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.