Archive for the ‘Daniel LuVisi’ Category

Secret Six #34 Review

Posted: June 3, 2011 in Bane, Batman, Comic Book Review, Dan Luvisi, Daniel LuVisi, DC Comics, Gail Simone, J. Calafiore, Secret Six
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Written By: Gail Simone

Art By: J. Calafiore

Coloring By: John Kalisz

Lettering By: Travis Lanham

Edited By: Rickey Purdin

Associate Editor: Rachel Gluckstern

Cover By: Daniel Luvisi

The Plot

Does anyone else smell a twisted sense of justice and satisfaction infecting this issue?  I certainly do.  #34 not only wraps up the hell bound story arc but also gives clairvoyance to much of the sentimentality existing within the Six since it began almost two years ago.

The Six…er, well, the five…find out where Liana has been held captive by her “Savior” and set her free.  After the rescue mission is complete, the Six go back to their normal lives…and I use the term loosely. This is more than just a violently sexy issue and is the pinnacle of the amount of depth comics have achieved in the modern age.

My Awe Inspiring Opinion

So did anyone take a peek at the letters section of this issue?  I must say I’m geeking out like crazy that a letter of mine actually made it into my favorite comic book title.  Thanks DC, and thank you Gail for grinning gleefully within that castle of yours!  I wish I owned a castle.

Ok, enough about me, let’s move on to bigger and better things…like the Secret Six!  I’m a sucker for these kinds of issues; the characters poor out their emotions and suck the readers in in the process.  Simone paints an interesting picture of a villain team who seems to have a strong sense of morals within their own world…Minus Deadshot, he really doesn’t care most of the time.

While it’s only a small aspect to #34, the opening sequence really drives a joyous rusty nail into my imagination.  It’s always interesting to see characters loose themselves in the moment of delivering justice to the ones that harm others.  Scandal Savage says very little after finding Liana’s kidnapper.  After a brutal scene with the bad guy getting his just deserts, Scandal delivers the coup de grace.  Just a hint, don’t piss off a women in love, you may just have you eyes gouged out…but not before you fingers are bitten off, your kneecap shot, and your body broken.

But it’s within this scene which truly defines the Six and how much they need each other. (Except for Deadshot, he STILL could care less right?)  The Six delves into an exceptionally emotional and touchy-feely montage of feelings and modes of expression.  Scandal, since the beginning, has always been the most expressive of the Six with Bane following up a close second.  But under Scandal’s influence, and through the events of recently visiting hell, the Six finally opens up to each other in ways most families can’t.

But the gleaming moment for me comes out in the final page where Scandal lays on her bed stroking her weapon of choice with Jeanette walking seductively into the room.  It’s not because these two women seem ready to partake in an act of lesbian awesomeness, (and believe me guys, that’s the first thing that will pop in your head) but rather it’s the powerfully moving, yet brief speech Jeanette gives to Scandal.  They’ve accepted their destiny in Hell, which means they are not constrained by the rules set by man.  Yet she states this in such a way that makes you believe in their goodness and forget about their evils.

As always, J. Calafiore can do no wrong.  He’s an excellent judge of how to make each character sexy even during those exceptionally violent moments.  The page where Scandal and Ragdoll embrace each other’s hand is a blue lite masterpiece which gave me chills.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

Once again, Simone and Calafiore produce a flawless installment of the Secret Six.  It’s one of the saddest moments for me in my comic book collecting career, however, to hear of its inevitable cancellation due to the DCU reboot.  I can’t say I’m happy about this decision as it pushes my favorite comic out the door to make way for…something else.  But, while I still have time, I’m going to enjoy the ending arc that I’m sure Gail has planned starting next month.  Gail, you are an amazing writer!

10 out of 10

+ 4 Incentive Points.

Secret Six #33 Review

Posted: May 6, 2011 in Comic Book Review, Daniel LuVisi, Gail Simone, J. Calafiore, John Kalisz, Rachael Gluckstern, Travis Lanham
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Written By: Gail Simone

Penciled & Inked By: J. Calafiore

Coloring By: John Kalisz

Lettering By: Travis Lanham

Edited By: Rachel Gluckstern

Cover By: Daniel LuVisi

The Plot

Like most of Simone’s Secret Six storylines, the twisted sense of family loyalty is brought up as the villain team is impossibly outnumbered by Ragdoll’s minions within the depths of Hell.  The card is still his hands and Scandal Savage will stop at nothing to take for herself.  But the Six will have to fight past their own personal Hells before doing what must be done.

My Awe Inspiring Opinion

As already stated, Gail Simone presents such a fascinating viewpoint to the concept of family love, loyalty, and forgiveness.  Lady Blaze gives the team an ultimatum – serve in Hell as her minions, or suffer an eternity in Hell as the rest of damned souls.  Faced against all odds, Scandal and the rest of the Six determine that they are, and have been ready to die for a long time and will fight Lady Blaze to the very end.

The best attribute the Six has is their unrelenting vigilance in staying true to themselves.  They don’t care if it means living an entire afterlife succumbing to the torturous ways of hell, they all refuse to allow the bad guy to win.

#33 shows the Six as who and what they really are…a villain team.  But even still, it’s hard for us to call them bad guys right?  If we, as readers, only knew the exterior shell of the Six, no one would hesitate to call them bad guys an hate them for it.  But in having 33 issues to truly get to know the team, Simone has shown us six (or seven) villains whose pasts almost justify each character’s defining attributes.  With the exception of Killer Shark, there isn’t one member of the Secret Six who isn’t tainted by their horrid upbringing.  It’s hard not to understand and feel bad for these villains whose human side comes out even more than your average super hero.

This issue is filled with the drama of losing loved ones and reliving painful memories, but Simone allows our hearts to breath with a few humorous moments.  My favorite? King Shark’s own personal Hell is where all he has to munch on are vegetables.  Gail, you have WAY too much fun writing this series don’t you?

Catman finds his way through the desert of Hell to the holding pit of his long dead father.  You don’t read to many stories of a son going to Hell to simply double check  that his father was being justly punished in Hell.  But the icing on the cake is the identity of Blake’s father’s tormentor.  No, I won’t give it away…but it’s a doozy and presents an interesting take on what Heaven could be like for some!

The Six is one big mesh of screwed up characters, sustaining this remarkable semblance of humanity but never swaying away from their horrible past and what it’s turned them into.  Throughout all 33 issues, Simone has posed a very deep and thought provoking question, but that question is hoisted up into our brains even more with this specific arc…When is a person bad, and when is a person evil?  It’s for you to decide that, but Simone makes it very clear in her thematic take on the Secret Six that the answer to that question is not always as clear as we may want it to be.

I’ll never complain about Calafiore’s art work…I just won’t.  It’s so vibrant and gorgeous that I often times get trapped in a gaze of his amazing talents.  Dan LuVisi has been tearing up the coolness with his series of Secret Six covers, #33 being one of his best.  The colors and demonic look are nothing to look down at or criticize…and anyone who does should be shot in the face!

My only daunting moment was the ending.  And this is by no means a negative critique, but it definitely made me wonder what happened.  If this was part three of three, why doesn’t the story feel as if it’s done?  That’s right, Gail has tricked us all!  This story arc isn’t complete, it’s only beginning!  I shake my fist at you Gail Simone, you have tantalized my need for more!

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

So, all in all, this is a great issue and I commend Simone for writing such innovative material for such an innovative series.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…Please Gail, don’t leave this title!  If you do, I might die!

10 out of 10