Villains United (Classic Review)

Originally released in 2005.

Writer: Gail Simone

Artists: Dale Eaglesham and Val Semeiks

Publisher: DC Comics

Collects: Villains United #1-6

Back during DC's Event story Infinite Crisis they released four tie-ins that added extra backstory or angles to the overall plot. Villains United explored the formation of Lex Luthor's "Secret Society" and their "scrappy underdog" counterparts (and adversaries), the Secret Six.

The anti-villain characters of Scandal, Deadshot, Catman, Ragdoll, Cheshire and Parademon would prove to be so popular a team dynamic that, with a few minor changes to the ever-fluctuating roster, they eventually got their own ongoing series out of it.

But Villains United is where it all started. With the Secret Society recruiting pretty much every supervillain in the DC Universe into its ranks, the Six were formed by the mysterious Mockingbird to uncover the Society's true purpose. Six villains who were either too insignificant or too proud to join the Society, but were swiftly transformed into some of the most intriguing characters in the DC pantheon.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Fantastic Four: Prime Elements (Review)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Artist: Dale Eaglesham

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Collects: Fantastic Four #575-578

With this story, Jonathan Hickman has finally stepped out of the "testing the waters" period that every new writer goes through with iconic titles and firmly stepped into the "doing his own thing" category.

And, boy, do I love it.

Smart, funny, exciting -- this is everything I want from the Fantastic Four.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!