The Secret Six are inexplicably incarnated in the Wild West as a loose affiliation of outlaws, bounty hunters and prostitutes who are at odds with the mercenary forces of Ragdoll's sister and her hired general, Slade Wilson.
The Good
Simone's done the proper research and her old West's dialogue's a treat to read. This is far above somebody throwing in a "y'all" and "I reckon" here and there. The story's a fun mix of terse Western conventions and superheroics, and I especially liked the outrageous twist she puts on the standard showdown. Deadshot loses a draw with Deathstroke, only to totally blind with his badge and leave him open to get his back summarily broken by Bane! It was quite bad ass. As I mention below, I'd love to see more of this riff on the S6 and hopefully this wasn't the last of it. Also, Califore's art continues to perfectly suit the tone of this book, giving some extensive period-specific detail and an appropriately-mean undercurrent to the superheroics.
The Bad
I'm sure this is going to be explained next issue, but I would've liked a little more clue as to how this alternate reality relates to Secret Six's greater storyline. I got worried that I might've an issue somewhere and had to go back and remind myself that this definitely did carry over from the last installment. I'd also lament Simone possibly wrapping this Old West conceit up before she properly explored everything this setting could offer. They might show up again, sure, but it's going to be difficult given this issue's ending.
The Verdict - 4.5/5
DC used to do this kind of story all the time when they were branding their "Tales from the Multiverse" as Elseworlds. While the wild West became enough of a go-to for characters that it became kind of a cliche, it's been a long enough that it feels fresh here. Actually, there's a saying about tropes being tropes because they're good and this was definitely a reminder of how fun a melding of superheroes and rawhides can be. Secret Six continues to be one of my favorite titles every month.
I'm pretty sure this issue was a done-in-one deal, just as with #23. Thought this was a fun issue and enjoyed seeing Thomas Blake decked out in mountain lion furs. Also this is the first issue were I really liked Califore's art. I hate the way he draws Catman's ears!
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