Back in 1987, John Ostrander revived the Suicide Squad characters for DC Comics’ Legends miniseries. He formulated this version of the group in the pattern of 1967’s The Dirty Dozen, which was the group of convicted criminals recruited to execute a risky military operation for the U.S. government. The recruits had no choice but to comply or face death, which is pretty much what happens in Ostrander’s incarnation, except that he assembled a group of expendable supervillians for more fantastical operations. Ostrander’s heavy influence has never been a secret, and indeed, DC Comics appears to enjoy basking in a heavy pool of homage.
Now the Suicide Squad film is on the way, and the film’s trailer confirms the movie will not stray from the comic’s framework. So, the good folks over at Vulture — video artist Ezequiel López to be specific — remixed the trailer’s footage with the audio track of the Dirty Dozen trailer. The final product accessorizes with vintage font labeling and succeeds as a kickass mashup. Has anyone mentioned this remix to Ostrander? The mashup hits home just how identical these stories are to one another, but there’s no shame in continuing the marvelous tale from which he took his inspiration.
(Via Vulture)