If you listen to the internet after reading that headline, you’ll most likely hear Gail Simone’s fans saying, “Finally.”
Simone revived a team called “Secret Six” back in the original Villains United which consisted of a number of mostly B-list villains of the DC Universe. It was a simple enough concept – the six were, ultimately, a group of characters who rebelled against “The Society” – a collective (with mandatory membership) of virtually all of the villains of the DCU. Though they were nearly killed for their efforts, they ultimately survived, and moved to live in a gray area somewhere between “good guys” and “bad guys.”
The Six (with a very flexible membership and definition of “six”) then went on to their own miniseries, followed by a guest-appearance in an arc of the Simone-penned Birds of Prey and then…nothing.
Well, aside from tons of requests from fans for more.
The requests have been heard and will be answered in the form of a new, ongoing Secret Six series, as Simone announced in her spotlight panel a New York Comic Con.
We spoke with the writer to learn more.
Newsarama: Gail, gotta ask at the start...what took so long? Fans wanted this right after the Villains United miniseries, and then again after their own namesake mini, and then again when they showed up in Birds of Prey. Was this something that you had to lobby DC for and convince them of, or was it more a matter of finding the time in everyone's schedules?
Gail Simone: Yeah, wow. People have been asking for this at every panel at every convention and appearance, even DC panels where I haven't attended. Dan says jokingly he had to greenlight the series just to get people to stop asking about it! By the way, sorry if my answers are a bit addled...I have convention brain, and I'm writing this from my hotel on the fly.
I didn't have to lobby, DC was totally up for it. First, I wanted to establish myself on Wonder Woman and everything sort of took a backseat to that for a while. We also toyed with the idea of rotating Catman/Secret Six minis, because I do think there are some cool, very primal stories that we can tell with Catman on his own that can't really be told with other characters in the DCU. But in the end, it's hard to turn down the fun and wrong chemistry of the whole team.
Finally, we had to wait until we had an artist that could do the book justice, with the sex and violence and awfulness that the Six tend to create. Man, did we get the right artist, though! I shouldn't tell you about that, though it is someone I have worked with before and have been dying to work together again.
Oops...didn't mean to drop a clue there.
NRAMA: What is it about these characters (and we'll talk about who "these characters" means in a minute) that's gotten under your skin?
GS: Well, a part of it is just the unbridled lust to live their own way. They care primarily for themselves. They aren't heroes. At times, they aren't even likable. I kind of like that it's a superhero comic about desperate people. They all know their lives aren't going to end well.
I also find the chemistry between them fascinating. The core members, to a man, including Catman, are selfish, spoiled brats to some degree, and they are always thinking about themselves, primarily. But in that mode, they still somehow have come to like and trust each other. Which they all hate to varying degrees. It's not their nature. They're the anti-JLA in that regard. You can't really call them friends, but they're the closest thing to friends any of them have ever known.
NRAMA: So who are the "six" this time? The "six" of the title has always been somewhat flexible, and things kind of fell apart in their last appearance. So who are we looking at? Have to say, it's darn near impossible to think of the Six without Catman...
GS: Right. It wouldn't be the Six without Catman, Deadshot, Scandal, and Ragdoll. But beyond that, we have an a-list Bat-villain, and then a new character, a female, who is hot beyond reason. We're already nuts about her. She's simply the sexiest thing to come down the pike in a while, and she'll happily twist your head off for you if you look at her askance. She makes even Deadshot nervous!
NRAMA: What brings them together this time, and how "permanent" is the bond? That is, are you going to still be looking at a flexible members list?
GS: They're together because they reluctantly enjoy working together, and because Scandal's talent for hunting up big money merc jobs is making them all rich. The roster will always change a little, that's part of the fun of it, but most often, the core four will always be there.
NRAMA: What are some of the creative itches you're looking to scratch with this series that you can't on Wonder Woman or other projects? You've said before, I believe, it's a good thing to cut loose and write about characters who aren't even trying to be "good," correct?
GS: Wonder Woman is good. She has a pure, unstained heart. She's about compassion and truth. I love writing her like a kid loves ice cream.
But the Six are mostly about getting laid and getting paid. I think it's fun to watch their behavior like it is to watch, say, The Sopranos or something of that nature. Bad is awfully charismatic. Plus, I think they're unpredictable. You never really know which side of the coin toss they'll end up on. Do they help someone, or do they shoot them?
That's fun stuff, and I'm loving writing that again after writing the much nobler Wonder Woman. I really do think in some ways, it's the ballsiest DCU book there is, and it's written and drawn by women.
Oops...I let that slip.
NRAMA: That said about the characters, what kind of stories are you looking to tell in the series? Mission-based arcs? Big battles? Romance?
GS: There is a romance, and in typical Six fashion, it's non-vanilla and completely wrong. It's a cougar relationship, but that's all I'll say. Big battles...ha! Yes. Big, BIG battles.
This first arc, the Six have to transport a female villain (after breaking her out of prison) from San Fransisco to Gotham, alive, with everyone in the DCU trying to stop them. This story has everyone.
And even better? In issue #2?
Batman vs. Catman.
Drawn by the mighty mighty NICOLA SCOTT!
Oops again!
NRAMA: You’re bringing in everyone…so how are the Six seen by the rest of the DCU? Do they even know that they exist as any kind of even informal team?
GS: They're hated by both sides. After this arc, it will be damn hard for them to recruit any new members, ever.
And yeah, they know they're a team. But they consider it a business on the surface. Scandal is the brains, Catman the eyes, Deadshot is the executioner, and Ragdoll is the guy who crawls through toilets.
NRAMA: You gave a tease, but what gets the ball rolling in your first arc?
GS: A new villain with ties to the DCU, the meanest, most murderous bastard ever. He controls the crime on the West coast in an empty basement with nothing but a phone and a notepad, and he lives in a trunk and has never been seen. Anyone who DOES see him dies brutally, on the spot.
He decides he doesn't like the Six.
NRAMA: Oh, and Nicola?
GS: Yes. The incredible NICOLA SCOTT is drawing this!! Hahahahhaahahaha! I couldn't be happier. We've been dying to work together again, and she's excited to help create this new book, and I love that no matter what awful thing I ask her to draw, she's completely into it. She's unshockable, which is a good thing to be with thisTHIS book! She's got that same ability as the great Dale Eaglesham, to draw these awful characters with just the right hidden touch of dignity. AND she's dying to draw them all naked, which is how they usually end up somehow. Nicola Scott is the next big thing and she's on this book for a good long run. That is the best news I could have.
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