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Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga

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This was the storyline that made me start collecting The Legion of Super-Heroes comics back in 1982. I actually came on board in the middle of the Great Darkness Saga, but quickly scrounged back issues to get the whole story. Everything Levitz and Giffen did afterward was shadowed by this story. Heck, this was where Darkseid made his comeback after being virtually relegated to comic book oblivion in the '70s.
Even when Kirby was writing the Fourth World comics, Darkseid was not the major player in the DC Universe that he is now. But Levitz showed the potential for the character, making him a cosmic villain of universal proportions. Like one of the other reviewers here, Darkseid was new to me simply because I was too young to know about the New Gods. But Levitz used him as a mythic character whose legend would have been known to those who read their Encyclopedia Galactica.
In this story, Darkseid takes a while to reveal himself, working through his "servants of darkness" to procure vessels of power, including living beings he sucks dry of their power. When he does this to Mordru, the Legion know they've got a problem bigger than any they've faced. In one mind-blowing subplot, Darkseid transposes Apokolips with Daxam, giving a yellow sun and the power of Superman to three billion Daxamites he mind-controls.
It's difficult to know whether this remains an official part of Legion continuity because the group has endured so many revamps and rewrites. But it remains an outstanding story. As for Darkseid, this is just one of many possible futures for DC's #1 villain. John Ostrander also did a superb job writing a climactic battle between the Martian Manhunter and Darkseid thousands of years from now.

All through the years, the Legion of Superheroes has been the greatest and most popular superhero group in the comics industry. For any die-hard fan, the highest point in the LSH history has been those wonderful issues written by Paul Levitz, drawn by Keith Giffen and inked by Larry Mahlstedt. A combination between science fiction and magic, this saga tells the story of Darkseid's attempt to take over the 30th. Century universe and the struggle form every legionnaire and hero known to stop him. A strong script from Levitz and the unforgettable art form Giffen/Mahlstedt make this story the most praised adventure from the heroes of the future. So, if you ever see this book, buy it. It's very difficult to find, and maybe a little expensive but it's worth its price.

The Legion of Super-Heroes had been pushed to the brink before, but things were never so dire as when Darkseid, the awesome God of Apokolips, came to the 30th Century and set out to invade the United Planets. This is the Great Darkness Saga, one of the most defining story arcs of the 1980s and in Legion history and, for most people's money, it's what established Paul Levitz as a truly relevant Legion writer.

In the far-flung future, in the 30th century, the United Planets have seen a time of great enlightenment and prosperity. But, even in this wondrous era, there are monsters. And so the Earth-based Legion of Super-Heroes, a group of youths endowed with incredible abilities, patrols the spaceways and planets, troubleshooting and working with the Science Police to keep the peace and safeguard the many alien inhabitants of the known universe.

Even though the Great Darkness Saga is now around three decades old, here comes the SPOILERS ALERT.

Ever since their first appearance in ADVENTURE COMICS #247, the Legion had successfully countered the fearsome villainy of the likes of the Dark Circle, Mordru, the Fatal Five, and the Time Trapper. But these young adventurers face their stiffest test in the shape of Darkseid, who has just woken from a millennium of sleep and now seeks to reclaim his birthright of conquest and destruction. The Great Darkness Saga starts ominously with a drifting dead planet which boasts defenses daunting enough to cow even Mon-El. Then the Legionnaires are confounded by mysterious creatures who end up stealing away with various mystical artifacts, including the legendary sword Excalibur. The Legionnaires learn that these formidable thieves are merely servants of a shadowy presence. So there's serious concern. And when that same presence easily dispatches Mordru and the Time Trapper and siphons off their powers, well, no one puts it better than the cold and analytical Brainiac 5, who somberly tells his fellow heroes: "I am suddenly very cold, my friends, and quite scared."

To balance the epic main storyline Paul Levitz allows various sub-plots to stew in the pot. Firstly, tension mounts as several Legionnaires throw their hats in for the upcomiing election of the new Legion leader. And, as Lightning Lad lies ill, questioning eyes are cast toward Saturn Girl and Timberwolf and that alleged thing going on between them. A disgraced Chameleon Boy is slated to go to trial on charges of treason and life endangerment. Meanwhile, new and French-talking Legionnaire Invisible Kid II is still feeling his way, and, on the Sorcerers' World, a potential Legionnaire is drawn into the fray.

But the side stories get swept away when Darkseid finally makes his big move. Fans of LoSH know that Mon-El, when exposed to a yellow sun, developed super powers to rival the Man of Steel's. Mon-El is from the planet Daxam. This becomes significant once Darkseid gains psychic control over the natives of Daxam and sends them to conquer the United Planets. And there's nothing quite as scary as three friggin' billion Daxamites on the warpath, each as powerful as Superman. With villainy on this scale, it'll take everyone who has ever been a Legionnaire to put up a good fight. Me being a fan of the pre-Crisis Supergirl and of Polar Boy and the Substitute Heroes, this turn of events comes as very cool news.

Salvation arrives, perhaps, embodied in a strange infant summoned forth by the mages on Sorcerers' World. But is that enough? How formidable is Darkseid? Because, even when the Legion and its allies bring their full power to bear, the God of Apokolips isn't defeated as much as temporarily stymied. Darkseid actually has the last laugh, his parting curse coming to fruition in the epilogue of Annual #3 (of which main plot centers on renegade sorcerers attempting to restore Mordru to full power).

I remember the palpable sense of excitement I felt when I read the Great Darkness Saga years and years ago. Re-reading these issues today, I think it's only natural that the story has lost some of its mojo, and for several reasons. First, it's thirty years old, far removed from what's currently going on with the Legion. Second, the revelations which dropped like a bag of hammers on the reader oh so many years ago are now pretty much old news. That sustained element of suspense which kept me so riveted isn't as present now. You look at the trade cover and you instantly identify the Big Bad. And who by now doesn't know Validus's origin? Third, there's some confusion as to whether this arc even falls into today's continuity, what with all the Crisis-y snafus.

But I look at this as a time capsule, to a time when Paul Levitz was just starting his second run at the LoSH. Levitz's strength is that he's able to nicely juggle such a vast assembly of characters, and into this futuristic setting, no less. Yet it doesn't feel claustrophobic or rushed. There's a sense of continuity and a solidity in time and place. Despite the big doings, Levitz throws in little character moments here and there which define each Legionnaire. Levitz writes these stories so that there's that sense of pre-existing history among the characters, that each one of the Legionnaires has a well-developed relationship with the others. That, even when we put down the comic book, the Legionnaires still move about and live their lives. Keith Giffen is key in maintaining a visual consistency in the 30th century. His artwork is very decent here, this being before he got all weird with his pencilling style.

This trade reprints LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #287 (the prologue segment only), #290-294 & Annual #3, as well as offering an intro by Paul Levitz and a 5-paged foldout featuring relevant characters in the LoSH universe up to around 1983 (when this humongous poster first came out), complete with an identification guide. When trying to think of the most memorable Legion of Super-Heroes arcs, the Great Darkness Saga is not only right up there but may be the first which springs to mind. I like the Legion, but I don't know that I'd call myself a fan, not having consistently followed this series. But I read the Great Darkness Saga when it came out in the early '80s, and back then it wowwed me, the scope of the story and the sheer sense of adventure and big, big peril which Levitz injected into it.

I've enjoyed other amazing Legion story arcs, of course, from the mystery of Sensor Girl to the Eye for an Eye storyline, from the Universo Project to the Legion Lost and Legion of 3 Worlds mini-series. Still, there's no arguing that, in the entire publishing history of the Legion of Super-Heroes and as an exercise in good storytelling, the Great Darkness Saga marks a seminal moment.

This is the real Legion, drama and acton with a bit of humor and whimsey. Darkseid vs the entire Legion with the fate of the galaxy in the balance. Featuring the Pre-Crisis Superboy and Supergirl.

I was ridiculously happy to find this book listed, since it's been out of print for ages! It was in *perfect* condition, too. I have nothing but thanks for the seller.

I have read comic books for years. The item was exactly how they represented it and it was shipped in a satisfactory time frame.

There is a paucity of republished Legion material in the form of trades, graphic novels, or whatever you want to call them, and one that was I am not sure why that was chosen ahead of others. Where's the 5 years etc?

At least they did perhaps the best.

Anyway, this a clear standout Legion story, dark avatars causing havoc, many problems, and the cosmic menace of Darkseid revealed.

Strangely, The Great Darkness Saga doesn't show up on Amazon when you do a search for Legion of Super-Heroes or Darkseid. I only happened upon it an someone's list of their favorite comic book sagas of the 70's and 80's.

I should say right up front that I was never a die-hard Legion fan, or even much of a DC fan when the Great Darkness Saga came out. Up until then, I thought the LoSH was, well...more of a kids' comic, if that makes any sense. I mean, come on...Lighting Lad? Element Lad? Bouncing Boy? The Invisible Kid? These are some truly lame superhero names, and they never really seemed interesting enough to investigate back then. Still, there was something about The Great Darkness that made me check it out back then, and kept me looking for the trade paperback. Maybe it was Keith Giffin's artwork. Maybe it was the mystery of Darkseid's identity. Maybe it was just me searching for the next Dark Phoenix (never found it) storyline to captivate me.

All of that said, after reading this story for the first time in 20 years, I came away disappointed. My recollection was that Darkseid came off in this story as being DC's equivalent to Marvel's Thanos - a malevolent, near omnipotent being with a complex agenda. After reading this, I realize that he's really nowhere close in either his menace or his complexity. He's just a bad guy doing bad things because...well, because he wants to. This may have changed as the character developed in other titles, but here that's all he is. While we're doing a comparison, let's be clear that the Legion aren't the Avengers either, or even the Titans. Even beyond this story, they're a group of one-dimensional characters that you really don't get to know well enough to care much about.

Don't get me wrong. There's some promise here. Giffin's art really does get better as the story goes along. The Servants of Darkness were an interesting group of villains. Wildfire is an interesting character, and Giffin seems to put more artistic energy into him, particularly in battle. And, of course, Darkseid is a great villain despite his shortcomings here (I won't give away the unsatisfying resolution to this story here).

While I'm glad I bought The Great Darkness Saga to add to my collection of stories to share with my kids when they're older, it's likely going to be my last trade paperback of DC stories. It's just not the classic I remembered, and at the end of the day, there's just not enough there.

Up to this point, I had never been a huge fan of the Legion of Super Heroes. The few stories I'd read of them in the past, a futuristic team of teen super aliens with groan-inducing names, was just too goofy for me. As I've grown older, I've become more interested in the foundations of the modern DCU, and that interest led me to finally try LOSH: THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA.

I can remember back to the early '80s when this story was serialized: readers were on the edges of their seats, dying to know the identity of the villain. It was kept a mystery for several issues, and that generated quite a bit of excitement. The cover of the trade paperback features Darkseid's mug smack dab in the center, which could be considered a spoiler, but as this story is 20 years old, I really don't think it matters. Anyway, Darkseid is out to stomp the Legion in this story, and he sure does it. You'll see the majority of the LOSH, plus the Substitue Heroes, Mordru, and others, get their clocks cleaned. Plus, there's a nifty bit of time-paradox concerning one of the LOSH's most formidable foes. This storyline really shook things up at the time, and it brought Darkseid back as a major villain in the DCU, which is a plus.

There were a few things that I didn't like, such as the fact that the story is primarily a slugfest - just one battle after another. Perhaps the most odd feature of the story is the disconnect between the members' apparent ages and their names. I have always understood the LOSH to be a group of teenagers, especially with codenames such as Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, etc. But to see those characters presented here as more mature, with bulky steroid physiques, sporting full beards, and having children, while still retaining their childlike names, is kind of creepy. In any case, I'm glad I read it, and it has certainly whet my appetite for more LOSH stories.

When this story came out, it was many times better than the awful Legion stories that faithful fans had to endure in previous years. To watch Giffen's artwork get better with each issue was a treat. Levitz and Giffen understood Legion lore and knew how to entertain the old fans.

The problem: Darkseid. Prior to this story, Darkseid had made NO previous appearance in Legion stories. Because of this, when his identity is revealed, I was left confused. Not having any prior knowlegde of this character, I wondered who the heck he was and how he fit in the continuity. Its as if Lex Luthor showed up in a Sgt. Rock comic.