Secret Six by Gail Simone Omnibus Vol. 1-2

Secret Six by Gail Simone Omnibus Vol. 1 collects one of DC's most beloved cult runs, a book about villains that has more heart than most hero comics. Born from Villains United, the Six are a rotating band of C- and D-list rogues who take the jobs no one else will and, against the odds, become a family: Catman, Deadshot, Ragdoll, Scandal Savage, Bane and more. Gail Simone balances brutal action, dark comedy and real emotional stakes, and the run is famous for turning Catman from a punchline into a genuine badass. Art by Dale Eaglesham, Nicola Scott and Jim Calafiore.

Six villains who cannot work with anybody else keep taking jobs together, and Gail Simone spends the second half of the run making you care about every one of them before the bill arrives. The finale is one of the bleakest endings DC has published and it is fully earned.

Gail Simone's Birds of Prey is the run that made Oracle, Black Canary and Huntress one of DC's most durable teams, built on competence rather than superpowers. Simone writes Barbara Gordon as the most dangerous person in any room she is in, which is the correct read and one very few writers managed. The Lady Shiva arc is the run's peak, a fight Black Canary cannot win and has to survive anyway, and the humour never undercuts the threat.

Secret Six by Gail Simone Omnibus Vol. 1 collects one of DC's most beloved cult runs, a book about villains that has more heart than most hero comics. Born from Villains United, the Six are a rotating band of C- and D-list rogues who take the jobs no one else will and, against the odds, become a family: Catman, Deadshot, Ragdoll, Scandal Savage, Bane and more. Gail Simone balances brutal action, dark comedy and real emotional stakes, and the run is famous for turning Catman from a punchline into a genuine badass. Art by Dale Eaglesham, Nicola Scott and Jim Calafiore.

Six villains who cannot work with anybody else keep taking jobs together, and Gail Simone spends the second half of the run making you care about every one of them before the bill arrives. The finale is one of the bleakest endings DC has published and it is fully earned.

Birds of Prey by Gail Simone, collected as a pack of 2 oversized omnibus volumes and cheaper than buying them one by one. Gail Simone's Birds of Prey is the run that made Oracle, Black Canary and Huntress one of DC's most durable teams, built on competence rather than superpowers. Simone writes Barbara Gordon as the most dangerous person in any room she is in, which is the correct read and one very few writers managed. The Lady Shiva arc is the run's peak, a fight Black Canary cannot win and has to survive anyway, and the humour never undercuts the threat. The second Birds of Prey omnibus continues Gail Simone's run, with the team taking on covert work and the personal costs that come with it. The Spy Smasher arc is where Oracle nearly loses control of the team to a government handler, and it is the run's clearest statement of what Barbara Gordon is: someone whose real power is information and who will not surrender it. Simone also gives Huntress the best character work of her career here.

The second Birds of Prey omnibus continues Gail Simone's run, with the team taking on covert work and the personal costs that come with it. The Spy Smasher arc is where Oracle nearly loses control of the team to a government handler, and it is the run's clearest statement of what Barbara Gordon is: someone whose real power is information and who will not surrender it. Simone also gives Huntress the best character work of her career here.

Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Omnibus collects the complete run that rebuilt the team for a new generation: Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash and Wonder Girl joined by Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy as reluctant mentors. Johns writes teenagers who are genuinely afraid of becoming their predecessors, and the run contains 'The Future Is Now', still one of the best-loved Titans stories.

Wonder Woman by Gail Simone Omnibus collects the longest run any woman has written on the character, and the one most often named when readers argue about the best modern Wonder Woman. Simone writes Diana as a warrior who genuinely enjoys the fight, surrounds her with a real supporting cast, and never treats compassion and violence as opposites. Includes the landmark issue #600.

Barbara Gordon can walk again and has to prove to Batman and to Gotham that she is still Batgirl. Gail Simone writes the entire New 52 run as a story about recovery that never pretends the wheelchair years did not happen, and gives Barbara the best villain of her career in the Knightfall arc.