Gail Simone's Secret Six was for me the best spin-off from Infinite Crisis (well, a spinoff of a spinoff, namely 'Villains United'). A hilariously disfunctional team, always within an inch of self-destruction or at the very least violent handbags. Gail's character selection was superb: the nihilist, predictable Deadshot; a rejuvenated Catman and his erstwhile lover Cheshire; Scandal Savage providing the risky link to her dad Vandal; new God Knockout; and the insane but polite Ragdoll and his unlikely best mate 'Chuckles' the Parademon. Yes, that makes seven, but some unexpected betrayals and casualties meant that even Mad Hatter could join briefly and still keep the tally at half a dozen. Fanboys were braying for a sequel, so here we have the Six in Suicide Squad mode (albeit without the threat of government sanctioned execution) as mercenaries, aiming to free the mysterious 'Tarantula' from Alcatraz and deliver her to Gotham. Countering this scheme is the elusive mob boss 'Junior', who appears to have had a relationship with Tarantula and wants the object she has stolen from him, apparently a card of some kind but of enormous underworld value. Junior is superb, a truly creepy sort who conducts interrogations from his wooden box, assisted by two preppy Jock brothers from the back room of a gay bar. Following the death of Parademon and the 'ejection' of Mad Hatter, we get a more thoughtful Bane and an as-yet unknown female joining the group. Meanwhile, Batman gets wind of this affair and attempts to scare/bribe the Six away from the job through a rooftop meeting/punch-up with Catman. The Six, meanwhile, have got as far as breaking into Alcatraz...Gail's plotting is magnificent as always: the pacing of the first issue, featuring the terrifying interview with Junior, intercut with a darkly humorous armed robbery which Catman and Deadshot blunder into, is superbly executed and a lesson in suspense. The team's general misanthropy is highlighted through a disastrous birthday present for Scandal, which ironically reunites her with Knockout on the spiritual plane.
Issue 2 is slightly let down by minor touches for me: Alcatraz is far too easy to break into (although I liked the use of Manta's flying sub): why is it that security guards are always shown chatting and ignoring their monitors? Especially in an ultra-secure prison, with new protocols implemented daily. Given that such a big deal is made of this place, it seems relatively easy to get in to. But then maybe I'm being churlish given the constraints of a 6-issue mini. There is some hilarity with Bane showing his 'ethical' side by not using Bane-steroids but instead smashing Mammoth in the pods with a steel bar, Ragdoll's polite asides, and Tarantula's blasé reaction to rescue.
The Catman/Batman fight is well-paced (although how a recent lardy like Catman can get so many hits in on fight veteran Bats is slightly suspect) and the dialogue is spot-on - Bats trying to appeal to Cats morals, when from issue 1 (having to be reminded to save the store owners) we know he is wrestling with his own moral standpoint.
Junior is partially revealed in a creepy end-scene; teetering on crutches and in a Klan-type hood, appealing for all sorts of nastiness to be visited on our heroes by a subset of Villains United (who I must admit looked pretty mediocre - I'd LOVE to see the Rogues take on the Six, for example).
Major kudos to Nicola Scott's artwork, outstanding draftsmanship for the Gotham cityscape, the facila expressions and nice flowing anatomy throughout.
Overall an excellent mini thus far and well setup for the next installments.
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