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Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics
To coincide with an exciting new documentary from Warner Home Video about the history of DC Comics villains, DC Comics proudly presents this collection of tales starring DC's most popular villains from some of the biggest names in comics!
Collected here are stories featuring such popular creators as Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Pete Tomasi and Darwyn Cooke, all taking on the baddest of the bad in the DC Universe. The Joker, Bane, Lex Luthor, General Zod, the who's who of evil goes on in this action-packed trade paperback!
This volume collects: Action Comics Annual #10, Batman #244, 614, Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005 #1, Black Adam 6, Countdown #2, 6-9, 10-11, 14-15, 16, 19, 27, 29, 33-34, 36-37, Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1, Green Lantern Corps #14, Solo #1, Superman: Lex 2000, Wonder Woman #214
Collected here are stories featuring such popular creators as Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Pete Tomasi and Darwyn Cooke, all taking on the baddest of the bad in the DC Universe. The Joker, Bane, Lex Luthor, General Zod, the who's who of evil goes on in this action-packed trade paperback!
This volume collects: Action Comics Annual #10, Batman #244, 614, Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005 #1, Black Adam 6, Countdown #2, 6-9, 10-11, 14-15, 16, 19, 27, 29, 33-34, 36-37, Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1, Green Lantern Corps #14, Solo #1, Superman: Lex 2000, Wonder Woman #214
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2013
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61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 10, 2018
This was pretty good, although I wish some stories weren't super short. A few that would have been the most interesting to me were only two pages long, and a few other ones drug out much longer than was interesting. Also there were a few "origin" villain stories near the end that were actually NOT "origin" stories at all.
December 21, 2020
Always fun to read through these types, but I think so many have been retconned so much, I have no idea what is true. Oh well.
August 13, 2024
Dross mixed with gold. Oh, but what gold there is.
February 25, 2021
Necessary Evil: Super Villains of DC Comics (Countdown to Final Crisis)
Author: Greg Rucka (Author), Geoff Johns (Author), Richard Donner (Author), Dennis O'Neil (Author), Various (Illustrator), Drew Johnson (Artist), Rags Morales (Artist), Neal Adams (Artist), Jim Lee (Artist)
Publisher: DC Comics
Publishing Date: 2020
Pgs: 183 pgs
Disposition: Hoopla e-Book via Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
_________________________________________________
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
A tableau collection of stories concerning the origins and actions of DC Comics super viillains:
The Joker, Bane, Lex Luthor, General Zod, et al. Evil walks beside you.
Collects stories originally presented in Action Comics Annual #10, Batman #244, 614, Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005 #1, Black Adam 6, Countdown #2, 6-9, 10-11, 14-15, 16, 19, 27, 29, 33-34, 36-37, Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1, Green Lantern Corps #14, Solo #1, Superman: Lex 2000, Wonder Woman #214.
_________________________________________________
Genre:
DC Comics
Superheroes
Supervillains
Comics
Graphic Novels
Good vs Evil
Anthology
Why this book:
Bring on the Bad Guys!
_________________________________________________
Cover Art:
The Necessary Evil cover and splash art is awesome.
Favorite Character:
Ra’s al Ghul is a great villain. When you have the debate among comic book fans of which character could transfer between Marvel and DC, my pick would be Ra’s. He’d fit somewhere between The Mandarin and Doctor Doom.
Favorite Scene:
Non's story is a horror. He was lobotomized for speaking out about the oncoming Kryptonageddon and not keeping quiet like the Council wanted him to.
Love Sinestro’s origin story. An absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only path to peace is control, and all. From Sinestro’s point of view when he started, he was the hero and still the Greatest Green Lantern of all. Though he does eventually embrace his evil.
Black Adam's Isis Cycle is heartbreaking. He should've smoke Faust when he found out how Felix screwed him over.
Favorite Quote:
Flash to Cheetah: Choke on a hairball.
Hmm Moments:
Can't remember ever seeing the awakened Nora Fries with her zombie reanimate power anywhere. Guess it's a storyline I missed, but sounds awesome.
WTF Moments:
This was as big a moment as the Thunderbolts’ reveal. That was as shocking as the classic Gwen Stacy story. Totally didn’t see that coming. Watching Max do that to Ted always sucks the life out of me. It's a hero's death, but God, it's hard to read. That was my Blue Beetle. Good closing story to the collection.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
Still hate Hush. Tommy Elliott is Batman's Conduit. And you, probably, have no idea who that is. To which I respond, exactly. Both were 90s add-on villains, retroactively inserted into Batman and Superman's pasts, respectively. And both suck. This is
Dreamcasting:
I love Sinestro’s being based on David Niven. The look is so well captured that here we are 60 years later and his look is still extant.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Author: Greg Rucka (Author), Geoff Johns (Author), Richard Donner (Author), Dennis O'Neil (Author), Various (Illustrator), Drew Johnson (Artist), Rags Morales (Artist), Neal Adams (Artist), Jim Lee (Artist)
Publisher: DC Comics
Publishing Date: 2020
Pgs: 183 pgs
Disposition: Hoopla e-Book via Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
_________________________________________________
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
A tableau collection of stories concerning the origins and actions of DC Comics super viillains:
The Joker, Bane, Lex Luthor, General Zod, et al. Evil walks beside you.
Collects stories originally presented in Action Comics Annual #10, Batman #244, 614, Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005 #1, Black Adam 6, Countdown #2, 6-9, 10-11, 14-15, 16, 19, 27, 29, 33-34, 36-37, Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1, Green Lantern Corps #14, Solo #1, Superman: Lex 2000, Wonder Woman #214.
_________________________________________________
Genre:
DC Comics
Superheroes
Supervillains
Comics
Graphic Novels
Good vs Evil
Anthology
Why this book:
Bring on the Bad Guys!
_________________________________________________
Cover Art:
The Necessary Evil cover and splash art is awesome.
Favorite Character:
Ra’s al Ghul is a great villain. When you have the debate among comic book fans of which character could transfer between Marvel and DC, my pick would be Ra’s. He’d fit somewhere between The Mandarin and Doctor Doom.
Favorite Scene:
Non's story is a horror. He was lobotomized for speaking out about the oncoming Kryptonageddon and not keeping quiet like the Council wanted him to.
Love Sinestro’s origin story. An absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only path to peace is control, and all. From Sinestro’s point of view when he started, he was the hero and still the Greatest Green Lantern of all. Though he does eventually embrace his evil.
Black Adam's Isis Cycle is heartbreaking. He should've smoke Faust when he found out how Felix screwed him over.
Favorite Quote:
Flash to Cheetah: Choke on a hairball.
Hmm Moments:
Can't remember ever seeing the awakened Nora Fries with her zombie reanimate power anywhere. Guess it's a storyline I missed, but sounds awesome.
WTF Moments:
This was as big a moment as the Thunderbolts’ reveal. That was as shocking as the classic Gwen Stacy story. Totally didn’t see that coming. Watching Max do that to Ted always sucks the life out of me. It's a hero's death, but God, it's hard to read. That was my Blue Beetle. Good closing story to the collection.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
Still hate Hush. Tommy Elliott is Batman's Conduit. And you, probably, have no idea who that is. To which I respond, exactly. Both were 90s add-on villains, retroactively inserted into Batman and Superman's pasts, respectively. And both suck. This is
Dreamcasting:
I love Sinestro’s being based on David Niven. The look is so well captured that here we are 60 years later and his look is still extant.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
October 2, 2013
Anyone who knows my comics-reading habits could tell you I'm not a big fan of the superfolks. I have, however, always had a soft spot for DC's supervillains. This probably started when, as a kid, I got a Giant-Size issue of origins of the DC baddies. I read that thing to pieces, but at some point as an adult got rid of it. I had hoped for a little of that magic (or at least information) to be in Necessary Evil, which is billed as a 'companion' to a DVD documentary of the same name. Sadly, not only was it lacking in that department, but is not even an origins-of kind of thing (not that it says it is).
What is collected between these covers is short pieces on some of the heavies in the DC bad-iverse, some focusing on origins, some just stories that make almost no sense out of context. The majority of the more origin-oriented things are taken from something called 'Countdown.' Most are (poorly) written by Scott Beatty, who has a penchant for alliteration and corny puns. The art is all done by various people in various styles and of varying quality. I must admit there were some revelations of artists I'd never heard of, with striking and lovely work, but the only real gem for me was the Clayface story 'If a Man Be Clay!' I'd never seen this one before, nor heard of its source title 'Batman Files -- Secret Files and Origins.' This was a surprise in general because it's written by Steve Purcell (creator of Sam & Max: Freelance Police and co-director of Pixar's Brave), penciled by Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy and all-around comics great) and inked by Kevin Nowlan (who does a great job blending his own talents into Mignola's style, without one overwhelming the other). That alone was enough to make that story worth reading the rest of the book, but add to that the story being a genius piece of humour told with love and respect for the characters and their history, and it's an absolute winner.
It's too bad this book wasn't better, as it could really have been something. I don't regret reading it, though, and that almost entirely due to discovery of the Purcell story. Otherwise, this was more than a little disappointing.
What is collected between these covers is short pieces on some of the heavies in the DC bad-iverse, some focusing on origins, some just stories that make almost no sense out of context. The majority of the more origin-oriented things are taken from something called 'Countdown.' Most are (poorly) written by Scott Beatty, who has a penchant for alliteration and corny puns. The art is all done by various people in various styles and of varying quality. I must admit there were some revelations of artists I'd never heard of, with striking and lovely work, but the only real gem for me was the Clayface story 'If a Man Be Clay!' I'd never seen this one before, nor heard of its source title 'Batman Files -- Secret Files and Origins.' This was a surprise in general because it's written by Steve Purcell (creator of Sam & Max: Freelance Police and co-director of Pixar's Brave), penciled by Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy and all-around comics great) and inked by Kevin Nowlan (who does a great job blending his own talents into Mignola's style, without one overwhelming the other). That alone was enough to make that story worth reading the rest of the book, but add to that the story being a genius piece of humour told with love and respect for the characters and their history, and it's an absolute winner.
It's too bad this book wasn't better, as it could really have been something. I don't regret reading it, though, and that almost entirely due to discovery of the Purcell story. Otherwise, this was more than a little disappointing.
September 30, 2013
The book may be a good companion to the eponymous documentary, but, as it stands on its own, the book could be a bit better. The content is actually quite good, offering a great selection of snippets either reprinting single issues showcasing a particular villain or offering short biographies. These biographies are of particular interest as some of them were previously exclusively online; it's a shame the Joker 'biography' - which the cover of the book emulates - was left out. Otherwise, the choice of issues was great, showcasing villains at their best/worst, such as Black Adam's love for his wife; the (modern) origin of General Zod, Ursa and Non; Sinestro's sharp intellect and power; and Batman's relation to the Joker.
The included issues and biographies do remain a minimal approach to take, though. They do not fully explore the complexity of some of these characters, and in the case of recommended reading included in the biographies, the material which would suffice is often out of print.
My main problem with the book, however, is the presentation. A proper introduction stating the importance of the villains in-universe and in pop culture and/or some quotes from the documentary would have been welcome. I think some sort of title page or cover differentiating between the different villains represented would have been great.
So the book is a good collection of samples to whet the appetite of newcomers to the DC universe's rich villainy and a probably good companion to the documentary. However, as a stand-alone book it does leave something to be desired. Definitely recommended for new readers or documentary-watchers, but mostly as a starting point for further reading.
The included issues and biographies do remain a minimal approach to take, though. They do not fully explore the complexity of some of these characters, and in the case of recommended reading included in the biographies, the material which would suffice is often out of print.
My main problem with the book, however, is the presentation. A proper introduction stating the importance of the villains in-universe and in pop culture and/or some quotes from the documentary would have been welcome. I think some sort of title page or cover differentiating between the different villains represented would have been great.
So the book is a good collection of samples to whet the appetite of newcomers to the DC universe's rich villainy and a probably good companion to the documentary. However, as a stand-alone book it does leave something to be desired. Definitely recommended for new readers or documentary-watchers, but mostly as a starting point for further reading.
August 24, 2025
Well...
This batch of short stories is A version of origins of some of the biggest DC villains. By "A version", I mean that yes, there are other versions, all of which predate the ones shown. Notably missing, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Reverse-Flash, Vandal Savage, Starro, Kanjar Ro, Cheetah ( A whole HOST of Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman villains, in fact), Sivana, Mr. Mind, Lobo, I could go on. . .
Batman bad-guys are notoriously over-represented. I know everybody likes the guy, but c'mon. Further, they're mis-represented in many cases.
For this reason, three stars, even though yes, there ARE good stories in here.
This batch of short stories is A version of origins of some of the biggest DC villains. By "A version", I mean that yes, there are other versions, all of which predate the ones shown. Notably missing, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Reverse-Flash, Vandal Savage, Starro, Kanjar Ro, Cheetah ( A whole HOST of Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman villains, in fact), Sivana, Mr. Mind, Lobo, I could go on. . .
Batman bad-guys are notoriously over-represented. I know everybody likes the guy, but c'mon. Further, they're mis-represented in many cases.
For this reason, three stars, even though yes, there ARE good stories in here.
November 4, 2013
Necessary Evil is pretty much an unnecessary collected edition. Good collection of villain origin stories for readers totally new to DC comics.
The one bright spot is Purcell's and Mignola's Clayface story. It's just about the best Batman story I've read since Jim Aparo's run on Brave and the Bold. And worth the admission price alone. And it's the sole reason I'm giving this book 5 stars.
The one bright spot is Purcell's and Mignola's Clayface story. It's just about the best Batman story I've read since Jim Aparo's run on Brave and the Bold. And worth the admission price alone. And it's the sole reason I'm giving this book 5 stars.
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May 4, 2016I was never really into comics until my Ex-Boyfriend introduced me to DC comics, and this book was the first one I read. It is so amazing! Knowing the backgrounds of all the DC villains was really cool. The comics even show some villains history, that no one even really know about. Even if you don't like comics that much, you need to read this.
November 29, 2016
Some interesting stories but not enough of anything to really make this collection interesting. There are just too many villains to cover and some of the "sample" issues are a little too disjointed that you're not 100% sure what is going on unless you've read the full issue or know the continuity already.
September 19, 2016
I love origin stories and I love villains. Also, the list of writers and artists reads like the All Stars of comic book creators of the past three decades or so. This book is perfect.
September 28, 2025
Aieeeeee lots going on
January 15, 2017
una recopilación de varios personajes, aun así faltan de muchos más pero bueno, es un buen comic para tener pero puedes prescindir de el
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews