There's more to this limited series than meets the eye. On the surface, it seems to be a title that resurrects the old Secret Society of Super-Villains concept of the 1970s to offer traditional, fun super-hero storytelling from the perspective of the antagonists. But it's much more than that. It's also a Secret SiX revival, with a touch of Suicide Squad intensity thrown in for good measure. Most importantly, it's not about villains versus heroes (as opposed to heroes versus villains); it's about villains versus villains. Everybody's a bad guy, and while the reader doesn't know whose side to take, the intensity of the conflict -- combined with Simone's trademark sense of humor -- makes for a deligthfully fun read.
Six powerful people, known for their repeated conflicts with the world's costumed champions, undertake to organize the metahuman criminal underworld now that it is widely know that even the Justice League have resorted to unethical methods to fight crime in the past. Those villains who refuse Lex Luthor, Talia Al Ghul, Dr. Psycho, Black Adam, the Calculator and Deathstroke soon find themsleves targeted for elimination. One such individual -- the rejuvenated and remade Cat-Man -- receives a different offer, to join another group of skilled villains in an endeavor to oppose the other and to take over the world.
This is some of Dale Eaglesham's strongest work to date. He handles the expansive cast of villains quite well. There's no confusion about which players are which; there are distinct looks for each character. The jungle fight scene with the H.I.V.E. drones is a little sketchier than the rest of the book, but not distractingly so. Eaglesham makes some of the villains here seem sinister, but more often than not, they come off as powerful, ambitious and thoughtful. The artist reinforces the writer's flair for humor just right, but never to the point that the intensity and power of the characters is eclipsed.
Simone employed three key items in her Tool Belt of Humor in the construction of this debut issue. The most obvious one is her take on Dr. Psycho. The writer maintains the character's creepy, sadistic qualities, but she has fun with his madness and anger. His rants demonstrate his deprived way of thinking, but it also spotless how powerless he feels as a result of unexpected developments. Simone's Parademon is a delightful character as well, the dim-witted stranger in a strange land going through culture shock. And then there's the Fiddler, the one example included in this book of a villain who's just too silly to fit in with the dark, tense and mysterious feel of this book.
The writer juggles the expansive cast of characters incredibly well. Not only does she establish the complexity of the conspiracies that unfold here, but she includes plenty of entertaining interpersonal dynamics among the players. The Parademon and new Rag-Doll make for a bizarre but fascinating friendship. Scandal's apparent disdain for consorting with the criminals, the confidence with which she carries herself and the complete lack of any indication of her abilities all combine for a mesmerizing sense of mystery. I'm also eager to learn what led to the Cat-Man's transformation.
In other words, there's a lot going on here, but the issue never feels crowded and none of the characters seem overlooked either. Simone has achieved a great balance not only between mystery and humor, between a sense of fun and a sense of foreboding, but between character and plot. On top of that, one needn't be an expert on all things DC in order to follow along. It's certainly fun for us longtime DC readers to spot obscure characters and concepts, but familiarity with the continuity isn't a requisite. 9/10
