Like a lot of posts lately this one was rather unplanned but after finding so much material - while looking for something completely different of course - I decided to put the best parts into a post as long as I can. So Today's topic is a series I always wanted to check out bur never came around to do it : the mythic SUPER - VILLAIN TEAM - UP comicbook.
Now the idea of super villains teaming up is nothing new, in fact it makes a lot of sense. Since they are the bad guys they do not have the same notions of fair play as the heroes so stacking the deck in their favour by ganging up on the good guy seems like only logical. Of course the good guys also know that there is strength in numbers and so they form their own assemblages of avenging agitators which is where we get the super hero teams and the super villain teams from. And the resulting battles.
One thing that always bothered me in these confrontations is that the writers picked one villain to go up against one hero - most often than not from said hero's rogues gallery. When it would have made more sense that the bad guys would cheat and fight two or three against one hero.
And this is why UNDER SIEGE by RogerStern , JohnBuscema and TomPalmer is such a brilliant story : Baron Zemo does not follow the old one super villain versus one super hero formula and just throws as many super villains as he can against the Avengers almost destroying earth's mightiest heroes forever. Even if the heroes emerge victorious from the battle they will wear the scars - physiological and psychological - for a long time. One of these days I have to get around to make a post on it.
While that is one of the most successful super villain team ups in general they don't work because unlike the heroes the villains are only in it for themselves so it's only a matter of time before they betray each other.
The only super villain team up in comicbooks that has worked over a longer period of time is the Flash's Rogues who formed out of necessity - if you go up against the fastest man alive you need every help you can get - and developed a kind of camaraderie and have set up their own rules of super villain conduct each member of this club has to follow.
Anyway, coming back to Marvel Comics SUPER - VILLAIN TEAM - UP series I can't tell you a lot about it since the only issue I read was issue 9 since that was included in the AVENGERS - THE PRIVATE WAR OF DOCTOR DOOM hardcover that was part of my old comicbook collection. Oh, and we get a cameo appearance by atlantean Busenwunder Namorita in her metal bikini outfit. Man, how I miss the good old days. Anyway, we have various writers and artists working on this one but it's not like we got only c - list talent as we even get one issue pencilled by Wally Wood. One last thing : for those collectors interested in the ominous " key "issues number five might be of special interest as it is the first appearance of The Shroud.
double cross
to be continued