SUE IS ALIVE!!

It took four years, but Ralph and Sue Dibny are finally revealed as part of The Secret Six title. 

Secret Six, vol. 4, #5.

This is all thanks to Gail Simone. I'm really glad she did this. Detectives are always a perfect fit for a title like Secret Six, I think Ralph and Sue can work great with the team and are perfect enemies for the Riddler.

Part of the charm of Catman was the way he worked when paired with Deadshot. Both of them are tough alpha men. With his partner gone, I think Ralph is a great replacement. It's different: Ralph is a bit of a geek, always optimistic and assertive, and while he never misses a thing, he can be quite laid back and a bit of a class clown. That's nothing like Deadshot, but changing dance partners is always interesting (it's what keeps so many people hooked to Game of Thrones). So, the switch is interesting and I think along with Sue, Ralph can be key in moving Catman forward on his way to become a full hero.

Sure, with Scandal and Rag Doll outside the roster it's possible to speculate that Big Shot and Black Alice won't stay. Then again, without Deadshot, the book needs high profile characters, and  detectives Ralph and Sue fit the part just fine.

I borrowed this pic from Bleeding Cool, which borrowed it from Secret Six, vol. 4, #5. 

The background story of the Dibnys seems a little changed. I hope they figure out a way to tie it with Barry Allen again. However, as long as the characters remain true at the core, I think this is a good thing. This is not classic DCU, just the New 52 (I don't know about my kind readers, but it's not one of my favorite continuities, anyway), and stories are different.

The Flash # 138

It's possible that the story is going to have Sue brainwashed to become the Riddler's girlfriend or lover and it might elongate the drama for a while. I guess that might get kind of rapey (it depends), which is not precisely cool with Dibny fans, but at least is not Identity Crisis rape, and, again, it's the new 52, so, I take it with a grain of salt. A writer has to take some risks in order to make a good story and Gail has a lot of talent.

Something that is worth noticing is that "the Star of India" is an obscure and classic plot device from Flash #138, in which the Pied Piper stole it and Ralph and the Flash had to recover it. I love that Gail included it in this story. It means that she knows her Elongated Man. I'd love to see revivals of any of the other classic elements like the birthday mysteries, Billy Warner (president of the Elongated Man fan club), the visits to France (Ralph is even more popular there), the Batman and Flash crossovers, Amos Hurd "the Cowboy Millionaire", the Elongated Evildoer, the circus performances, the nods to Doyle, Christie, Poe and everything about the Thin Man and I think this list went on for too long.

So, yeah, with Convergence, Justive League 3000 and Secret Six, 2015 is the year of the Dibnys. I really hope Gail elevates them both to high profile status, like she has done with many characters in the past.