I was very skeptical about DC diving back into Deadshot's origin. It was superb as is and I couldn't help but wonder if they'd rehash it or take a risk and offer something new. They went for the latter (for the most part), but Kindt did a fantastic job creating a bleak and quite shocking story for the marksman. Furthermore, he's able to tie this issue into his upcoming work on SUICIDE SQUAD, and if this is a sample of how he's going to handle that title, consider me incredibly excited. Read Full Review

I'm also extremely excited to see where Kindt takes the Squad after this month and am glad to know that Ales Kot's (and Adam Glass's and even John Ostrander's before him) tenure are not wasted. I might have to go check out Mind MGMT back issues while I'm at it. Of course, because this issue actually matters and the fact that it's one of the few 3-D effects that works for everyone, no matter how much you oppose the effect, this one is definitely worth the extra dollar for the awesome cover. Go pick it up and continue reading the events of Suicide Squad by Kindt and company, which has been billed as a direct crossover with Forever Evil after Villains Month concludes. Read Full Review

Deadshot's origin is well told by Kindt and he is backed up by superb art in this Forever Evil tie-in. The subtle comparisons to Batman's well known origin are appreciated and I highly recommend Justice League of America #7.1: Deadshot to anyone looking at Villains Month as a time to try out new books & characters. Read Full Review

I wasn't sure what to think of “Villains Month” and although this book doesn't tie into the regular JLA book at all, it's still very well written and nicely drawn. I definitely give this one a thumbs up! Read Full Review

I don't know if I'm just biased with my love for Deadshot, but I thought this was a great story. The writing was superb, and I only hope that this will continue with Matt Kindt taking over Suicide Squad next month. One of the better issues I've read so far in Villain's Month because as small as it was, there was a purpose. Yeah we get a nice back story on Floyd but this will also lead nicely into the Forever Evil crossover next month. So go check it out, and know the bad ass that is Deadshot. Read Full Review

A bit of an exception to the rule here, this is a one-off story that is just fun to read, regardless of whether it ties into anything. Floyd Lawton has always been a compelling anti-hero, driven by a combination of family loyalty and money. Written best by Gail Simone mid last decade, Matt Kindt does a fine job in bringing a suitably tragic tale to the New 52. Read Full Review

Artistically, this issue is divvied up between Sami Basri and Keith Champagne in the present-day sequences and Carmen Carnero and Bit in the past. While it's nice to see Basri back in the New 52, this issue hardly meets the standard set on Voodoo. Both halves of the story have a somewhat rushed, empty quality to them, which isn't really surprising since none of these artists were originally scheduled for this issue. Read Full Review

The artwork is all around decent, but nothing too special. Nothing is poorly drawn, the layouts are good (I liked the use of walls as panel borders in some of the pages), and all the characters look fine. However, nothing really jumps out at you or is particularly memorable. Not bad, but could be better. 7.5 The writing is good all around.Solid enough origin.The artwork is decent.Not particularly exciting or memorable overall. Read Full Review

I would have loved something like this for the Bizarro issue. It's just a neatly packed together, well-told origin story for Deadshot. Kindt unpacks the story in a clever way, revealing the true identities of the two men the young Lawson killed later in the story. We don't know who they are in the moment of the shooting, but finding out the truth later makes it a clever little twist. The origin is good too, painting Deadshot as a consummate professional instead of some kind of psychotic murderer. He could be a great anti-hero, especially if the Suicide Squad really does go up against the Crime Syndicate. Kindt's Deadshot doesn't have the personality of Gail Simone's Deadshot, but he could be a very cool character. Read Full Review

The colorization by Matt Milla and Jeromy Cox is quite good with the script, as they essentially shows two eras with their respective palettes. The pages focusing on Floyd Lawton's youth show an abundance of grey, brown with other generally dull and cold colors, bringing in a somewhat ordinary and boring life, one that is certainly accentuated to negativism. All the same, the pages featuring him as Deadshot, feature quite a lot of warm colors, accentuating more on the violence and the rather ludicrous situation the character is in. It's a smart choice in terms of contrast and it serves the art and script quite well. The focus on the psychology of the character coupled with several new elements that play right around it manage to make this issue quite enjoyable despite the rapidity the story switch from one era to another and some of the small missteps in the art. Overall, it's not a bad start for Matt Kindt writing this character. Read Full Review

"Justice League of America" #7.1 works well as a preview for Kindt's taking over of "Suicide Squad" next month; not only does this lead directly into "Suicide Squad" #24, but it also gives me hope that the book will be in good hands. And for that alone, I'd say mission accomplished. Read Full Review

This issue may serve as a slight back peddle to some of the great work laid down by Johns. Who did waves to make this comic book seem more interesting than most of the other books being published by the house of Batman. Hopefully in subsequent issues Kindt will utilize to the character of Martian Manhunter to flesh out his tenure on the title. Read Full Review

This one-off I would only suggest to hardcore Deadshot fans who want to know more about his sordid past, though even then I'm not sure it's something worth going out to buy. It's something you'd pick up on a whim, read, bag, and think “well that was all kinds of OK!” Read Full Review

Sure, Justice League of America #7.1 is actually a one-shot story about some guy with the same name, but the new origin by Matt Kindt (whose work I normally enjoy) assures us once and for all that the guy we used to like under John Ostrander and Gail Simone's pen is gone for good, and in his place is a completely generic and painfully boring lump they're calling Deadshot. The basics are sort of the same " mercenary with really good aim. Read Full Review

Assuming everything is on the table here, this comic was pretty okay, not good.

Idiotic marketing aside, this is a serviceable issue by Kindt and Ferry? et al. The telling of the origin is more interesting than the story itself. A villain who has the superpower of gun goodness doesn't always translate to the page in a visually appealing way, but Kindt's blocking and Ferry's (and a long list of other competent artists') execution achieved greatness in that respect.

What's a bummer is that Deadshot's old origin was so complex and dramatic, it is hard to improve on it. In Ostrander, Yale, and McDonnell's Deadshot miniseries, Floyd was from an aristocratic family. He was alienated by his parents and community for accidentally killing his brother, then pitted against his abusive father by his mother. Within the series, his son is molested and murdered.

There is one hell of a beginning for a deranged and dissociated person. The kind of person who would be perfect as a hit-man. Kindt replaces all that with "I'm poor in Gotham and my whole family was murdered by bullets, so I'm going to kill people too."

It doesn't make any sense. Why would Floyd go to work for the guy who accidentally got his family killed? more