Secret Six, Vol. 6: The Darkest House

Secret Six (Collected Editions, vol. 3) #6

by Gail Simone, Jim Calafiore (Illustrator)

As a member of the Secret Six is determined to bring back a loved one from the Gates of Hell using a 'Get Out of Hell Free' card stolen back in the first arc of the series. Meanwhile Bane must face his inner demons and make some crucial decisions regarding his future with the Secret Six!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Gail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".

Reviews

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail Simone's awesome Secret Six ends, with a literal trip to hell (coinciding with the 'get out of hell free' card from the first arc)

There really hasn't been as a cool a villain comic since then, still a high point for 21st century DC.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is the end. As a whole, Simone did some great work on this title, especially with the characters. But the ending is... Well, it's kind of meh. It felt rushed, like the book was canceled and the writer had to scramble to tie up loose ends. Which is basically what happened, isn't it? And yet, even with a rushed ending that doesn't entirely square with the characters as developed, there are still some really good character moments. I got a lot of enjoyment out of this series, and I would highly recommend most of it. It's just a shame that the ending doesn't do it justice, and hits the reset button on the way out.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite my love of Gail Simone and her writing, this one really fell off the wagon of what her usual standards are.

[Simon Traschinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reread the finale of simones great Secret Six for the first time in years and was surprised how rushed it feels, when this didnt bother me the last time.

Still a good send off, but its clear that the trip to hell could have needed additional issues. Especially Ragdolls character gets sidelined for the last few issues and feels out of place. Nonetheless still a fun read thats in the right moments as good as any other Sectet Six Volume.

And King Shark is always fun.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final volume of Secret Six. They go to Hell to rescue Scandal's lover, and go out in a blaze of glory. This was a fitting end to the series. All the characters got a kind of closure, and some even experienced unexpected emotional fulfillment. I really enjoyed this series, particularly this book. I suspect if you hadnt read the other volumes you would not be that engaged with the characters, and may not enjoy it as much. A really, really good read.

[Nate]

Given that Secret Six was cancelled because of Flashpoint/New 52, Simone does what she can to wrap up the story. It’s fun but rushed. This volume starts with a throwaway Doom Patrol crossover which leads into the main story of the team going to Hell. The last two issues have Bane corralling the everyone to go after Batman’s loved ones as a way to truly break him. Did Tom King get the idea for his Batman run from this?

None of these issues are bad but they’re not very memorable either. Like I said, Simone does her best given the circumstances. I think Secret Six was strongest in the beginning, when it felt fresh and funny and the members were still feeling each other out. The shtick wore thin after a while and I found myself laughing less as the series went on. That said, I had fun overall and think Simone did some great work with these characters.

[Shelby Coyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret Six has a great cast of characters and that, more than any plotline, is what makes this series great. These people love and hate each other in turn and the dynamics are delightful. While the different story arcs can be a bit choppy or inconsistent, this is still a great read. Found family, bad people doing good things, bad people doing bad things for good reasons. Plus some straight up murder, but with this group that has to be expected. Each character actually feels like a person, and they all grow in their own ways (with the exception of King Shark, who was only in the last few issues). If you’re looking for a quick read with some found family and a lot of blood, this is a great series.

[Pádraic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this series twice, my ratings dropped as low as one star as recently as last volume, and yet... I'm so glad I stuck it out. These are delightful messed-up murderers who come to care about each other, and I came to care about them too - always a sucker for the found-family dynamic. This volume contains, in order: the least stupid crossover, a trip to hell, and a Butch and Sundance ending. So much for heroes. Beat them hollow.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail Simone has perhaps the most interesting take on Bane I've come across to date. That being said, it kind of slowly consumed the book to the point where Bane became the dominant will of the Six and they signed on to his ridiculous suicide run without even thinking about it. I suppose you have a different perspective when you spend a weekend in Hell and find out you're going back there anyway, but for the Secret Six, riding the line between good and bad was a central theme, and I'm not crazy about the whole group breaking bad just because Bane shamed them. (Nevermind that his whole plan was made in bad faith to separate himself from any personal attachment.)

[machado · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[The Library Ladies · Rating 3 out of 5]

(originally reviewed at thelibraryladies.com )

And here we are. We have reached the end of The Secret Six arc, pre- New 52. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, really. I put it off as long as I could. But the time has come to say goodbye to my favorite mercenary super villains (who are not really all that villainous). Which sucks all the more because it was a very indefinite goodbye, with little closure for really any of the characters I have come to love. In their final arc we go back to the beginning, bringing back the much fought over ‘Get Out of Hell Free’ card that was so coveted in Volume 1. I’m sure you can probably guess who wants to use this card. After all, Scandal Savage hasn’t really gotten over Knockout, even though she’s dating the very lovely Liana. But when she decides to use it, she finds that someone has backstabbed her and taken the card for themselves. Our next arc involves a Hail Mary attempt for the Six, with Bane deciding that it is time to try and take out his long held enemies once and for all.

I don’t know how I feel about the end of this. It was annoying that there was one last bit of backstabbing. I thought we were past this, guys. So much about this storyline left me feeling a bit cold. For one thing, Scandal, darling, you have a lovely, LOVELY companion in Liana. So why are you deciding NOW that you need to go get Knockout back from hell? I had thought that she had moved on and was very happy with her and Liana, as I feel that Liana is far more interesting than Knockout is. It didn’t help that Liana was put in a very precarious situation and Scandal was too busy trying to get her old lover back to really assist her until it was almost too late. THIS DID NOT SIT WELL WITH ME. It just felt weird to bring Knockout back right at the end of things. And maybe they didn’t know it was the end. But it feels needless.

I also am frustrated that Bane just decides that they are going to take out Batman’s allies, which in turn leads to their downfall as a team. This also felt like a weird plot choice to me! Especially since I thought that he was doing pretty well with this group of people, and was possibly done with this Batman obsession. But what do I know? I guess they just needed to end it somehow and so WHY NOT END IT WITH THE GODDAMN JUSTICE LEAGUE TAKING THESE POOR LOSERS OUT? I was pleased that Huntress was there to critique and criticize the whole concept of heroes and what makes a hero. Because let’s be honest, the thing that I like about Secret Six is that they are kind of ambiguous, and could be good if they really wanted to be. And not only could they be good, they are so inept at being totally bad (outside of MAYBE Bane) that there was no way they stood any kind of chance.

All of this said, there were things in this that I liked. More sweet moments between Jeanette and Deadshot (and her being very dominant when kissing him just made me grin from ear to ear) and a sweet scene between an isolated Ragdoll and Scandal were great, and when they were in Hell I was especially satisfied by what Catman got to see, given that his father was such a horrible person and has, indeed, ended up in this awful, torturous place. My favorite arc, however, was a date that Bane went on with Liana’s friend and fellow dancer Spencer. He took her to a carnival, guys. A CARNIVAL. This was everything I ever wanted.

So, while I was ultimately disappointed with the end of the series, I still loved “Secret Six” as a whole. I loved all of these characters. I loved Simone’s writing. I wish that there was more. I may have to see how the New 52 Secret Six are. But I feel like the originals will always hold the key to my heart.

[ElphaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

And with that, I have come to the end of Gail Simone's initial SECRET SIX run. I will say right off that bat that this one was, unfortunately, another weaker contribution to the storyline as a whole, but I will explain why it got four stars instead of three in a moment. Between Ragdoll betraying the team for the aforementioned 'Get Out Of Hell Free' card from WAAAAAY back in volume 1, and Bane deciding that they needed to try and take out Batman and his compatriots for good, I was upset with how this all went down. It felt weird to have Bane suddenly decided that this was what they were going to do, and I was SO disappointed that Ragdoll screwed his teammates over JUST BECAUSE. I get the motivation, I guess, but it felt trite and like we were beyond all of this.

BUT, there are two reasons that this gets four stars instead of three. The first is that while the end is a cliffhanger that never got resolved, it was very neat to see Huntress acknowledge that sometimes superheroes are dicks too. There was no way that the Six were going to be able to actually take on these superior metahumans, but they were crushed like bugs anyway because 'they're bad guys'. It was neat to see it acknowledged that even superheroes aren't black and white and always good. But the bigger reason, and this is going to sound silly is because of this: BANE. WENT. ON. A. DATE. And it was absolutely precious. Maybe I'm shallow, but it's in moments like that that my love for the Secret Six is really amplified. I love them most when they are just being normalish, goofy, and snarky people with lives outside of their villain work. That was beyond adorable and super funny.

Overall, I really, really liked SECRET SIX. I hope that I will see more of them in the future. After all, they have their own NEW 52 arc now...... Until then, I will greatly miss the adventures of Catman, Deadshot, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Jeanette, Bane, Black Alice, King Shark, and Knockout.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While working for DC Comics writer Gail Simone has arguably nailed it with three series. Birds of Prey (and thank you for your characterization of Lady Blackhawk), a short stint on Wonder Woman, and this series. Unfortunately this is the final volume as DC has since rebooted the entire line. These characters no longer exist in this form.

And, that is fine with me. As I say to some people go back and re-read the runs you love rather than complain about the new creative team's shortcomings. Eventually they'll be replaced or leave the title on their own. Simone gave us wonderful characters here, even at the times her storytelling fell a little short (such as the two chapter ending to the series).

She made Catman a badass, Deadshot, while staying consistent with his prior characterization by John Ostrander finds a reason to live because of Jeanette. Bane is given some noble aspects as he seeks redemption and love. Scandal is the best writer lesbian character in comics history (well at least I think so), and there is more.

What happens in the final TPB? They go to Hell, return from Hell, and from some stupid reason (seriously think was because the title was ending) they decide to take on all the heroes in Gotham City and go out like the crew in the end of the film The Wild Bunch.

It was a pretty good ride for six volumes.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

One can almost feel that Gail Simone has been forced to wrap up the Secret Six crew just so DCnU can begin and so Bane can go back to being a movie-worthy Bat-baddie in the final installment of the Secret Six saga. We open with a Doom Patrol skirmish that feels slightly out of place, especially considering the "baddie" that supposedly hired the Six. A trip to hell follows our mercenaries, as Ragdoll wants to free Parademon, Scandal wants to liberate Knockout, Catman wants to make sure his dad is suffering, and Bane discovers that his "good deeds" have not balanced the scales in his favor at all. The end result is a messy confluence of demonic battles and fights that leave us with a new Ragdoll costume and a returned Knockout. We then get a master plan from Bane, who uses the Penguin to help set in motion a plan to end the Bat and his allies. Instead, Penguin squaks and brings in nearly every DC hero to help take down the 6. As Huntress laments in her Catman battle, the time of the 6 is over thanks to the "heroes." Honestly, I had hoped for the Six to go out with a bang, not a whimper. Here's hoping we see them again!

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final volume really helps to remind what the Secret Six team was about. The first two issues are a crossover with the Doom Patrol, and are silly fun, what with getting Killer Shark, Ragdoll, and Ambush Bug playing off each other. But the real meat is a four-parter that ties up the story about the get-out-of-hell free card from the beginning of the series. The Six end up facing down Ragdoll and demons in Hell, and facing their own demons. It gets chaotic, but the characters are at their strongest. And then there's the finale, which not only takes the series out in a blaze of glory, but asks the readers to really look at what they've been reading - are these characters heroes? Villains? Something Else? They are a family - as dysfunctional as they come, but in the end they see their way to the end together. The final pages are heartbreaking in their inevitability, and Simone does not shy away from the hard questions.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final volume of the Secret Six in this incarnation; DC killed the book as part of the transition to the "New 52," and Simone had to rush a bit to bring the story to a conclusion.

But the volume overall is amazing, from an enjoyable super-team fight against the Doom Patrol, to a trip to Hell that defines what sort of a family the Six have become for one another, to a final Wild Bunch stand against the Bat-family and pretty much the entire Justice League.

Simone -- assisted ably by Calafiore's art -- managed to create in this title, climaxing here, an incredible group of anti-heroes that the reader can both despise and root for (from a safe distance). If there are flaws in this volume -- and there are -- it also serves as the summation of the entire run and deserves all five stars for that.

[Centauri · Rating 2 out of 5]

at first I thought it was making a mockery of some of #DC Comics most bad (bane, scandal, deadshot) but realized it was more of a re-imagining of the character set so that they could fit a bit better when forced together. I guess it is one of the plot and story vehicles writers must utilize when working with a list of characters over 50 years old (how could you make them relevant in the modern era?)
this magazine is a prime example of how they need to stop writing for the same list of characters and come up with something truly new. I am tired of re-imaginings and reboots...plus, they went to hell to be heroes because their "friend" needed them? they are some of the most ruthless criminals and tacticians forced into a "darker justice league" to play their hand at publicized mercenary? give me a break!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two issues of this book are another stupid editorially-mandated crossover. Not a fan at all. The arc in hell is pretty damn fucked up and therefore amazing, especially what each of the team members' hell would be. Bane's plot in the last two issues seems sort of abrupt and out of nowhere, but it's well done. The one good thing about the reboot, I guess, is that characters who were killed off in old continuity can come back. They probably won't, because if I like a character, DC editorial probably hates them, but at least it's a possibility. I'd love to see Scandal and Catman back at least.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this was sad to read! It's the end of the series as the book was cancelled for the New 52, but the series goes out with a bang. While I wish there was some more emotional closure, I felt satisfied leaving these characters. It's funny how much of a Bane book this became but Simone wrote him as a likeable character. It's strange to say it, but I'll even miss King Shark, who I only got to read for this volume. A great ending and one that leaves me wanting more!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Suicide Roulette” is yet another crossover whose main effect is to drag down the Secret Six series. I actually think that Giffen’s issue is funnier than Simone’s, which is a shame [6/10]. The rest of the book, however, is great. The Six’s trip to hell is terrific and a nice return to old themes. The final couple of issues are a bit rushed, but still a fine ending [8/10].

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's my fault for pick up the last TPB of a comic book series that I don't usually read. I had no idea who som eof the characters were. Interesting ideas, but the last comic book in the series made no sense.

Also, King Shark was a fun character. Scandal Savage and her girlfriends were interesting.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to see this book go (thanks, New 52). Not as focused and gripping as the previous installments in the series but Simone and Calafiore still create comics that outdo the vast majority of titles published.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this vol the the team goes after trying to use the Get Out of Hell Free card going full circle from the first part of this series. It ends on a fun note with Bane going after the prize one more time with the team tagging along...i wish this series never ended.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Six comes to an end. It's a sad day and seems to happen just so that the team is broken up and available for use in other parts of the DC universe.

Lawton and Blake are the best buddies/enemies. Their banter is something to aspire to. That is the saddest loss when the Six end.

[Alex Sarll]

For a book about a band of villains, psychopaths and monsters, including the wonderful King Shark (catchphrase: "I'M A SHARK!"), this final volume was surprisingly moving.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very sorry that this series ended with a dud. It started out really well.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this putted along,
and I felt disappointed in what has been such a fun series,
but then the second half was super good!

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite team went out with a bang. Gail Simone, you done good.

[Agustin Guerrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't a big fan of the Doom Patrol crossover, but the rest of the book more than makes up for it. The end of the Six (until today's newly launched series) was incredible.

[Alice Urchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one but still pretty great