Secret Six, Book 4: Caution to the Wind

Secret Six (Collected Editions, vol. 3) #5-6

by Gail Simone, Jim Calafiore (Illustrator)

Fan-favorite writer Gail Simone (BATGIRL) pairs with artist J. Calafiore (RED LANTERNS) in the final hurrah for the misfit mercenary team.

The Secret Six have never been more divided. Bane and Jeannette have split off from the rest of the group and formed a team of their own, recruiting King Shark, Lady Vic, Dwarfstar and Giganta.

But a deal too good to pass up in the lost world of Skartaris will bring Bane’s new team directly into the crosshairs of his former comrades in Scandal Savage’s original Secret Six.

With neither team prepared to back off, it’s a six-on-six super-villain battle royal!

Plus, the Secret Six trade blows with Lex Luthor, the Doom Patrol and the minions of hell! And it all comes to a final stand of heroes versus villains in Gotham City.

Collects SECRET SIX #25-36.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, LGBT, Horror

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

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

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5* all the way! What a way to go...<3

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story is not particularly amazing, but the completely bonkers finale was a strong choice.

[Aidan]

I enjoyed these chaotic journeys for the band, and the Rag-doll turn was exciting, but it never felt as tight or juicy as those first few arcs (the doom patrol rematch is a let down compared to the first fight), bogged down by crossovers and eventually rushed to an early demise by the New 52 reboot. Fantastic Bane material in here though, perfectly sums up his post-Knightfall status as the guy who broke the Bat… but then the Bat got better. Wish it at some point found some time and space to just be its own thing again, but I don’t think anything will ever top the group fighting and hunted as outsiders in Villains United. Somewhere along the way the book went from the backstabbing being things like cheating or lying, and they turned into literal backstabbings or back-shootings or full on inter team physical warfare. Whereas death seemed like it could happen to these guys, and Ragdoll betraying Hatter felt so huge, now characters betrayals or deaths feel just common or temporary. I hope the New 52 reboot can reground those dramatic elements.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many long-running comic book series, Gail Simone’s otherwise fantastic initial run on Secret Six crosses the finish line with a stumble.

It’s nowhere near as focused and cohesive as any of the other previous volumes, filled with a bunch of smaller, fun, but less significant stories (like a battle of wits with Lex Luthor and the team’s inevitable trip to Hell that we’ve all been waiting on), finally ending in an incredibly rushed Gotham City story that had potential to be great but just ended up feeling like a contractual assignment.

The series as a whole is still tons of fun! So definitely give it a go!

[Roberto Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the last book of the series, this collection tries to wrap up the entire arc of the Secret Six, with some stories that deal with their views on what is right for them. It is not a perfect exercise, but the dynamic that writer Gail Simone laid from the beginning, kind of pays off, as this book feels pretty different than recent incarnations of similar teams (New52 and rebirth Suicide Squad) as a team does what they do out of necessity and "rightiousness", rather than coertion, and somehow it seems their goals are not all that villainous, but human.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always really liked Gail Simone and Secret Six but this large collection seemed very disjointed. First, there are two parts in it completely unrelated to the preceding or following arcs. Then, the plots were so convoluted. The dialogue was still amazing, but I couldn't figure out why things were happening. Nothing seemed to matter but the characters reacted like it was the most important. The art was decent but Jim Calafiore's heads are all identical. Overall, not the ending I was hoping for.

[André Habet]

Folks are very gaga regarding this series, and I see the appeal of it, having read all the original run volumes now. It's to some degree what I imagine fans wanted of the Suicide Squad movie—a violent slugfest with low lives with a loyalty to one another that's preposterous and envy-inducing. I wasn't a fan of any of the arcs here as they all rinse and repeat the same set of actions, which usually culminate in a betrayal, followed by a last-minute double-betrayal showing these folks aren't as bad as they used to be.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't keen on the first couple of story arcs collected here (the Skartaris one and the featuring the Doom Patrol were not to my tastes at all) but the second half kind of made up for those. The ending was a very typical massive brawl (Secret Six arcs usually seem to end this way, don't they?) but it seemed like a fitting way to end Simone's run.

Overall, I had fun with these characters and enjoyed following them these last 36+ issues. I'm glad I read this iteration of The Secret Six.

[Sally Kilpatrick]

Obviously forgot to enter this one, but I remember really enjoying it. I mean, I'm a Happily Ever After kind of gal and the Secret Six are a So What if We're Going to Hell kind of group, but, still, I've enjoyed the character development of this series. I'm kinda worried about how much I like Ragdoll because he ain't right.

[I.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a let down after the strong earlier versions with the stuff in hell being a little rushed and pointless. Then the finale was abrupt and kind of lame. But it sets up Bane anew so that's that I guess...

[Darik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly touching and poignant end. This whole run is a beautifully humanist exploration of a misfit set of deeply broken people; we empathize with their shattered humanity even as they slowly find new strength and solidarity in each other. "Underdogs" doesn't seem to do this group justice.

Damn DC for canceling this book, and so many others, just to foist the hideous mediocrity of the New 52 onto us. But if this team had to go out... then at least they went out their way.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rough first few arcs or so, but I'm not sure else this series could have ended other than the way it did: a bunch of scumbags tearing up the world for each other. I don't usually care much about Bane in any iteration, but this is easily the best version of him, ever.

[Martin Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

A massive case of diminishing returns. Villains United and the first Secret Six mini-series were so good! But by this volume the series has become bogged down in bad crossovers, mediocre art and tiresomely “edgy” stories.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrap-up after 36 issues of the 2010(?) series. There's a battle in Skataris, a trip to Hell, and a grand finale battle against the extended Justice League for the heart of Gotham City.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed Simone's Secret Six and all the character interactions, this book falls short in comparison to the rest as it isn't as interesting. The ending could have been better, though I think the New 52 had something to do with this. While it isn't as satisfying, the quality of the other books is still visible here.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked some of these. I enjoyed there being dinosaurs, I loved the Dark House and the final ones. The Luthor one? Not a fan, personally. So I have mixed feelings, but on the whole I found it a satisfying conclusion.

[Matt Sabonis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad, but...man, don't read a lot of it all at once. The formula of "team member betrays team over faux-ethical dilemma, chaos ensues" gets a little tiresome, as does Simone's semi-folksy dialogue from half the characters. But still, if you read the series a bit at a time, it can be fun.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty okay but man, did not enjoy the portal of the women in warlord-land (or whatever it was called).