Spoilers for Suicide Squad #1 below
Harley Quinn is one of the more curious characters in the DC Comics universe. She’s never been one that’s afraid to ask inappropriate questions at the worst times. In her latest Suicide Squad mission, Harley doesn’t understand her teammate Zebra-Man and peppers him with inquiries.
Zebra-Man is a deep-cut DC character who’s never really held much spotlight. Originally debuting back in Detective Comics #275 where he helped Batman dawn his infamous Zebra suit, Zebra-Man has had many iterations as the striped villain. Originally a scientist who irradiated his body to give him powers and black and white stripes, Zebra-Man was later reintroduced as a Zebra-villain with a mohawk. He’s popped up in the New 52 and more recently in Doomsday Clock, as a villain in Arkham Asylum.
In the bloody first issue of Suicide Squad by Tom Taylor and Bruce Redondo, Zebra-Man is part of the U.S. government’s Task Force X. He is a big buff dude with stripes and a mohawk. He’s got telekinesis powers, can create force fields and controls magnetism. Harley isn’t impressed. When the group gets briefed on their upcoming mission from a new mysterious leader named Lok, Harley can’t help but ask Zebra-Man what his deal is. Her questions include “We’re ya bitten by a radioactive zebra?” “Are yer powers zebra-based?” “Do ya just really like zebras?” Zebra-Man answers no to all the questions, except for revealing he hasn’t really thought whether he likes zebras.
Let’s be thankful Magpie interrupted Harley before she could finish that line of “you’ve never…?” questioning. Those are some of the Harly-est questions imaginable. Zebra-Man’s theme might be Zebra-based, but his powers certainly aren’t - at least the modern version of the character. But, at first glance, you’d think he has some deep connection to zebras.
Zebra-Man’s abilities might be a joke to Harley, but Lok clearly sees him as an important part of the new Suicide Squad. On their mission to take down their future teammates, the Revolutionaries, Zebra-Man’s force field powers help Lok meet face-to-face with both teams. When he decides to blow up the T.N. Teen to make a point, he’s protected from the blast. He essentially becomes untouchable in the moment thanks to Zebra-Man. Zebra-Man might have a silly name and look, but his powers definitely service Lok in dealing with the villains.
Suicide Squad #1 is a bloody affair, with a portion of both Task Force X and the Revolutionaries ending up getting killed. Zebra-Man survives the meet-up, but considering his relative irrelevance in the comics and his name-value compared to his teammates, I wouldn’t get too attached. Who knows? Harley Quinn’s questioning might later be helpful down the line. It would be hilarious to see Zebra-Man’s reaction to coming face-to-face with an actual Zebra.
Suicide Squad #1 is out in physical and digital comic book stores now!
