Deadshot

In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.

A hero is defined by their villains, and the world of superhero comic books is filled with some of the scariest and silliest bad guys around. Rogues’ Gallery aims to settle the score and determine who is the true arch-nemesis for some of favorite superheroes, and we need your help to do it! However, this week we're stepping out of the usual status quo to talk about villains in a different context; that being the team of villains coerced into heroic acts by the United States government --- The Suicide Squad

Though Harley Quinn and the Joker have been making most of the Suicide Squad action figure waves (the latter despite only being in a portion of the film, and not a proper member of the Skwad), more of the cast is finally getting a moment in the sun. Now Will Smith isn't exactly known for giving his likeness rights to action figures, but it would appear some special exceptions have been made for his turn as Deadshot in the upcoming DC movie. While the mass market versions bare the same passing resemblance of his figures from past films, Medicom has gone all out to bring the real Fresh Prince to life.

I've heard it said there are few definitives in life beyond death and taxes, but you can probably throw Funko making Pops of something in there really soon, if you haven't already. The company's reach far exceeds what I'm sure anyone expected from Funko when the Pops first appeared as Funko Force 2.0 at San Diego Comic-Con 2010. In just six years, the Pop line has multiplied exponentially, and it seems that Funko can hardly even keep up with the demand. That doesn't stop 'em from trying though, as you can hardly make it through a day without Funko announcing at least one new property joining the fold. While we did know Suicide Squad collectibles were in the works, we didn't really have an idea of just how far Funko's rabbit hole went when it came to the upcoming Warner Bros. film based on the DC Comics characters. Needless to say, if you like Harley Quinn and the Joker, as portrayed by Margot Robbie and Jared Leto respectively, then you are going to have a lot of little deformed versions of those characters to buy this year.

Steve Englehart was born on this day in 1947. By his mid-twenties, he was reshaping the Marvel Universe. At thirty, he was reinventing Batman. Englehart is easily one of the greatest comic book writers of all time, and probably the definitive writer of the 1970s. One of the interesting things about Englehart is that he doesn’t get credit for creating that many interesting characters. In fact, he’s probably most strongly associated with Mantis, a character he introduced in Avengers and held onto (in an incognito form) even when he moved to Justice League of America and beyond. But while Englehart certainly created some peculiar characters, what he was really great at was perfecting characters that already existed.

Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with 75 years of superhero comics behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in comics in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! This week we're taking a look at Floyd Lawton, aka the fresh prince of the Suicide Squad, Deadshot. Originally a one-off villain in a top hat and tails from a Golden Age Batman story, Deadshot was resurrected in the Bronze Age and went on to become the breakout star and emotional center of Amanda Waller's team of expendable misfits. Check out this video to learn the origins, tools, and surprising political affiliation of DC's can't-miss marksman.

For the past few months, DC Collectibles has been hinting at a series of statues based on the Suicide Squad coming out later this summer. However, the solicitations from DC Comics' toy and statue department have been absent any actual pictures of the inmates from Belle Reve that sign up for a mission that may very well kill them. With the release of the new trailer however, the floodgates have opened, and DC's finally given the Suicide Squad their due. Six of the Suicide Squad's members will be getting high-end statues from DC Collectibles, all of which were revealed for the first time by USA Today. All feature actor likenesses and the costumes they don during what I'm assuming is the latter half of the film after all their origins are divulged, they have a big training sequence, and they band together to take on the massive, mysterious threat Amanda Waller throws them up against.

In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.

As you've probably already heard, there's a Suicide Squad movie on the way, and that means that the spotlight is once again falling onto some of DC's most ruthless villains-turned-government operatives. But in addition to longtime Squad mainstays like Deadshot and Harley Quinn, one other character is getting ready for a turn on the big screen: Katana, the modern samurai created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo for Batman and the Outsiders. To that end, DC has announced Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Katana and Deadshot, a double-sized six-issue miniseries featuring two stories, including a new adventure with Katana and the Squad taking on Kobra by Barr and artist Diogenes Neves. To find out more, I spoke to Barr about creating Katana, returning to the character after so long, and how he thinks she's going to fit in with her new team.

When action figures and vinyl collectibles based on your favorite DC heroes aren't enough, you can always turn down the more prestigious statue road. Sure, they're a bit pricier than a six-inch figure, but they bring a certain air of respectability to your collection. Anyone can buy an action figure. It takes a refined eye to know which statues will make a collection pop even more. Probably. I just usually buy the ones that look the coolest. Today, we're debuting a few cool pieces from DC Collectibles upcoming slate of statues, courtesy of DC Comics. We've got the first look at three upcoming statues from DC Collectibles' Cover Girls, Icons and Super-Villains lines, featuring designs from Jim Lee and Stanley Lau. We've also got a bit more detail on the upcoming Wonder Woman: The Art of War by Bruce Timm statue.