Secret Six #2 - The Cat vs. The Bat

Way back a few years ago, DC decided to create a new anti-hero team in a miniseries called "Villians United". The miniseries gave us one of the better villain fights ever seen (Deadshot versus Deathstroke), and it also gave us a reboot of a D-list villain called Catman. Since that miniseries, Catman has gradually become one of the tougher characters in the DC universe, and issue number 2 of the Secret Six's regular series (finally) gives us the face-off we've been waiting for: Catman versus Batman.

Catman was originally introduced as a foil for Catwoman in an issue of Batman decades ago, but he gradually disappeared into obscurity and became more of a running joke than a serious villain. Whatever change happened to him in Africa (still hasn't been explained) turned him into a guy now unafraid to go head-to-head with DC's consummate tough guy: Batman. The issue is full of the stuff that's made the Secret Six fun to read since their introduction years ago.

The death of Rampage opened a door for a rotating sixth member of the team, and that spot is currently filled by Bane in this story. While there's no doubt the focus of this issue is the fight between Batman and Catman, the side story is how the rest of the team is breaking into a maximum security prison to free the Tarantula while having to fight their way out.

A priceless moment in the story comes when Bane faces down Mammoth in the prison. No longer willing to shoot up with the drug that gives him super strength, Bane decides to fight dirty instead.

The issue closes on a mysterious new villain that lives in a box who has decided it is time to bring in the big guns to finally kill the Secret Six. While we don't know who the villain is just yet, it's obvious he has something against the anti-heroes as he takes out the biggest contract in Gotham City's history on the team. A huge villain group shot closes the book of course, with them all agreeing to kill the Secret Six.

The series has really started well, and if they're able to keep up the momentum they started here this could be a winning title for DC.