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A review by ivan_tw
Secret Six, Vol. 1: Friends in Low Places by Gail Simone, Ken Lashley, Drew Geraci, Dale Eaglesham, Tom Derenick
2.0
I was thrilled to see that Gail Simone was still writing the New 52 reboot of Secret Six, but the first volume, at least, doesn't deliver on the genius of the original series. Simone is still a great writer, and when everything clicks it's wonderful, but 'Friends in Low Places' is bogged down by the scattered, chaotic storytelling and unfinished ending of a lot of New 52 trade collections. The pacing is way too fast and the book just suddenly ends without any resolution to the arc, not to mention the artistic whiplash the reader gets of the art style totally changing in the middle of issue #3.
It's great to see Catman again, since he's a character that Simone might as well get credit for inventing, she's done so much for him, and there are a few absolute standout moments: The Six sharing a quaint suburban home is hilarious, the cameos of Ragdoll, Scandal, and Jeanette from the original Secret Six was a great tease, and the reveal of Mockingbird's true identity almost did as much for a misused character as Simone did with Bane in the original series. But none of these plusses can fix the issue that DC's New 52 had throughout nearly all of its serieses. Worth reading if you're a fan of the original Secret Six, but if this is your first time with Simone, go pick up the originals first.
It's great to see Catman again, since he's a character that Simone might as well get credit for inventing, she's done so much for him, and there are a few absolute standout moments: The Six sharing a quaint suburban home is hilarious, the cameos of Ragdoll, Scandal, and Jeanette from the original Secret Six was a great tease, and the reveal of Mockingbird's true identity almost did as much for a misused character as Simone did with Bane in the original series. But none of these plusses can fix the issue that DC's New 52 had throughout nearly all of its serieses. Worth reading if you're a fan of the original Secret Six, but if this is your first time with Simone, go pick up the originals first.