Batman - Assault On Arkham

This is definitely not one for the children. Sex, violence and bad language are sprinkled throughout this tale of the Suicide Squad. Batman is in the story but he is a minor character. Deadshot is the real protagonist here and it's great to see his story arc. I only wish Catman could have been included liie he is in the comics. Batman does show up often to battle each of the villains and we really get a sense why the Dark Knight is so feared in the criminal underworld. He's better than all of them. He is faster and smarter and in many ways more ruthless and even together, the Suicide Squad has a big problem when Batman shows up at Arkham.



I love that they included Harley Quinn and she is as sexy and dangerous as you would hope she would be. She alone would be reason to do a weekly Suicide Squad cartoon. You could move villains in and out with a few regulars like Deadshot and Harley showing up every week.

I like the relationship they have - something else that's new for an animated superhero feature. I appreciated that the story wasn't sanitized for a younger audience. The more adult themes seem to be dominating DC's animated universe these days. I don't have any problem with that. There is plenty of great cartoons for kids. This one pushes the boundaries for what you normally would expect from a comic book cartoon.

The mix of characters is interesting as is the tale of redemption that runs throughout. The whole concept of the Suicide Squad is a great one. Villains get the chance for a reduced sentence if they go on a no-win  mission for the government. Amanda Wahler, the government's chief spook, runs the whole operation and has no problem with activating the bomb planted in the skulls of the members of her team. Pop goes the weasel so to say. Always having that threat over ones head makes for some interesting decisions being made by our 'heroes'. I thought the whole world was intelligently handled.

 

I really enjoyed this one even more than I liked Flashpoint and Son Of Batman. I don't even want to know what the next animated feature will be. I want to be surprised. Unless of course it's Kingdom Come, then I want that news brought to me immediately.