StoryStory"Death Times Five"
Editor:Jack Harris
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Arvell M. Jones and Bob McLeod
Cover Art: Buckler and Abel(signed)
Funky Flashman
Star Sapphire - No speaking role, silenced and hypnotized by
Grodd. Appears next in Super-Team Family #14
Gorilla Grodd - Appears next in Super-Team Family #14
Bizarro - Appears next Superman #333
Poison Ivy - Appears next in Batman Family #17
Sinestro - Appears next in Brave and the Bold #174
Angle Man - Origin of new powers revealed in lettercol of this
issue (see below). Appears next in Wonder Woman #243.
Captain Comet - Appears next in Secret Society of Super-Villains
#11
Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Flash
Green Lantern - All appear as the Justice League of America between JusticeLeague of America#148 and 149
Other Characters
Iris Allen - Wife of Barry (Flash) AllenThis issue is part of DC Special Series and is listed in the indica as Volume 1, Number 6.
This is a special-sized issue with a total of 34 dedicated pages.
The Angle Man, a longtime foe of Wonder Woman is updated in this Special. The origin of his update in revealed in the lettercol titled "The Million and First Angle". Briefly, the origin reflects back to the origins of the Secret Society when it assembled as an elite strike force for Darkseid. Needing agents familiar with Earth heroes, Darkseid selected the con artist known as the Angle Man. However, since most of the Angle Man's crimes involved schemes and plans, he was no match for the physical power of the Amazon princess. To address this deficiency, Darkseid had his minions create The Angler, a triangular device that could warp time and space. Thus equipped and outfitted, the improved Angle Man was sent forth to join the Secret Society for it's initial convocation. However, the wily criminal had no intention of fulfilling his agreement with the Master of Apokolips and with the Angler in hand, he warped forward in time to a point in which the Secret Society were outside Darkseid's control. Hence, he appears in the story in this issue.
An important bit of explanation is provided in this issue about super-villain motives. A commonly asked question is why villains simply don't kill heroes. In this issue, Grodd pointedly makes sure the heroes remain alive until they all are captured. His rationale is that if the Secret Society kills the first arch-foe they encounter, the villain who most wanted that hero dead will have no reason to assist the others. Ergo, none die til they all die, which is, of course a much taller order.
A peculiarity of this issue is that it opens with Chapter One but there are no additional chapters.
The defeat of each hero and the ultimate defeat of the Secret Society is displayed as a full page splash.
Grodd causes the final defeat of this chapter of the Secret Society in this tale to preserve his plans for Captain Comet. Those plans have never been revealed.
The issue opens with the closing scene of Secret Society of Super-Villains #10. Grodd has just arrived with a new contingent of villains for his mission of the Secret Society. He announces to the surprised Flashman the groups intention to attack en masse individual members of the Justice League and once all were captured, kill them. Flashman, a simple thief and con man with no taste for murder, is aghast. Grodd assures the other new members that Flashman is important to his long-term plans and represents no threat. With Flashman satisfactorily cowed, the villains depart.
The Gorilla Master has underestimated Flashman's resovle however and when the coast is clear, departs in a personal flier. Moment later, Flashman arrives at a nearby quarry where he and the Secret Society had left the badly beaten Captain Comet. As the Captain struggles to use his powers to heal himself, Flashman rouses him with his sudden arrival. The furious hero throttles the con man but Flashman implores Captain to hear him out. After Flashman has spilled the beans, Comet makes a hasty departure to Gotham City.
Meanwhile in Gotham, Batman has staked out a museum where an informant has indicated a robbery will occur. As the vandals make their move, the gang is quickly dispersed by the Dark Knight Detective. As the final member of the gang falls, Batman is startled to see Superman streak across the sky in pursuit of Sinestro. As Batman follows the pair to Gotham Park, he arrives just in time to see Sinestro felled. As he swings in on a batrope, he sees Grodd grab the Man of Steel and rushes to his aide, assuming a trap. However, the trap is not for "Superman" who is in fact a disguised Bizarro but for Batman himself. Reaching for vines to pull himself to safety, Batman is suddenly stunned by an electric shock: The vines were placed nearby by Poison Ivy who steps into poison the Caped Crusader with a kiss. The Angle Man then uses the Angler to place Batman in stasis till all the heroes are captured. Captain Comet arrives momentarily after the villains depart. Finding Batman already down, he heads for Central City to intercept the villains in the Flash's hometown.
Meanwhile in Star City, the villains have laid a trap for Green Lantern by sending a false distress signal to the Guardians of the Universe. When Green Lantern arrives is attacked in rapid succession by Bizarro, Grodd and Poison Ivy. Barely escaping, Green Lantern realizes his power ring's charge is nearing it's ebb and heads home to make an emergency recharge with the villains in hot pursuit. Unfortunately for hero, Sinestro has switched the power battery with an electricifed duplicate and the hero is not only stunned but vulnerable to an attack from dozens of machine guns generated by the renegade's power ring. Near death, Green Lantern is also placed into stasis by the Angle Man and the villains head for New York.
In New York, Wonder Woman is working in her identity as Diana Prince when Bizarro and Grodd attack the foundations of the UN building itself. As the building begins to topple, Wonder Woman uses her magic lasso and robot plane to pull the building upright again. Landing and confronting the two villains, Wonder Woman is caught off guard by the Angle Man. Fortified by Sinestro's power ring and poison from one of Ivy's thorns, The Angle Man easily defeats his longtime adversary and consigns her to stasis. The Secret Society heads for Central City
Late at night when the villains arrive, Barry Allen is wakened by his wife rising and sleep walking into the street. Donning his Flash uniform, he finds that everyone seems equally hypnotized and heading for the Flash Museum. When he arrives he finds Grodd claiming that he has taken control of the entire population of the city and to save them Flash must catch Bizarro. Unbeknowst to the Flash, he has been poisoned by Poison Ivy and his aura has been stripped by the Angler. As he circles the Earth in pursuit of Bizarro he ages rapidly and collapses, near death at Grodd's feet. As the heroes before, he is placed in stasis. Before the villains depart, Captain Comet arrives and swears venegence. The confident Grodd swats him from the sky with a telepathic blast and the Society heads for the Artic for their final prize.
Outside his Fortress of Solitude, Superman lifts the trademark key to unlock it's massive door. As he approachs the massive keyhole, he knocked back by a mysterious blast and sees the key fall out of his hands and turn to flowers. Bursting into the Fortress, he finds a strange mage who brings his parent's statues to life to attack him. Finding himself battered by magic and on the verge of defeat, he is rescued by the sudden arrival of Captain Comet. Comet reveals that he has not being assaulted by magic but a combination of Secret Society trickery and a device emitting the rays of red sun. Quickly destroying the device, the fuly powered Superman and Comet turn on the Secret Society. Realizing the defeat of the Society is imminent, Grodd uses his mental powers to undermine his fellow members, insuring their capture with no harm to Captain Comet, a part of his grander schemes.
With the villains safely under wraps, the two heroes use the Angler to revive their fallen colleagues and are left to wonder where the remainder of the Secret Society members are and where they will strike next.