Countdown to Infinite Crisis - Villains United

近來我還是繼續努力地追看Infinite Crisis的「前傳」，現在只餘下1.5本罷了！

現在先華麗地從wiki把本作的劇情搬過來吧：

For months now, former President Lex Luthor has been using his resources to assemble an army against the superheroes. Luthor's team now has over two hundred members with a six-member core team consisting of Luthor, Talia al Ghul, Doctor Psycho, Deathstroke, Black Adam, and the Calculator.

But not all the villains offered a chance to join this army are thrilled with the idea. Batman villain Catman has joined a team of five supported by the mysterious Mockingbird including Cheshire, Deadshot, Scandal, Ragdoll, and Parademon to oppose this new Secret Society. Catman replaced the first Fiddler, after he was killed by Deadshot on Mockingbird's orders when Mockingbird felt he had not fulfilled his part in a mission.

Late one night in the mansion of the Secret Six, Catman and Deadshot have a discussion about their unknown leader, Mockingbird and the dramatic change in Catman's life, while Cheshire secretly listens in the shadows. After a short while Scandal informs everyone that Mockingbird has just assigned them to steal Thanagarian weaponry from a tanker in Gotham harbor.

Upon their arrival to the tanker, they are ambushed by members of the Society. After their capture, the Crime Doctor tortures the Secret Six, asking them the identity of Mockingbird among other questions. After a few rounds of torture, Catman breaks free and rescues his villainous teammates. While escaping they decide to send the Society a message. They murder one of the two Hyena.

After their escape the Six infiltrate a Society installation in Brazil. After fighting their way through a legion of H.I.V.E. troopers, apparently led by the Queen Bee, they discover the Society's plans for the 'Vindication Scenario' - erasing the memories of all of Earth's superheroes. The facility is a giant battery, powered by a duo of kidnap victims, Firestorm and Gehenna. They release Firestorm just as Black Adam arrives with a response team and the facility is destroyed.

Once the Six return to their base Cheshire and Catman are in bed together when Cheshire accuses Catman of being a spy and wanting to be a hero. However, she reveals that she has slept with him in order to conceive a child.

A short time later, most of the Society's founding council votes to mount a final strike on the Secret Six — Lex Luthor disagrees with a preemptive attack, but the remaining four members (Black Adam is notably absent) decide the action is necessary. Simultaneously, the Six agree to a last stand, but only under the condition that any survivors be set free from Mockingbird's control with no strings attached.

Prior to the battle between the Society and the Six, Deadshot visits Scandal's room to talk about the team's future. A framed picture on her desk reveals that her father is the immortal Vandal Savage.

Before the conversation can progress past basic greetings, Catman ambushes Deadshot and revealing that he knows that the latter had masqueraded as the villainous Deathstroke and murdered the lions in his pride. The two scuffle before discovering that the real Deathstroke has lead a small band of villains to the front door of the House of Secrets.

As they debate how the Society found them, Cheshire confesses to several traitorous deeds, including having given Luthor the coordinates of the Six's base and covertly joining the Society. When asked why she would do such a thing, given Mockingbird's threat to kill her daughter if she didn't comply, Cheshire points out that the baby she's just conceived with Catman will make a fine replacement for the lost child.

The Society storms through the castle, and Cheshire is shot by Deathstroke, who comments that "The Society doesn't need traitors." The Secret Six, however, fight back successfully. Talia and Scandal, daughters of immortals fight, and just when Talia has the upper hand, Scandal's mole in the Society, Knockout, knocks her out (it is also revealed that Knockout is Scandal's lover). Ragdoll convinces Solomon Grundy, a fellow "ugly monster," to switch sides. Ragdoll fights his father until Parademon beats the elder Ragdoll. Catman and Ragdoll Jr. escape from Black Adam's group while Parademon blows himself and his surroundings up. Deathstroke and Deadshot duel, ultimately shooting each other at the same time. To save his daughter Scandal, Vandal Savage infiltrates the Society's headquarters and threatens to kill Luthor if he does not disengage the attack against the Six. Reluctantly, and over Black Adam's objections, Luthor ends the battle. Deadshot is led to medical help by the surviving members of the Secret Six.

The central revelation of the book is that Mockingbird is actually Lex Luthor and that the Luthor who organized the Secret Society is an "imposter" (later revealed to be the Alexander Luthor of Earth Three). Mockingbird/Luthor reveals that he chose those six individuals because each had different knowledge and experience that could be used to oppose the Society: Catman, for his knowledge of Batman's villains; Deadshot, for his knowledge on the remaining Suicide Squad members; Parademon, for his experience living on Apokolips; Ragdoll, because he grew up as a "nephew" to the members of the Injustice Society; Scandal, because she grew up with Vandal Savage and his associates; and Cheshire, for her knowledge of the villains of the Teen Titans. Mockingbird/Luthor reveals to Scandal that he never placed the families of the Six in danger and disbands the team. Also notable is the Impostor Luthor's apparent murder of Pariah, a key player in the original Crisis.

對不起，我真的沒有精力去中譯上面的劇情簡介了，不過這些都是簡單英文，大概多年後重看我也不會看得一頭霧水吧。

本作是較為冷門的一部，當中二線角色的人數和戲份堪比另一部冷門作品Rann-Thanagar War。

要說本作冷門，不得不提領軍的六名「正派人物」 Secrect Six——Catman, Deadshot, Scandal, Ragdoll, Parademon, Cheshire。我承認自己孤陋寡聞，六個人物只知道三個，而且還談不上認識他們。所以，可能冷面只是我的觀感，也許在他人眼中，他們都是響鐺鐺的大人物也說不定。

本作只有短短六回，講述由Lex Luthor為首的The Society密謀一系列的計劃，讓這些壞人能夠從英雄們手中取回主導權。而S6在神秘人物Mockingbird的策劃下，與The Society進行數次激戰。

在故事的過程中，Mockingbird的身份正式公開了，原來他才是這個世界的Lex Luthor，在The Society中興風作浪的，卻是Pre-Crisis Earth-3的Alexander Luthor。這下可有趣了，在我有限的認知中，Alex是在Crisis on Infinite Earths中至關重要的正派人物，不料到在本作中，卻成為了壞人的首領，我實在很期待在觀看Infinite Crisis中，他自白自己的真正計劃和下一步行動。

在故事的尾聲，Alex殺死了多年前的戰友Pariah，以免他泄露自己的真正計劃。看到這裡我也一愣，想不到Alex真能如此輕易就幹掉了老朋友，也許他視計劃更重於一切吧。而Pariah的粉墨登場，大概也是又一個與The First Crisis呼聲的梗吧，看過Crisis的人一定會記得Pariah這名重要人物，看到他如斯下場也確實有點唏噓。

The Society的另一個計劃是，利用超大型的機器，向地球上的所有英雄進行洗腦。果然Identity Crisis是一部極為重要的作品，當中「洗腦」的爭議不停延伸，連本作也有提及。不過這部洗腦機器在本作也不是重點，它的「電池」之一Firestorm被S6釋放，使得這部機器無用武之地。也罷，不停的洗腦洗腦洗腦，再喜歡也是會覺得膩的。

S6的定位與Suicide Squad有點相似。兩者的主要成員大多都是非自願加入的，而且家人都在幕後黑手的手上，使他們不敢反抗，只能一直執行首領的計劃。不過S6的領袖Mockingbird AKA Lex Luthor在最後也挑明了，他只是恫嚇，威脅成員們的家人也不過是口裡說說。不過這禿子也真的大膽，竟然打算起用這6人來對付人數多不勝數的The Society，雖然說這6人都是各懷本領，但若The Society真的動真格，我可不會把籌碼押在S6身上了。

看完本作後，我對S6的成員仍是沒有甚麼太大感覺。6人的形象其實頗為鮮明，Catman是個智勇雙全的人物，其中一幕他穿著黑色潛行制服的造型與Batman有90%相似，可謂亦正亦邪；Deadshot是個能與Deathstroke匹敵的大煙鏟；Scandal是大魔頭Vandal Savage的女兒，沉著冷靜，是個女同性戀者；Cheshire的個隱險的女人，為了活命能出賣同伴；Parademon是個被Granny虐待而逃到地球的傻大個，不知怎的與Ragdoll非常友好；Radoll則是個醜陋的壞蛋之子，個性較為溫和。眾人在故事中的互動頗多，但我就是沒有興趣追看他們的故事。大概看過了本作之後，我也不會去翻S6的書吧。

總括而言，本作是貼題的Villains United，書中沒多少正派人物，就是兩大幫反派人物在對陣。故事中不乏大規模的「曬冷」場面，讓我多認識了數名二線的壞人。雖然主線劇情由S6所帶領，但感覺上雙方的領袖，兩名Lex Luthor才是靈魂人物，他們的鬥智是主菜，手下的人物的交戰只是伴碟。我認為本作不過不失，但若想要完整Infinite Crisis的背景故事，本作還是值得一讀的。

75分。