Scott's Take: Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who Are The Secret Six? by Joshua Williamson and Illustrator David Marquez

Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who Are The Secret Six? by Joshua Williamson and illustrator David Marquez is a book that collects the first six issues of this new series. This team up book features Batman and Superman against The Batman Who Laughs. In his latest evil plot, The Batman Who Laughs has infected six of the world’s most powerful heroes and turned them evil against their will. Some of those good folks turned evil include people closest to Superman and Batman. It is up to Batman and Superman to uncover the identities of these heroes and stop them.

 

This book features epic fights and great artwork. The main selling point is that the book focuses on the differences and similarities between these two heroes. The story is one that shifts back and forth between the perspective of each superhero and that reveals that each has keen insight into the other.

 

This book furthers multiple preexisting storylines and features cameos by numerous heroes. Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who Are The Secret Six? references events happening in other books and takes place over an unspecified length of time that could be days or even months. That aspect seems to be deliberately vague. The Infected Six are an interesting selection of heroes turned villains some of which who have legitimate reasons to be mad at Batman and Superman. Each one on his or her own would be a threat to the Batman/Superman team and the fact that they work together here as a unit raise the threat level considerably.

 

Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who Are The Secret Six? is only for the mature reader since there are multiple murders and some of those corpses are graphically visible to the characters in the book as well as the read. The read is not a standalone since a lot of the various storylines are ongoing in other books. Instead, what is carried on here is to set up a conflict between the Batman/Superman team and two characters that will be carried over into the second volume. As a result, much of what goes on here is relevant in other series, but will have little impact in the second volume of this series.

 

This a good book for people who are okay with the listed qualifiers above and are looking for a book about Batman and Superman working together. Those readers who also like a lot of action and deep dives into the minds of the primary characters will enjoy Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who Are The Secret Six?

 

  

Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who Are The Secret Six?

Joshua Williams

https://www.dccomics.com/talent/joshua-williamson

Illustrator David Marquez

https://www.davidmarquez.com/

DC Comics

https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batmansuperman-vol-1-who-are-the-secret-six

April 2020

ISBN# 978-1-4012-9945-3

Hardback (also available in digital and paperback formats)

160 Pages  

 

Material came by way of the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2020