Villains United

Countdown to Infinite Crisis #2

by Gail Simone

When the super-criminal community learns that the Justice League of America tampered with their minds, they band together in a deadly alliance, seeking vengeance.

But not everyone agrees. Six villains refuse to join this new Society. Recruited by the enigmatic Mockingbird, these rogues are all that stand in the way of an all-out war between hero and villain. But who is Mockingbird and what is the real agenda?

The Society's murderous mission rocks the status quo between good and evil as shocking revelations make certain that when the Secret Six complete their mission, nothing in the DC Universe will ever be the same!

Collecting VILLAINS UNITED #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2005

About the author

Gail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dr Light’s told everyone what happened to him at the hands of the heroes in Identity Crisis (boo!) so now the villains are uniting in a Society to prevent any further mind-wiping (and here’s me hoping Villains United was a football team). However, six villains hold out so the Society decide to kill them and find out the identity of their secret benefactor, Mockingbird. Even though none of that makes any sense.

So this is the beginning of Gail Simone’s Secret Six run, a series I’ve read some of and can’t understand people’s enthusiasm for. Ditto Villains United which is basically the same crapfest.

It’s part of the Countdown to Infinite Crisis series which I’ve only read one other book of (The OMAC Project, also terrible) but that’s ok because there’s an 8 page recap at the start! After that, we’ve got to slog through the first third of the book which is setting up the moronic core conflict of a small group of baddies versus a bigger group of baddies.

The six in this book are: Catman, Deadshot, Cheshire, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, and Parademon (the lineup often changed in Simone’s Secret Six series). And Simone does make each character distinct, in a cursory way. Except seeing them bicker and threaten one another wasn’t interesting to read in the slightest, nor was I rooting for any one character (though I sense we’re supposed to love Catman).

The main story wasn’t very good either - I’ve read Infinite Crisis and these characters haven’t got any major part to play in that storyline so this book is entirely missable - not to mention unbelievable. These six D-listers can stand up to hundreds of DC villains, headed up by the likes of Lex Luthor and Black Adam?! Parademon’s just a parademon - you know, Darkseid’s lackeys from Apokolips the Justice League cut through, dozens at a time? Ragdoll’s… a contortionist? Catman has jagged knuckle dusters - meooooow! Come on. Deathstroke could take out these idiots single-handed.

Simone’s storytelling, like in many of her DC books, is very weak. We’re just meant to believe hundreds of villains will flock to Lex’s Society and then want to gang up against six - six! - minor characters because they didn’t buy membership cards? The missions the six went on were forgettable to say the least and Simone consistently failed to make the reader aware of the importance of anything that happened so big reveals like Mockingbird’s identity are terribly underwhelming.

I suppose Dale Eaglesham’s art was pretty good but not that exciting to look at. It’s essentially generic superhero artwork.

I like Gail Simone’s Red Sonja series over at Dynamite and her Batgirl was decent, but her whole Secret Six thing - no clue why it’s considered among her best work. Villains United was immensely boring.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lex Luther and some of the other big supervillains band together to create the Society. They use the fallout of Identity Crisis with what happened to Dr. Light to scare all the villains to join so they don't get brainwiped by the Justice League. Still there are 6 B-list villains who refuse to join and the Society determines to make examples of them.

This very much has a Suicide Squad feel to it. Gail Simone captures these characters very well. I love the interactions between the team. Simone will spin this out into her acclaimed Secret Six series. I really enjoy Dale Eaglesham's art.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The breakout hit of Infinite Crisis, Gail Simone's villains book which led to the Secret Six series. Fun, full of DC characters, and with a dark sense of humor as only Simone could have pulled off. In many ways the worthy successor to Suicide Squad

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I finally get what all the Gail Simone enthusiasm is about. I really get an emotional connection with her main characters. It's not like (with some writers) they're just reading from the playbook or reporting on things the artist should be drawing; I actually get the sense these characters have some internal motivations and are acting like the rest of us imperfect creatures.

The story itself was fun and adventurous enough - probably more meaning-laden or those who've followed these B-list characters for years. The art was cool, good sense of how people move, but veers just slightly to the cartoonish.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

After his JLA lobotomy was reversed, Doctor Light seems to have at least partly devoted himself to making sure everybody knew about it. At any rate, by the time Villains United rolled around, virtually every metahuman in the DC universe knew about it, and we're seeing some very realistic repercussions here. Luthor is using it to rally a massive team of supervillains to his Society. Our focus characters, and de facto heroes, are a half dozen second string (or worse) villains, employed by the mysterious Mockingbird and working to defang the Society. And it's actually a good story. Our misfits are a very interesting and engaging group. I especially liked the connection between Ragdoll and Parademon. Good art, and unlike the Project OMAC trade, seemingly a complete story in one trade.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of my Countdown to Infinite Crisis: I read the Villains United books and all the crossovers()!). As another direct result of the Identity Crisis the DCU villains beginning uniting. Includes Flash's 'Rogue Wars', Batman's 'Under the Hood volume one', Villains United mini-series, Batman's 'Family Reunion etc. Good to see Gail Simone leading an event! 7 out of 12

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is a side companion of the Infinite Crisis story. In this one, Lex Luthor is organizing all the villains into one group to devise an attack against the Justice League. A small collection of villains do not want to join and they form their own group. In true comic book fashion, these two groups clash.

I read the main story of Infinite Crisis and I am attempting to read its side pieces. This one was a pleasant surprise as I did not think this was up my alley. I am not the biggest DC fan but I knew a little information about the characters that form the Secret Six. The only one I didn't was Catman who ended up being the main character. To my surprise he really stood out and I took a liking to him. The collection had the deceptions and battles one hopes to see in a collection. I enjoyed the one on one battle between Deadshot and Deathstroke. As of the artwork I thought it was excellent even though the reader can tell it is a little dated.

I have read several stories associated with the main story and this is one of the better ones. The serious DC fan will really like this one as this collection has a bevy of villains. One doesn't have to prior knowledge of this universe to enjoy it though.

[Jace · Rating 4 out of 5]

No matter how many times I read this book, I still find new things to love about it. Gail Simone knows how to write a team book, and she excels at witty banter and battle scenes. I didn't really enjoy her run on Wonder Woman (too bland and lackluster), but she really shines here. I think it's got to be all the diverse personalities the Secret Six afford her. Because this book was a tie-in to Infinite Crisis, a few of the plot points in VILLAINS UNITED are unclear, but the writers do a good job setting the scene with a few editorial comments. In my opinion, this book was the best thing to come out of the forgettable Infinite Crisis, and it certainly stands up well on its own. A must read for fans of Gail Simone or misfit team adventures.

[John Wiswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gail Simone is always a pleasure to read, with a fine knack for putting words into the mouths of bizarre people. When you think about it, making grown-ups dressed in Halloween costumes (and in this book, really bad Halloween costumes) speak is going to be a challenge. But she has a sense of voice, quirks and character that makes the somewhat cartoonish world totally entertaining on a real level. The plot is pretty forced (little after they're hired by a mysterious employer they're tortured to expose his identity; the eventual identity comes out of nowhere), and the story itself is a victim of tying into some much bigger plot from other simultaneously-released works by other writers, but the bizarre cast of villains who have suddenly and regrettably sprouted consciences is flashy and charming. It hearkens back to Agent X in that Simone seems to have found another motley group that she can write into situations and dialogue exchanges no other writer is going to come up with.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Lex Luthor decides that he wants to create a society of villains. He decides to go recruiting, riding on the waves of the Justice League lobotomizing another villain. The catch is, bad stuff happens when someone declines. Six of the pretty low-level villains, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Cat Man, Deadshot, Cheshire, and Parademon, have Luthor after them because they don't want to be in his society. They get an offer to join/get threatened into joining a group run by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird that wants to keep a league from forming. The group tries to keep from killing each other enough to stop the other super-villains from killing them.
I'm a fan of Secret Six and Gail Simone, so this was right up my alley. This is the set-up to the Secret Six series. If you like this, jump into that for more dysfunctional goodness.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting accomplishment. Apparently DC gave Simone a very rigidly structured assignment as to when and where the story all had to take place, and what had to happen and who had to do what in order to make it fit into their C-to-I-C master framework, and despite all of the restrictions she produced a very good story that holds together well using mostly forgotten B-list (and C- and D- and so on down the alphabet) villainous characters. The art is pretty good, even though Catman in costume always looks just like Batman in a different color. The crowd scenes are especially fun, trying to pick out and identify and remember obscure characters. The book has a really great ending, too, reminiscent of the last scene of Bogart's Casablanca.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Secret Six volume 1 years ago and loved it, so it was kind of cool to read this now and see how it all began.

Basically during the build up to Infinite Crisis, Lex decided to bring villains together to create the Society. So these secret six were formed to basically stop them ran by Mockingbird, a unknown force who tells them what to do. These group of "villains" have to basically survive against the rest of the villains of the world.

It's a lot of fun and while not AS strong as volume 1 of secret six, I think that was way funnier, this is still a lot of fun. Some great fights, funny interactions, and for it being a tie in, it's way better than it has any right to be.

A 4 out of 5.

[Judah Radd · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some entertaining parts, but this was mostly a mess.

I really like Gail Simone’s dialogue. It’s clever and punchy. I also liked the overall characterizations. The weakness here is a very silly story that doesn’t maximize drama effectively. It’s a shame. I think this could have been a lot better, especially if it was condensed to 3 issues.

The best part was actually the torture part in issue #3.

This is a necessary read in preparation for Infinite Crisis... but I don’t think it’s going to be anyone’s favorite. The dragging plot saps enthusiasm and causes this title to wear out it’s welcome pretty early on.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I'll admit the first chapter is pretty boring but after that it is so excellent! A great prequel to the infinite crisis saga! By the way if you do want to read infinite crisis first you have to read this! But overall a great story and this is like what the justice league would be like if they were villains!

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite all the logic in the world to the contrary, this book was actually really good.

[Rylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ve seen hero vs hero now get read for villain vs villain. Lex Luther is rallying villains across the world to join his secret society of super villains, but not everyone is okay with it and the mysterious Mockingbird gathers six villains known as the secret six to go against the society. I personally liked the villain vs villain angel because it’s a lot more interesting and believable than most hero vs hero stories, villains have their own agendas and aren’t afraid to play dirty and backstab one another. Gail Simone shines with how well she writers her characters, I never knew I would grow attached to a parademon but here I am. The secret six are great characters and Gail Simone made me care about all of them and even sympathize with them.

['kris Pung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, I mean who doesn't like a good villains story and this was a great villains story.

[Nate]

Simone’s dialogue is witty and I like the use of C-list villains, but the story is convoluted and, even by superhero comic standards, far-fetched.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail Simone has quite the talent when it comes to writing a mini-series that revolves a team. Personally, I dislike anything that revolves around a team. There are too many interesting characters who simply do not receive enough attention. Villains United serves as a prequel to Simone's later series, Secret Six. It's a brilliant start as the Society comes together and so does the Secret Six. Gail Simone builds humanity into characters that are not meant to be pitied. At the same time, each villain is not always what they may seem.

The six are brought together by Mockingbird who claims that everybody has a weakness. Everybody on the team is held there almost as a hostage as Mockingbird threatens their family rather than their lives. I appreciate characters that are gray rather than black and white. Simone does a brilliant job at creating such convoluted characters. It's hard to remember who is a hero and who is a villain. Yet her comics forces me to question the existence of heroes and villains. Who is good and bad? Sometimes the good do bad things and its the same vice versa. Most comics tend to focus on the hero and build "anti-heroes" only to forget the challenging world of villains.

Villains United begins with Lex Luthor wanting to build the Society. It quickly elaborates on villains coming together until Catman says no. But coming to Catman is a whole other story. In the past, Thomas Blake (Catman) is a joke. His character was stupid and one dimensional to the point he literally becomes this in his comic book life.

You can tell who is talented in the comic book world when they are able to take such a ridiculous idea and turn it around into something incredible. Catman lies at the heart of Villains United even though he is the last to join the Secret Six. Gail Simone reveals her skills when she first crafts Thomas Blake into a fascinating character. In addition to that, his development with other characters held my attention from beginning to end.

As always, Gail Simone does an excellent job at building relationships that do not always involve romance. Each character served as an excellent choice for the overall team. Everybody had their moment and they all worked well together for a handful of villains. Ragdoll and Parademon had a surprisingly touching friendship. Such unusual characters even in their unique world and the way Parademon watched over Ragdoll. Each character was offered life through their relationships. Their interactions revealed a lot of about their characters even with those never revealed in the pages of Villains United such as Deadshot's family.

"Humanity" becomes an interesting word in the world of villains and relationships. All of them leave behind broken families that are endanger, and this is what drives them. Not greed. Not world domination. But instead, they all have one specific reason to join the Secret Six making each and every character human no matter how many lives they take throughout the events of the six issue series.

If you're going to pick up a comic book, I would suggest Villains United. It's a great place to start and survives in a world of forgotten villains. All who are given the spotlight for a change and become human in the eyes of the reader. Not to mention, Gail Simone has many talents when it comes to writing. She is great at taking something silly such as Catman, relationships, and her ability to write dialogue is to envy.

[Jemir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Simone - with her "wish-I-could-do-that" uncanny ability to blend the over-the-top nature and action of super hero themed worlds with regular real world moments - is arguably one of the best comic book writers out there and witout doubt one of my favorites.

Villains United (one of the few things that spun out of the Identity/Countdown to Infinite crises/ Infinite Crises string of stories and story lines that I actually enjoyed) is an example of how good writing can draw you into the lives of characters you probably didn't care about previously and rooting for them because of the connection developed (The set up fo the story-- in my eyes - was less Dirty Dozen {that's more of the Suicide Squad's angle) and more "The Wild Bunch").

The plot centers around how "villains" throughout the globe have found it necessary to join together (think: The Commison but with global and even worlds' spanning reach)though the powers behind the scenes are approaching known villains with a "get with the program or else ..." sales pitch. Many of those approached fall in line as they figure the benefits outweigh any downside they percieve. Those that decline the offer are dealt with in harsh terms that result in them never being seen again (or breathing).

To this end a mysterious character known as "Mockingbird" (whose true identity I won't spoil here for those who want to read the "Crises" saga from end to end) gathers a team of individuals that have refused to join the collective and lived to tell the tale (thus far) and stop a threat that the new secret villainous society gathering strength is set to unleash. Catman, Scandal (daughter of a wll known and long lived villain in the D.C universe), a stranded Parademon called "Mike", Deadshot, Cheshire and Ragdoll are seemingly thrown together but that is far from the case which comes to light in a manner I found both smart and surprising when revealed. The sense of danger (at the time none of these guys were A-list players so death loomed for any character on every page), one liners and quips makes the collection overall like a big budget, special effects driven, action movie on paper. Though those that know the characters wilol find a lot to love here this can also be enjoyed by those with no prior knowledge of any of the characters involved looking for a good stand alone story.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro favorito de esta época. ¡Y otra vez que me creí que todo iba a cambiar para siempre de verdad! Y aunque no haya durado mucho que digamos esta revolución en DC y ya hayan hecho borrón y cuenta nueva ooootra vez, no puedo negar que la pasé muy bien leyendo esta saga y sus hermanas (principalmente Día de Venganza), así que con ese puntaje se queda nomás.

[Dave Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's pretty awesome when you can turn a whole bunch of B comic characters into something worth reading. most of these guys i've never heard of and, at first glance, dismissed most of them as silly, but after reading through this, it was a pretty fun read. of the IC tie-ins, this had the best characters. at least, the best writing for the characters.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Villains vs villains. A very confusing story, and twin Luthers???? I liked seein the different DC villains as I'm not too familiar with DC, but this story didn't make a lot of sense to me. Maybe I had to read something before this. I don't know.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story and art. Nice surprising turn of events on some of the mainstay heroes of the DC universe. Very enjoyable read. Very recommended

[Rihards Husko · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happens when you gather a group of rogues that didn't quite make the cut for the Suicide Squad against an organization helmed by some of the most dangerous villains of the DC universe? Kind of a mess, it turns out. Gail Simone's Villains United is an odd book that I really wanted to like, but ultimately could not get into for a variety of reasons, both big and small.

So, it turns out, there's a gruff, muscular fightin' guy with a costume extremely similar to Batman's called... Catman. And he's kind of the main character of this mini-series. I'll be the first to admit I'm kind of a DC neophyte (and, honestly, Marvel as well, if I'm perfectly honest), but when Deadshot is the best-known character in your central lineup, you may have a problem.

That isn't to say that you can't do great stuff with unknown characters, and I feel Gail Simone does the best she can with who she's got. Catman's rehabilitation from joke to charismatic anti-hero is compelling. The oddly loving relationship between Parademon and Ragdoll is my favorite. Some twists and reveals are good fun, while others feel unearned. For example, near the end the reason why these particular villains were selected for the Secret Six to destabilize Lex Luthor's Society is revealed to be their intimate knowledge of various groups. However, we never actually see this knowledge really displayed. They just kind of luck into survival by the seat of their pants because Luthor keeps sending similarly C-tier enemies to face them until the very end. Ultimately, a lot of their victories end up feeling like incompetence on the side of the Society, rather than real skill from the Six, which really saps the mini-series' impact. There's also a really weird pregnancy B-plot that a) felt grossly out of place and b) was resolved in the most frustrating way possible, rendering it all meaningless.

Dale Eaglesham's pencils have a pleasant, clean, classical style. It does a good job bringing together the disparate looks of an exceptionally wide variety of character designs without making the end result quite as visually bizarre as it could have been (this is a compliment).

Honestly, while I didn't find this mini-series to be offensive by any means (except for that damn pregnancy bit), it also didn't feel earth-shattering or revelatory in the way that The OMAC Project was, other than a couple of intriguing reveals. Perhaps later I will realize that I missed some really important, major stuff, but right now the whole book seems disappointingly pointless and arbitrary.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Villains United was the strongest of the four miniseries that bridged Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis, probably because it 1)dealt with the most interesting plot point in the formation of the Society and 2)had the best writing. I mean, Gail Simone took Catman, a villain Brad Meltzer shat all over during his Green Arrow run (and probably justifiably so) and turned him into something special.

It is not by any means perfect, but it's not allowed to be. The Luthor plot is resolved elsewhere, as is the Lady Quark one. The Pariah plot feels as editorially mandated as it was clumsy and stupid. And it has kind of a non-ending, again in part because it isn't allowed to have one, although the Secret Six have basically nothing to do in Infinite Crisis.

Still, the characterization shines, the scripts are tight, and the stupider parts of the Infinite Crisis saga are mercifully downplayed (mostly because there are no heroes to mischaracterize to fit the plot). Dale Eaglesham's art gives everyone, from Catman to the various nonentities that make up the Society's cannon fodder, a sense of dignity and grandeur. Also, Deadshot/Catman is the bromance we didn't know we needed.

All in all, the book still holds up after all these years. It was the best then, and it's the best now, maybe by a greater margin. (The OMAC Project is basically unreadable. The Rann-Thanagar War is a beautiful mess. And, I haven't revisited Day of Vengeance for a while, but I think it got by mostly on goofy charm glossing over a paper-thin and preposterously stupid plot.) And, Villains United had the best followup series by far. (Checkmate was smart, but honestly kind of boring. Shadowpact was sinfully boring despite itself, and Rann-Thanagar never got a followup unless you count Mystery in Space, and that was an entirely different creative team that jettisoned 97% of the cast and gave Captain Comet a personality transplant to boot.)

What I'm trying to say here is that Villains United was really good despite its handicaps.

[Matthieu Savignac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je m'attendais à une mini-série entièrement consacrée à remplir la panse des aficionados de fan service. Et je n'ai pas été déçu, c'est entièrement et uniquement le cas.
On passe notre temps et les pages à détailler chaque personnage, connu, peu connu, voire carrément oublié. On se souvient fugacement de Humpty Dumpty, Crazy Quilt ou de Multiplex, on est heureux de voir que Simone n'a pas négligé d'ouvrir les encyclopédies de l'univers avant de se mettre à l'écriture.

Et finalement, la mini-série est plus que ça : chaque personnage principal de ces Secret Six est bien travaillé, et on arrive à s'attacher à chacun d'eux dans ces quelques issues. On se prend facilement au jeu d'essayer de découvrir qui est ce fameux commanditaire secret, et on reste surpris lorsque le dénouement arrive.
Outre l'intrigue principale, il est très intéressant de voir la réaction des Villains vis-à-vis des événements d'Identity Crisis et la montée de leur société.

Je ne m'attendais plus à grand-chose après avoir lu OMAC et j'ai été très, très agréablement surpris !

[Adrian Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las historias de la liga de la justicia generalmente apestan, con Aquaman o Superman golpeando a un wey de color azul o amarillo que lanza rayos de las manos, mientras sonríen... meh. Aburridísimo.

Entonces llegan historias como las Crisis, como Identity Crisis y dices, vaya, sí que tienen un lado humano estos weyes. Una familia, problemas de pareja, traumas, errores, horrores y pérdidas.

Y entonces llegan estas historias, de los malos que son malos porque es su forma de sobrevivir. Y ni de lejos eso justifica sus acciones, pero igual logras ver un lado humano en todos ellos. Y es genial, incluso hay momentos de sexo, de sexualidad, de tristeza y de anhelos, y se sienten historias mucho más humanas y reales. Maduras. Porque como lector igual vas madurando y aprendes/reconoces que el mundo no es bueno-malo; que existe un elemento inerte en todas y todos, que todos la cagamos, mentimos, perdemos y odiamos.

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The rest of you tell Luthor. Tell Psycho and Black Adam. Tell Calculator, Deathstroke and that Al Ghul chick. Tell them they're already dead. They just haven't fallen down yet."

There's a lot to enjoy from this book; the Gail Simone dialogue and Secret Six team dynamics paired with the Dale Eaglesham art. Eaglesham was starting to establish himself as a capable team artist. The reinvention of Catman from a joke Green Arrow villain back to the big leagues was just one several great plot threads to follow. There's a whole lot more because this book was a key link between Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis.

There are two ways to enjoy this story, as individual issues or this trade paperback. The TPB wins me over because it provides additional context to this story's place in the DCU event narrative.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time that I read this and I enjoyed it much more the second time around. I think the key is to measure expectations and not to be looking for the big villain blockbuster but to approach the story as something more personal about more minor villains. In some ways, I would have enjoyed seeing more about the Society and how it was supposed to work and function, but I did enjoy the interaction of the Six and getting to know them. The art is really quite good and this is a fun book, both visually and in terms of story. One note, this one is not at all appropriate for younger audiences.