All of the magic in the DC universe is being drained. The white gates are on the edge of falling and releasing monsters who have lived before the concept of good and evil. All signs point to Black Alice as the reason why and every magical hero and villain, is now out to steal her from the Secret Six.

The premise of the story is fairly simple. Black Alice is taking all of the world’s magic in what’s deemed her “magical puberty” and, now, she needs to be stopped before the Earth is taken over. This simple premise though, allows for a multitude of different character from all parts of the DC universe to interact and, the results are at most hilarious and, at worst very entertaining. Etigan’s poems are a particular highlight, considering the Secret Six react to his arrival in the most inappropriate way possible. The same inappropriate way they react to everything. Their ability to never react to a situation properly, leads to great character moments early on in the narrative when Catman, Thomas Blake, attempts to teach Strix from the Court of Owls, the game of basketball. Needless to say, it does not go well. Later, he takes the entire team out to play putt-putt and, it again, becomes a horrible mess. Both of these scenes, are extremely funny and contribute a lot to the character development of the team. The other important events of the tale are Ralph Dibny and his interactions around, a still bed ridden, Black Alice after the events of issue #6. These scenes are more heartfelt and genuine, and show that below the rough and insane exterior of the Secret Six, there is a deeper emotional layer that Gail Simone is slowly peeling away.

The artwork in this comic is very solid throughout. There is an issue of many panels being laid out poorly and angled without the purpose of adding to the story. This leaves a lot of unnecessary white space on some pages. Although, not all of the lay outs are poor. The five vertical panel Etrigan page is particularly well done and a real highlight of artwork enhancing a story. Inside the panels, the character are well designed and the actions scenes, particularly Ralph Dibny’s, are fast paced and chaotic.

Overall, Secret Six builds on the momentum of issues #5 and #6. The characters are truly coming into their own and each is beginning to feel completely natural and fluid in the wild world that the Secret Six inhabits. The story may not be groundbreaking but, anyone looking for a fun comic, does not need to look any further than Secret Six #7.

Story: Gail Simone Art: Tom Derenick, Dale Eaglesham
Story 8: Art: 7 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read