Secret Six #14 Review

Gail Simone in a Newsarama interview said “all I can say is wait until Issue #14.” and good lord, she was not joking. Secret Six #14 was packed FULL of story, action, and shock and is an immediate favorite. I saw the cover of this issue back in July and after seeing it for myself thought, “She’s finally going to do it. Gail is going to let Bane loose.” And in a way I was right; but in a cleverly delicious way Gail has tricked us just a little. Here’s your spoiler warning. From the very start this issue had more tension than a M. Night Shyamalan movie, opening up with a hungry Grendel hovering over an imprisoned Wonder Woman, literally preparing her to be eaten…and from there it just gets crazier. From the Amazon attack, juiced up Scandal, Ragdoll scene, Deadshot’s heartwarming moment, and Wonder Woman’s Maxwell Lord flashback this was one heck of an issue.

My favorite part was the misdirection with Bane which started at the very beginning, the cover. He’s busting out of his mask with glowing eyes and bloodied lip, all signs pointed to a venom-powered Bane scene where he’d reek havoc on anyone within reach (and why not with a huge naked hairy monster running around?). And when we see Bane find Scandal huddled in the corner from her resent fight we all knew this would be it. Scandal even says, “We need the Bane who beat the Bat.” Even more misdirection! However, it turns out Scandal takes the venom herself. The Bane who broke the Bat was the strategist, the one she wanted to join the six knowing his intellect is what would help, she’ll take the venom and play the role of monster. VERY clever and definitely took me surprise. Also in this scene another bomb was dropped, “We needed that Bane. Not the one who is distracted by…distracted by love.” There you have it folks; it’s been a small debate whether there was a father-daughter relationship growing or an actual romance, and even though we didn’t get anything more than that one line I think it’s fair to say these two have more than just respect for eachother. From the misdirection, to the twist, and the L word thrown out, Bane and Scandal stole the show in this issue.

That being said, there were two other guys who made this an instant classic.

For all his shenanigans, all his dressing up, all his dreams and jokes, Ragdoll comes through in this issue not with the one-liner but with a wrench…which he embeds into the back of Mr. Symth’s head. I was left speechless. I don’t know if Nicola Scott was giving a little kudos to Jim Aparo and his Joker crowbar death scene in Death in the Family here but Ragdoll gave one of the more gruesome beatings in this title to date. He actually looked scary. And Deadshot; my favorite of the six, also had two nice moments here. He would never admit it but he’s softening up a little to these guys (especially Banshee) and I’m glad he couldn’t go through with betraying them. His character has developed so much in this title, to see all that relationship building (if you could call it that) be for nothing would have made me feel a little bad for him. It’s good to know there’s a Grinch-sized heart in there somewhere. And for his second moment at the end…well…I’ll keep it a secret between me and the other’s who read it but it was worth the price of the book by itself.

Too much happens in this issue to give everything it’s full review. From the OMFG! Wonder Woman neck snap to the almost-Amazon suicide I’m left amazed at how much Gail Simone and Nicola Scott were able to cram in a $2.99 book. Not once making it feel rushed or mailed in. The issues only flaw; this was not the best art in the title so far. There were moments of greatness for Nicola Scott and her team (Grendel & Wonder Woman) and moments that looked off compared to the great work surrounding it (Catman). By NO means was this disappointing art though, Nicola Scott doesn’t seem capable of it. And the change of pace at the end, Bane making the decision to take over as leader, was a nice send off and gave me an interesting “huh” to think about. Bane points out every mission they take ends with “injuries and non-payment.” Very true. He’s definitely the kind of villain who could lead other villains but I have to wonder if the trickery on Scandal’s part doesn’t have something to do with it.

If you don’t have this book drop what your doing and go get, I can’t recommend it enough. Gail Simone and Nicola Scott have taken some unfamiliar characters in the DC Universe, put them on a team together, and created an amazing story that’s unlike anything else on the shelves right now.

“If there’s one thing I hate it’s a guy who ain’t got any commitment.”