LIFE'S A GAMBLE WHEN YOU'RE IN THE SUICIDE SQUAD

Lets face it, life's a gamble. One minute you could be in a high paying job with a wonderful wife, a couple of healthy kids, and a house to die for. Then the next minute -- BANG! -- you could be lying in the gutter, wondering where it all went wrong. The trick with this though, is to try to figure out what went wrong in between. What made you plunge from a high paying gig to a low lying slumber? Then, once you've figured that out, avoid, avoid, avoid.





Quite some time ago I came across a comic book in my local comic shop that strangely caught my eye. 'What's that?' I said to myself, 'Why is Superman, Batman, and Aquaman, standing over the Atom on the cover of this funky sounding Suicide Squad book?'. So, with my interest duly aroused, I quickly picked up this book, and promptly bought it before taking it home to read. And yes, I did read it. Eventually that is. And once I did -- Ka-Boom! -- my life changed forever. My comic book life, of course.

I would regularly rush to my local comic shop and try to continue collecting this Suicidal book from where I started from -- issue 59, cover dated November 1991 -- whilst at the same time delving straight into the back issue bins, and picking up everything else to do with it.

'And what did I discover?' you may ask. I discovered one hell of an amazing book which was saturated with homicidal heroes, ambiguous villains, troublesome terrorists, double-crossing bureaucrats, political intrigue, plus a publication history that dated back to 1959, until it was revitalized again in the mid eighties during the Legends miniseries. More specifically, however, is that this revitalized book had a revitalized roster comprising the likes of Rick Flag (Man of honor), Bronze Tiger (Dutiful second-in-command), Captain Boomerang (Aussie idiot), Deadshot (Silent Assassin), and Nightshade (Bi-Polar Enchantress), led by an overweight master manipulator called Amanda Waller, and housed in a Louisianan prison called Belle Reve.

OK. I know what you're now thinking to yourself. You're thinking what does me going bonkers over the Suicide Squad comic book have to do with people's lives being a gamble! Well, my friend, my answer to this question starts off when this series I loved so much was cancelled in 1992. At the time I was really annoyed that one of my favorite comics took a nose dive, and wanted to know if and when DC would bring it back again. And yes, they did bring it back, three more times over the subsequent years. First in 2001. Then in 2007. And now the current incarnation, back in 2011 / 2014. During this time, however, I found that each of these incarnations had their own ups and downs. Sometimes the creative team assigned to the book didn't seem to know what they wanted to do with it. Whereas at other times the comic book and the climate never seemed to mix.

Then last year something strange happened. Something so strange that it reminded me of what I once felt when I first picked up this book in 1991. DC Comics took a gamble, resulting in The Suicide Squad getting their own movie in 2016. Joel Kinnaman is going to play Rick Flagg. Will Smith is going to play Deadshot. Margot Robbie is going to play Harley Quinn. Cara Delevingne is going to play The Enchantress. Jai Courtney is going to play Captain Boomerang. And Viola Davis is going to play Amanda Waller.

Yes: I know that this news isn't new. And yes: I know that this isn't the original Suicide Squad line-up either. It's a line up that comprises some of the roster from the 80s, the noughties, plus a couple of others thrown in for good effect. But then again, that's my point, isn't it? What goes up, must come down! And sometimes, what goes down, must come up! As seen in the case of the Suicide Squad: A team that was born in 1952, and then revitalized in 1985, 2001, 2007, and 2011 respectively.

Now you remember what I said at the start of this piece, about figuring out what went wrong in between? Well, that's what I want to do right here, right now. With some help from the grand odd's maker himself, Mr Green, I'm now going to predict what should happen in the 2016 Suicide Squad film. So are we ready? Then let's begin.

Even Odds -- Someone will Die.

OK. I know that sounds kind of obvious for a film with the word 'suicide' in the title. But I bet you anything that one of the lesser known cast members will bite the bullet! Preferably Slipknot, played by Adam Beach, who died in the comic books anyway.

2 to 1 -- The Batman Cameo Seen In The New Suicide Squad Film, Will Lead Onto A Suicide Squad Cameo Seen In The Next Batman Film.

Now you have to remember that four of the principle characters have some strong ties with the Batman mythos, especially Killer Croc, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and the Joker, played by Jared Leto. Plus let's not forget that Margot Robbie is a pretty hot actress at the moment (Harley Quinn), and it has been rumored that Will Smith will be in the next Batman project too (Deadshot).

4 to 1 -- A Love Triangle Between The Joker, Harley Quinn, And Deadshot.

Another of the rumors that's circulated around this movie is that these three characters will get it on, one way or another. And hey, who can blame them? Floyd and Harley did the nasty at the start of the last Suicide Squad series! And as for Harley and Mister J? Ouch! Not worth thinking about.

9 to 1 -- Look Out, A Traitors About!

In a press release leaked via comicbook.com, the synopsis for this film states, 'It feels good to be bad. Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?'. So what does that say to you? Yes. Their is a traitor in their midst. My money is on El Diablo, played by Jay Hernandez, because he was one in the comic too.

35 to 1 -- Will Their Be A New God In The Squad?

Years ago, the Suicide Squad invaded Apocalypse and accidentally brought back with them a New God called Lashina. Granted, at the time they didn't know they actually did this, plus it did take quite a bit of time for them to figure out what was going on. But hey! Stranger things have happened. And lets not forget that if the Squad does get the chance of crossing over with a certain Justice themed movie, that movie also has rumors circulating about New Gods, Apocalypse, and God knows what else.

100 to 1 -- Is The Jared Leto Version Of The Joker Actually Jason Todd, AKA The Red Hood, And At One Time Robin The Boy Wonder?

No. I don't care what anybody says, the defaced Robin uniform seen in the Superman Vs Batman trailer, doesn't imply that Jay and the Joker are one and the same person. It's like me saying, Wonder Woman's lasso seen in the Superman Vs Batman trailer, implies that she's very good at skipping rope, also implying that she is Slipknot seen in the Suicide Squad movie. Case closed.

So what do you think about my predictions? Do you think their a lot of cack? Or may I have a point somewhere, somehow? Well, whatever you think, drop me a line and spill your beans, not your guts.