DC Endings: @GailSimone's Secret Six

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One thing I didn't anticipate with the DC relaunch was the emotion of all the current books ending these last couple of weeks of August. Batgirl, Red Robin, James Robinson's Justice League, Superman, Supergirl and many others have come to an end with a mixture of sadness and the promise of what might have been. I saw Keith Giffen at his Baltimore Comic-Con booth over the weekend and mentioned that I was sorry to see Doom Patrol go. "Yeah, that one hurt", he said, shaking his head. But by far the book I'll miss the most is Gail Simone's Secret Six.


When I talk about Secret Six, I often say something like “I can’t believe what Gail Simone is able to get away with.” And that’s true, but it occurs to me lately that I’ve done a disservice to the book by focusing on that. It’s not the best thing DC published because it was shocking, though it sometimes was, or that it featured the most diverse cast in comics (admittedly a low bar), it’s because of the the book’s incredible heart. These characters are broken, probably irrevocably so, and yet they get up every day and do what their hearts tell them to do. Which sometimes, as much to their surprise as the reader’s, is the right thing. It’s inspiring, is what it is.


I've been meaning to write about Secret Six for a while, but I got stuck after the paragraph above trying to articulate my thoughts well enough to do justice to Gail Simone's intricate creation. Fortunately, ComicMix's Marc Alan Fishman has summed it up pretty well. Hopefully, all the Secret Six trades will stay in print for a while so that anyone who hasn't read this great series can still experience it.


Don't get me wrong: I'm still really excited about the DC relaunch, even more so after the "New 52" panel in Baltimore this past Saturday. (I briefly wrote about the panel on The Comic Book Shop's Facebook wall, and CBR's report is here.) I just didn't expect to be as affected as I have been by the ending of the previous era.

Comments

  1. David AndrewsAugust 26, 2011 at 6:02 AM

    I agree with your sentiment Jeff - you are spot on. When you have the time mate, check out my recent Secret Six post - http://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/2011/08/secret-six-36.html

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