Secret Six #33 – Review

by Gail Simone (script), J. Calafiore (art), John Kalisz (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: The Six fight for their (after)lives against Prince Ragdoll and his legion of demons.

The Review: Secret Six has been on absolute fire lately, and the conclusion of this latest, and very strong, arc comes to a rousing conclusion without any letdowns whatsoever.  Quite honestly, this is one of those issues where there’s just so much to rave about.

Perhaps the first and most crucial thing to touch upon, however, is how Simone once again taps not just the awesome team dynamic of the seeks, but the emotional ties that bind them together.  Scandal’s decision between Knockout and her team as well as Ragdoll’s recognition of his having a new family are definite highlights that really hit home.  It never ceases to amaze just how emotionally powerful Secret Six can really be.

Each character also has their moment.  Catman, for instance, meets his mother again and it’s one of the best scenes of the series.  Confronted with a grotesque and bloodthirsty torturer for a parent, the resulting scene is both repulsive and touching.  It feels so, so wrong for this to be a feel-good moment for Catman and this comic, but that’s what it is, and the disturbing paradox is testament to Simone’s skill.

Or what about Deadshot?  Once again, badassery looms in his whole-hearted dedication to almost anarchic violence.  Simone again uses Deadshot’s complete ambivalence to matters of life and death as a means of showing that, at his heart, he does actually care about his team.  Much like with Catman, it’s another paradox that works so, so well.

Secret Six #31 – Review

by Gail Simone (writer), J. Calafiore (art), John Kalisz (colors), and  Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: Scandal finally decides to use the Get Out of Hell Free card on Knockout, but discovers that to be easier said than done, while Liana finds herself in hot water.

The Review: The solicitations call this the most requested Secret Six storyline yet, and in my case at least, they don’t lie.  I’ve been dying for this strand to be picked up and honestly, just getting the Secret Six back in their own comic after a couple of crossovers is certainly appreciated.

There’s quite a bit to like here, mostly because this issue shows what makes Gail Simone’s so special, that being its blend of twisted humour with dark, dramatic, violent ugliness.  It’s the kind of issue that will, at different points, make both laugh and wince.  Best of all, that wincing isn’t due to gruesome imagery or gore.  Rather, it’s due to the emotional wringer that Simone puts her characters through.

Part of that wringer is the revival of Scandal’s guilt over Knockout’s being in hell.  I’ve always rather liked Scandal Savage, in all her inner turmoil and social awkwardness, and as such, this is a very good issue for the character.  She’s a sympathetic character, but whose flaws, both in herself and her claim to the card and its uses, are blatantly obvious.  Simone successfully writes Scandal’s emotions, making her position visceral and gut-wrenching.

There’s also a big betrayal on the team over the card, and it comes for a direction that was a complete and utter shock.  In pro wrestling terms, Simone has one of the team members make a “heel turn” that is a total surprise, but also completely fair.  The argument he/she makes over Scandal’s possession of the card is entirely valid, yet seeing the character’s dialogue become so suddenly monstrous is a shocking turn for the character.  It’s a big twist and I absolutely loved it.  Scandal’s subsequent fight with the character is incredibly well illustrated.  It’s a battle of blades and words that are equally cutting and it’s emotionally and physically brutal stuff.  Calafiore’s subtle shift in how he draws the now bad guy/girl’s face is also pretty damned scary.

Doom Patrol #19 – Review

By: Keith Giffen (writer), Matthew Clark & Ron Randall (pencillers), Art Thibert & Sean Parsons (inkers), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: A mercenary group of ne’er-do-wells facing off a team of super-freaks on the beautiful shores of Oolong Island as a volcano explodes?  Can someone say reality show?

The Review: Given the outcast nature of the Doom Patrol, it’s no wonder team-ups are a rarity for them.  On one side, they’re pretty much outmatched in number and power by almost every other team in the DCU—even the Outsiders.  On the other side, their specific dynamic doesn’t mesh well with conventional superheroes.  The Patrol serves best when left to their own devices, and not mixed up with characters that call attention to the small scale of their doings.

The one exception may be the Secret Six, who are nearly as weird and antisocial as their Oolong opponents in this issue.  Besides creator of the Secret Six, Gail Simone, one of the few writers capable of delivering the special chemistry of the Six is probably Giffen.  He doesn’t have the subtlety of Simone, being broader and leaning more toward slapstick, but he gets in a pretty good joke here and there (upon being beset by the Science Squad, Scandal remarks, “I think we’re about to be attacked by the chess club.”).

Still, despite having few dull moments between the two teams’ battle royale, some noticeable flaws keep the story from achieving the quality it should have, given the promising premise.  Being a crossover plot, if you happen to not be a Secret Six reader (though, on that note, why wouldn’t you be—it’s only totally awesome), you’d be hard-pressed to get exactly what’s happening here.

And if you did read the first part of the story, you’ll notice how truncated that story seems in this issue.  After all, S.M.A.S.H., the Six’s current employers, basically come to annex Oolong Island as their own, then end up fleeing with their tails between their legs in the course of four pages.  It just feels like the story never gets to build up before it winds down.  There’s little hope the next issue of Secret Six will continue the story, as the Six aren’t likely to work again with people who abandon them to the mercy of their enemies.

Secret Six #24 – Review

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

The Story: Secret Six becomes a western as Sheriff Scandal and her crew fight to protect a small mining town.

What’s Good: This month, Simone decides to place the Six in the Wild West.  It’s totally out of continuity and most of them don’t know each other.  It’s a wacky idea that I can’t help but wonder how Simone arrived at, but it works if only for its nuttiness.  After all, the Six is a dysfunctional comic as is; why not make it more off-kilter by randomly switching its genre while retaining its characters?  The comic ends up feeling like a kooky dream sequence or fantasy; I myself kept imagining, that somewhere, Ragdoll was passed out, drooling, in front of a TV playing late-night Western movies, a tray of bad sushi in his lap.

Part of the joy of this comic comes from seeing where our characters end up, how they act, and what roles they occupy in this Wild West world.  Scandal as Sheriff is a great choice, Deadshot having a glowing “dead eye” was a nice touch, and Ragdoll as the town fool was simply wonderful.  I adored Ragdoll’s Punch and Judy puppet shows, which were brilliantly, and manically, written.

Secret Six #23 – Review

by John Ostrander (writer), RB Silva (pencils), Alexandre Palamaro (inks), Jason Wright (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: The Secret Six are lured to a game preserve where they are the prey.

What’s Good: Once you get past the fact that this issue is out of continuity, which in fairness, it’s pretty open about, this is a solid issue from returning guest writer John Ostrander, even if it’s a concept that’s been done many times before.  If anything, this questionable originality is in itself done with a wink and nod: the issue is titled “Predators,” perhaps a reference to the movie coming out this weekend, which looks to have a similar plot.  So really, this is Ostrander plugging the Six into a Predator movie, which is guaranteed fun on concept alone.

The hunters are written in amusing fashion as well; Ostrander seems intent on having them sound like gamers.  While it’s never over-bearing, there’s something in their tone and vernacular that reminds me strongly of the Mountain Dew drinking, profane crowd one often finds playing the newest shooter online.  That Ostrander applies video game lingo to a deadly game of murder is a nice touch of black humour.

I also must mention that while Ostrander does well with all of the characters, Ragdoll is absolute comedy gold.  Every single line he utters is genuinely funny.  It’s that perfect mixture of the bizarre, the depraved, and the innocence that defines the character.  Best of all, though, are when Ostrander inserts pop culture references into Radoll’s raving, which makes it all the funnier.  I never thought I’d hear Ragdoll make a Lost joke.

Overall, this issue is a celebration of the Secret Six.  It’s not a complex plot, but it’s wholly dedicated to making the Secret Six look like absolutely unstoppable badasses, which is refreshing given their low name value and relatively low power level.  It’s clear quite quickly that the hunters are in over their heads and when the Six decide to get even, things get very, very brutal.  As in, Bane ripping off limbs and beating people to death.

Though a mixed bag at some point, Silva’s art generally does the job.  The island looks good and the characters, when in costume, are vibrant and “characterful.”  Ragdoll’s face is also really, really well-done and it’s clear that Silva had the most fun with him.

Suicide Squad #67 – Review

by Gail Simone & John Ostrander (writers), J. Calafiore (art), Jason Wright (colors), and Swands (letters)

The Story: It’s Suicide Squad vs. Secret Six as Amanda Waller decides she wants Deadshot back and won’t take no for an answer.

What’s Good: As an issue of Secret Six, this really is a lot of fun.  There’s a scene that brings the bizarre Bane/Scandal relationship to new heights, as Bane interrogates Scandal’s date and essentially acts like the girlfriend father from hell.  Meanwhile, Ragdoll of all people finds himself in the hilariously awkward position of being the voice of reason.  The entire scene is absolute gold, largely because of how deadpan Bane is through it all.

This month also marks the first time we see Black Alice in action as a full member of the team, and sure enough, she fits quite nicely, bringing a brash, utterly unsubtle element to the team.  Simone and Ostrander also bring back her diary narration, which is just as fun as last month.  Her perceptions of her new teammates are all really enjoyable, particularly her summary of Jeanette.

Secret Six #16 – Review

by Gail Simone (writer), Peter Nguyen (pencils), Doug Hazlewood & Mark McKenna (inks),  Jason Wright (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: Floyd and Thomas aid a grieving father while Black Alice petitions for a spot on the team.

What’s Good: While I did find the last big Secret Six arc to drag a little at times, it’s clear that the series is back in form.  Simone’s one-shots and shorter arcs have often been strongest, and so it’s only fitting that we get a few of these to recalibrate the series.  It’s watching these demented characters operate on a day-to-day level that has always proved fascinating, especially insofar as how they approach an average day on the job or how they interact with each other under “normal” circumstances.

And make no mistake, Simone shows once again that she knows her way around “demented.”  The serial killer introduced at the start of the comic is a prime example.  That Simone is able to breathe so much life into a new, background character  is really remarkable.  In just a few pages, she manages to give this guy such a distinct voice, one that’s all kinds of creepy and twisted and will have you once again wondering how Simone gets away with what she does given Secret Six’s place in the DCU proper.

New additions to a team are always rightfully to be viewed with scrutiny, and Simone effectively proves this issue that Black Alice is not only a character who fits the Secret Six absolutely perfectly in tone and character, but she also convinces me that I’d want to see Alice on a monthly basis.  She’s esoteric, nutty, and odd coherent.  She fits so well and brings such vitality, that I’m surprised we’ve not seen her sooner in Secret Six.  It’s clear that she belongs here, and she already shows this month that she carries very interesting, and mostly hilarious, dynamics with every person on the team.  Her comments to Ragdoll and Jeanette are highlights.

In the end, Secret Six this month is everything the series should be: twisted from cover to cover, yet bringing the laughs throughout.  It’s the perfect balance of dark badassery and black humour, it adds a wonderful new character, and we even get a Deadshot/Catman team-up, a dynamic that has always proved fruitful for Simone.