Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Spaceopoly Suicide Squad Idol?

Stepping back in on the finale:

Amanda Waller

Amanda Waller, for sure.

Crumbs!

I was surprised to see Plastique get so far. She was perfect for the squad, and had been an interesting Firestorm villain. But she was with the squad briefly (last seen being brainwashed by Dr Moon?)
I thought Deadshot would be a finalist. Transformed from a cool costumed, but run of the mill Bat Villain into a very complex, compelling character.

So, to the finalists...

Count Vertigo - Dave makes a good case for him. I don't know if I've read his confrontation with the Spectre. I remember him giving Deadhsot the option of shooting him in the last issue. For me, the tragedy of the manipulators around him, didn't get the service it needed and he didn't really beat it.

Amanda Waller - The driving force behind the Squad. Loyal, determined, ruthless when she has to be and focused on the wider goals in a way those around her in office rarely are.

Enchantress- June Moone. So sweet. So kind. But possessed by an utter maniac who keeps the rest of the squad nervous in case they can no longer control her. Cliff Cramichael offered a similar threat later on. I had read her Forgotten Villains appearance before I read the Squad and I had liked her then.


For me, the best version of the squad was Ostrander's use of supervillains as deniable agents. It seems fitting that I pick one of those, rather than the human behind them. Despite Waller being by far the strongest character in the book, I'll go with the Enchantress.

As tempted as I am to go with the Enchantress here, I have to go with the person who gives the Squad its identity, and that is....

THE WALL!

Of those three, Amanda Waller is the most classic 'Suicide Squad' of these choices.

And I'm a huge fan of Count Vertigo.

But I'm picking the Enchantress anyway! June Moon for the win!

Amanda Waller

Count Vertigo I knew from being a Green Arrow villain, and Enchantress from the magic book that Gail Simone was on.

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Amanda Waller crushes her opponents, proving that she always had control of this Idol.
I feel used.


Amanda Waller 5
Enchantress 3
Count Vertigo 1

Great job Myg! It was a fun Idol and you kept a great pace. While the end result wasn't all that surprising, the rest of the top 10 or so were interesting, as I thought Deadshot would make the finals for sure.

Well done Amanda! It pays to have your finger on the button of the 'splodey bracelets!

Great Idol Andy! Like Dave, I was expecting to make a decision on Deadshot in the finals.

Thanks, folks, for playing!
Yeah, I thought Deadshot was going to be in the mix -- and I was hoping for Bronze Tiger

Mark Shaw lasted WAY longer than I thought he would

I initially disliked Shaw. The reformed villain, now a cocky hero bit didn't appeal to me at all. But Ostrander had a way of making him compelling. I was saddened to see him pushed aside for other Manhunters (regardless of how good/bad those interpretations were).

Excellent game, Andy!

This was about as perfect a final 11 as I could ever hope for:


Amanda Waller
Bronze Tiger
Count Vertigo
Deadshot
Enchantress
Manhunter/Privateer (Mark Shaw)
Nemesis (Tom Tresser)
Nightshade
Plastique
Richard Rogers Flag (Anthony Miller)
Vixen

If Boomerbutt were in there, too (maybe swap him in for Nemesis or Manhunter?), and we had a writer of Ostrander's caliber, I'd eat that book UP!!! As it is, I'm still hoping for a Suicide squad Omnibus or two collecting the entirety of Johnny O's original run...

Congrats to The Wall and to Plastique for making it as far as she did even after being eliminated!

I saw couple of Ostrander Squad TPBs in a book shop and went straight into a mini rant about work on the book leading to things like the movie. I have a real credit where it's due button when it comes to DC and Marvel. I can't imagine why.

I am pumped that some of my favorites lasted as long as they did, and Waller is absolutely the (shriveled) heart and (missing) soul of the team!

Bronze Tiger? Count Vertigo? Manhunter? Nightshade? Vixen? All lasting as long as or longer than fan favorites Deadshot and Harley Quinn? Awesome!

The only one in that final eleven I was uncertain on was Nemesis, since I didn't recognize the character.

I've seen those trades, but I'm holding out hope for omnibuses. I LOVE omnibus collections of great material and generally consider those upgrades from the original floppies, even if I own the floppies--which I do of Ostrander's entire series bought as they were released from the beginning. Trades generally have lower print quality that make them hardly upgrades if at all. Smaller-sized hardcovers generally have good quality, but the value of an omnibus for the money is superior.

It was an exciting game. I think this was a tricky Idol, as one tried to find the characters that fit best with the team's missions (at least that was my strategy). I recognized Nemesis from his brief relationship with Wonder Woman; he seemed like a good fit for the military leaders this group occasionally has to keep the "reformed" villains in line.

Glad you liked the game! Whew....
I was worried since this was my first one

It was a lot more work than I expected ... wow I don't know how you do it, Emily and Ibby!

Thank you! It is a lot of hard work. I want to run an Idol in spring, but I might do a different game in between. Maybe a text-based RPG, multiplayer gaming session(s), or a game called Towers.

It can be tough, I use an Excel spreadsheet and VLOOKUP to make vote counting easier. you did great, Andy

this was a fun model, lots of pleasant surprises such as Enchantress and Count Vertigo reaching the end and Plastique making a good comeback. Like with others, I liked some characters a lot but not as Squad members (Vixen).

Characters like Vixen, who made a bigger mark elsewhere IMO, tended to fall less favorably with me in the final stages, even if I liked their Suicide Squad roles.

Plastique was sort of an exception to this role for me. I personally have a soft spot for the character. She had equally significant roles in Firestorm, Suicide Squad and Captain Atom. Put those appearances all together, and she's really fascinating and memorable.