SECRET ORIGINS #6 | Review

What’s It About?

Origin stories?! At first I was like, “What’s the point? We know them already!”……Well, at least for those who are up to speed with the D.C Heroes and Villains. If not, then you’d be thrilled to learn the origins of some of these characters for the very first time, and while at it feel ashamed for being such a noob. Nonetheless I gave it a shot. As the title suggests, these issues of comics primarily focus on the origins of various D.C Universe characters with some other aspects that may have not been explored or presented in detail in the past. Issue #6 features: Wonder Woman, Deadman and Sinestro.

Wonder Woman – Story by: Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chinag / Art by: Goran Sudzuka

Wonder Woman’s was at first exactly what I expected, just a basic story. Set in a time before she left her home for the human world, she was still a young and confined Amazonian Princess, longing to journey to the world of men and explore a new destiny. The story starts as she’s sparing with Aleka while expressing her desires. This version of Wonder Woman we have seen plenty of times via other comic books or animated series, so don’t expect much of anything new. There is a bit of a surprise in this story that completely redefines how she came in to being, but it is barely touched on for now. However it makes for an interesting and captivating story that I hope to follow.

Wonder Woman’s new beginnings…

First of all, props to the creators for that little bit of humor in the first page, them messing around with their names and stuff, I had a laugh! As far as this segment of the comic goes, the basics were done right with decent dialogue and art. The art style kinda reminded me of those “The Phantom” comic strips on the Sunday morning paper. However, I found it boring to say the least. Sure a bit has been done differently from previous Wonder Woman origin stories, and also to note that this was merely an intro packed into a comic meant to accommodate two other segments. Despite that, I feel it could have been better. But with that being said, I’m still willing to see what comes next and how deeper Wonder Woman’s secret origin will be explored if there are plans for a follow up.

Deadman – Story by: J.M, DeMatteis / Art by: Kevin Stokes

With the next story I thought, “Alryt! Someone I’m not familiar with!” And I couldn’t wait to jump on it and learn of this “Deadman” for the very first time. See…I can be the proverbial noob once in a while too. Not so fast though, I did see him in Justice League: Unlimited episode, he could, like, possess anyone’s body or something, but that’s all I know of him. So how was it? Depressing! The story that is, Comic was good, but deep story. Its about Boston Brand, a child who lives a daily life of abuse from his violent parents. Fast forward and as a teenager, he finally leaves home and ends up with work in the circus. He climbs up the ranks from cleaning crap to become a star performer, stage name Deadman. In the middle of one of his acts, he’s shot and dies. He then wakes up in the after life and meets two entities who give him another chance to roam the world in astral form to restore the lives of the broken.

Even death gives birth to new start, new life…

Much darker than the first part of Secret Origins but I enjoyed Deadman’s story a lot more. The art was less cartoony than Wonder Woman’s and had a much more mature feel to it. The dialogue was average and featured heavily with commentary, which I didn’t mind in this case, for it explained a great deal about the character. The story was also more theme based, with the relevance of “forgiveness” explored. Though Deadman hasn’t had as much exposure to the D.C Universe as the others, I feel he is a great character and I will definitely be looking forward to seeing more of him.

Sinestro – Story by: Cullen Bunn / Art by: Igor Lima

Ah yes, our favorite Green Lantern bad guy. For those of you familiar with this guy would know that he was a high ranking member of the Green Lantern Corps. Until he betrayed them to achieve his own twisted goals. Here the comic focuses on his origin and how he gained his ideals, This was my favorite segment in Secret Origins #6. Apart from being a bit more action packed, it portrayed the character in such a way that the reader would root for him, I know I did. It shows us a glimpse of him in his early years as a child quite fond of building with legos. As an adult, his obsession with wanting to maintain order and balance makes him excessively authoritative and he eventually pays dearly for this. With his losses, he becomes dark and violent, eventually leading him to abandon Will Power (which fuels the Green Lantern’s powers) for the Power of Fear.

The strongest will can be the weakest heart…

This part of the comic book feels more like a montage rather than an origin story, given how quickly it shows the creation of the Sinestro Corps. Aka The Yellow Lanterns. Nonetheless it is both engaging and intriguing. What I didn’t like was how Sinestro’s acquisition of his ring was very much similar to how Hal Jordan got his (from a downed alien pilot) which showed a lack of creativity. I wish his political ideals were explored a bit more but that would need a solo comic book I’d imagine. The art was very much similar to Deadman’s and the dialogue was also great! Though I have to say, seeing the story from the villain’s perspective felt awesome and his cause was much more relatable.

My Decree:

Well, I’m not gonna say Secret Origins #6 is a MUST READ kinda deal. Instead I believe it’s more of a casual comic book not meant to be too serious. It does have some important elements worth knowing, but story is not its greatest strength. One thing is for sure, I’m more interested in the Villain backgrounds rather than the Superheroes we already know well about. So if you share that same sentiment, then pick up a copy of Secret Origins and learn the history of some of the D.C characters. Also, given it’s three stories in one, it’s a great bargain.

Comic Books courtesy of Between the Lines, comic book store at Village Market, Nairobi. CLICK HERE for more 😉

Your very own comic book store in Kenya.