Comic Info
Comic Name: Villains United
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Dale Eaglesham/Val Semeiks
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2005
Villains United #1
Reprints Villains United #1-6 (July 2005-December 2005). The Justice League has used mystical powers to lobotomize an enemy and now the Society of Super-Villains is forming to combat them. Six villains are opposing the new regime and under the guidance of Mockingbird, Parademon, Ragdoll, Cheshire, Deadshot, Scandal, and Catman are fighting back against the Society. The Secret Six must strike hard and fast if they want to defeat the Society, but who is Mockingbird and what is his game?
Written by Gail Simone with illustrations by Dale Eaglesham and Val Semeiks, Villains United was part of a lead-up to Infinite Crisis composed of multiple crossovers and four key series (this series plus The Rann-Thanagar War, The OMAC Project, and The Day of Vengeance). It was followed by a one-shot called Villains United: Infinite Crisis #1 that followed the events of this series. The issues in this collection were also included in Secret Six: Villains United.
The series is fun. There is something about villains being the stars of series that I enjoy. Series like Thunderbolts really did a great job of exploring the mind of villains and making them more than just bad guys. Yes, both here and the Thunderbolts, many of the characters are out for their own advantage, but it is fun to at least try to see their motivation.
Villains United #3
This series did a good job picking fun heroes that could never star in their own series, but as a whole work. Catman was always a joke, but here he’s quite cool. In her own way, I think Simone did a better job than the recent attempt of Geoff Johns to make Aquaman cool (but Johns’ Aquaman is also good). I even found the Parademon interesting and felt a little bad when he died since it meant he couldn’t be explored more.
The story does have fight after fight, and sometimes the events are a bit unclear unless you are proficient in what was occurring surrounding the Infinite Crisis. The collection fortunately has a quick summation of what led up to the series and the basic plot is relatively easy to follow (“Who is Mockingbird” might also be tough for non-seasoned DC readers). For a person who knows the events of Crisis on Infinite Earth, this series was a fun treat.
Villains United is a is worth picking-up despite the DC New 52 reboot. It has a great, fast story with nice art. The Secret Six returned in a limited series and later had their own series which ran for thirty-six issues.
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