain colleagues, Floyd Lawton, AKA the expert marksman and assassin Deadshot, learns that his estranged parents died months ago. He's been bequeathed some family papers, and in them, he discovers a surprising secret about his past. He has a daughter he knew nothing about, and he tries to ensure her life is an easier one with a pile of cash. Her mother isn't so receptive, though, so Deadshot tries to achieve the same goal with the only other currency he deals in: bullets.
OK, I like the new tunic, the new mask... there's a more plausible look to the character here. I do have a problem with the trenchcoat. I get the idea... it's meant to hide his weapons from the world, to enable him to keep from drawing attention to himself. But someone who wears a shiny metal mask with a laser scope on it isn't exactly trying to keep a low profile. It's a minor gripe, but it's so clear that trenchcoats are used in characters designs simply to make them look cool.
Otherwise, Cummings's work here is solid, improved over what we've seen not long ago in Elektra and The Flash. The softer quality in his style remains, but here, it helps to humanize some extreme characters, such as Lawton and Killer Frost. There's more polish and a tiny bit more edge to be found in the line art this time around, though, and I suspect Cummings's work has benefitted from working with veteran inker Jimmy Palmiotti. I love the background detail throughout the book, and the redesigned Rocket Red armor is appropriately inhuman and intimidating.
Gage's look "behind the music" of villainy is quite effective, surprisingly accessible and quite entertaining. Despite the grisly nature of their work and the violence they unleash on others, he portrays the villains as regular people, men and women who are just doing a job. Gage wisely acknowledges that villains don't see themselves evil, and he approaches them as regular folks in irregular circumstances.
Where this story goes south is in the predictable development of a bad guy's attempt to do some good for someone he cares about, using his nasty methods. The appearance of a new child in the title character's life as he laments the loss of his first is just too convenient. The first half of the book boasts a natural pace to it, but the latter half is artifically accelerated in order to get the story going. The premise is a bit forced, but there are still several more issues for Gage to set this apart from typical gun-toting vigilante fare. 6/10
