Anghus Houvouras reviews All Star Section 8 #1…
The greatest superheroes of all time, unseen since the end of the hit series HITMAN, have returned for the greatest superhero story ever told! Befuddled hero Sixpack returns to Gotham City, desperate to rebuild the all-star team known as Section Eight, in the face of a deadly threat. He gathers old friends Bueno Excellente, Baytor and the seemingly reborn Dogwelder, along with some new faces—but he still needs that elusive eighth member. And that’s when the Dark Knight Detective gets an offer he can’t refuse in part one of this unforgettable six-issue miniseries.
There are some comic book characters whose existence is fleeting. Characters who help fill out the world of another character and become just another fabulous layer of a well told story. Back when Garth Ennis & John McRea were gifting us with the amazing Hitman series, a collection of never-do-well would-be superheroes congregated at the same dank watering hole. A collection of loveable, if not disturbing, losers that went by the name Section 8.
DC once again finds themselves in a weird place, editorially speaking. Four years after the New 52 they are scrambling to find a direction. Now, in place of the New 52, comes the new mantra of DC YOU. Which I believe will soon stand for DC YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN’ ME! This month’s DC You launch/relaunch/repackaging brings a wide array of new titles with a sort of kitchen sink mentality. At this point it feels like they have little left. So whether it’s vastly depowering Superman and outing his identity to the world, or making Jim Gordon Batman and giving him an Evangelion inspired mech-suit, there’s nothing off the table in this desperate last ditch bid for relevance.
So here we are with Ennis and McRea bringing back this grubby little corner of the DC Universe. For me, it’s both a welcome return and a clear sign that DC is in a weird place. The first issue of All Star Section 8 is worth a read because it is far more bizarre than a majority of the mainstream titles you’ll find on the racks these days. Ennis always spins a good, gritty yarn with these characters. We’re reintroduced to a freshly sober Six-Pac, leader of Section 8. With his sobriety has come clarity and a return to his old life as an art critic. Unfortunately, a mix up at the bar sees him take a sip of the sauce and once again turn into the wasted wonder of Six-Pac. A threat is coming, and he has to reassemble the team. Unfortunately, most of them were killed off years ago meaning it’s time for a recruitment drive.
He finds a handful of peculiar would be F-List heroes to join his cause, but he’s one short. Then, he has an epiphany. The 8th member of Section 8 should be Gotham’s greatest hero: Batman. What unfolds is a hilarious bit of insanity so perfectly suited for Ennis and McRea: watching Six-Pac try to recruit Batman while he attempts to argue his way out of a traffic ticket. In a single issue Ennis and McRae manage to re-bottle the lightning. As a fan of the characters, just hearing the words I AM BAYTOR felt like a reunion with old friends.
All Star Section 8 is gonzo comic book creating at it’s best. With last week’s Midnighter and now All Star Section 8, I’m starting to think that the kitchen sink mentality is going to wildly benefit these more interesting nooks and crannies of the DCU.
All Star Section 8 is a great first issue and a return to formlessness for Ennis and McRea. Well done sirs, well done.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker and the co-host of Across the Pondcast. Follow him on Twitter.
https://youtu.be/yIuEu1m0p2M?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 12, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
