By Gail Simone (writer), J. Calafiore (artist), Jason Wright (colorist) and Travis Lanham (letters)
The Story Catman continues his hunt for his son’s kidnapper, while the rest of the Six try to catch up.
What’s Good: Every month I put down Secret Six absolutely convinced that this issue can’t be topped. And then the next issue hits, and Simone and company raise the bar and blow me away yet again. That’s certainly the case here–this arc has been my favorite of the run so far (although my love for Catman may have biased me on that front a bit), and this issue is easily the best of the arc.
The best part about a book like this is that there is no best part— the art, the writing, the pacing, all the elements gel together into the kind of comic that illustrates just how effectively this medium is capable of telling a story. (It’s worth noting here that there are only four people credited on the creative team: one writer, one artist, one colorist, and one letterer. Four people, and one very cohesive and successfully executed creative vision. Coincidence? I think not.)
The pacing really is what makes this issue work so well. The tension is kept at a slow boil, but ratchets up bit by bit as the story progresses. Even the fight between (very small spoiler alert) Catman and Bane feels almost muted. After the absolutely frantic nature of the last two issues, this felt like a much needed…well, it wasn’t exactly a “breather,” but it was nice to change up the pace, and avoid possible burnout going into next month’s finale.
Simone’s writing remains at the very high level it has maintained throughout the series. She writes all of these characters so well, and it’s a pleasure to read dialog that sounds so real and so true. Calafiore’s art complements it well, providing rich detail and visual images that are just stunning. (Case in point: Dwarfstar’s face refracting through a wine glass. Very memorable image, and sets off the creepy nature of his dialog perfectly.) Calafiore gets the little things right as well. The characters’ expressions during the flashbacks, for instance, are dead on, and ensure that the emotion of the writing and the situation really hits home.
What’s Not So Good: With the quality of the artwork on this book, the panels really need more visual impact. Shake the layout up a little bit, let them bleed into each other and achieve a sense of visual cohesion! (Although honestly, the little lion borders around some of the pages were so cool they almost negate any layout complaints I might have.)
Conclusion: Fantastic writing, beautiful artwork, and a story that’s the best of an already wonderful arc. Definite buy.
Grade: A
-SoldierHawk
Grade
Conclusion