[fate man]

Hey,Guys,
What do you think of both secret society of super-villains hardcover editions from DC Comics?

[narfstar]

I read it originally and found it fun at the time

[paw broon]

Same here but I don't think I'll spend the cash on a H/C edition.

[jimmm kelly]

I think the high price of the HCs was because of their royalty agreements with people like Rozakis and Conway. But it's a bit too high for my blood. If I can ever find them at a low discount or if they put these in cheaper TPBs, I'll get 'em. I bought about half of the series when it originally came out and I liked the concept, but the execution was sometimes weak. Which was par for the course in the late 70s when the quality of DC's product was not up to the same level as it had been earlier in the decade. Still, anything pre-Crisis is that much better just for being set in that continuity.

[Roygbiv666]

That's weird, they are apparently paperbacks in Canada:

http://www.amazon.ca/Secret-Society-Super-Villains-Vol-1/dp/1401231098/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358181387&sr=1-1

I think the high price of the HCs was because of their royalty agreements with people like Rozakis and Conway. But it's a bit too high for my blood. If I can ever find them at a low discount or if they put these in cheaper TPBs, I'll get 'em. I bought about half of the series when it originally came out and I liked the concept, but the execution was sometimes weak. Which was par for the course in the late 70s when the quality of DC's product was not up to the same level as it had been earlier in the decade. Still, anything pre-Crisis is that much better just for being set in that continuity.

[jimmm kelly]

I did not know that. I'll have to put the TPBs on my wishlist.

[fate man]

I did not know that. I'll have to put the TPBs on my wishlist.

Yeah,go for it,dude!

[profh0011]

I've been doing the SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS covers as part of my FOURTH WORLD project.  Here's the 1st page with one of the SSOSV cover on it.

http://professorhswaybackmachine.blogspot.com/2012/11/fourth-world-part-17.html

[jimmm kelly]

I did not know that. I'll have to put the TPBs on my wishlist.

To follow up, I did put the two TPBs on my amazon.ca wishlist and combined them with my order for DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES v. 8. To my surprise, instead of the TPBs, amazon sent the HCs, but charged me at the TPB price. I would've been satisfied with the paperbacks (they're easier to read, because I have no trouble bending them open), but it's great that amazon gave me an upgrade.

Just when I'll have time to read them is another story.

[profh0011]

One of the issues has Lex Luthor running across Funky Flashman, with each jockeying for position of running the SSoSV.  At the end, Luthor gets disgusted and walks out-- into the arms of the police, who were tipped to his whereabouts by Funky!  (What a rat.)

It became obvious to me reading this comic that the Salkinds used it as part of their inspiration when they did the SUPERMAN movie in 1978 (which came out only about  2 years later).  Except-- they got the VILLAIN wrong!  Gene Hackman was NEVER really playing "Lex Luthor" in that movie-- he was playing "Funky Flashman"!!  There's even a scene-- right at the end-- where Funky PULLS OFF HIS TOUPEE! --which wound up IN the movie!!

I always thought that in the 70's, the guy who should have played Luthor was Telly Savalas.  See ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE --or THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU (both made in 1969) to see what I mean.

[narfstar]

Never realized that Henry sounds reasonable

[profh0011]

I read SSoSV way back in the 80's (I think).  Over the last 10 years I kept hearing (at the now-gone Kirby-L yahoo group) that Gene Hackman was really playing Funky Flashman.  But I had completely forgotten Lex Luthor's appearance in SSoSV until last year (I think it was).  The two running into each other was one thing, but when Funky pulled off his wig at the end of the story-- I almost fell out of my chair.  It was such a memorable (and ridiculous) scene in the '78 film, it can't be a coincidence (can it??).

"Hollywood" is always getting their source material mixed up...   



Mind you, I'd also been hearing endlessly at length about MISTER MIRACLE #6 (Funky's debut).  Until I re-read the story a year or so back, I had NEVER noticed who Funky was so (CLOSELY!) based on.  That story is very disturbing in spots.

[jimmm kelly]

Does this mean Hackman based his performance on Stan Lee?

[profh0011]