REVIEW: Secret Six #5
Secret Six #5, “Monsters, All Of Us” switches the focus from Catman and Super Son from last issue towards the rest of the captured Six. This one really delves deep into the ideals of what Justice looks like and the thin line it shares with Revenge. Jay discovers some ugly truths, Dreamer deals with her inner conflict, and the fate of Amanda Waller hangs in the balance.
The standard cover is by Stephen Segovia and Rain Beredo. One of the major themes of this series is how little this version of The Six get along and this cover has them squaring off against each other. They may not see eye-to-eye, but this issue has them starting to look out for each other making this depiction a bit hyperbolic. Still it’s a great piece and conveys the theme of the series well.
The variant by Leirix has Deadshot crawling out of his grave. Having been resurrected multiple times over the years, Deadshot proves the old addage true, “There ain’t no rest for the wicked”.
David Baldeón’s variant has Super Son in, presumably, Deadshot’s crosshairs. The mostly black cover really let’s Jon’s colorful costume pop making a very striking image. The bigger question is this an image related to their previous tussle in issue #2 or a foreshadowing of a future conflict? We only have one more issue to truly find out.
Roger Cruz and Colorist Rain Beredo deliver a fairly intense issue as the interior art team. The first page really sells Jay’s distress and it’s all downhill for him until the end. The scope of which everyone displays their powers feels epic and considering it’s three against Checkmate it’s definitely warranted. The greater show of talent is in the smaller moments when Waller looks scared and confused, which happens enough times to really have you feeling sorry for her. It’s simply great comic art.
Nicole Maines, lettered by Steve Wands, continues her rollercoaster of a morality tale in Secret Six #5. The complexity in which these characters interact and the inner conflict within Nia and Jay feels very real, relatable, and relevant. This issue paints the line between justice and revenge very thinly, and points out the “right thing to do” isn’t always an obvious choice. It’s the type of story that gets you thinking about the philosophical aspects of super heroism and what the differences truly are between Heroes and Villains. This plays out through the narratives of Dreamer and Gossamer and it’ll be interesting to see how their actions get perceived by Jon later on. The compelling drama of how this “team” goes about exacting the fate of Amanda Waller is definitely a high point of the series.
(9/10) The art is simply “on point” and perfectly sells the story’s emotional weight. This issue could have easily just played to Nia’s storyline, but Nicole Maines continues to showcase her talent for assemble casts and her ability to exploit the character’s strengths and weaknesses. We only have one more issue left, and it’s sure to be exciting, but I’m also hoping some variation of this team continues in a more ongoing fashion.
