Friday, September 7, 2012

The Vile Menagerie versus the Legions of Doom



The Injustice Society of the World was among, if not "the," first super-villain teams made up of foes of the individual members of its opposing super-hero group. The Monster Society of Evil was one of, if not "the," first super-villain teams made up of foes of an individual hero working together for that champion's downfall. The Justice League of America is perhaps the world's greatest super-hero team, and its first attempt at an Injustice Society type group came in their fifth issue. The unnamed gang consisted of The Getaway Mastermind (Martian Manhunter,) Captain Cold (the Flash,) Professor Menace (Wonder Woman,) Clock King (Green Arrow,) Electric Man (Aquaman,) The Puppeteer (Green Lantern,) and the newly created Doctor Destiny. Most had only appeared once before, and many would not be seen again. Later, Earth-3's Crime Syndicate of America had no Martian Manhunter analogue. A more accomplished one-off collective of Earth-1 villains appeared in 1968, with Dr. Light (a commonly used bad guy amongst the League) standing in as a quasi-parallel to the Alien Atlas. Once J'Onn J'Onzz left the Earth in the late '60s, no such half-measures were necessary. The Injustice Gang debuted in 1974 without a Manhunter adversary, the Secret Society of Super Villains followed suit in 1976, as did TV's animated Legion of Doom on Challenge of the Super Friends beginning in 1978. This was excusable in the Bronze Age, since the Sleuth from Outer Space himself rarely appeared anywhere. However, following the Manhunter's splashy return in 1984, the Martian and his rogues gallery continued to be snubbed. Not a single one appeared in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, and The DC Comics Encyclopedia relegated them to blurbs within the Martian Manhunter's entry. Unless you count the unwilling participation of Jemm in an Injustice Gang scheme, the Vile Menagerie was denied entry into any noteworthy villainous organization for decades. Finally this year, Ma'alefa'ak broke the blacklist by working with Vandal Savage's Legion of Doom in the direct-to-DVD feature Justice League: Doom.

In 2013, the Manhunter from Mars will join a new Justice League of America for the first time in fighting the New 52 debut of the Secret Society of Super Villains. The Vile Menagerie of Martian Manhunter Rogues demands representation, not to mention its pound of flesh from all the scrubs that somehow have been rated by DC while they languished in obscurity. Commander Blanx requires sacrifice, Ma'alefa'ak lusts for anguish and Professor Arnold Hugo will not be ignored! Mister V invites readers to cast their votes, as Despero oversees the beginning of a glorious contest, pitting the Alien Atlas enemies against the greater DC Universe of villainy...

5 comments:

will_in_chicago said...

I would hope that we see more of Ma'alefa'ak and some of J'Onn's other villains. Let's say that I was pleased this week to see the news about the Superman annual showing that some of J'Onn's back story is still around.

Omega Agent1 said...

Agreed, Ma'alefa'ak is a new favorite of mine. And Despero is a staple. Hope J'Onn's league is good.

will_in_chicago said...

I think that J'Onn's team could use more powerful members. Still, I hope that the comic is good and the characters be enjoyable.

Diabolu Frank said...

I'm confident that we'll see Ma'alefa'ak soon. Commander Blanx is even a slim possibility, given this blue flame business.

By the way Omega Agent1, I've got two Despero commissions and as many Malefics on the way...

Omega Agent1 said...

That's absolutely what's up. I havn't gotten any commissions for myself, but I really do want a couple. Hope to see your new editions here soon.