SECRET SIX #1 / Script by NICOLE MAINES / Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA / Colors by RAIN BEREDO / Letters by STEVE WANDS/ Published by DC COMICS

The original Secret Six was a team of covert operatives, working in the shadows of the DC Universe. Despite having such legends as E. Nelson Bridwell and Martin Pasko behind it, it was never a major success. The concept was later taken to new heights by Gail Simone, who applied the name to a group of C-List supervillains during the build to Infinite Crisis in 2005. This Secret Six was a more ethical take on the Suicide Squad, with a found family of misfits that were too good to be villains, too bad to be heroes, and (at times) too weird even for the DC Universe. The same could be said of the all-too-brief revival in 2014, that revamped the team for the New 52 universe.

The 2025 Secret Six is cut from the same cloth as Simone’s first Secret Six series. Beyond featuring some of the same characters, it too involves a team built around moral conflict. There are good guys struggling to maintain their ideals, bad people trying to be better, and neutrals just trying to survive. It is also the most direct continuation of last year’s Absolute Power event so far.

The first issue centers around the power trio of Dreamer (Nia Nul), Superman (Jonathan Kent) and Gossamer (Jay Nakamura). Most of the issue is devoted to rehashing their history, as they try to avert Dreamer’s precognitive vision of Amanda Waller escaping from prison. This helps make the comic accessible to those who hadn’t read the Absolute Power series and all the tie-ins.

The short version is Dreamer is on the outs with most of the hero community, but the young Superman is one of the few who still trusts her. Gossamer, by contrast, wants to kill Dreamer for her role in conquering his country and killing his mother. The fact that Dreamer was blackmailed into working for Amanda Waller to do all that matters little. The one thing they all agree on is that Waller need to remain behind bars. Naturally, there are complications, which lead to the heroes going on the run and reluctantly joining forces with Black Alice; a magic-stealing juvenile delinquent and former Secret Six member.

Nicole Maines has progressed well as a writer since she first got her start co-writing Dreamer stories with Tom Taylor. Granting she has considerable experience with this cast already, she does a great job of portraying the dynamic and making the characters likeable, despite their disagreements. Beyond taking care to establish the team, Maines also delivers well-paced action sequences.

These action sequences are ably illustrated by the book’s excellent art team. Stephen Segovia’s art has a strong Shonen manga vibe that suits the story well. I also like his redesigns for the classic Secret Six members and the fact that Black Alice now has a costume that doesn’t make her look like a Suicide Girls pinup. The colors by Rain Beredo are amazing, with subtle lighting changes throughout as the mood shifts. There’s also some wonderful expressive word balloons from Steve Wands.

The new Secret Six is a perfect successor to DC Comics’ long tradition of covert heroes. If this first issue has a flaw, it is something of a slow start. The story focuses on half the team and we only see Deadshot and Catman on the final page. That being said, the story also hooks established fans while offering a welcome starting point for newcomers to these characters and the franchise.