DC’s Secret Six is one of those off-the-radar comic books that I always forget about. I’m not sure why, since every time I pick up one of the trades, I love every frame.
Of course, a good read is a given when Gale Simone is the writer. But Secret Six is a very different kind of comic – especially for the DC Universe. The series has featured three different teams (not counting the one in an alternative universe), always led by Mockingbird. The characters are basically villains, but not really evil. And since Simone took over the series in 2005, the book has been a wonderful blend of dark humor, strong characterization and drama.
With the DC relaunch coming next month, however, Secret Six will be no more. This week’s issue could be the last time we’ll ever see the team. But Gail Simone, being a storyteller more than anything, tied up the storylines and gave the Six a fitting end, sending them out in a blaze of Butch & Sundance glory.
One of those storylines just happened to be about the lesbian character Scandal Savage, one of Simone’s original creations. Scandal initially was in a relationship with her Six teammate Knockout, who was murdered by Infinity Man in Death of the New Gods.
Eventually, Scandal found love again with Liana, a Knockout doppelganger, albeit with a much gentler spirit. Still, when the Secret Six acquired a stolen “Get Out of Hell Free” card from the demon Neron (just go with me here), Scandal used it in order to resurrect Knockout. (BTW, the entrance to hell is inside a mall in Iowa, so be careful out there.) Meanwhile, Liana was kidnapped and tortured, so when Scandal returned from getting Knockout out of Hell, she and the team rescued Liana, too.
With two look-alike redheaded girlfriends, what’s a supervillian to do? Why, propose to both of them, of course. Check out these scans from the comic, courtesy of The Mary Sue.
We didn’t get to see the actual wedding, but given the end of the book where Knockout and Scandal are sprawled in the street after the aforementioned fight, the marriage seems to be a done deal.
Ordinarily, I doubt I’d be too thrilled with comic book lesbian polygamists. But I love that Simone chose it here. In a series like the Secret Six, the twist is very true to the characters. And we can all laugh with Simone that she got away with an ending to Scandal’s story that is so, well, scandalous.
Good job, Ms. Simone.
What do you think of this unusual double proposal?
