Last week I saw the end of one of my favorite series, Secret Warriors. This week, another longtime favorite comes to an end as Secret Six finishes. Secret Six #36 (a lot of sixes, ennit?) shows the results of Bane’s newly rediscovered vendetta against Batman. Without wishing to spoil anything, I’ll say that things don’t go as planned. However, seeing superhero action is not why I bought this book month to month. I can get that anywhere. No, this issue and this series as a whole is about the characters. The Six are all broken people; they’re delusional, they’re violent, they’re perverted, but they also need one another. The series has always been about extremely flawed characters who only have others like them to lean on and this final issue highlights the best of that.

Gail Simone’s writing is as spot on as every, with characters and situations that can go from humorous to violent to tragic in an instant, sometimes even being a blend of all three. While I didn’t initially like J. Califiore, I warmed up to him and now I can see that his sharp-angled style keeps a macabre tone throughout the series that matches it perfectly. I will miss the Six dearly and hope that come reboot time, they have a place in the new world.