posted
There's supposed to be an SSoSV Showcase edition coming out, date unknown. These issues seem to be really hard to find - turned up nothing on eBay nor at some of the on-line retailers I checked. A trade would be very nice indeed.
Secret Society of Super-Villains ended the way most comics of that period ended—that is, it just stopped. More, it stopped in mid-story. The book fell victim to the infamous DC Implosion of 1978, which saw massive cancellations as the company cut back on its output. Most of the comics cancelled during that period had only been launched within the previous couple of years (Steel, Karate Kid, Black Lightning, Firestorm), while others had been revived from previous runs within the last two years (Teen Titans, All-Star Comics), so it seems that DC had launched a rapid expansion during the mid-‘70s that didn’t pan out. Also, many of these cancelled series featured “second-string” characters or even new creations (such as Steel and Firestorm) that didn’t really have a chance to catch on with the public. Their acceptance was further hampered by substandard art on most of these titles. It would be a couple of years yet before George Perez and other artists would defect from Marvel to help revitalize DC (as did a number of writers and editors, such as Marv Wolfman and Len Wein, who, along with Perez, helped kick-start DC’s revival in 1980 with New Teen Titans). But at the time, there was the sense that series like SSOSV were lesser titles from a company that no longer seemed to care about developing new properties. Established characters such as Superman, Batman, the Flash, and the JLA were doing just fine, but innovative approaches to super-heroes were given a cursory nod and then abandoned when they failed to “catch on.” Perhaps this also explains why the original Darkseid storyline of SSOSV was so quickly resolved.
This is not to suggest that such titles were totally bereft of talent. In fact, it was more often the writing that sustained them, especially SSOSV. As I noted earlier, Conway (or whoever may have succeeded him as writer) developed the latter part of series into an unpredictable round-robin of super-villains, sometimes relying on votes cast by readers. Conway turned an obscure hero from the 1950s into the central focus of the book and developed that hero, Captain Comet, into a character the reader cared about: Cap, in his naivete, first found himself allied with criminals, then he stayed with those criminals by choice in order to confront a greater threat. When that threat was over, he spent his time rounding up his former teammates, often assisted by other, established heroes of the day. In the midst of all that, he even found time for romance with a woman who, despite her own evil secret, may have had real feelings for him.
Conway kept the reader guessing what was going to happen next: Nothing was certain in SSOSV—how could it be in a book populated with villains? It is for all of these reasons that I so fondly remember SSOSV after all these years, despite its 15-issue run.
What I remember less, unfortunately, are the details of how some of the later storylines progressed. I remember the Wizard allying himself with Funky Flashman, for example, only to be jilted by Flashman when the latter found a new and more powerful ally, Lex Luthor (a write-in vote from the readers). But Lex was such a megalomaniac that the association didn’t work out. As Lex left the new Sinister Citadel (which had replaced the original building headquarters), Flashman decided to get even with him by calling the police! There’s Lex, one of the greatest super-villains of the DC Universe, walking out of a building in disguise only to be apprehended like a common thug. It was this sort of ironic turnabout that characterized SSOSV.
Somewhere in all this, Gorilla Grodd returned to lead up his own team under the SSOSV name. Grodd had been absent since his collapse on a Manhattan street following his battle with Kaliban back in issue 3 or 4. But now he had grandiose plans of his own (whatever they were) and recruited the likes of Angle Man, Bizarro No. 1, and Poison Ivy. Grodd’s storyline took up the entirety of SSOSV Special # 1, but his plans, too, ended in defeat and with him being incarcerated back in Gorilla City.
Then it was time for the Wizard to return—but this was a new, improved Wizard. Gone was the magician’s attire with top hat, which he had worn probably since the Golden Age. This Wizard sported an orange costume with a green hoody and looked more like a vagabond than a magician. He returned to exact his revenge on Flashman (by transporting the con man penniless to a slum!), then availed himself of Flashman’s resources to assemble yet another SSOSV: Star Sapphire, the Floronic Man (formerly Jason Woodrue, an Atom and JLA villain), Blockbuster (Batman’s mindless bruiser foe), Professor Zoom--the Reverse Flash, and possibly others.
At last, the Wizard revealed his reasons for coming to Earth-1 in the first place. Remember that all of this took place in DC’s original multi-verse, in which the Justice League of America were said to reside on Earth-1 and the Justice Society of America on Earth-2. On Earth-2, the Wizard was a member of the Injustice Society, recurring enemies of the JSA. Tired of his original team’s endless defeat at the hands of the JSA, the Wizard came to Earth-1 in search of new allies to help him destroy the JSA once and for all. Having at last found the team he sought, he returned to Earth-2 to take on and defeat the likes of Dr. Mid-Nite and the Golden Age Atom.
And that’s where SSOSV ends.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Well, it wouldn’t be the DC Universe if plotlines were left unresolved and characters disappeared for good. The storyline was subsequently picked up in Justice League of America. Disappointingly, it didn’t pick up where it left off, so we never got to read the SSOSV’s battle with the JSA. Instead, a paragraph on the JLA letter’s page merely summarized how the JSA defeated the villains. In the JLA story, the Wizard teleports the the SSOSV (same lineup) into the JLA’s satellite headquarters, where, in a bizarre turnaround, the villains switch bodies with the heroes. The JLA then spends the next issue finding a way to reverse the switch. (It is here, incidentally, where we discover that Hi-Jack has mysteriously returned safe and sound. Remember Hi-Jack? He was banished to another dimension by the Wizard back in SSOSV # 4. Inexplicably, he shows up in prison where the JLA-in-villain’s-bodies tricks him into revealing some key piece of information. Hey, who needs a summary to explain things?)
Needless to say, the Wizard and his gang were defeated and returned to their rightful bodies. According to the Wikipedia entry on SSOSV, the villains learned the heroes’ secret identities while they were occupying their bodies. I don’t remember this aspect of the story or how it was resolved. It could be that Green Lantern used his power ring to cause them to forget. It could be that the villains carry those secrets with them to this day. (And wouldn’t that make a good premise for a sequel?)
And this, for all practical purposes, is where the original SSOSV comes to an end, at least so far as a continuous thread that began with the team in SSOSV # 1. When the SSOSV appeared again--in a subsequent JLA storyline about 20 issues later (in the 190s)--it featured a largely unrelated team led by another JSA foe, the Ultra-Humanite. As I recall, only the Floronic Man returned from any previous lineup.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: Needless to say, the Wizard and his gang were defeated and returned to their rightful bodies. According to the Wikipedia entry on SSOSV, the villains learned the heroes’ secret identities while they were occupying their bodies. I don’t remember this aspect of the story or how it was resolved. It could be that Green Lantern used his power ring to cause them to forget. It could be that the villains carry those secrets with them to this day. (And wouldn’t that make a good premise for a sequel?)
I think this was another retcon, HWW, that was picked up on recently in a JLA storyline that followed Identity Crisis. Many of these same villains you mentioned returned suddenly remembering the knowledge they'd learned while in those characters' bodies. It was explained that Zatanna had lobotomized their memories (as it was explained she had done to Doctor Light and even Batman during ID Crisis) and were out for vengeance.
It was a so-so story and an obvious attempt to build the ID Crisis retcon. Sorry, I can't exactly remember the resolution, though. It was one of the last stories in the previous JLA series before the recent relanch, and I think it was called "Crisis of Conscience", I believe.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Thanks for the info, Lardy. It's good to know that the story line as picked up on, if only 25 or so years late.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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So, when all is said and done, what is the legacy of SSOSV, if any? I think its principle legacy was in legitimizing the idea that a team of villains could carry a book. This idea was exploited much more successfully a decade later with Suicide Squad. Of course, that team was not composed of villains on the loose who joined of their free will. The Suicide Squad consisted of prisoners who undertook dangerous missions for the U.S. government in exchange for reduced sentences, a la the Dirty Dozen. Still, some of SSOSV’s themes carried over, such as a team whose members could not be trusted, a constant sense of unpredictability, and an ever-rotating cast. (Ironically, the most consistent member of the Suicide Squad was Captain Boomerang, who put in only minor appearances as an original member of the SSOSV.)
Another theme popularized by SSOSV was the idea that the book’s central figure—the leader of the team—could be unexpectedly killed off. This is an important legacy: It’s always been an unwritten rule of popular culture that the leader of a team is considered to be the main protagonist, and you don’t kill off your main protagonist. But Manhunter’s demise would be repeated in books as far-ranging as Alpha Flight (Vindicator), Suicide Squad (Rick Flagg), and Blood Syndicate (Tech-9). In some cases, the death of the leader results in a relatively minor character coming to the fore as the new leader, which can thrust the book into a different and more interesting direction. Suicide Squad, for example, truly prospered when Amanda Waller became the new focus of the book.
A third legacy, of course, was the revival of Captain Comet. Cap would never quite take his place among the pantheon of DC heroes, but he’s still a player in the field. Ironically, the next book he “starred” in also put him on a team that included amoral and untrustworthy characters: L.E.G.I.O.N. It seems that Cap just can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys.
On a personal level, SSOSV was significant for me in several ways. I can’t remember if it was the first time I encountered Gorilla Grodd in a story, but he quickly became one of my favorite SSOSV members. This is significant because I was not (and still am not) a fan of comic book gorillas. I don’t understand the fascination some fans hold for talking, super-powered apes. To me, they just look, well, silly.
Yet Grodd’s betrayal of Copperhead in issue # 1 is anything but silly. It shows Grodd to be trecherous but also competent. Recognizing that it’s time to flee, he flees (even though it means leaving a teammate behind). He lies to the rest of the team in order (I assume) to protect his own standing. And, in issue # 4, he tricks a much stronger enemy into thinking he’s surrendering and then attacks and defeats that enemy.
While Grodd’s actions are deplorable, they are, at least on some level, understandable. Heroes would not behave this way (or at least the DC heroes of that time wouldn’t), but Grodd is not a hero. He’s a practical warrior who does what needs to be done. He wins because, to him, winning is everything. I do not agree with this philosophy, but I admire a character (and a writer, Conway) who can bring such ambiguities to the fore. Grodd invites the reader to ask: What would I do in this situation—would I, in fact, do what Grodd did, or would I take the high road (and possibly lose)?
(It’s worth noting that, given the moral climate of comic books at the time, Grodd’s victory is temporary. He passes out immediately after defeating Kaliban. Even so, he apparently gets away as he is not seen again until the SSOSV Special—and then he is captured.)
SSOSV also deals with another significant ambiguity: It was a team composed of outsiders. Unlike a later super-team of that name (the Outsiders), the SSOSV were truly outcasts: criminals shunned by society not because of some accident beyond their control (e.g., Metamorpho), but because they chose to use their incredible powers and skills to prey on others. Yet even criminals seek to belong, to fraternize with others of their kind, and to have a place to call home. By bringing these themes to light, SSOSV followed the popular 1970s trend of romanticizing criminals by treating them as sympathetic characters (e.g., the film Dog Day Afternoon).
But SSOSV does not really have a chance to romanticize its villains, as there are very few scenes of them developing camaraderie. As I noted previously, Captain Boomerang tries to start a conversation with the Wizard and is told to mind his own business. Sinestro and the Wizard become secret allies due to their common status as aliens on Earth-1—but their alliance proves temporary. Even the two “heroes” of the book, Captain Comet and Manhunter, are prevented from developing friendship by the interruption of Mantis, the conflict with Darkseid, and Manhunter’s sudden demise. If anything, SSOSV shows how criminals are doomed to remain outsiders: their attempt at bonding has failed.
(A point of personal privilege: Another reason why SSOSV is significant for me is that it provided me with one of my first publishing credits: I wrote a “hero history” of the team for an issue of Amazing Heroes, a comics news magazine, in 1985.)
When all is said and done, the Secret Society of Super-Villains was an innovative approach to the idea of villains starring in their own comic book. It was certainly not the first comic book to “star” villains–both Joker and Cobra preceded it—and later books such as Suicide Squad would take the concept and run with it. But SSOSV was probably the first book to show a team of villains as villains, without glossing over their selfish, manipulative, and criminal behavior, and without turning them into noble “heroes” who recognize the error of their ways and repent. SSOSV showcased the ambiguities of its villains but did not romanticize them. That it provided a vehicle for reviving forgotten characters such as Captain Comet and Angle Man was the icing on the cake. For all of these reasons, SSOSV deserves to be remembered.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
iirc, it is Bob Rozakis who handles the later SSoSV issues. I remember being floored that he who handled the bulk of the groovy 70s Teen Titans issues that I so loved also had a hand in the SSoSV as well as the Freedom Fighters, other 70s DC titles I loved.
posted
You could be right, Lash. Rozakis seemed to be writing everything at DC in those days.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I dug through my box of keepers last night, and found my old (OOooooold!) SSoSV issues... flipped through them, and Rozakis is the writer on the middle issues... Conway is the writer on the last issues. BTW, I couldn't find # 2 _or_ #15, and I *KNOW* I had those issues. I was also missing the ALL-Captains issue, which I don't think I ever had. Still had the SPECIAL and the Super-Family team-up issue or whatev that was.
I demand a TPB, complete with the next issue (the unpublished # 16) from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE.
posted
Thanks for doing the research, Lash. Let me know if there's anything else I've misremembered.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: I demand a TPB, complete with the next issue (the unpublished # 16) from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE.
It appears as though Lash's demands are being met!
posted
I WILL SO BE BUYING THIS. Unfortunately, there's no way it can collect the complete series in 1 hardback. Or can it??
It lasted 15 issues but comics were shorter back then, like 17 pages IIRC. Of course, there's also the annual-sized SSOSV Special (whose cover is pictured in EDE's link) and the Super-team Family appearances.
Oh LORDY let it include all of those!!! # 16 (the never-published issue) would just be icing on this sweet sweet cake.
posted
The SSoSV Special doesn't happen until the latter part of the run but I suppose they could fit it in anytime after Grodd's fight with Kalibak that happens around issue 4-5 without messing up any continuity. Hmmm.
This just fires me up to buy it even more to help ensure a 2nd volume.
Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
For the record, here's a breakdown of possible contents (based on the previously solicited contents of the never-released Showcase Presents version of SSoSV), via someone at the DCMBs:
That's 514 pages total. Which, if the 208 pages on Amazon is accurate, suggests that it would be about 2 volumes.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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