Written by: Nicole Maines
Art by: Stephen Segovia
Colors by: Rain Beredo
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by: Stephen Segovia (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: March 5, 2025
Secret Six #1, by DC Comics on 3/5/25, finds Dreamer, Superman Jr., and Jay Nakamura having a tough time moving on from the events of Absolute Power when they learn Amanda Waller escaped.
Is Secret Six #1 Good?
Plot Synopsis
Secret Six #1 begins with a brief prologue depicting Jon Kent, aka Superman (Jr.), fighting against the cyborg-enhanced version of Bizarro who is currently trying to break loose from Belle Reve prison. Jon carries the guilt of his actions from when he was "possessed" by the Brainiac Queen in Absolute Power, so he uses his abilities to make up for it in any way he can.
Meanwhile, we catch up with Dreamer, who has a disturbing dream about an elective surgery gone horribly wrong when past associates attack her for information about Amanda Waller. She wakes up in a cold sweat and pukes, but not before she quickly rushes to look at a calendar, portending some scheduled events.
Elsewhere, Superman (Jr.) flies to the apartment he shares with his boyfriend, Jay Nakamura, and the two begin an in-depth conversation about the feelings they carry since Absolute Power. Jay is still angry over the death of his mother and the destruction of his home country, Gamorra, at the hands of Amanda Waller and everyone involved in her plan. Their talk is interrupted when Dreamer knocks on their door and tells them Waller is missing.
Later, Dreamer, Superman (Jr.), and Jay suit up and head to Belle Reve to investigate. Tensions run high as Dreamer has yet to apologize (why?) for her part in Jay's mother's death, and Superman (Jr.) tries to keep the peace, partly to keep the trio together and possibly because Jon has expressed feelings for Dreamer in the past (see the Absolute Power: Super Son #1 tie-on one-shot).
The trio does not receive a warm welcome at the prison gates, but Jay's Justice League Unlimited card grants him full access to the prison. The closer they get to Waller's cell, the more the trio bicker over the resentment between Dreamer and Jay. Suddenly, a voice from one of the nearby cells tells them she has the information about Waller they're looking for. It's Black Alice. The magical villain says she'll tell them everything if they free her. Suddenly (again), a squad of armed guards in tactical gear arrives and starts firing tranquilizer darts. Dreamer is hit, so Jay frees Black Alice, who teleports everyone away to a safe house in Vermont. There, they find Deadshot standing over the unconscious (or dead) body of Catman.
First Impressions
There's a seed of an idea in Secret Six #1 that could work, but writer Nicole Maines needed to put the script back in the oven for another ten minutes to let the story fully mature. The notion of Waller escaping prison is a big deal that should worry everyone, but the way it's discovered and how it's addressed doesn't quite work.
How’s the Art?
I've liked Stephen Segovia's artwork for a while, particularly when he earned a lot of cred for his work at Dynamite, so it's no surprise that Segovia's visual style elevates Maines's script considerably. The fight between cyber-Bizarro and Superman (Jr.) looks great, the figure work is dead solid perfect, and even the endless amount of bickering holds your visual attention with dramatic panel angles.
What’s great about Secret Six #1?
The highlight of the issue, above Segovia's fantastic art, is the idea of forming a team to hunt down Waller after the villain escapes from prison. In fairness, the concept execution is flawed (reasons below), but the idea has merit and could make for an interesting adventure.
What’s not great about Secret Six #1?
An idea isn't enough if you can't wrap it in a satisfying structure. Specifically...
Why isn't somebody as dangerous as Waller either in a higher security facility or at least covered with special security measures that alert the Justice League of a problem? The entire League decided to reform after the events of Absolute Power because threats to the world were going unchecked (and because the Titans weren't up to the challenge), so it's a fair bet that EVERYONE in the League would want to keep a close eye on Waller. Further, Maines never actually shows in this issue that Waller HAS escaped. The team simply goes along with Dreamer's ambiguous "dream." Further, for a problem this big, why wouldn't Dreamer take it straight to the Justice League?
Next, the dramatic impact of the issue falls on the hard feelings between Jay and Dreamer, which isn't very interesting. Dreamer has responsibility for her part in Absolute Power, and Jay is a (former?) terrorist, so nobody's hands are Superman-levels of clean. If I wanted to watch two overpowered and effeminate people endlessly whispering passive-aggressive snipes and loudly bickering at each other, I'd watch a WNBA post-game press conference.
Last but not least, there's a little too much happenstance happening to buy into the story. How is it that the JLU card gives Jay access to every prison system on Earth? How is it that the trio just happened to pass Black Alice's cell, and how did Black Alice happen to be the only prisoner who knows about Waller? How is it that the trio teleports out of prison to a Vermont safehouse at the exact moment Deadshot knocks out Catman? One or two unlikely coincidences can be dismissed, but this quantity comes off as forced.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Secret Six #1 has the making of a cool idea about a team coming together to hunt down an escaped supervillain. Nicole Maines's script has most of the right parts to tell a gripping story, and Stephen Segovia's work is awesome (naturally), but the script suffers from poor choices by the characters, lots of annoying bickering, and forced coincidences.
5/10
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