Zack Smith writes, “With the film of SUICIDE SQUAD out Friday [ed: alas, it looks like a turkey], you might enjoy this oral history I did of the 1980s series with writer John Ostrander and most of the artistic and editorial team from throughout the book’s run. Along with some fun surprises, it includes some never-before-seen script and original art pages from the creators’ personal collections.”
Kesel: In the moment Deadshot shoots the Senator, he is the story’s hero and villain – something I’ve never seen in comics before or since. I’m very proud to have been a small part of that.But.
That storyline was in John’s original outline for the Squad – and in that outline Deadshot died in the hail of bullets following the Senator’s death. And I still think he should have died.
Yes, that would have deprived us of a great character, but it’s the one time I saw John’s fondness for a character soften what he did to the character. On one hand, yeah – I’m glad Deadshot is still around. John made him into a great character! But – that would have a been such a great death.
Greenberger: Killing Deadshot would have been a ballsy move, but the Bat-office liked what we were doing with him, and felt there was a place for him down the road. Additionally, we were free to do the miniseries, and killing him didn’t fit those plans.
The Oral History Of DC’s SUICIDE SQUAD
[Zack Smith/Newsarama]