Another month, another simply amazing issue of Secret Six. This issue was very, very, very close to taking home the Book of the Week honor and probably would have if it weren't for the weird misstep with the Scandal and Black Alice confrontation. Even if it isn't quite #1, it is still definitely worth your money and is a book that I absolutely implore you to pick up this week...even if you already bought your comics this week. This one is worth a second trip to the comic shop. Read Full Review

But this latest story arc has been completely driven by Simone's fascinating, incredibly dark take on Catman, and in that regard Secret Six #21 is no different. Ever since she first got her hands on the character back during Infinite Crisis, Simone has been elevating Thomas Blake from a Z-list joke to an A-list heavy and beyond. And if "Cats in the Cradle" is any indication, she has no plans to stop adding to the character any time soon. Read Full Review

"Secret Six" #21 is another nasty gut punch from Simone and Calafiore, and I love it. This book has more and more stayed away from playing it safe, and the end result is a book that continually shocks and surprises its readership. We need more books like this. Read Full Review

This issue is intense, and Gail Simone's taut and individualistic dialogue is most of the reason for that. Dwarfstar's madness, Bane's immens self-discipline, Catman's rage, all are clearly conveyed through the word choice and cadence. That's NOT to say that Jim Calafiore's art isn't doing it's job, as the panel where Catman strikes is brilliantly rendered and surprising as hell. This is one of DC's best titles, monthover month, and it's a shame that more people aren't getting excited over this. Of all the characters, Catman has long been the one with the most "heroic" tendencies, and having his partners tracking HIM down, trying to stop him from going too far (in Deadshot's case, trying to stop a man he doesn't want to admit is a friend from ending up just like Deadshot himself) is powerful stuff. Add in a crazy Black Alice channeling The Demon to get even with Scandal, and you've got a fascinating melange of a book. Secret Six #21 takes what we know about the characters and turns it Read Full Review

As Secret Six takes this darker turn for the current story arc, the only losers are the unwitting parents who might accidentally place this issue in the hands of their pre-teen children. Despite the lack of an advisory on the cover, this comic is just a few censored curse words away from belonging in DCs Vertigo line. For the rest of us, Simones tale is enjoyably gripping. Often playful with its tongue-in-cheek humor, its nice to see this series getting it done just as well with the drama dialed up a notch. Read Full Review

It pains me to bash on this book a little bit because this is one of the titles that I absolutely love and Ms. Simone might actually bring it all back together in the next issue, but this story arc has lost the most fun thing for the Secret Six. There are a million places to see a badass guy viciously gutting enemies, but NOT so many places to get this level of character development and dialog in a superhero book. Read Full Review