Written by Gail Simone
Illustrated by J. CalafioreThe pedal-to-the-metal conclusion of the “Reptile Brain” storyline is here as the survivors of the two warring factions of the Secret Six face a danger even more horrifying and revolting than each other! And if this is Skartaris, who’s playing Warlord?
The Secret Six are still at it! They’re still in Skartaris (the DC equivalent of the Savage Land for those of you playing the home game) overthrowing the local government there for unknown reasons. This is the final issue of the arc. Who lives? Who dies? Does Ragdoll rip out King Shark’s other eye? Well, you’ll just have to check the cut to find out?
Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but he doesn’t rip out his other eye. But I’m quite happy to report that it seems King Shark lives to tell the tale. Gail Simone’s yarn about going into a Dinosaur Land as a metaphor for the empire building on behalf of the American Government, as our two teams merge to fight something worse.
The demon Serpent king of Skartaris is back. And he’s causing the wholesale slaughter of his own kingdom. What follows is some awesome character work on the part of Simone, who not only gives equal spotlight to existing members like Black Alice and Ragdoll, but gives new spotlight to new members King Shark and Giganta, who both steal the show in their own respective scenes. You might wonder why a character like King Shark would be so engaging, but when he uses a term like “By Arthur Curry’s fishsack!” you understand.
And Giganta! Wow. Gail Simone put her in here for a very specific reason. I won’t tell you that reason, but if you know the history of the character, and Gail’s reaction to a certain character’s death, then you know what she has in mind, especially with Dwarfstar in the book.
The one thing I’m a little disappointed on is the seeming departure of one of my favorite characters, Ragdoll. It appears he might has departed the team (at least for now), and I was silently hoping for more of him teaming with King Shark for weirdness.
But speaking of disappointing, I can’t help but be a little miffed by the art. Maybe I’m still spoiled by Nicola Scott’s breathtaking visuals, but seeing Calafiore on here, while seeing her on Teen Titans, makes me sigh, wondering what could have been, in this. But that’s unfair to Calafiore, I suppose. He gets the job done, but for the most part, he’s the weakest artist that’s been on the series so far. He does have a nice eye for action, though, as King Shark doing a cannonball into water is incredibly well rendered.
The book, however, is still a lot of fun, and one of the best DC has to offer. If you’re not reading it then…I don’t know what else to tell you.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy
