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.

Secret Six #13 – Review

By Gail Simone (writer), Nicola Scott with Carlos Rodriguez (pencillers), Doug Hazlewood with Rodney Ramos & Carlos Rodriguez (inkers)

The Story: Half the team (Bane, Scandal and Jeannette) are on the run on the lunatic island prison with Artemis, who is looking to save other Amazons. The other half of the team (Deadshot, Catman and Ragdoll) are watching Wonder Woman being prepped to be the supper for some gruesome monster. And, they’re being sent to track down and kill their rebellious colleagues. Simone even fits in a romantic look at Liana K. struggling with her feelings for Scandal.Random  note: Being a Canadian sci-fi guy, I actually met Liana K. in real life.

What’s Good: The art was great. There are so many names on the art team this month that I couldn’t tell you who did what, but whatever twister game they used to decide who would draw what panel, the end product is great. I would even say that the art in this issue beats the solid art in the last. There are a few faces that look a little forced, but there are many others that are expressive, clear, and beautiful.

There’s a lot of tension and immediacy in the danger the Secret Six is in right now. But somehow, without breaking the pacing or relieving the tension, Simone showed us Scandal’s childhood, some vulnerability in Bane and Jeannette, more funny weirdness in Ragdoll, and some moral compass in Catman and Deadshot.

Simone is also a deft hand at handling issues that others would find difficult to balance. She managed to fit extraordinary rendition, a modern-day run-around of human rights, into the story without making it look preachy or clunky. She depicted a lesbian romance without being titillating or crass. And while almost all her characters kill at some point, she spent a moment in this issue humanizing the victims of the Secret Six. Well done, Ms. Simone!

What’s Not So Good: Having Wonder Woman unconscious in front of the monster who will eat her, but then deciding with no explanation to tie her up nearby was weak villainy and Simone could have done better. She’s a solid writer and plotter who didn’t need to fall back on this clichéd (and creaky) plot device. In the end, despite the danger, neither the monster, nor the Secret Six’ employer come off quite as scary as all that. The former is a bit too cartoony, and the latter is a sociopathic Mr. Rourke with a different kind of island.

Conclusion: Gail Simone continues to hit doubles, triples and home runs. If you like your heroes weird, anti-social, filled with a healthy dose of lethal vigilantism, you should be reading this book.

Grade: B-

-DS Arsenault