The Secret Society of Super Villains #1.

How many people came out of a cinema in 1977, wanting to be Luke Skywalker?

Not one.

That's because everyone came out wanting to be Darth Vader.

That's because everyone knows super-villains are better than super-heroes.

And so it was that there were, at times in my youth, attempts to create comics built around wrong-doers. I think we all fondly remember the Astonishing Tales series in which, thanks to the pencils of Wally Wood, Dr Doom has various battles with various foes. And, of course, there was also Marvel's short-lived Super-Villain Team-Up book.

Clearly determined not to be left out, DC also had the odd fling with the genre too. I remember the Joker having his own series at one point. Whether it was good, I couldn't say, as I neither read nor saw a single issue of it.

I did, however, read an issue of another DC book in which villains were the stars.

And that was The Secret Society of Super Villains #1.

It's the present, and various baddies are minding their own business, committing crimes and escaping from prisons, when they each receive a letter inviting them to the first ever meeting of the Secret Society of Super Villains in San Francisco.

Thus it is that Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Grodd, Copperhead, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, Captain Boomerang, the Wizard, Catwoman and Shadow Thief find themselves in a skyscraper, being welcomed by one of Manhunter's evil clones who says each must pass a test, in order to deserve membership.

Despite the prerequisite grumbling, Grodd and Copperhead agree to their test and set off to raid a lighthouse which contains a secret lab housing a great big ball of plutonium. Despite having everything going for them, Grodd and Copperhead completely fail to acquire their target, and Grodd abandons his accomplice in the sea, having decided he's useless. So far, the society's having about as much success as an England batting lineup.

Building a comic around a bunch of super-villains may not be an idea that seems like it's going to work. For a start, being villains means they're going to have to fail in their dastardly aims or the Comics Code people will never speak to DC Comics again but the book is surprisingly appealing, mostly because it feels bright and breezy, moving quickly and efficiently in its story-telling.

Despite the fact I don't have a clue who half these villains are, they're a strangely engaging bunch - for would-be murderers and cutthroats - and the mystery of who their financier is gives us a reason to keep reading beyond this issue.

Gerry Conway's script does its job but I should also praise the art. The thing's drawn by Pablo Marcos who's one of my least favourite pencillers. I still shudder at the memory of his work on the last few stories of Captain Britain's original run. However, under Bob Smith's inks, his performance here is perfectly acceptable, even to me. I'm not going to rave about the artwork or claim it's magnificent but it's not off-putting and tells the story cleanly and without fuss.

But who is the group's mystery benefactor? Is it Lex Luthor? Is it the Joker? Is it Brainiac? Is it Darkseid?

I don't have a clue but I'm assuming it's one of those because none of them are present in this comic. Nor are they or their absence mentioned, which seems an odd thing, given their status in the ranks of DC villains.

Then again, maybe it's not a villain at all. Maybe it's someone with a grudge against them, who wants to lead them down the path of ruin.

Anyway, it's not for me to know. I'm afraid I must remain in ignorance until such a time as I've read the series to its, no doubt, senses-shattering conclusion.