Gail Simone has always had a talent for writing fast-paced action punctuated with brief character moments and more black humor than most writers would be comfortable with, and Secret Six is the book that lets her and artist Nicola Scott get really filthy as they take a team of supremely broken individuals through the wringer, with few pretensions of good and evil in the traditional sense. ”The Depths”, the book’s current 5-part arc, tears the team apart with ruthless efficiency, but the marvel of what would otherwise be a relentlessly grim arc is how heart-wrenchingly believable it is… and how much fun.
Secret Six #13 follows the now-split team in two directions. As Catman, Ragdoll and Deadshot stay faithful to the mission and learn more and more about the island’s purpose, they’re also tasked with hunting down their renegade teammates. Scandal Savage, Bane, Artemis, and a still-recovering Jeanette, meanwhile, decide to take the island’s security forces on in a bid to save the enslaved Amazonian prisoners.
With all that action, it may come as a surprise, then, that the book has a number of the very brief moments at which Simone excels to familiarize us with these characters. From Bane’s admiration at the precision of the prison to the single panel daydream of a bored Deadshot, the book revels in just how broken these characters are without asking for pity or compassion.
Scott contributes more than her fair share, meeting every single one of Simone’s twisted demands with what I can only imagine as a malicious sort of glee. The action sequences in the issue, though brief, are quick and gorgeous, with a keen eyes for setting up surprisingly natural panels and sequences that highlight just how dangerous, and how cool, these characters are. She also manages to illustrate a wide cast of characters, a number of different settings, and even a sepia flashback to Scandal’s past with equal skill.
Though the book is far from over, Secret Six is shaping up to be Simone’s masterpiece. Even by the high standards to which the book is generally held here, however, Secret Six #13 was an fun, exciting, downright excellent issue of comics. Along with Scott, Simone seems to be well on her way to crafting a cool, bloody modern classic.
Grade: A
- Cal Cleary
I agree, but man, so much CRYING!!!
That’s a slight comic peeve of mine anyway, but lord, Scandal and Jeanette cry, Bane cries, Scandal’s girlfriend cries, and young Scandal cries, all within one issue!
It didn’t add to the drama, it was just a distraction.
All of us here obviously love this book. And make no mistake, I loved this issue. But I couldn’t help but feel like it suffered a little as a stand-alone issue. As much as I enjoyed it, I think it will read better as part of a trade. Aside from that last panel, the plot doesn’t really advance much.
Much like BC’s crying comment above, I’m just nitpicking here. Secret Six is consistently the most entertaining book on the shelves. It’s really the ONLY comic book I can honestly say I look forward to every month with any real sense of excitement.
I loved the issue, obviously. It was funny and emotional and violent in equal measure, which is part of why the series is so enjoyable. It wasn’t a perfect issue in some ways, but it illustrated just about EVERYTHING that’s to love about Secret Six, from Scott’s art to the wry one-liners; from the betrayals to the dark humor.
Also, where have the two of you been these past few weeks?
I have loved every issue of Secret Six and this was no exception. But if someone asked me about sampling the book with this issue, I’d have to tell them to go back and pick up the story arc from the beginning. But, that’s true of most mid-chapter issues. So, it’s barely worth mentioning. It was just something that struck me as I read the issue.
I’ve been meaning to post something these last few weeks. It just hasn’t worked out. I was off work for paternity leave in August, so I got to read a lot of comics and post a lot of reviews. Now that I’m back to work, I’ve obviously had less time. But more importantly I’ve been kind of burned out. It’s been hard to muster much enthusiasm to write-up most of the books I’ve read.
And I’ve been reading fewer books. Having two kids in daycare really cuts into one’s comic book budget!
So even though I’ve been silent these past two weeks or so, I’m not gone. I’ve been reading (and enjoying) all of your reviews. And I’ll be posting again real soon. I’ve been thinking about writing something more like a column than a review just as a change of pace. I’m running out of fresh things to say about most of the books I’ve been reading.
I’m sure we’ll see BC again. He kept this site going for months. He’ll be back.
This is how I role:
BC: Sorry, I’m in bitchy-fanboy mode. Crying is a bit of a comic peeve of mine. It’s overused as a gimmick to try to add drama, usually with damsels in distress.
I was reading Secret Six #13, enjoying it as always, but there were so many tears, it was distracting.
Jeanette and Scandal cry
Bane cries
Liana cries
Young Scandal cries
All within one issue. Gail, you’re kind enough to roam this forum from time to time. Would you mind explaining your reasoning behind this? Thanks!
GS: Well, the central core of this story is about how an evil, evil place can make people do and feel things that they are not prepared to deal with. Scandal says, “this place will be the ruin of us all,” and that’s a big part of what’s happening as we’ll especially see next issue.
But to be fair, Scandal is nine and cries because she got the crap kicked out of her, and Bane is crying a tear of misguided joy, and Liana isn’t even in the Six.
Only one (Scandal) even remotely fits the idea of a ‘damsel in distress’ scenario.
BC: Thanks, Gail!
I wasn’t trying to criticize your specific usage of the tears. I know you’re above devolving your heroines into teary, hysterical clichés.
I think, in this case, you could’ve relied on Nicola a little more. I’m sure her rendered expressions would’ve captured the necessary drama, without the crying.
Perhaps I’m just being churlish, but I’ve read a lot of comics in my time. I’ve been subjected to so many gimmicky tears, and when I see five people cry in just one issue, even when used well, I cringe.
Is any of that relatable?
Taken from: http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000200010&tstart=0
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