Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special

    (DC, 2006)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

The first four pages of this one-shot special ooze with Cape Fear-like intensity. A warden drags his family, kicking and screaming, out of their home in the middle of the night to try to keep them safe from a prisoner who has powerful friends in low places. Unfortunately, the rest of the story largely comprises a series of redundant prison breaks, meaning there’s not much in the way of sophisticated plotting or razor-sharp storytelling. Moreover, there’s no real ending. This is a big disappointment, especially for fans of the Villains United mini-series, which was full of tantalizing twists and titillating turns.

The united villains in question are the six (including Catman and Deadshot) who declined Lex Luthor’s offer to join his secret Society. Here, the villains straddle the fence, refusing to assist the good guys or the bad guys, making for surprisingly ineffectual leads. On the plus side, Dale Eaglesham’s pencils do an impeccable job of presenting a huge variety of characters (both obscure and mainstream) with nice attention to detail.

— Brett Weiss
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#1

June, 2006
Cover Price: $4.99
18 copies available from $0.99 		Gail SimoneDale Eaglesham