I’ve been trying to follow along with the IC story line, but I’m afraid my normally encyclopedic knowledge of comics has seriously let me down. I spend most of my time reading Villains United going “who the hell are these people”. I’m OK with the Society. In fact in issue #2 there’s a big spread of Society goons and I can identify most of them (all but the guy in the lower left).
But who are these people in the Secret Six? Parademon? Ragdoll? Scandal? Whaaa? Lil’ help please.
I haven’t read comics in years but I’d bet that Parademon would be one of Darksied’s warriors. Cannon-fodder from Apokolips, who must have become at loose ends and is just hanging around.
Para-demon, as in para-trooper.
Chesire - an assassin most recently used in Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey.
Deadshot - a mercenary and the world’s greatest shot, formerly a member of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad.
Catman - a former 3rd-rate Batman villain who has recently reinvented himself to be a Wolverine-like cool character.
Ragdoll - a murderous contortionist; formerly a Golden Age JSA/Starman villain who was also a cult leader (but this one may be a different Ragdoll).
Parademon - usually generic soldiers from Apokalips that share a single consciousness, this one has a mind of his own (we don’t know how or why yet). He may be “Mike,” the last Parademon capable of independent thought, from Priest’s Total Justice miniseries.
Scandal - a new character who might very well be someone we already know in disguise.
Ok, thanks guys. I do know what a parademon is. I just didn’t know who this parademon is. I’m also aware of the old Ragdoll, but this one seemed feminine to me. The rest I knew aside from Scandal, who’s apparently new. It just seemed that I should have know who these new characters are. I guess not.
Scandal is, AFAIK, new.
The Paradaemon is apparently Mike the Paradaemon, a character from Total Justice.
Catman was originally a Batman villain. More recently, he appeared in Green Arrow: Archer’s Quest (Meltzer’s run), as an utter loser, overweight and such. Which is why everyone in the book is so shocked he turns down Talia and Dr Psycho when they offered him a chance to join the Society.
Deadshot is a longstanding villain, most popular, as far as I can tell, thanks to his membership in the Suicide Squad.
Cheshire is an assassin, the mother of Arsenal’s child, and a pain in the ass for several characters. I was fond of her appearances in Dixon’s run of Birds of Prey.
Ragdoll is…a new character. He’s the third character of the name, but it’s unclear if he has any connection to the first two Ragdolls. Ragdoll I was a former circus performer, turned insanely charismatic cult leader, called the Charles Manson of Opal City. Ragdoll II was his replacement during a period he was thought dead. Ragdoll III…I have no idea. He’s certainly interesting, at least. I hope we find out more about him.
Also Marc Andreyko’s Manhunter, as recently as last month (or even this month, I don’t remember).
–Cliffy