Did I tell you guys I dropped COUNTDOWN? Well, I got sick of the $12 it was sucking from my wallet monthly and dropped it as of December. So that freed up a li'l cash. I put $6 into savings and decided to spend $6 on Salvation Run # 1 and 2.
SPOILERS
Now THIS could be the REAL "Secret Society of Super-Villains". Seems like our government is dumping super-vllains all higgeldy-piggeldy into this other-dimensional hellworld type place, leaving them to survive or die on their own. That itself is an interesting enough premise, but looks like something ELSE is observing these villains in action.
So I'm definitely onboard here.
Only gripe:
The frekin' JOKER canNOT, I repeat, CANNOT kill PSIMON. You know, Psimon who has battled and nearly destroyed both the Titans and Outsiders? The Joker CAN'T kill him. Gawd, I hate the Joker...
Posted by Blacula on :
MLLASH - We are SOOOOOOOOOOOO on the same page re: the Joker!
I freakin' HATE that character and the way DC have been over-using and over-using and over-using him over the last few years is driving me insane! He practically appears in more books than Batman does these days!
As for Salvation Run - I've actually been quite enjoying this book. Weird, because I won't touch anything else Countdown related. But my love for obscure DCU villains wouldn't let me pass this one up. (Shame most of them are probably going to die though! )
Loved the first issue with the Rogues spotlight and would've loved issue #2 but for two things - the pimpage of the Body Doubles who are two villainess' I can seriously do without and the scene with Joker and Psimon - without a doubt the WORST written scene I have read in a comic in probably the last 2-3 years!
My problem, however, is not with the fact that a weakling character like the Joker could take down the *INFINITELY* more powerful Psimon (because the idea is just so ludicrous that I'm sure the event has to be a fake-out by the Titans villain... right?!?) and not with the fact that the Joker had to give the most hideously scripted speech I've read in ages while he did it, but that the vast crowd of other CUT-THROAT, HARDENED, EVIL villains assembled witnessing this attack (99% of whom were also all vastly more powerful than the Joker) would not then just strike him down dead where he stands for being the unhinged, lunatic, threat to all of their own survival that he is - and would instead run around in fear calling him "Sir" and promising to get him drinks and whatever else he needs as if he holds some type of power over them! I mean - WHAT?!?
What dreck writing! Bill Willingham is a writer with very obvious talents but also very obvious flaws IMO (I recently dropped his Fables because the flaws were beginning to out-weigh the talents I thought) and I like Salvation Run enough to continue with it. But another scene like that Joker/Psimon one and....
[ January 02, 2008, 09:12 AM: Message edited by: Blacula ]
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
I feel about Luthor the way y'all do about Joker... at least in terms of overuse. Has Joker really been overused in the last bit? I know he was for awhile, but I thought he'd been allowed to 'cool' for a bit. I don't read the Bat titles, though, except for Nightwing, and maybe Robin since Batista's on board.
If Joker and Luthor are 'rested' for awhile, they can be used in fresh, interesting stories.
I haven't picked up the new SALVATION RUN, but the scene you describe does sound awful.
Posted by Blacula on :
I completely agree re: Luthor too Mystery Lad. WAY over-exposed!
He gets a *slight* pass from me for being (re-)re-invented from a boring evil businessman to a power-suit wearing super-villain recently though which at least means his stories have had a slightly different flavour to them of late.
Would still be more than happy to see both he and the Joker permanently six-feet-undered though!
Posted by Quislet, Esq. on :
I agree that I would like Salvation Run much much more if it didn't have Joker and Luthor.
Posted by Pov on :
I paid $.74 (75% discount thru DCBS) for #1 and felt ripped off. Posted by MLLASH on :
See, Luthor gets a pass from me as well, primarily because unlike the Joker, he isn't a homicidal maniac killer (that I'm aware of anyway-- until 52, I guess). Where as the Joker has mercilessly murdered thousands over the years while the Bat-family continues to coddle him. That he even allows Joker to live makes me incapable of reading any Batman comic or respecting the Batman character.
And don't hand me that "but if I kill him I'm no better than he is" bull$#!t, Batwimp. The blood of ALL his victims is on your hands.
I seriously hope Kid Karnevil (a villain from early SHADOWPACT issues) makes good his threat to Joker, but I'm sure Joker will end up killing him, too...
Posted by Blacula on :
^^^ It's funny. I wasn't all that impressed with Kid Karnevil when we met him in Shadowpact but one page of him threatening to disembowel the Joker and suddenly he's my favourite new villain of 2007! I'm easy like that.
Shame he is totally gonna get killed to remind us all how awesome the Joker is though... Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
I don't agree with Lash that there's any blood on Batman's hands (after all, once he's caught, they could just kill him via the death penalty), but I agree that for the longest time he was waaaay over exposed. There's been a slight cool down lately, but not enough to rid me of my Joker boredom (I admit, however, that he looks hella-kewl in the upcoming Bat-movie!).
Luthor too.
Hell, Darkseid too. Honestly, I need a minimum TEN year waiting period for the next Darkseid story.
I'm still waiting for Dr. Light to catch a Hawkman mace to the face above all other villains too.
Posted by Reboot on :
The numbers certainly bear that out. The debut issue of Salvation Run - one of the publisher’s major announcements at San Diego and the best-selling of the nine Countdown spin-off books in November - barely managed to pass 40,000 units. Plainly, that’s not remotely satisfying.
[...]
57 - SALVATION RUN 11/2007: Salvation Run #1 of 7 — 40,531
This latest Countdown spin-off by writer Bill Willingham and artist Sean Chen was DC’s big launch for November, as well as one of the publisher’s major announcements at the San Diego comics convention. Suffice it to say, the fact that it just barely manages to crack the 40k mark - despite a 1-for-10 variant cover edition, one should add - is a huge disappointment.
Surprisingly, the solicitations no longer list Willingham as the book’s writer past issue #3, so it seems he’s got better things to do. You can’t blame him. In theory, a high-profile event title certainly seems like a sensible career choice for a critically acclaimed creator about to achieve a higher level of popularity in the direct market. But this one’s clearly a dud, so if that’s what they had in mind with Salvation Run, it may have backfired.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Willingham's not finishing the mini? Since he left SHADOWPACT, what else does he have to do besides FABLES? Who will take up the reigns? Interesting.
Cobie, I dunno, maybe whatever state Gotham is in doesn't have a death penalty. Whatever. A world that allows the Joker to live deserves everything it gets (and YES, I'm looking at YOU TOO, SALVATION RUN villain hellworld!!) All I know is my hatred of the Joker is irrational, and begins around the time of "The Killing Joke".
Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing Dr. Light take a mace to the head either... one from Hawkman, one from Hawkgirl...
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
And Dr. Light should get toasted by Kimiyo as well.
I agree re: Joker. Too much, and too much of the same, too.
Luthor was beginning to get the same way too, but he's at least varied enough to keep me from hating him too much.
Deathstroke is someone else who I'm beginning to tire of. He seems to be showing up a lot more often...
And I hate it when these villains have some sort of "master plan" which goes unrevealed and is left for a future story arc. Bah.
Posted by CJ Taylor on :
DC let GrayPal revamp some no name villains in HAWKMAN. Gail Simone did the same in VILLAINS UNITED. Let's put Joker, Luthor, and the concept of anit-Justice League/Society/Titans to bed for awhile.
I like Dr Light being the @$$hole he is right now- he's a BAD GUY! Let's have Psimoon step up and start controlling some minds and making a real threat. Play up Captain cold's ambition a little more, not just hating the Flash.
That's what I was hoping we'd see out of Salvation Run.
Posted by Pov on :
CATWOMAN's sales numbers are circling the drain, and next month she's being sent to the SR planet... I'm waiting for the "Last Issue" solicit every time I place my DCBS order... Posted by CJ Taylor on :
Okay, so the last thing Psimon will be doing is stepping up...
Posted by MLLASH on :
# 3 SPOILERS
I did like that Luthor addressed the Joker's murder of Psimon.
Luthor gets further props from me for instigating the "civil war" that got rid of the Joker and all his crazy cronies. Grodd has scared me since the original SSoSV. I mean, a gorilla is scary enough, but one with mental powers? Brrr! Looks like we'll have some gorilla on gorilla violence next issue... a shame, I hate to see Mallah hurt.
Of course, I'm sure the Joker and his crazy cronies will somehow be key to getting off the hellworld.
But seriously, if you were there... would you rather put your chances of getting off hellworld in the hands of big brains like Luthor, Sivana and Ivo or would you side with nutbags like Joker, Jewelee and Two-Face?
Post-Willingham, I'm still on board.
Posted by CJ Taylor on :
If you like seeing villains die, check this out. The recent issue had 2, possibly 3 deaths! And there's a third faction on the planet now, one we should have seen coming. The new writer does a fine job replacing Willingham.
This is fun comics, not the same as VU from a few years back, still enjoyable.
Posted by Blacula on :
^^^ I like seeing villains die when their names are Joker or Lex Luthor but when their names are Mallah and the Brain I get upset! There goes two of DC's most original/interesting villains and the *best* couple in comics!
Despite that, I'm still enjoying this series far more than I should be! In retrospect I can definitely think of things that could've been done to make this series better, but as I'm reading each issue I'm having far too much fun to notice them. Like CJ says - this is a fun book!
Apparently this series is one of the few that leads directly into Final Crisis too so I'm glad that I'm in on the ground floor for the next DC mega-event (which maybe hopefully might actually be pretty good this time).
Posted by Stealth on :
I'm not reading this comic, but I have to say I totally agree with Blacula about The Brain and Monsieur Mallah, and I'm upset too.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
Heh, as a Gorilla Grodd fan and not a big fan of Mallah and Brain. I enjoyed the scene.
I think in the long run it's an attempt by DC to revamp their villains.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
I'm kind of glad I'm not buying this.
DC has been 'revamping' their villains since Identity Crisis (per Meltzer in interviews), then again in Secret Six and then again with the larger Society plotline throughout 2005-2006.
Mallah and the Brain are too cool to stay dead. Expect them back no later than 2009. You heard it here first.
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
I still haven't picked this up since #1. At Wondercon, there were hints that seemed to indicate that the Dibneys are appearing or are going to appear in this series?
Probably in disguise, or as 'Deadman' type characters?
For those that have been buying, is that feasible?
Posted by CJ Taylor on :
There's no hint of it at all. Mind ya, they gave us a peek at MM infiltrating them under the new Blockbuster guise. But we've not seen the Dibny's anywhere.
Posted by CJ Taylor on :
Batman & The Outsiders is tying into Slavation Run. The Dibny's made an appearance there, so it's likely they will show up in this title too.
[ May 13, 2008, 08:55 AM: Message edited by: CJ Taylor ]
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
and decided to spend $6 on Salvation Run # 1 and 2. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
)![[Disgusting]](graemlins/puke.gif)
![[Shudder]](graemlins/shudder.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[No]](graemlins/shake.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
There goes two of DC's most original/interesting villains and the *best* couple in comics!![[Smile]](smile.gif)