Val Semeiks

Part of the big event that got me into comics which is "Infinite Crisis" by DC Comics. I had read previously, but hadn't decided to read comics for about seven or more years. Then when this event started rolling out with all the tie-ins that built this really huge event I was excited. I was pleased to see that the event held-up to many of the standards of what I wanted it to be. As a result I started to read comic books and this was one of the best books that came out of it. Seeing these bad guys come together was interesting. It showcased what makes a villain a villain and a hero a hero. Sometimes the lines do not blur as much as you would think they would in a title such as this. Gail Simone did a beautiful job of writing these characters and creating a new little part of the DC Universe.… (more)

This was just an awful collection. I know that DC One Million spanned the whole line of DC books and there was no way to include them all, but it seems that many crucial plot points were left to one page recaps rather than having the stories included. Therefore the collection did not flow and made it more difficult to follow the perverse creativity of Grant Morrison. Also I wanted to see more of the future which was primarily what was cut from this collection.
So not necessarily shoddy creatively, just a poorly edited and constructed trade paperback.… (more)

The origin of the Secret Six, I think... This is part of the Countdown to the Infinite Crisis and boy is it the chaos before the storm. There are no 'good guys' who play any sort of actual role in the book. But, there are also many, many shades of grey in amongst the villains.

On the one side is the Secret Six, sort of an honorable group of bad-ish guys who only sometimes kill people. On the other side is The Society, a group let by Lex Luthor and Deathstroke, amongst others, who want to take down the JLA for the 'good' of the Earth.

But, honestly, I only read it to read more about Scandal Savage, Vandal Savage's daughter, and a very interesting character.… (more)