Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted
- Credits: by Doc Quantum of the Time Trust
- Published: August 1, 2001
Summary
December, 1985: Batman creates the Secret Six, a temporary new team led by Batwoman (Barbara Gordon), to hunt down Gotham's super-villains who are still on the loose after Resurrection Night. Onyx, Man-Bat, Ragman, Black Orchid, and Plastic Man are the other members. Batwoman fails to capture Signalman and Crazy-Quilt. Man-Bat fails to capture Kite Man but captures Clayface III. Black Orchid travels to northern Sweden to capture Mister Freeze but gives him a second chance to become normal again. Plastic Man as “Eel” O'Brian infiltrates Black Mask's False Face Society of Gotham. Ragman captures Night-Slayer and befriends Dr. Leslie Thompkins. When Captain Stingaree attacks Capt. Mark Compass' ship, Onyx stows away on the villain's ship, and Stingaree forces Mister Freeze to help him. Batwoman is disappointed by the failure to recapture most of the 18 escaped villains so far and learns that the Joker is on the loose again. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted”]
Full summary:
- December, 1985: Barbara Gordon becomes Batwoman and agrees to lead the new Secret Six. Batwoman meets the others who were recruited by Batman, who has been missing from Gotham for awhile: Onyx, Man-Bat, the Ragman, and Black Orchid, while Plastic Man is already undercover as “Eel” O'Brian. Batwoman fails to capture Signalman but learns that he and Crazy-Quilt are working together. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted: Chapter 1: The Return”]
- Man-Bat fails to capture Kite Man but discovers from Commissioner Gordon that Clayface III has killed a security guard at a department store, where he is holed up. Black Orchid travels to northern Sweden to track down Mister Freeze, who is living with a group of Sami people there. Batwoman tells Ragman (Rory Regan) that Signalman and Crazy-Quilt both escaped. A prostitute named Rebecca visits Rory's shop, Rags 'n' Tatters. Ragman learns of a serial killer on the loose in Gotham City. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted: Chapter 2: A Merry Chase”]
- Man-Bat captures Clayface III, who is transferred safely to a holding facility while Arkham is being rebuilt. As “Eel” O'Brian, Plastic Man infiltrates the False Face Society of Gotham, the army of the Black Mask. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Chapter 3: Monsters”]
- Black Orchid meets Mister Freeze, who convinces her to give him a second chance to become a normal man once more, since he is on the brink of a breakthrough. She agrees and leaves him there. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted: Chapter 4: Second Chances”]
- Ragman discovers that five prostitutes have been murdered by a serial killer and investigates the latest killing. Conducting surveillance for five days, he spots Rebecca working the streets and also spots a man in the shadows. He chooses to follow Rebecca back to her apartment to ensure her safety rather than follow the man. After Rebecca is attacked there, Ragman rushes in and fights Night-Slayer, managing to subdue the crazed killer. He finds Rebecca with a slit throat and calls Batwoman to send an ambulance. Dr. Leslie Thompkins manages to save Rebecca's life, and she and Ragman become friends. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted: Chapter 5: The Killer”]
- The S.S. Nautilus, where Onyx is a guest of Capt. Mark Compass, is attacked by Captain Stingaree and his gang of modern-day pirates. Onyx slips aboard Stingaree's ship during the attack. Hours later, Stingaree calls in a favor from Mister Freeze, demanding his help. In Sweden, the enraged Mister Freeze destroys his cabin laboratory, realizing that because he had made a pact he could not break, he would never be normal again. He sets his cabin on fire and leaves. Batwoman takes stock of the Secret Six's success. So far, only two of the 18 escaped super-villains have been recaptured. And the Joker has escaped custody once more. Commissioner Gordon calls her and tells her that Signalman has been recaptured by an off-duty police officer while eating at a Burger King. [“Showcase: The Secret Six: Wanted: Chapter 6: Pirates”]