“Well, we found one piece of a background. For our covers it’s a start.”
Tangent Comics: Secret Six
DC Comics (December, 1997)
“Bad Moon”
WRITER: Chuck Dixon
PENCILER: Tom Grummett
no inker listed, unless Grummett is the inker as well and the gag should have been “private artist” instead of “private pencils”
COLORIST: James Sinclair
LETTERER: Ken Lopez
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Frank Berrios
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dana Kurtin
EDITOR: Eddie Berganza
TANGENT CONCEPT: Dan Jurgens
In previous Tangent stories we’ve met the Atom, the Flash, and Joker. Now let’s team them up with a few more friends. A school of “sea devils” (some kind of whale people) are wiped out by a strange explosion. Nightwing agents investigate and send Gunther Ganz, a man who mind was merged with a polymer material to become Plastic Man, to bring in young thief Taylor PIke, the phasing Spectre, to help find the people responsible, Dr. Aquadus and his assistant, Warlord. Learning about the explosion, the Atom and the Flash, attending a benefit along with heroes Hawk and his daughter Canary, fly off to investigate, as does the curious Joker. Rounding out the group is Manhunter, a woman with a robot dog and her own issues with Aquadus. Together, these six heroes (Hawk and Canary didn’t come) manage to thwart his plan to destroy the moon and take control of the world’s oceans, as he is made of water after the same explosion that trapped Ganz as Plastic Man. After this victory the six decide to work together secretly in the future.
What they got right: I love the idea that Tangent’s answer to the Justice League (it’s still DC but I bet “Justice League” is some sports division here) is actually teaming up secretly rather than in the open like most teams even though three of them are rather high profile in the Tangent universe. Most of the reuses are rather cool.
What they got wrong: Except “The Riddler”, a dude who will riddle you with bullets but makes the Shocker look like Doctor Doom.
What I think overall: As far as my collection goes, Secret Six is a great cap to the first round of Tangent Comics.
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