Villains United #1

History

The series was written by Gail Simone — coming off her acclaimed Birds of Prey run — with interior pencils by Dale Eaglesham and inks by Wade Von Grawbadger, and a cover painted by J.G. Jones; editor Stephen Wacker shepherded the project. Eaglesham's illness forced a mid-series art change, with Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins stepping in from issue #3 onward, though Eaglesham returned for later chapters. The premise grew directly out of the Identity Crisis/Countdown to Infinite Crisis continuity, with the miniseries serving as DC's explicit prequel to Infinite Crisis and tying into numerous monthly titles. Demand for the characters proved strong enough that a Secret Six miniseries followed almost immediately in 2006, and a 36-issue ongoing launched in 2008.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published May 4, 2005 (cover-dated July 2005); written by Gail Simone, penciled by Dale Eaglesham, inked by Wade Von Grawbadger, with a cover by J.G. Jones — edited by Stephen Wacker.
• First appearance of Scandal Savage (daughter of Vandal Savage) and Rag Doll / Peter Merkel Jr. (son of the Golden Age Rag Doll), both created by Simone and Eaglesham.
• First team appearance of this incarnation of the Secret Six, comprising Catman, Deadshot, Cheshire, Rag Doll, Scandal Savage, and a Parademon — with the Fiddler (Isaac Bowin) also present, killed by Deadshot on Mockingbird's orders within this very issue.
• The mysterious Mockingbird who bankrolls and blackmails the Six is eventually revealed across the series to be the real Lex Luthor, while the 'Lex Luthor' organizing the vast Secret Society of Super-Villains is actually Alexander Luthor Jr. of Earth-Three.
• One of four limited series (alongside The OMAC Project, Day of Vengeance, and Rann-Thanagar War) serving as official preludes to Infinite Crisis (2005–2006).
• Issue #1 went to at least three printings; the second printing featured a black-and-white sketch cover reproduced from Eaglesham's pencils.
• The full series (issues #1–6) was collected in a trade paperback in January 2006; it has since been reprinted in the Infinite Crisis Omnibus (2012) and as Secret Six Vol. 1: Villains United (2014, collecting the miniseries, the Infinite Crisis Special, and the 2006 Secret Six miniseries); a Gail Simone Omnibus Vol. 1 (848 pages, DC Comics, June 2024) collects this issue alongside all subsequent Simone Secret Six material.
• The Secret Six team born in this issue inspired a CBS television drama development in 2018, confirming the property's lasting cultural footprint beyond the page.

Cast · 40 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Villains United

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#4 1st appearance — Gehenna

Variants (2)