Secret Six Volume 4: Caution To The Wind by Gail Simone and J. Calafiore (graphic novel review).
Of the four volumes, Secret Six Volume 4: Caution To The Wind by Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore was the hardest to track down, despite having been in print for over two decades. It may simply have suffered from a poor print run or an unfortunate sales day. Alternatively, perhaps a certain Lex Luthor cornered the market. It is difficult to say until you actually sit down and read it.
If the opening four-part story, ‘Reptile Brain’, is anything to go by, Bane is firmly in charge of a new incarnation of the team as they track down a man aboard his heavily armed yacht. His crime? Stealing from his Mafia ex-wife, who is less than thrilled about the situation. Before long, the original Secret Six are brought back into the fold and everyone has to decide which version of the team is actually needed, provided it includes Bane, Cat-Man and Deadshot.
At the same time, there is a power struggle between Katherina Armstrong, better known as Spy Smasher, and Amanda Waller over who should control the Secret Six. In the end, it hardly matters because both teams end up in Skartaris to sort out a completely different set of problems. The lesson here is simple: drink if you must, but do not go in the water.
After returning from Skartaris, the team finds itself caught up in a clash involving Vandal Savage and Lex Luthor. The Secret Six really do have a remarkable talent for being dropped into the middle of everyone else’s problems.
As the volume progresses, the various missions and mini-series begin to blend together into one long chain of escalating disasters. It is when the Secret Six cross paths with the Doom Patrol that things become particularly memorable. The battle between Rita Farr and Black Alice is especially striking, with Alice suddenly finding herself hopelessly outclassed. That scene alone is worth the price of admission. Either that, or Bane’s unique approach to dating.
Then there is the small matter of the team going to Hell and back, with each member receiving some rather uncomfortable revelations along the way. The finale revolves around an attempt to recruit the Penguin, who responds by summoning the Justice League and practically anyone else available for one enormous final showdown.
I am glossing over a great deal here because almost any detailed discussion would stray into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that this is an enormously entertaining volume despite, or perhaps because of, the staggering amount of violence on display. There are still two more Secret Six volumes to come, so it will be interesting to see how they fit into the overall story.
Given the Secret Six’s somewhat questionable success rate, not to mention their flexible interpretation of how many members constitute “six”, you do have to wonder why anyone hires them. Then again, they may simply be the only mercenary outfit available in this corner of the DC Universe. I suspect the Inferior Five could give them serious competition.
Gail Simone’s handling of both the core cast and the wider DC Universe once again demonstrates just how talented a writer she is, while Jim Calafiore’s artwork provides an ideal complement to the often chaotic proceedings.
GF Willmetts
May 2026
(pub: DC Comics, 2000. 200-page graphic novel softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-4012-6090-3)
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