Matt's Comic of the Week Post #8: Comics from 9/8/05

Villains United #5

Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Dale Eaglesham

I love villains. Always have. There are plenty of heroes I like too, don't get me wrong, but there's something about a great villain that I really enjoy. From Iago to Emperor Palpatine to Randall Flagg, I've always thought a protagonist is only the equal of his enemy. And in comics, it's even more true. I wonder if I'd love Batman as much if he didn't have the best rogues gallery in comics. And so when a series just about villains comes along, I have to pay attention. Sometimes they're great, sometimes... not so much. But Gail Simone's Villains United has been nothing but perfect. Of the five mini-series leading into October's Infinite Crisis, this has been my favorite.

The penultimate issue of Villains United has some great twists. The Secret Six, the small group of villains organized by the mysterious Mockingbird to combat Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Supervillains, begins to crumble as one villain turns against the other. Deadshot, an old favorite, and Catman, a lame villain who has become something cool, as ever steal the show, and the way they interact is excellent. But the other villains of the Six have their moments: Cheshire's treachery, the revealation of Scandal's parentage, Parademon's garbage eating, and Ragdoll's... manly deficencies, make for some excellent moments. And with the Society bearing down on them, I can't wait to see next issue.