Broken Frontier

After being captured, the Secret Six are made an example for anyone who dares to stand against the Society.

With virtually every super-criminal in the world united under the leadership of the Society, it seems foolhardy to even attempt to stand against them. Yet the members of the Secret Six (Catman, Deadshot, Cheshire, Ragdoll, Parademon, and Scandal) are not content to be Lex Luthor’s stooges and their insolence has landed them in the Society’s clutches. Horribly tortured by the sadistic Crime Doctor, the Six seek a way to escape and continue their rebellion. Yet what chance do six low-tier villains stand against some of the most powerful beings alive?

As we continue our tour of the underbelly of the DC Universe, I’m consistently surprised by the tightrope Gail Simone is walking with this series. The workings of the criminal underworld, the brutal torture scenes, and the savagery of the battles speak for the continual darkening of the DCU that has taken place since Identity Crisis. Yet throughout it all, Simone injects her well-known sense of humor into the proceedings, keeping the story from becoming too heavy or losing the fun. The highlights this time include a game of "Metropolopoly" and Parademon’s complete immunity to torture due to his upbringing on Apokolips.

Simone has also kept us guessing with many interesting mysteries involving Mockingbird’s identity, the Six’s motivations, Catman’s transformation, and just what the heck a parademon is doing alone on Earth. I’ve enjoyed the wide variety of characters and concepts that are being brought out of mothballs for this miniseries, from the Secret Six to the House of Secrets and the Secret Society of Super-Villains (with this many secrets, it’s little wonder that there are few clues yet to the plot’s enigmas). I only hope that the mysteries do not string us along for too long, as we are already at the halfway point of the series.

Previous artist Dale Eaglesham has been replaced this issue by Val Semeiks and it’s a welcome substitution indeed. Much as I enjoy Eaglesham’s work, Semeiks is an underrated penciller whose work I don’t see often and it’s good to have him back in the DCU. His storytelling is clean and crisp and his faces (though occasionally a bit angular) are very expressive. Along with Prentis Rollins’ inks and the vibrant colors of Sno-Cone, Villains United remains appealing to the eye, even when the characters’ actions threaten to turn our stomachs.

Mysteries abound and bad guys rule the day in this miniseries, another fine piece of the Countdown to Crisis puzzle. Here’s hoping that the Infinite Crisis itself can maintain the level of quality that the various lead-in series have produced thus far.