Secret Six (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Secret Six is the name of three different fiction
al comic book
teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird
, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.
during the Silver Age of comics
in the initial team's seven-issue title Secret Six (May 1968 – May 1969).
Unusually, the premiere issue's story began on the cover, and continued on the interior's page one. This strike team of covert operatives consisted of August Durant, Lili de Neuve, Carlo di Rienzi, Mike Tempest, Crimson Dawn, and King Savage.
Created by writer
E. Nelson Bridwell
and artist
Frank Springer
, the ongoing series ceased publication with the identity of Mockingbird unrevealed. The first two issues were reprinted in The Brave and the Bold
#117 and #120 (March and July 1975).
and artist Dan Spiegle
introduced an updated version of the team as an eight-page feature in the omnibus title Action Comics Weekly
#601 (May 24, 1988).
They revealed Mockingbird as Durant, who now reunited the team after twenty years while also assembling a new team consisting of Mitch Hoberman, Ladonna Jameal, Tony Mantegna, Luke McKendrick, Vic Sommers, and Dr. Maria Verdugo. The following issue saw the entire first team, including Durant, die. The feature ran through Action Comics Weekly #612 (August 9, 1988), with DiRienzi succeeding Durant as Mockingbird.
A second arc of this team, by writer Pasko and original Silver Age artist Springer, ran in Action Comics Weekly #619-630 (September 27 – December 13, 1988). DiRienzi died, and his son Rafael disappeared amid intimations that he may be the successor Mockingbird.
#1 (July 2005). Unlike previous versions of the team, the new Secret Six consists mainly of villainous characters who undertake missions of dubious moral quality and often resulting in a high body count. The team consists of the pre-existing DC characters Catman
, Deadshot
, and Cheshire
, and the newly created Ragdoll, Scandal Savage, and a Parademon
. Another member, the Fiddler
, is killed by Deadshot on order of Mockingbird. Later, the Parademon is killed and Cheshire betrays the group to the Society
, only to be shot by the Society's Deathstroke
, who does not trust her for being a traitor (Cheshire eventually turns up alive and plotting revenge). The Mockingbird for this version of the team is eventually revealed to be Lex Luthor
.
In the 2006 Secret Six limited series
, (written by Gail Simone
with art by Brad Walker and Jimmy Palmiotti
), Knockout
, who was revealed as a mole infiltrating the Society in Villains United, has officially joined the group to be with her lover, Scandal. At the end of issue #1, Catman asks the Mad Hatter
to be the sixth member of the group. While Catman meets with the Mad Hatter, Doctor Psycho
orchestrates a series of attacks designed to wipe out the Six. Hatter is literally kicked off the team by Ragdoll, who says that one eccentric fop in the group is enough. His replacement is Harley Quinn
, who later quits.
In Birds of Prey issues #104-108, the Secret Six face off against Oracle's Birds of Prey in Russia
for the soul of Tora (Ice
). After Harley Quinn quit the team, they disbanded. Subsequently, in Birds of Prey #109, Knockout was attacked and killed by the same assassin who had been stalking the New Gods
and killing them off, one by one. Earlier in the issue, Knockout comments in passing that Catman was going soft, and Deadshot had returned to the Suicide Squad
. Harley Quinn is reformed in Countdown #43. Scandal Savage, Rag Doll
, and Catman were later seen in Salvation Run
.
, Deadshot
, Scandal
, and Rag Doll
, and adding Bane
(hinted at by Simone months earlier as "an A-list Batman
villain") and an original character named Jeannette
, who appeared in the third issue. The Six have been hired to retrieve Tarantula from Alcatraz Island
, and find a card which she stole from "Junior", a mysterious villain who supposedly runs the entire West Coast mob. This Junior has practically the entire villain community at her beck and call, all afraid of her, even those in Arkham Asylum
. The Six later learn that the card in question was made by Neron
, and says "Get Out of Hell Free". Soon, the Six are attacked by a small army of super-villains, all wanting to recover the card and collect the reward of $20 million for each of the Six, under the orders of Junior, who captures and tortures Bane, whose strong principles and moral convictions, paired with his fatherly fondness of Scandal keep him from betraying his new team. It is later revealed that Junior is in fact Ragdoll's sister and daughter of the first Ragdoll. She has the ghastly appearance of an old clown, with sliced skin and eyes stitched wide open to give the appearance of a clown. The Six escape and head for Gotham City
, with Deadshot seemingly betraying them and leaving with Tarantula. The Six manage to catch up to Deadshot, only to be attacked by Junior and the super-villains, and the Mad Hatter, who is revealed to be the one who hired them, simply so they would be killed. Tarantula sacrifices herself by pulling herself and Junior in front of the super-villains' combined attack, seemingly destroying the card along with them. However, it is later shown that Scandal is now in possession of it.
Although the current incarnation of the Secret Six are technically villains, several members of the team are treated sympathetically and come across as heroic, if only on the virtue of the team encountering individuals who are even more bloodthirsty and villainous.
In a new storyline starting with issue #10 titled "Depths", the Six have been hired by a new villain named Mr. Smyth, a slave trader. He is building what he hopes will be the world's biggest and only prison. He is also holding the Amazon Artemis
prisoner. Jeannette
breaks her out only to be met with opposition from the rest of the team, who in the middle of battling with each other are interrupted by Wonder Woman
. The Six one-by-one turn on Smyth and free all the slaves he possessed on his Devil's Island, ending with Deadshot killing Smyth in cold blood. Disappointed in the repetitive failed progress the team's missions have had since joining, Bane decides to take over as team leader with the approval of half the team. His first directive was to remove Scandal Savage as a team member, and replace her with Black Alice. After Catman flees to find the murderers of his son, he is followed by Ragdoll, Alice, Deadshot, and Scandal. Bane and Jeanette replace them with King Shark
, Dwarfstar
, Lady Vic
, and Giganta
.
John Ostrander
returned to the series to guest write Secret Six vol. 3, #15 (January 2010), for the reintroduction of Deadshot, and again in issue #23 (September 2010), with a super-powered version take on "The Most Dangerous Game
".
To date, the series has also had three crossovers with other DC titles. In 2010, Simone teamed with John Ostrander
for "Danse Macabre", a crossover with Ostrander's acclaimed 1980s Suicide Squad
title, which had been "resurrected" and given one additional issue as part of DC's company-wide Blackest Night event. The crossover involved the Six being hired by an anonymous party (in reality Amanda Waller
) to break into Belle Reve
prison in order to rescue an inmate, only to discover that the mission was a trap set in place so that the Suicide Squad could apprehend the team and kidnap Deadshot. The crossover began in Suicide Squad #67 and subsequently ran through Secret Six vol. 3, #17 and #18, and eventually reached a climax where both teams were forced to work together to fight off a Black Lantern
invasion. In January 2011, Simone collaborated with Paul Cornell
on a two-part crossover which began Action Comics
#896 and ended in Secret Six vol. 3, #29, which saw the Six being hired by Lex Luthor to assassinate Scandal's father Vandal Savage
. In February of the same year, Simone took part in another two-issue crossover, this time with Keith Giffen
's Doom Patrol
for a storyline entitled "Suicide Roulette". The crossover, which took place in Secret Six vol. 3, #30, and Doom Patrol vol. 5, #19, saw the Secret Six come into conflict with the Doom Patrol after being hired to forcibly take over the team's home country of Oolong Island.
, where they plan to kill Catwoman
, Red Robin, Batgirl and Azrael. However, upon their arrival the team is met by a veritable army of superheroes ranging from Green Lantern and Huntress
to the Justice League
and Teen Titans. Despite the overwhelming odds, the members of the Secret Six make one last stand, only to be quickly defeated and incarcerated.
imprint Tangent Comics
, in the one-shot Secret Six #1 (December 1997), by writer Chuck Dixon
and artist Tom Grummett
. This team consists of the Atom
(Adam Thompson), the Flash
, the Joker
, the Spectre
(Taylor Pike), Plastic Man
(Gunther Ganz), and Manhunter
. The group also appear in the Tangent: Superman's Reign series (2008).
reality, the Secret Six is referred to as the Secret Seven. The members consist of Shade, the Changing Man
; Enchantress
; Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld; Abra Kadabra
; Raven
; Zatanna
and a new character Mindwarp.
.
9781401233624)
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird
Mockingbird (DC Comics)
Mockingbird is the code name of several characters in the DC Comics Universe, denoting whoever is in charge of the Secret Six. The original Mockingbird's identity was unrevealed in the original series, but later identified as August Durant. The first Mockingbird of the villainous Secret Six was...
, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.
Original Secret Six
The Secret Six first appearedFirst appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
during the Silver Age of comics
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
in the initial team's seven-issue title Secret Six (May 1968 – May 1969).
Unusually, the premiere issue's story began on the cover, and continued on the interior's page one. This strike team of covert operatives consisted of August Durant, Lili de Neuve, Carlo di Rienzi, Mike Tempest, Crimson Dawn, and King Savage.
Created by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Frank Springer
Frank Springer
Frank Springer was an American comic book and comic strip artist best known for Marvel Comics' Dazzler and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D....
, the ongoing series ceased publication with the identity of Mockingbird unrevealed. The first two issues were reprinted in The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
#117 and #120 (March and July 1975).
Secret Six revived
Writer Martin PaskoMartin Pasko
Martin Pasko is a writer and editor in a diverse array of media, including comic books and television.Pasko has worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his work with DC Comics over three decades. He has written Superman in many media, including television animation, webisodes, and...
and artist Dan Spiegle
Dan Spiegle
Dan Spiegle is an American comic book and cartoon artist and illustrator . He has had a long career in drawing comics based on movie and television characters, and has worked for companies including Dell Comics, DC Comics and Marvel Comics.-Life and career:In his second year of high school,...
introduced an updated version of the team as an eight-page feature in the omnibus title Action Comics Weekly
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#601 (May 24, 1988).
They revealed Mockingbird as Durant, who now reunited the team after twenty years while also assembling a new team consisting of Mitch Hoberman, Ladonna Jameal, Tony Mantegna, Luke McKendrick, Vic Sommers, and Dr. Maria Verdugo. The following issue saw the entire first team, including Durant, die. The feature ran through Action Comics Weekly #612 (August 9, 1988), with DiRienzi succeeding Durant as Mockingbird.
A second arc of this team, by writer Pasko and original Silver Age artist Springer, ran in Action Comics Weekly #619-630 (September 27 – December 13, 1988). DiRienzi died, and his son Rafael disappeared amid intimations that he may be the successor Mockingbird.
Villainous Secret Six
The next version of the team was introduced in Villains UnitedVillains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
#1 (July 2005). Unlike previous versions of the team, the new Secret Six consists mainly of villainous characters who undertake missions of dubious moral quality and often resulting in a high body count. The team consists of the pre-existing DC characters Catman
Catman (comics)
Catman is a modern version of a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics, initially a supervillain and foe of Batman, although in recent years has developed into a more capable and antiheroic figure. He first appeared in Detective Comics #311...
, Deadshot
Deadshot
Deadshot is a fictional character, a supervillain/assassin in the DC Universe and an enemy of Batman. He first appears in Batman #59 and was created by Bob Kane, David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz....
, and Cheshire
Cheshire (comics)
Cheshire is a DC Comics villain that first appeared in New Teen Titans Annual #2 .-Fictional character biography:Born to a French father and a Vietnamese mother, Jade Nguyen had an unhappy childhood and was sold into slavery...
, and the newly created Ragdoll, Scandal Savage, and a Parademon
Parademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
. Another member, the Fiddler
Fiddler (comics)
The Fiddler is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe of the first Flash . He first appeared in All-Flash #32 .-Fictional character biography:...
, is killed by Deadshot on order of Mockingbird. Later, the Parademon is killed and Cheshire betrays the group to the Society
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
, only to be shot by the Society's Deathstroke
Deathstroke
Deathstroke the Terminator , originally simply the Terminator, and known by the Teen Titans as Slade, is a fictional character, a supervillain and sometimes antihero in the DC Comics Universe. He is a mercenary and assassin who first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2...
, who does not trust her for being a traitor (Cheshire eventually turns up alive and plotting revenge). The Mockingbird for this version of the team is eventually revealed to be Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
.
In the 2006 Secret Six limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, (written by Gail Simone
Gail Simone
Gail Simone is an American writer of comic books. Best known for penning DC's Birds of Prey, her other notable works include Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, The All-New Atom, and Deadpool. In 2007, she took over Wonder Woman...
with art by Brad Walker and Jimmy Palmiotti
Jimmy Palmiotti
James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
), Knockout
Knockout (comics)
Knockout is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Superboy vol. 2 #1 , and was created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...
, who was revealed as a mole infiltrating the Society in Villains United, has officially joined the group to be with her lover, Scandal. At the end of issue #1, Catman asks the Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter (comics)
The Mad Hatter is a fictional supervillain and enemy of Batman in the DC Universe. He is modeled after the Hatter from Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a character often called the "Mad Hatter" in adaptations of Carroll. He made his first appearance in Batman #49 in October...
to be the sixth member of the group. While Catman meets with the Mad Hatter, Doctor Psycho
Doctor Psycho
Doctor Psycho is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. A villainous telepathic dwarf, Doctor Psycho has traditionally been presented as an adversary for Wonder Woman...
orchestrates a series of attacks designed to wipe out the Six. Hatter is literally kicked off the team by Ragdoll, who says that one eccentric fop in the group is enough. His replacement is Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
, who later quits.
In Birds of Prey issues #104-108, the Secret Six face off against Oracle's Birds of Prey in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
for the soul of Tora (Ice
Ice (comics)
Ice is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in publications from DC Comics. Created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire, she first appeared in Justice League International #12 ....
). After Harley Quinn quit the team, they disbanded. Subsequently, in Birds of Prey #109, Knockout was attacked and killed by the same assassin who had been stalking the New Gods
New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in publications by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comic books about those characters. They first appeared in New Gods #1 , and were created and designed by Jack Kirby....
and killing them off, one by one. Earlier in the issue, Knockout comments in passing that Catman was going soft, and Deadshot had returned to the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
. Harley Quinn is reformed in Countdown #43. Scandal Savage, Rag Doll
Rag Doll (Peter Merkel, Jr.)
Rag Doll is a fictional character, a supervillain and anti-hero in the DC Comics Universe. He first appeared in Villains United #1 , and was created by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham...
, and Catman were later seen in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
.
Relaunch
DC launched a new Secret Six series in September 2008, reuniting CatmanCatman (comics)
Catman is a modern version of a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics, initially a supervillain and foe of Batman, although in recent years has developed into a more capable and antiheroic figure. He first appeared in Detective Comics #311...
, Deadshot
Deadshot
Deadshot is a fictional character, a supervillain/assassin in the DC Universe and an enemy of Batman. He first appears in Batman #59 and was created by Bob Kane, David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz....
, Scandal
Scandal (comics)
Scandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillainess and antiheroine in the DC Comics Universe . She first appeared in Villains United #1 , and was created by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham...
, and Rag Doll
Rag Doll (Peter Merkel, Jr.)
Rag Doll is a fictional character, a supervillain and anti-hero in the DC Comics Universe. He first appeared in Villains United #1 , and was created by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham...
, and adding Bane
Bane (comics)
Bane is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 , and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes...
(hinted at by Simone months earlier as "an A-list Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
villain") and an original character named Jeannette
Jeannette (comics)
Jeannette is a fictional character in the . She first appeared in Secret Six #3 , and was created by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.-Publication history:...
, who appeared in the third issue. The Six have been hired to retrieve Tarantula from Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
, and find a card which she stole from "Junior", a mysterious villain who supposedly runs the entire West Coast mob. This Junior has practically the entire villain community at her beck and call, all afraid of her, even those in Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to simply as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe, usually appearing in stories featuring Batman...
. The Six later learn that the card in question was made by Neron
Neron
Neron is a fictional demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in the DC Comics cross-over event Underworld Unleashed #1, , and was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.- Publication history :...
, and says "Get Out of Hell Free". Soon, the Six are attacked by a small army of super-villains, all wanting to recover the card and collect the reward of $20 million for each of the Six, under the orders of Junior, who captures and tortures Bane, whose strong principles and moral convictions, paired with his fatherly fondness of Scandal keep him from betraying his new team. It is later revealed that Junior is in fact Ragdoll's sister and daughter of the first Ragdoll. She has the ghastly appearance of an old clown, with sliced skin and eyes stitched wide open to give the appearance of a clown. The Six escape and head for Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
, with Deadshot seemingly betraying them and leaving with Tarantula. The Six manage to catch up to Deadshot, only to be attacked by Junior and the super-villains, and the Mad Hatter, who is revealed to be the one who hired them, simply so they would be killed. Tarantula sacrifices herself by pulling herself and Junior in front of the super-villains' combined attack, seemingly destroying the card along with them. However, it is later shown that Scandal is now in possession of it.
Although the current incarnation of the Secret Six are technically villains, several members of the team are treated sympathetically and come across as heroic, if only on the virtue of the team encountering individuals who are even more bloodthirsty and villainous.
In a new storyline starting with issue #10 titled "Depths", the Six have been hired by a new villain named Mr. Smyth, a slave trader. He is building what he hopes will be the world's biggest and only prison. He is also holding the Amazon Artemis
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is...
prisoner. Jeannette
Jeannette (comics)
Jeannette is a fictional character in the . She first appeared in Secret Six #3 , and was created by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.-Publication history:...
breaks her out only to be met with opposition from the rest of the team, who in the middle of battling with each other are interrupted by Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. The Six one-by-one turn on Smyth and free all the slaves he possessed on his Devil's Island, ending with Deadshot killing Smyth in cold blood. Disappointed in the repetitive failed progress the team's missions have had since joining, Bane decides to take over as team leader with the approval of half the team. His first directive was to remove Scandal Savage as a team member, and replace her with Black Alice. After Catman flees to find the murderers of his son, he is followed by Ragdoll, Alice, Deadshot, and Scandal. Bane and Jeanette replace them with King Shark
King Shark
King Shark is a DC Comics supervillain. The character was introduced in Superboy vol.3, #0 in October 1994.-Origin:Born in Hawaii, Nanaue is a humanoid shark. His father is "The King of all Sharks"—also known as the Shark God...
, Dwarfstar
Dwarfstar
Dwarfstar is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain introduced by Gail Simone in All-New Atom # 2. He was the archenemy of Ryan Choi.-Fictional character biography:...
, Lady Vic
Lady Vic
Lady Elaine Marsh-Morton, a.k.a. “Lady Vic” is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She is an English noblewoman who works secretly as an assassin, bounty hunter, and mercenary. She is employed on a semi-regular basis by Roland Desmond, a.k.a...
, and Giganta
Giganta
Giganta is a fictional character, a red-haired super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. A longtime enemy of Wonder Woman and an occasional foil for The Atom, Giganta possesses the superhuman ability to increase her physical size and mass, effectively transforming into...
.
John Ostrander
John Ostrander
John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...
returned to the series to guest write Secret Six vol. 3, #15 (January 2010), for the reintroduction of Deadshot, and again in issue #23 (September 2010), with a super-powered version take on "The Most Dangerous Game
The Most Dangerous Game
"The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell. It was published in Collier's Weekly on January 19, 1924....
".
To date, the series has also had three crossovers with other DC titles. In 2010, Simone teamed with John Ostrander
John Ostrander
John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...
for "Danse Macabre", a crossover with Ostrander's acclaimed 1980s Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
title, which had been "resurrected" and given one additional issue as part of DC's company-wide Blackest Night event. The crossover involved the Six being hired by an anonymous party (in reality Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
) to break into Belle Reve
Belle Reve
Belle Reve Penitentiary is a fictional prison and sanitorium in the DC Universe, first appearing in Suicide Squad #1 by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell.-Fictional background:...
prison in order to rescue an inmate, only to discover that the mission was a trap set in place so that the Suicide Squad could apprehend the team and kidnap Deadshot. The crossover began in Suicide Squad #67 and subsequently ran through Secret Six vol. 3, #17 and #18, and eventually reached a climax where both teams were forced to work together to fight off a Black Lantern
Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of revenants appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The group is composed of deceased fictional characters that seek to eliminate all life from the DC Universe.-Publication history:...
invasion. In January 2011, Simone collaborated with Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
on a two-part crossover which began Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#896 and ended in Secret Six vol. 3, #29, which saw the Six being hired by Lex Luthor to assassinate Scandal's father Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....
. In February of the same year, Simone took part in another two-issue crossover, this time with Keith Giffen
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
's Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
for a storyline entitled "Suicide Roulette". The crossover, which took place in Secret Six vol. 3, #30, and Doom Patrol vol. 5, #19, saw the Secret Six come into conflict with the Doom Patrol after being hired to forcibly take over the team's home country of Oolong Island.
Series cancellation
Secret Six was officially cancelled in July 2011 after 36 issues. The book's final storyline featured Bane leading the Secret Six on an ill-fated mission to Gotham CityGotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
, where they plan to kill Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
, Red Robin, Batgirl and Azrael. However, upon their arrival the team is met by a veritable army of superheroes ranging from Green Lantern and Huntress
Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
Huntress is a fictional character in the DC Universe. Based upon the Earth-Two character Helena Wayne, she is one of several DC characters to bear the Huntress name...
to the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
and Teen Titans. Despite the overwhelming odds, the members of the Secret Six make one last stand, only to be quickly defeated and incarcerated.
Tangent Comics
A version of the Secret Six appeared in DC's alternate-universeParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
imprint Tangent Comics
Tangent Comics
Tangent Comics was a DC Comics imprint created in 1997–1998, developed from ideas created by Dan Jurgens. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash...
, in the one-shot Secret Six #1 (December 1997), by writer Chuck Dixon
Chuck Dixon
Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
and artist Tom Grummett
Tom Grummett
Thomas "Tom" Grummett is a Canadian comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work as penciller on titles such as The New Titans, The Adventures of Superman, Superboy, Power Company, Robin, New Thunderbolts and Heroes.During his run on The Adventures of Superman, Grummett and...
. This team consists of the Atom
Atom (comics)
The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'...
(Adam Thompson), the Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
(Taylor Pike), Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
(Gunther Ganz), and Manhunter
Manhunter (comics)
-Golden Age:The first of DC's Manhunters was a non-costumed independent investigator, Paul Kirk, who helped police solve crimes during the early 1940s. Though the series was titled "Paul Kirk, Manhunter", Kirk didn't use the Manhunter name as an alias...
. The group also appear in the Tangent: Superman's Reign series (2008).
Flashpoint
In the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
reality, the Secret Six is referred to as the Secret Seven. The members consist of Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man is a fictional comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan and became one of the first Vertigo titles....
; Enchantress
Enchantress (DC Comics)
The Enchantress is a DC Comics character who has been both a superheroine and supervillainess. She first appeared in National Comics flagship science fiction anthology title Strange Adventures #187 , and was created by writer Bob Haney and artist Howard Purcell.More recently she is usually called...
; Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld; Abra Kadabra
Abra Kadabra (comics)
Abra Kadabra is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe and an enemy of the Flash. He first appeared in Flash #128 and was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.-Fictional character biography:...
; Raven
Raven (comics)
Raven is a fictional superheroine who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 , and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez...
; Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
and a new character Mindwarp.
Collected editions
The stories have been collected into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
.
- Villains United (collects 6-issue limited series, 144 pages, DC Comics, January 2006, ISBN 1-4012-0838-X)
- Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter (collects Birds of Prey #104-108, 128 pages, DC Comics, February 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1641-2)
- Secret Six:
- Six Degrees of Devastation (collects 6-issue limited series, 144 pages, DC Comics, March 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1231-X)
- Unhinged (collects Secret Six vol. 3, #1-7, 168 pages, DC Comics, August 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2327-3)
- Depths (collects Secret Six vol. 3, #8-14, 168 pages, DC Comics, April 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2599-3)
- Danse Macabre (collects Secret Six vol. 3, #15-18 and Suicide Squad #67, 128 pages, DC Comics, October 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2904-7)
- Cat's in the Cradle (collects Secret Six vol. 3, #19-24, 144 pages, DC Comics, January 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3021-0)
- The Reptile Brain (collects Secret Six vol. 3, #25-29, and Action ComicsAction ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#896, 144 pages, DC Comics, May 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3166-7) - The Darkest House (collects Secret Six vol. 3, #30-36, and Doom PatrolDoom PatrolThe Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
#19, 176 pages, DC Comics, January 2012, ISBN
9781401233624)