It's been said that heroes are only as great as the villains they fight. While that statement can be debated, what is true is that many supervillains have become very popular in their own right. The universe of DC Comics has its fair share of iconic villains. Lex Luthor. The Joker. The Cheetah. And since heroes often join up to combat evil, who's to say that villains can't join forces as a form of fighting back?
Gerry Conway conceived the Secret Society as an "evil" Justice League. He drew inspiration from another group of villains in the DCU: The Flash's Rogues Gallery. The "evil Justice League" concept got one big obstacle from the start: DC editorial. Many editors of DC's books at the time were very "possessive" of the villains in their books, which prevented Conway from using many of DC's more famous villains like the aforementioned Luthor and Joker. Conway was forced to delve through back issues in search of more lesser-known bad guys to use in the series.
How did this group of ne'er-do-wells get together, you may ask. Who and why were they brought together? Let's find out in Secret Society of Supervillains #1!
The cover is an Ernie Chan piece. It's pretty awesome, depicting the titular villainous group tossing some robots meant to resemble the Justice League. The dialogue implies this was part of a plan to strike at the real League. A dry run. However, the actual issue is not quite like that. You'll see what I mean.
"Attend--Or Die!"
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Pablo Marcos
Inker: Bob Smith
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Unknown
Editor: Gerry Conway
Executive Editor: Unknown
The story begins in New York City. The City that Never Sleeps has a pair of rather...unusual visitors in the form of two of the Flash's Rogues: Captain Cold and Mirror Master I/Sam Scudder. The two Rogues are doing what they do best: a bit of robbery.
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| Cops in New York City HATE cosplayers. |
The two use their respective weapons to escape New York's Finest. They're grumbling over their ill-gotten gains in a Bowery hotel when they get an invitation...in the form of a rock being thrown through their window with a note attached to it.
We then switch scenes to Gorilla City, located in Africa. Another Flash rogue is making his escape: Gorilla Grodd.
Just call him the Kool-Aid Gorilla! HEY GRODD!
He had been locked up since the events of Super-Team Family #3 (March 1976). But now, the rogue telepath is free! Nothing can stop him now! ...and then he vanishes. The Batman villain known as Copperhead manages to escape his prison cell in Upstate New York thanks to an accomplice. He is also given an invitation. The next day, another figure arrives on Earth, this one from the depths of space: Green Lantern villain Sinestro. He himself was also given an invitation. Using his ring to disguise himself as an Earthman, he makes his way to San Francisco, where he finds his destination.
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| It also has wi-fi. |
Once inside, Sinestro is greeted by a French woman named Camille. She guides him to an elevator. It will take him to the lounge, where the "others" are waiting for him. After he goes in, Camille presses a jewel hanging around her neck, revealing she is another Green Lantern villain: Star Sapphire. Sinestro arrives at the lounge, where he sees more villains.
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| "I take it you're also here for the convention?" |
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| "Alright, Justice League! Wedgie them all!" |
The group of villains engage the League, but Captain Cold notices something is up. He points out that heroes love talking and serving up banter while fighting villains like himself, but these ones seem very quiet. Mirror Master also notices something weird is going on thanks to the Flash seemingly trying to just punch him instead of using some super-speed trick. Grodd smashes Superman and discovers that he is a robot. In fact, the League are all robots.
Cold is naturally left confused by this, but their host reveals himself.
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| "My other costume is in the wash." |
This is Paul Kirk, aka the original Manhunter. Well, a clone of his, anyways. The original Paul Kirk died in Adventure Comics #443 (November 1974) taking down a group called the Council. However, the Council did create several clones of Kirk. One of them went on to join the group called the Power Company as Kirk DePaul.
Kirk has brought these criminals together because he believes they have a bond: greed. For money, for power, that kind of thing. Cold thinks there's a catch to this group. After all, there's always a catch. Cold's suspicion turns out to be correct, as there is one.
The group has an unrevealed financier, and each of the villains are going to have to prove they're worth funding. The first two will be Grodd and Copperhead.
The two fly out to a lighthouse in San Francisco Bay. It turns out that the lighthouse is hiding a secret government lab. Grodd distracts the guards while Copperhead infiltrates the hidden base. The snake-like supervillain and finds his target: A sphere of solid plutonium.
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| "I'd better be careful. The radiation could make me into a Hulk or something." |
Copperhead easily gets the sphere and heads for the boat. However, one of the downed guards is able to shoot him in the shoulder. This causes the villain to drop the sphere into the ocean. Now it's radioactive! That can't be good!
Grodd leaves the injured Copperhead behind in the ocean.
So much for honor among thieves. When he returns, the rogue gorilla reports that Copperhead betrayed him. Manhunter's not worried about it, as Copperhead's silence can be secured. Captain Cold asks what's next, the unveiling of their benefactor? The story ends with the Manhunter responding only with silence. A silence that promises that all will be revealed.
I have to admit, a team of supervillains is an interesting idea. I think it has a lot of potential. Not just with giving spotlight to lesser-known supervillains, but also to give more character development and perhaps deepen the motivations of the cast a bit more. I do find it interesting that most of the cast are from Flash and Green Lantern's rogues galleries. But that does make sense in the case of Grodd, Cold, and Mirror Master, as the Flash's Rogues Gallery inspired this very concept. I do wish we could have gotten some other heroes' villains, though. I would have loved to have seen Angle Man join this group, for example.
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback The Secret Society of Supervillains Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!
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