Secret Six #26 – Review

By Gail Simone (writer), J. Calafiore (art), Jason Wright (colors) and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: Bane’s Six confront the natives of the jungle-underworld dwelling Skartatians. They must also deal with the interference of Scandal’s team, who have an assignment even more sinister than their own.

What’s Good: I usually begin my Secret Six reviews by gushing about Gail Simone and her writing, but in this case I have to put that off long enough to gush about Calafiore’s art. He’s been an excellent presence on this book since he took over, but—whether its because of his growing comfort level or the story’s fantastical subject matter, this issue really feels like something special. From the lush jungle background, to the elegantly brutal fight scenes to the giant three-headed river monster that nearly sends Catman to the big Savannah in the sky, almost every panel has that epic, cinematic quality that is one of the hallmarks of great comic book art. (Seriously, the river monster reveal put my jaw on the floor as I turned the page—a reaction many, many artists try to illicit, but at which few actually succeed.)

Now it’s time to gush about Ms. Simone again. I love everything about the way this book is written, from the dialogue to the characterization to the plotting. Bane is really getting a chance to shine here, in a way that he hasn’t (for me) since Knightfall. He’s not just a drugged out, thoughtless brute; he’s a very strong, intelligent and focused man who asks no quarter, and gives none in return. Simone has always been great at capturing this, but Bane’s interaction with the Skartatians, and his casual decimation of their initial attack, drives this home in a way few other scenes have. The other team members—on both sides—are equally well handled as always, but this is indisputably Bane’s issue.