Secret Six #1 works on two fronts: it’s serving as a new incarnation of the titular antihero team, whose best version came courtesy of Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham. It also tackles one of the few lingering threads from Absolute Power: what happened to Amanda Waller? Nia Nal, aka Dreamer, has learned that Waller is missing from her cell at Belle Reve, and enlists the help of Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura to investigate. But they also find themselves encountering criminals Catman, Deadshot and Black Alice in the process.
Off the bat, there’s a lot of juicy character dynamics to work with. Nia is still struggling from the actions Waller forced her to take in Absolute Power; actions that led to Jay losing his mother and his homeland of Gamorra. She also has to deal with the fact that she died. On top of that, Jon is torn between his love for Jay and helping Nia since she freed him from the Brainiac Queen. Black Alice hates Nia for betraying her when they served in the Suicide Squad. Oh, and did I mention Deadshot and Catman were in this thing?
Nicole Maines embraces all of this messiness from the jump, showcasing how the effects of Absolute Power are still lingering with our main characters. In a quiet scene, Jay admits to Jon that he’s having issues going back to normal – given everything he went through, no one can blame him. Nia herself is going through it; one of her dreams is a manifestation of the guilt she’s been carrying from working for Waller. It’s just another reason why Maines is the perfect fit for this title: she’s been carrying Dreamer with her for a long time, on and off screen, and can develop her in a way most writers can’t.
DC
She also has a great collaborator in the form of Stephen Segovia. Segovia’s artwork has grown over the years, but Secret Six #1 might feature some of his best work. The action scenes hit hard, especially a massive fight between Jon and Bizarro. The dreams Nia receive are jarring and often horrifying; one is a clear reminder of why I hate going to the doctor. Segovia’s designs are also eye catching, as he gives Jon a “stealth” version of his Superman jacket while making sure Jay sticks out due to his bright purple uniform.
The colors from Rain Beredo also help enhance the art, and bring life to the environment. Take Belle Reve: when Nia, Jon and Jay go there to check on Waller, the entire prison looms like an ominous mountain, shrouded in shadows. The insides aren’t much better: inmates, including Black Alice, leer at the trio from behind bars. In contrast, letterer Steve Wands works with Beredo to pepper the pages with light blue captions highlighting Nia’s thoughts, though given what she went through they’re pretty rough.
Secret Six #1 offers a solid start to the new incarnation of its titular antihero team. Though the actual team building is light, the character work and art more than make up for it – and the ending promises plenty of chaos to come.
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