I think the story here stands out as the strongest for the title thus far, and given how much fun, action and edge writer Gail Simone has brought to this limited series, that's a pretty strong statement. But overall, this actually struck me as the weakest episode of Villains United because the art doesn't suit the dark, intense tone. Artist Val Semeiks, who worked on a couple of high-profile projects for DC a few years ago, fills in for Dale Eaglesham this month, and his exaggerated, cartoony style is a poor fit. Nevertheless, Villains remains the best of the Countdown to Infinite Crisis lead-up titles.
The Secret Six have been captured by the Society and punished for refusing to join the ranks of the super-criminal organization. They're locked in a cell together, and one by one, each is taken for interrogation. The man asking the questions is the Crime Doctor, and while he's after information about Mockingbird, the Six's mysterious employer, his real motivation is inflicting excruciating pain upon his "patients" and enjoying the show. The members of the Six begin to break down physically and emotionally, and they're beginning to turn on one another. However, one among them is focusing on freedom.
Semeiks tells the story clearly. There's no confusion, and in that respect, he performs his task properly. Unfortunately, his style just doesn't work with this material. He worked on a couple of high-profile super-hero crossover projects for DC a few years ago, and for the more over-the-top, cosmic stuff, he does pretty well. This plot is darker, nastier and edgier, and his art -- which looks like a cross between the styles of Joe Staton and John Byrne -- just doesn't click. He fails to convey the intensity of the characters' agony and the Crime Doctor's sadism, and those are some of the most important elements in this story.
This issue finally provides Simone the space to explore what brought the members of the Six together under Mockingbird's direction, and it makes for a chilling picture of the unseen mastermind. How and why he came to get his unusual abilities also speak to an unhealthy obsession and disturbed mind. The continued enmity and gruding respect between Catman and Deadshot makes for strong moments as well.
One of my favorite aspects of this issue was Simeone's quiet humanizing of Cheshire. The assassin isn't her usually serpentine self here. She hurts, she celebrates... she gives in to her vulnerable side and allows it to come out, in part against her will and in part because she so chooses. The plot here is fascinating and action exciting, but it's the small bits of characterization Simone mixes in that really makes her one of the super-hero genre's must-read writers these days. 7/10
