The Secret Six is back in action with aplomb; let's see if they can survive this first encounter each other and answer the question: What Is The Secret? Read Full Review

A welcome return to a team (and creative vision) that was one of the hardest felt losses at the start of the New 52, Secret Six #1 is clearly the beginning of a great mystery. Punctuated by a diverse cast of characters, whose sexualities are as complicated and widespread as their motivations, this book is going to be one that has people talking in the months to come. Don't miss out. Read Full Review

Secret Six #1 is a good start to what looks to be a series that could be blowing many minds in the months to come. This is a different style Secret Six than what many fans of the property will be used to and that's okay. It's a little strange, a little weird, and that's good. If it was exactly like the Secret Six we knew in the pre-New 52 we may know more as to what we're in for, this feels dangerous and I like it. The New 52 has got another unique series perking up the line. Gail Simone has brought back the Secret Six in a way we never imagined and we're all the better for it. Read Full Review

I think this issue is a good start for the series, and I'm looking forward to the next installment. And it is so, so different from DC's other supervillain team-up, New Suicide Squad!! Read Full Review

I went knowingly into this book that there would be no answers given here, especially this early. With Simone's work on the prior series and what she's accomplished since then, I'm in the camp that's hopeful for an intriguing and layered story with feints and teases along the way to the real truths of it. What Simone and Lashley do here is to introduce us to a tense situation, give us a variety of characters that you can latch onto in different ways and others that you want to know more about, and to make it brim with excitement because everything feels like it's going to come crashing to a close rather than just being the start of something. Normally a push like this in the final pages would feel very forced with what it's trying to do, but the combination of pacing, artwork and character material already elevates it to something more. And oh boy do I want more. Read Full Review

Catman is the character Simone has a lot of experience writing and he is used as a vehicle to reintroduce the world to something bad with a twist. Read Full Review

Secret Six is back! Gail Simone returns to write one of her most beloved books of all time. With that comes a great deal of expectations of what came before and Simone brings back many familiar elements while also changing things up for the New 52. Catman is both familiar and changed, and many characters get some great character flourishes. However, with so much attention paid to Catman, the other cast members get less opportunity to shine. Additionally, while a lot of the artwork works well with this new version of Secret Six, there is a drop in quality later in the issue. Read Full Review

This first issue really accomplished what any first issue should do, it really made me want to check out the second issue.  So far, I love all the characters involved with the exception to my bias against Ventriloquist.  While the majority of the issue was introductions all around, I'm pleased to have met this Secret Six and can't wait to see what stories will come from them.  Check it out. Read Full Review

“Secret Six” #1 is a triumphant return for Simone to what's arguably her most famous work. The band is different but the attitude and sass of it is still here. It'll take some time for this story to build but that's the fun part. There's a big mystery at play and at this point it's completely unpredictable. This time around I think it'll be impossible for comic readers to ignore this title. Welcome back “Secret Six”. We missed you. Read Full Review

Simone delivers a New 52 version of Secret Six that will satisfy fans new and old. If you're on the fence, then pick up the issue! You'll be glad you did. Read Full Review

Ken Lashley's art can be kind of bad in this book. The characters are rough, and there are many pencil lines and jagged edges. Some panels the character faces are unbearable either. Overall, the new Secret Six is still fun, and even though the art quality and story can be a bit slow, the characters are strong enough to have me intrigued. I will be back again for another issue for sure. Read Full Review

For those expecting an immediate return to the old Secret Six magic, disappointment awaits. What's here is a solid start to a potentially intriguing, relatively original series. Read Full Review

Regardless, this a series I suggest you get on board with. This is only the first issue and we have no idea just what is in store. Pick it up and get ready, because we are going to be asking Read Full Review

Secret Sixwas a very enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next. I've always liked Simone's writing style, and this was the last pushI really needed to motivate me into actually tracking down the pre-reboot series that she worked on (though from what I hear that may be quite difficult). Pick this up at your LCS or digital comics platform thing. Read Full Review

I'm going to give this issue the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the writing because it had to pack a lot of information into one issue. The plotline shows potential if it can stray away from clichs and really try to distinguish itself and not just be "another random team of kinda bad people like Suicide Squad." I'm game for the next issue because the combination of these characters and Lashley's art make a great foundation for a series. Read Full Review

The writing is dark, hilarious and profoundly disturbing. Lashleys art is a good match, but there are already some serious problems. This is the first issue of a new series, yet some of the work was clearly unfinished. Lashley inks only part of the book, whileDrew Geraci handles the rest. The difference is noticeable. While Lashleys pages are well-realized, Geracis pages have minimal backgrounds at best. Unpolished faces fill his pages. It looks like a rush job, which is a bad sign when its the first issue asthese types of problems pile up. DC's strict monthly schedule is notorious for making teams bring in fill-in artists and inkers, and itseems like that's the case here. I hope as the series goes on the creative team gets a handle on this issue, because overall I really enjoy Lashleys self-inked art, especially that incredible last page. Secret Six #1 has problems, but overall its highly recommended. Read Full Review

Gail Simone is back with Catman and an interesting new direction for the cult series Read Full Review

Gail Simone is back with Catman and an interesting new direction for the cult series Read Full Review

What did vary in quality a lot for me however was the art; I didnt feel the art was bad, on the contrary, I really liked it in places and I felt the style fitted the book. The actions scenes featuring Catman at the start in particular featured great kinetic energy and really captured the motion in the fight well, however at times the art seemed to great a little undetailed or jagged. It was strange to see the art style vary so wildly over the course of the book, though when it hit, it hit really well. I hope that as the series continues Lashley can find his groove a bit better and consistently reach the heights he achieves at points in the book. Read Full Review

Those fans of the previous incarnation of the team that read this might find themselves a little lost. Although still written by Gail Simone, this is not the team that won so much attention a few years ago. The pace here is different as is the focus, but the potential is still there. This is starting out less on a bang like some might have expected, but the pieces are all there for the development of an engaging series. Readers will have to wait and see if Gail Simone can make lightning strike twice. Read Full Review

A fun read no doubt, but I wish it had that one thing that really hooked me for the rest of the series. Read Full Review

However, this issue succeeds overall in re-establishing the Secret Six brand and generating interest in a new team. It's accessible for new readers and maintains the delightfully dark characteristics that charmed loyal Secret Six fans for years. Read Full Review

So what's my verdict? I think I wanted more than this book could deliver. Gail Simone is good here, but not great, and Ken Lashley seems enthusiastic about the job, but more excited about making something that looks cool. Let's not focus so much on looking cool, but on letting the story that already is cool be told. I think he's better suited for another book, but I'm not versed enough on the New 52 to pick it out. Read Full Review

The artistic glitches are ultimately frustrating because they're dragging down a really solid opening script from Simone. I definitely want to read more of "Secret Six," and I think it has some real potential. But the art needs a more consistent look (and a single inker), in order to turn this book from a simple thumbs up to a genuine wow. Read Full Review

So yeah, this isn't your old Secret Six, but that's okay. Because this group looks worse, and that's a win for us. Read Full Review

I'm happy to see Black Alice‘s inclusion in the group but the absences of both Deadshot and Scandal Savage are certainly felt. I'm unsure about the new Ventriloquist (who appears to be a stand-in for Ragdoll's particular brand of horrible yet lovable awfulness) or the P.I. Big Shot (is he the redshirt to get killed off as soon as possible?), but throwing a Talon into the group feels a bit like DC still milking a character whose five-minutes of fame ended two-years ago. Despite a strong set-up, I think we're long past time that people admit that Court of Owls wasn't that good. Worth a look. Read Full Review

Mainly, I'm waiting to see how their interaction/chemistry pans out in the immediate couple of issues to follow because while story is critical, I could go along with a weaker story if the team dynamic and the character portrayal was even a patch on the last one. Read Full Review

SECRET SIX's story and scripting are some of the best we've seen from Gail Simone. She nails this first issue. Everything from the set-up to the final page moves so smoothly and it really will keep you wanting more. However, it's really hard to overlook all the problems within in the art. The inconsistencies, rushed feeling of those final pages, and trading off of two very different inking styles is a big speed-bump on this issue. This issue is so close to a 4/5, but it's really hard to overlook some of the problematic art. The story and characters have a tremendous amount of potential though and hopefully, the art problems will be ironed out. Even though this book is a 3/5, I highly recommend picking this one up for the story. Read Full Review

Overall, this is not a bad first issue. Simone does some nice character work with Catman and has already made Strix and the Ventriloquist favorites of mine. This book just needs to tighten up its story and art a little more and it should be great. Read Full Review

In comics these days its hard to get second chances. Secret Six didnt come off as anything new or special, but Gail Simone alone is a good enough reason to give it a second chance. Shes very talented and turns everything she writes into an entertaining tale. The art struggled this issue but Ken Lashley is a very capable artist. He may be trying out a different style, but he has all the skills to get the art on par with Simones writing. Secret Six may not wow you with the first issue, but it is worth a read. Read Full Review

Secret Six is the kind of comic book that you follow the characters, enjoy the story but are more entertained by the growth over time than in individual issues. The last run was a great one and I am willing to gamble this one will be great as well. Simone is already making her mark with this new cast and I am sure the surprises will keep coming. I definitely recommend starting on this journey. Read Full Review

Gail Simone has a proven track record, especially for a book like this. Hopefully DC will get a consistent art team on future issues, splitting inkers with different styles in this issue really didn't work for me. With Simone's introduction of an all new cast that will hopefully pay off given time. I'll still be back for the remainder of this first arc, despite the lack of cohesion in art in this first issue. I'm hoping to see this new team gel and bring Simone's skills writing a team book back to the fore. Read Full Review

The death of Secret Six in the wake of Flashpoint left a void in my pull list and my comic reading life, as well as many other readers, I'm sure. Now, the series is back with a vengeance, and everything old is new again. Everything we loved about that series is here, with some new twists and plenty of good reasons to check out the next issue too. It's a shame that the artwork detracts from the action, because Simone's script is strong and the choice of characters almost guarantees fireworks. So here's a secret " Secret Six was awesome, and this version looks set to follow in its footsteps, if it can sort out the few niggles it currently has. Read Full Review

The first issue of the new Secret Six rests almost entirely on the laurels of the previous series. DC and Simone hope that our love of Catman and the name will be enough to support this new title, and they've got a point. If I wasn't a huge fan of both, I would have given this a lower score and never picked up another issue. I have the utmost faith in Simone to pull this off, so I'm going to stick with it. But she can't just skate by on goodwill. These characters have potential, this title will always have potential, she just needs to find a way to making lightning strike twice. Read Full Review

Secret Six #1 is a tremendous disappointment. All of the goodwill and high expectation built from Simone's excellent work on the previous incarnation of Secret Six are dashed in these twenty pages. This issue attempts to do something different by offering an intriguing, if unoriginal, premise. It fails not in its concept, but the execution. Neither the characters nor the art provide any reason to care. It is a comic without humanity or soul or a reason to exist. Read Full Review

A shame that such a worthless waste of a comic came from the very well-regarded Gail Simone who helped reintroduce the world to the Secret Six through a very good series. Although,maybe this is just another indication of Simone's creative slump in recent years as it has far more in common with her awful Tomb Raider series than any of her more respectedwork. As for“Catman The Idiot and his Five Friends,” just taken on its own merits, it's a stunning display of incompetence. The amount of spectacular incompetence needed to fail at executing such a simple story concept as "five character in a locked room" is nothing short of astounding. Just not the kind of astounding that's worth 2.99 to see. Read Full Review

For a cult classic like Secret Six, that mistake might mean the kiss of death. The reason why this book clawed onto life for as long as it did was because it was a good comic book that just didn't happen to have a broad market like a Batman or a Justice League. But this comic feels only like the original Secret Six in name, and while one could easily argue that that makes sense in a post-New 52 landscape, it was Simone's secret recipe that kept this series going. With a bad first impression on the artwork and no chemistry between the characters, Secret Six might already be dead on arrival. Read Full Review

The secret to this book may in fact be that it's a slow build to where it needs to go. But I can tell you this: if it is, that's one secret I won't discover. Read Full Review

With the multi-month break between issues 2 and 3 and the sudden plot jump, it's hard not to suspect that a lot of this was meant to go places that didn't work out. But reading the comic as published, the villain demanding on pain of death that the team answer the question "WHAT IS THE SECRET?" with no further explanation makes absolutely no sense since what the bad guy actually wants is later revealed to be the return of some stolen goods. (I mean, if he killed the person who knows where his stuff is, how would he ever find it?)

And the way the second series didn't soar when the first was so good is really evident in the rebuild of Catman, where the compelling psychodrama of a bad man who wishes he was a superhero was replaced by his defining trait being that he has PTSD from being tortured — a quintessentially "New 52" downgrade.

This series wasn't without its charm once the turbulence was over and it found its feet, but it never approached the heights of the original and it was filled with things like "WHAT IS THE SECRET?" that must have sounded cool in the original pitch, but never quite made sense in practice. A disappointing second act. more

This issue left me not caring at all what anything was about or what happens to any of them. The art was all over the place and very muddled and did not capture me at all. Unsure if I will try issue 2 when it comes out.

I am not the least bit familiar with any previous Secret Six titles. So, I have only this one book for the basis of my review. I was hoping for more. I think the story was OK. I usually like Gail Simone. I feel she succeeded in drawing the reader into the setting. The cast has been introduced but little more. Obviously we have to wait for the secrets to be revealed. I did not like the art/inking much. For me it was the worst part of the book. Why does it look like he is wearing a shirt in one scene and not the next? I hate asking myself these types of questions. It takes away from the story which, in my books, is bad. This is not Ken Lashley's finest work. The man has sick skills but this work looks rushed and sloppy. Was it by design? I have dropped this from my pull list for now. It was getting too big anyway! more