Review Secret Six #5
‘Faces of Evil: Deadshot’
Writer Gail Simone
Penciler Nicola Scott
Inkers Doug Hazlewood & Rodney Ramos

Where were you the day that evil won?

From that very statement DC has decided to run a month long quasi-event through their main titles called ‘Faces of Evil‘ with each of the associated titles focusing on a villain that is key to that title’s hero.  One would imagine this would be a difficult task for a title such as ‘Secret Six‘, a title based on the adventures of six villains.  Gail Simone makes it look easy.  This is one of the most consistently well written series at DC and has yet to disappoint.  The art is crisp and consistent and the dialogue maintains an even flow of menace, mayhem, and humor.

Background and possible spoilers to follow.

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52 Week 15 Cover

Last week in 52: Renee Montoya and Vic Sage (The Question) travel to Shiruta, Khandaq, looking for clues regarding Intergang’s possible involvement with the now reformed country.  While investigating, they find a murder scene in the Hni Hnak offices located in Shiruta; however, what they didn’t know was that Intergang was setting them up for suspected murder.  Upon leaving the scene, they are taken into custody by the Khandaq police.

In Metropolis, John Henry Irons (Steel) grieves over his niece’s alliance with Lex Luthor in the Everyman Project, enabling everyday people to gain powers.  He and Doctor Kala Avasti are also hoping to learn more about John’s own newfound powers.

Metal Men creator Doctor William Magnus’ Mercury Man prototype is slowly developing.  He also pays a visit to Professor T.O. Morrow, but finds that he has disappeared from his confined home.

**spoilers below**

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Time and time again, I find myself lured into another goddamn Crisis.  As I explained in a previous post, Crisis on Infinite Earths was released in the mid-80s while it’s successor, Infinite Crisis was released but a few years ago.  Critics begged for another ten years before another Crisis would ensue, but the minds behind DC had other plans.  But why bother holding it against DC when another Crisis would inevitably come?  Ten years, one year – it’s all the same.

This does, however, remind me of my Watchmen essay concerning symmetry some weeks back.  Here, I talk about the vicious circle:

“Reconstruction and deconstruction are terms that could very well be used when referring to the unification at the end of Watchmen.   Though the World began to prosper, questions rose as to whether this unification would last.  How could it when the only way to unify was/is to create fear?  Inevitably, deconstruction would once again occur and a dystopia would form.  Upon this disaster, another unification (most likely another catastrophe) would have to occur for reconstruction – known as a vicious circle.”

I feel that with each Crisis, the reconstruction/deconstruction theory becomes more and more relevant, not specifically Watchmen.  (Yes, I find the theory completely relevant when concerning much of comics as a whole, but I’m focusing on DC right now).

In the wake of Infinite Crisis, Superman is left powerless after subduing Superboy-Prime, Batman leaves Gotham to rediscover his motivations and refine his skills and Wonder Woman takes some time to do some soul-searching of her own.  The world is without it’s three greatest champions, but it’s not a world without heroes.

**Minor spoilers below**

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Every now and again, I have my fits of nostalgia.  I reflect back upon graphic novels from yesteryear and even the not-so-distant-past. I know all of you have felt that way more times than you can count.  Everything I’ve written thus far has been of graphic novels of the past – partly because I’m still catching up, and partly because there are so many fruitful ideas emanating from them.  Reflecting back upon past events and how they lead up to the most current events is, I believe, crucial to understanding most aspects of a universe as a whole.  However, deciding where to start reading is not an easy task.

With an ever-growing series of comics being published, finding a place to call home is overwhelming, intimidating and unnerving.  When I was very young, I started becoming interested in comics and quickly fell into my niche with the comic, Bone.  But afterwards, I found it extremely hard to get into anything else, because Bone was a standalone.  After finishing the 1000+ page graphic novel, I was completely lost.

Sure, I was reading manga at that time, but that was different.  It just wasn’t epic enough for me, I guess.  I didn’t know what epic meant until I got my hands on Crisis on Infinite Earths – luckily, I found this gem in my high school library, and it changed everything.

**Forgive me for the spoilers**

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