wellisntthatshiny:Anyone who follows me knows that I have a...

wellisntthatshiny:

Anyone who follows me knows that I have a wee bit of an obsession with a comic series called Secret Six. They know that I am equally in love with Catman and Scandal Savage, that I think Ragdoll is hilarious, and that I love a good team-up of obscure characters that I can learn to love with no preconceived notions of who they are supposed to be.

But what I don’t usually talk about is the real reason why Secret Six, over all of the other books I’ve read, has stuck with me. Why when people ask me for recommendations I tell them to read this book over any other. Why it is that Secret Six is the title that comes out of my mouth rather than Cable & Deadpool or Tim Drake’s run as Robin or any of my other favorites.

It’s because Secret Six was the first book that taught me that I didn’t have to compromise in order to be a comic book fan. I didn’t have to go into a book and grit my teeth and smile through the casual sexism, the white male dominated world where I constantly felt like a woman invading an inherently male space. Oh sure, I absolutely love the early run of Deadpool, but even his most diehard fans have to admit that he isn’t always written as a female friendly character. Tim Drake is a character with whom I identify, but he can sometimes be a sexist asshole and I have to recognize and deal with that.

Secret Six, on the other hand, gives me female characters to love right off the bat. It gives me queer representation that is happier than most straight couples in comic books. Scandal and Kay are fantastically loving and portrayed as a healthy relationship, even when they have fights. And then when Liana comes in, I was dreading the fact that Scandal would end up leaving her for Kay, but I didn’t even have to worry. Instead of having a messy break-up, I got a woman, Scandal, who decided to fight for both of her lovers and a polyamorous relationship that has a lot of hope, rather than criticism.

I have characters that, while not always the best for each other, have deep friendships that draw me in. I have complex plots that raise interesting questions and aren’t thrown together for a cheap laugh or manpain. I have women who are sex workers that are respected and valuable members of the team. I have a nonbinary character who doesn’t give a shit about societal conventions. I have this group of outcasts and misfits who find a family, and yes it is a family because for all that they fight they come back together, and fight for one another the same way my group of friends do in real life.

Secret Six means so much to me because when I read the title, the House of Secrets feels like home to me. I feel like I belong in the comic book community. Like I’m not the outcast forcing my way into a place and demanding a spot, but that there was one already available for me before I even realized where I belonged. There are other books that have done that since (The current Hawkeye and Captain Marvel books come to mind), but Secret Six was the first and for that reason it, and it’s author Gail Simone, will always, always have a special place in my heart.

I don’t know what to say, but I am so very, very grateful to the audience for that book. Thank you for this lovely message.

It’s weird to say as the writer, but I also found a lot of comfort in this team. Few of us have bat-mansions or superfriends. I loved that there was a book out there of odd people who were looked down upon, but supported each other.

Maybe they weren’t exactly heroes, but they certainly meant a lot to a lot of people (including me).