Writer – E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist – Frank Springer

Six people as different as the day is long are gathered together by the mysterious Mockingbird, a man or woman whose presence is embodied in a tape recorder. The first is August Durant who is a scientist who owes his life to Mockingbird as does Carlo di Renzi who is an escape artist. King Savage is one of the best stuntmen alive while Lili de Neuve is second to none in the make-up department followed by Tiger Force, a boxer who never backs down and Amber Dawn, an unassuming model who is more than she seems. All of them have something in common and that is Mockingbird and they believe that Mockingbird is among them, that one of them is indeed the handler who has assembled them together. Why for and what for is unclear but they have been given their first mission which is to stop the man named Lupus who has invented a machine that separates the oxygen from the nitrogen in the air, thereby suffocating anyone within range. It is a deadly piece of tech that cannot remain at large and so the Secret Six infiltrate the island that Lupus is headquartered on and look to take him and his machine out before the worst can happen. Written by E. Nelson Bridwell and drawn by Frank Springer, the two make for the perfect duo on this book beginning with the incredible cover which serves as the unofficial first page of the story, beginning things off with an exciting action sequence that introduces the reader to the first character they are to meet. Soon enough, everyone is in play and Bridwell does a great job on both the introductions and the characterization, making each of the players unique with a voice all their own and each having a reason for being there. As for Lupus, he is fairly generic in scope though he looks great, the design by Springer is quite good as to set him apart from the common thugs that people see in every other book. In that sense, it is a bit of a shame that he perished in the last act but that too actually sets this book apart just a little from the rest of the chaff as the bad guys were usually captured and locked up, though to be fair, Lupus’ death was his own fault. From cover to cover, Springer’s artwork which was quite excellent and Bridwell’s compelling story made this first issue a lot of fun, so much so that there would be no question about picking up the second to find out what is next in store for this motley group of self-effacing heroes.

4 out of 5