DCU Comic Book Reviews

SECRET SIX #10

A Debt Of Significant Blood

August 2009

Written by Gail Simone

Pencils by Nicola Scott

Inks by Doug Hazelwood

Cover by Daniel LuVisi

Synopsis

Two months ago, Mina refuses to continue working in the mines because she feels there is methane gas behind the walls.  Mr. Smyth orders other miners killed until she changes her mind.  Elsewhere, Bane is tormented by nightmares.  He wakes and reaches for the venom.  Scandal stops him and decides to stay with him to help him get through the night without the drug.  In Ireland, Deadshot, Jeannette, and Catman meet with Mr. Smyth, who hires their services.  He also claims to work for Mockingbird, their former employer of the Secret Six.  Later, the six are on a plane carrying a special crate to the mines.  The plane is hit by a rocket, forcing the plane to land away from the camp and close to the base of mercenaries.  The Six are able to beat them back until Mr. Smyth arrives with reinforcements.  Mr. Smyth lets one of the miners free to run away, then orders Deadshot to kill her.  Scandal is not happy to realize their new employers are also slavers.  Mr. Smyth welcomes them to Devil’s Island, where they truly belong.    

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I liked this issue.  I really like these characters and Simone has such a great handle not only on the individuals but also how they interact with each other, that as long as they are together I think I will enjoy reading about them.  Simone manages to make things funny, tender, and violent, sometimes within the same page and panel.  But I think it is telling that as much as I liked this issue, I liked the previous two better, which were one-and-done stories, featuring the characters not doing much of anything.  I think the difference is the presence of a villainous threat.  Since the Six are supposed to be villains and therefore “bad” guys, Simone has to up the ante for the antagonists in order to create a legitimate threat to the Six, making them (be it Junior or Mr. Smyth) worse than anything the Six can do.  I expect to see a lot of nasty, nasty things in these next few issues.  However, I am not sure I want to see nasty, nasty things.  I liked the previous stories that played off the characters and didn’t really on so much nastiness.  For the moment, however, I am intrigued by the set-up and I do like the characters and Simone’s writing, so I am willing to se where it goes. 

It seems like Simone is setting up some kind of morality question within the story, in which each if the Six need to determine where they stand on certain aspects.  Who are they and what do they believe or not believe in?  I mean, they kill wantonly and easily with little thought, but the notion of slavery bothers Scandal and Bane (who can relate due to his literal upbringing in a prison), so there are lines drawn in the sand.  This story idea has potential and I’d like to see Simone tackle it. 

I am concerned about the unnamed woman mercenary who is working with Mr. Smyth.  She is portrayed as a bad ass, killing without mercy.  When she jumps off the plane, the rebels are scared of her and try to run.  All of this is well and good.  But against the Six, she should not be as good or as competent.  I think when one becomes either a hero or a villain in the DC universe, one should have a certain skill-set level.  If this woman had the ability, she would not be working for Mr. Smyth.  So, I hope that when Simone gets to the inevitable fight between her and (probably) Catman, her skill level is reflected in the fight.  Or am I getting too nerdy with the analysis of this character.  I don’t know, I guess it always bugs me when a writer tries to add in this big bad ass character that can go toe-to-toe with the hero.  If this character can do it, why the hell is she stuck on Devil’s Island. 

I suppose if Simone wanted to tie-in this title in with another book and/or character of the DC universe, the best choice would be Wonder Woman, the other book that Simone is writing.  She is obviously familiar with both the characters and the world they inhabit, so it should work to mix them together.  However, I am not that thrilled this book approaches DC universe; these characters are so far removed from mainstream heroes that they will seem wildly out of place compared to someone like Wonder Woman.  Hopefully, Simone can make the crossover work.

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