Secret Six 32 – 36

Secret Six (Volume 3) #32
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Calafiore

The Secret Six travel to hell in a fantastic issue. I forgot how much I missed reading this book with it’s hilarious but dark characters and it’s beautiful artwork. I loved how Bane seemed shock that he might be damned to hell because he considers himself to be good. I loved that Ragdoll doesn’t want to return to earth because he is going “sane.” I loved it all.

 

Secret Six (Volume 3) #33
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Calafiore

In this issue, Catman goes to make sure that his father is in hell where he deserves to be only to find that his mother is in hell too – she eats his father every day as a lioness to torture him. Etrigan tells Catman this is heaven for his mother. I guess his Dad got what he deserved! That is some dark humor there and I love it. We even get to see the personal hells of all of the Secret Six. Some were sad like Bane’s but then Gail Simone – the master 0f writing comedic relief – shows King Shark’s hell as a vegetarian restaurant. Anyways, Lady Blaze tells Scandal her other girlfriend’s soul will soon belong to her in hell. I can’t remember who Scandal’s other girlfriend was.

Secret Six (Volume 3) #34
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Calafiore

Did Jeanette quote Julian of Norwhich in this issue? Scandal sure did lie to her girlfriend in this issue didn’t she? Anyways, this was a heartwarming issue in a dark heartwarming disturbing way only the Secret Six can bring. Bane goes on a date and gets in a fight. Jeanette seems to have decided to turn good? And it was just a lot of fun.

 

 

Secret Six (Volume 3) #35
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Calafiore

In this issue, Bane decides to lead the team in another assault Batman after realizing that he never got to really break the Batman like he wanted to back in the day. They start by drafting the Penguin to join the team. I enjoy the way Simone writes Penguin…it reminds me of Batman Returns a bit. And that is my favorite Batman movie. This was a fantastic issue.

 

Secret Six (Volume 3) #36 
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Calafiore

This is the final issue of a great series that I will miss. Gail Simone is a creative genius. You writes complex characters who are so well-rounded it is like they are real people. She is truly a gem in the comic book world. Also, she has a scene in this where they feed a man to King Shark on a fishing hook. So she is hilarious too. The part where Scandal decides she wants to marry both Knockout and Liana was a tad strange though but hey these are crazy people this book is about. The only problem I had was it is really hard to believe all of those supeheroes would show up to fight the Secret Six like they are Darkseid or something. But they sure got their asses handed to them and this villain team went out in a blaze of glory. What a fitting finale to an amazing series!

 

Doom Patrol 19 – 22

Doom Patrol (Volume 5) #19
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Matthew Clark and Ron Randall

This issue ends the crossover with Secret Six. I hadn’t read the previous parts in years and it was basically incomprehensible for this reason. DC needs to be consistent on doing short recaps in every issue. Why can’t they do that and then just cut them from the eventual trade paperback. The only part of this I understood was that Veronica Cale plans on booting the Doom Patrol from Oolong Island.
Doom Patrol (Volume 5) #20
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Matthew Clark and Ron Randall

The Doom Patrol have been kicked off Oolong Island and are looking for some place to lay-low. In a hilarious scene Robotman goes to the Hall of Justice and quickly offends the crap out of Congorilla. Elasti-Woman heads to Titans Tower and gets told by Beast Boy the Doom Patrol are not considered a probable terrorist group. Negative Man goes to Gotham City and gets told by Dick Grayson the same thing and Negative Man makes a good point that bad things follow Batman around too. In the end, they are convinced they have to take back Oolong Island from the M.S.E. It was a good issue but the art bothered me…a lot.

Doom Patrol (Volume 5) #21
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Matthew Clark and Ron Randall

This issue serves mostly to recap the history of the Doom Patrol and they don’t do a great job of not making it confusing. I don’t know, it just didn’t jive for me and I usually like these kind of issues.

 

 

 

Doom Patrol (Volume 5) #22
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Ron Randall

This is the final issue of this series before the New 52 awful crap reboot of the DCU. It actually ends up on a cliffhanger where it seems Niles Caulder has gotten away. Otherwise the art and the writing in this book never made it easy to understand or enjoy. I am not too sad to see it go.

 

 

 

 

The Portal To Hell Is An Iowa Outlet Mall

Secret Six (Volume 3) #31
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

 

After many crossover issues we finally see a return to form for the Secret Six in this issue which follows up on the Get out of Hell Free Card as Ragdoll and Scandal fight over whether to use it to save Parademon or Knockout from hell. Just awesome! And the portal to Hell is in an Outlet Mall in Iowa! Brilliant!

Secret Six Versus Doom Patrol

Secret Six (Volume 3) #30
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

This is the first part of a crossover with Doom Patrol that has some great moments including Bane on a date and King Shark biting off a piece of Elasti-Woman. Gail Simone creates a great new villain in the form of a dead beat young man who spends his days playing video games until one day he finds out  that he has inherited a criminal empire from his grandfather. Once again Simone hits it out of the park with this issue but I mean how many crossovers can this book have?

Crossover Mode

Secret Six (Volume 3) #29
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Marcos Marz

 

This is the conclusion of the crossover with the Action Comics that began here. It was pretty good but still confused the hell out of me at some points just as the last part did. Maybe I am just not following things correctly but anyways the best moments were the Six of course and it Scandal’s background is fleshed out quite nicely. Not much else to say. I can’t wait for this to get back to non-crossover mode.

Maggie Mxyzptlk

Action Comics #896
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Pete Woods
Co-Feature by Nick Spencer
Art by RB Silva

 

I was utterly confused at what exactly went down in the boardroom at LexCorp here. Could it be the art? Did I read too quick? I don’t know but I am not sure why everyone was freaking out at the end. I liked the back-up a lot more as Jimmy goes in a date with Maggie Mxyzptlk! Awesome! It’s sad that this Jimmy Olsen co-feature won’t be continuing. I can’t believe I actually loved a Jimmy Olsen co-feature!

The Revenge

Secret Six (Volume 3) #28
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

 

Diemos is defeated and everyone returns from Skartaris (well except for Lady Vic) and the Six may be working at least part-time for Amanda Waller now. It looked like King Shark was sticking around too but I am not sure. I loved the final scene with Giganta’s revenge on that rat bastard Dwarfstar…priceless!

Catman the Warlord

Secret Six (Volume 3) #27
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

 

Catman as the Warlord! War in Skartaris! Amanda Waller gets her revenge! The return of Diemos! King Shark loses an eyeball! This is awesome stuff…what an issue Simone has written here! Go read it! The only thing is some scenes the art seemed a little off…maybe rushed otherwise this was pretty near awesome.

Secret Six In Skartaris

Secret Six (Volume 3) #26
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

 

I had no idea the place that they were going last issue was going to be Skartaris! I thought that they sealed off Skartaris at the end of the last Warlord book but they failed apparently as the USA wants to annex Skartaris! Awesome storyline Gail…this book is returing to the greatness it once had as Ragdoll has hilarious lines and it is great to see the Six learn about Skartaris. The ending was shocking as hell too. Great read.

Lost At Sea

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #87
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

 

Felecia D. Henderson ends her run on the book as the team defeats the Wyld and is left significantly smaller in the wake of Aquagirl and Bombshell being lost at sea (I liked them both and I am sad to see them gone from the team), Static left powerless and returning to Dakota, and Miss Martian in recovery. I was worried that Dc was going to kill them off so I am glad to see them all being given better reasons to leave the team then death. Miss Martian and Aquagirl both play a role in Brightest Day so we know they will be okay. As much flack as Henderson gets for her run, she vastly improved during her year on this book and you got to give her credit for that. I look forward to see what her Static ongoing will be like. The coven of three back-up ended with a team actually forming, but the three of them secretly very angry with each other or being liars. At least that wasn’t what I was expecting. I hope to see more about this coven in the future.

Secret Six 24 and 25

Secret Six (Volume 3) #24
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

 

This was weird. It was basically an imaginary story issue with the Secret Six in the wild west. It was okay but it would have been nice for them to explain this or for there to be an editorial blurb that says “Not in Continuity”

Secret Six (Volume 3) #25
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

Bane’s team and the regular team are forced to fight one another – or at least it is being set up that way. Can’t wait to see it in action! The new team is fascinating and I want them to stick around. Dwarfstar was a great Ryan Choi villain it is so sad to hear Giganta talk about Ryan – I wonder if this is before or after his murder? Good stuff so far.

Thought Bubbles

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #86
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

More awkward dialogue from Henderson here but she has certainly improved a lot. It is nice to see the use of though bubbles in a comic too. I have no idea what is going on with Dr. Barnes but I am intriqued and I am hoping that Bombshell and Aquagirl will be okay.  The back-up was still good as the trio ends up in hell. I liked the mention of Kid Devil…it seems like the Titans have forgotten they recently lost a dear friend and member of the team but Zachary Zatara certainly hasn’t. Although I wonder what he meant about Eddie’s soul.

Titans In Trouble

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #85
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Niafeh

 

Everything is going to hell for the Teen Titans as they fight this Wyld guy (who I still don’t even get is) and his crazy evil planet. The dialogue is corny as usual but I didn’t hate the issue like I do sometimes. Hendeson seems to be getting better as she goes along. I am actually worried for some of these characters here.  The back-up continues to be rather good – although I don’t really like how Zatara is drawn as if he is Asian. Loved all the magic stuff.

Hey, Pretty Art!

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #84
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

 

Henderson’s writing isn’t half bad when teamed with a good artist like Luis. I actually enjoyed this issue – and that is saying a lot considering how bad the last few issues have been. The best moments had to be with Aquagirl and Bombshell waiting it out in the ocean – and wow does Luis draws a beautiful oceanscape. I love how he draws Wonder Girl too. Wonder Girl is right to be annoyed with Superboy acting like she is his girlfriend in the field because it undermines her authority as leader. So far not bad for this arc, although it is a little too late for Henderson as the writer of this book. At least she started off her last arc on the book well. In the Coven back-up, all the dreams of Zachary Zatara, Black Alice, and Traci 13 are coming true and Traci and Zatara are trying to put things back to how they really were – but Black Alice doesn’t want to. So far this co-feature has been really good and I look forward to see where it leads.

The Most Wonderful Anniversary Issue Diana Could Get

Wonder Woman #600
Written by Gail Simone, Amanda Connor, Louise Simonson, Geoff Johns, and J. Michael Straczynski
Art by George Perez, Connor, Eduardo Pansica, Scott Kollins, and Don Kramer

Wonder Woman reverts to classica numbering…well the numbering of all three of her series put together. Six Hundred issues! Now this was a damn anniversary issue! Beautiful pin-ups and wonderful stories that not only celebrated the character’s rich history but brought her forward. Gail Simone’s story of Wonder Woman leading a band of female heroes was breathtakingly drawn by Perez and ended with a sulute to the Perez era of the character. It was great to see all those female heroes working together – and Grace was there! We haven’t seen her in a while. But of course my favorite story has to be Amanda Connor’s short Wonder Woman team up with Power Girl that featured the Batgirl Cassandra Cain!!!!!! It takes place in the past but it was so great to see Cassie in her suit and all her glory again I almost cried! Sure she didn’t exactly talk like Cassie – but I am not complaining at least we got to see her. What a treat! Not to mention it was a great little story where Wonder Woman explains how Power Girl can bond with her cat. Simonson’s and Johns’s stories were good spotlights of how powerful and amazing the character is but the real meat of the issue is Straczysnki’s prologue to his new run. Shockingly, something has changed the timeline of Wonder Woman’s life and now she is an orphan raised in the city by amazons after Paradise Island was destroyed. The new costume isn’t going to last and let’s face it – it’s not the great but Kramer does the best he can with it. I know this isn’t a permanent retcon and that Diana will make her way back to the original timeline so I am interested in where this radical new direction is going. I also wonder how this will effect the rest of the DCU.  This was the perfect anniversary issue for Diana!

Father’s Day

Secret Six (Volume 3) #22
Written by Gail Simone
Art by J. Caliafore

 

Just in time for Father’s Day is this lovely story that flashesback more to Catman’s evil father who forced him to murder his mother – what a fucking bastard that guy was – and I like the twist ending where Catman and Cheshire’s son is adopted away or was he? It was kind of unclear but I hope that this was the case. Anyways, this was an awesome but disturbing story. Where will this book go next?

The Coven Betters The Titans

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #83
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

 

With all the poor dialogue and abrupt changing of scenes, one thing can be said about Henderson is that she utilizes all the Titans effectively and their powers. I appreciate that. Otherwise, yes this is awful dialogue. The sad thing is the plot is not bad, she should be a plotter just maybe not a writer. Superboy and Aquagirl is interesting….I can’t see Cassie and Connor officially breaking up. Blue Beetle is gone with this issue I guess. Anyways, I guess we are just killing time till Krul begins his run on this book. Luckily, the new back-up was just awesome! I was excited for this new team of teen magic heroes – but I didn’t expect it to be this good! I can’t wait to see Black Alice, Traci 13, and Zatara team up! Speaking of Traci 13, up until this issue I always found the character to be boring. Nice job Ogle!