I've been reading "Action Comics" since the Lex Luthor arc started. Suffice it to say that I was very curious about Luthor's quest to capture the Black Lantern energy. Then a funny thing happened, it crossed over with "Secret Six" just as I wrote up a blog about the use of Bane & other 90's villains. Then news got out that Bane would be one of the villains cast in "Dark Knight Rises". Am I mildly prescient or what?
Anyway, intrigued by Bane's appearance in "Action Comics" and having only read the "Battle for the Cowl" tie-in issue of "Secret Six" a couple years prior, I decided I would sit down and give the series a read. I had been reading stellar reviews of Gail Simone's work on the book for quite awhile, about how she had turned Bane into a viable character again, and how it is one of the best monthlies DC has. One reviewer likened it to Peter David's current "X-Factor", which I think is one of the most underrated "hidden gem" books Marvel publishes, so my curiosity was sufficiently piqued.
I started with issue one of the current on-going series, not realizing there was an earlier mini-series as well as several other pieces of set-up, until I was almost done with all 30 issues, and it hooked me pretty much right from jump street. From the odd opening sequence featuring the thing in a box repeating "They die or you die", to Catman & Deadshot's convenience store venture replete with character establishing flashbacks, to Bane's dead-on characterization towards Scandal, to the "family" birthday party; the very first issue immediately establishes the vibe of the team, particularly in their treatment of Scandal as she copes with her loss.
Now having not read any of the material that led up to the on-going it would be understandable to not grasp some of the finer points, but Simone does a wonderful job of letting the newer reader in on what has come before without weighing down the story in exposition. I know Scandal is hurting from her lover's death but is really the center of the team, I know Catman is suffering from doubt and has a bond of sorts with Huntress, and Bane is the new guy operating as the observer of the team's dynamic. I found myself immediately intrigued by a group of characters with whom I was almost entirely familiar because they are so strongly characterized. One issue in and it's very apparent what role each person plays in the team....Ragdoll possibly being the most entertaining character in some time...and I wanted to burn through the series in one sitting just to see how their stories progressed.
Without getting into an issue by issue detail of how things go down, Simone does an amazing job of establishing Catman's mentality in the second issue as he does battle with Batman, while simultaneously exploring the mentality in which the team members approach each other. They are all willing to do incredibly stupid & selfless things for the better of the team. Deadshot is willing to let the team think him a traitor in order to save them all during the "Get Out Of Hell Free" card fracas, he also tries to protect the team from Skinhead bikers during their downtime evening, all while watching him fall for Jeanette. The first story arc brings a whole different understanding to the character of Ragdoll, the arc that sees Catman's son abducted proves just how much of a psychopath this guy can be when pushed. Seeing Scandal grow from the sorrowful wreck introduced in the first couple pages of the first ish into the woman that confronts her father in the "Action Comics" crossover is impressive. But the most impressive thing for me as the reader has been watching Bane, the guy who's main claim to fame was breaking the Bat, evolve into such a complete character.
Aloof, observant, and quiet; Bane started the series by uttering view lines ("She vomits again" had me laughing out loud for some reason), and seemingly involved as nothing more than the team meathead. But simple lines like "This is not morally defensible" as a stripper comes out of a cake do as much to establish a character's mentality as an entire issue devoted to backstory/origin/meaning of life things. Bane is set-up as a character willing to do anything as long as he can morally justify it, a man who refuses to depend on the drug that made him famous & destroyed him at the same time, and a man who is disappointed when the Six (and this happens frequently) don't fulfill their contract. It even drives a wedge in the team, forcing Bane to create his own Secret Six to ensure a contract is fulfilled. His answers to the "They Die or You Die" question in issue #5 are a great example of the type of character he has become.
But the most intriguing part of Bane's character evolution has been his relationship with Scandal Savage. Recognizing her need for a father figure, Bane decides to fulfill that role for her, and it makes for some hilarious scenes as well as some of the most awkwardly touching moments I've seen in comics. Bane questioning his "daughter's" date in "Suicide Squad #67" is one of my favorite moments in the run so far for pure hilarity, and their interaction in issue #10 is sad/touching/weird all at the same time. He forces Scandal out of her leadership position, as much as out of fatherly protection, as because he is disappointed in the way the Six have handled business. But he is still weak, he still carries Venom with him in the way "a junkie holds on to their works" I believe was how Deadshot phrased it and still has some fear (or something like it) towards Batman as evidenced in issue #17. As a huge Batman fan, and a fan of the character introduced way back in "Vengeance of Bane", it is so refreshing to find a writer in Simone who can take the basic essence of Bane (a need for control, strong "moral" center) and make it relevant to something outside the Bat-World. His was a character I feared lost without attachment to the Bat, and Simone has found a way to make him stand on his own.
And that brings me to another part of her writing that amazes me, the ability to take this motley crew of characters that were essentially written off (look at Catman as written by Kevin Smith), and breath new life into them. Never was I more astounded by anyone's depiction of The Mad Hatter than I was by Simone's when I finally got around to reading the initial "Secret Six" mini-series and how perfectly it played out into the on-going series. Hatter has never been a character written as a serious threat, or truly fleshed out beyond being an odd guy with Lewis Carroll obsessions. The character written by Simone is one that I will always remember, and should serve as a template for anyone using Hatter in the future. Hell, if the character ever sees the big screen in any format, he should be played like this! I felt like Simone kind of did the same thing for The Penguin in the first few issues of the current "Birds of Prey" story arc too. Just reminded the world how much of a threat these villains really can be.
That may be her strongest suit in writing these books: reminding fans what characters are capable of. The Secret Six has been comprised of some reprehensible characters who have done some terrible things prior to, and during, their memberships in this team. But what Gail Simone has shown throughout the series are the layers to these bastards. Deadshot's relationship to his daughter in the mini, the Bane/Scandal relationship, the person behind Ragdoll, the therapist's worst nightmare that is Catman, it's all these things (and more) that Simone has incorporated into her story, and a big part of what makes this book worth coming back to. A book about a bunch of villains with no redeeming qualities would get tired pretty quick....at least that's what I keep reading about the current run on "Titans" with Deathstroke's crew.
So in the end, I would give this book the highest of recommendations to anyone who hasn't read it, or who is curious about any of the characters. If you are/were a fan of Bane than this book is especially for you because he hasn't been written this well in a decade. Kudos to Gail Simone for all the work done on turning this misfits into a band of characters I actually give a damn about. Oh, and the art has pretty damn good too!
If you're interested in checking out the trades: Secret Six on Amazon!
Next time: Comic Book Delays!
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