Review – Secret Six #4: Cats and Shots
Ray: So far, most of Secret Six has been dedicated to the story of the trio of young heroes who were ripped apart by Absolute Power – Jon Kent, Jay Nakamura, and Nia Nal. But now they're separated, with Nia captured by Checkmate along with Deadshot and Black Alice, and Jay using his intangibility to stay one step ahead of them and infiltrate the base where they're being taken. As for Jon, he made the tricky decision to escape with Catman last issue – and now the two unlikely allies have to make their way back to their friends. The main threat at the start of the issue is Jeanette, probably the most obscure member of the Secret Six but a character Maines obviously likes. She's a banshee, whose inhuman form is like something out of a horror movie. And her wail has a lot more to it than just sound – it's essentially a pained song of grief about her horrific execution centuries ago. Close shave. Via DC Comics.
But the heart of this issue is between Catman and the young Superman, as they try to stay under the radar and get back to the base before it's too late. Catman's always been a great character ever since Gail Simone got her hands on him way back when, and his snarky, gruff nature makes him a perfect fit for Jon's more optimistic personality. We knew that there was some sort of nasty falling-out with his mate Deadshot before this series began, and the issue finally lets us in on that secret – and people who felt there might be something more going on between these two than we thought will be very happy to read this issue. Catman's been one of the DCU's more UTR queer characters for a while, although he did have a great Pride story in one of the previous anthologies. Overall, this title hits on the same thing that made the first Secret Six run work so well – the oddball mix of personalities.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
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