Legion of Super-Heroes: Legacy of the Great Darkness saga

[Panic]

As a die-hard Marvel fan, the Legion was one of the few DC properties that I thought was worth buying. Not living in the States, following any imported American comics in those days was virtually impossible unless you happened to live near one of the very few dedicated comic-books shops (I didn't), so my knowledge of Legion history was confined to a few issues here and there. And the Servant Shall be a Sign was the first issue I owned with Keith Giffen art, and Giffen's whole style looked futuristic, especially the way the colourist implemented certain parts of the drawing without a black-ink border. The whole mystery angle of the servants was interesting, especially as they hinted so strongly in the first issue that the first servant was a Superman clone. Seeing the various people and things that the master was collecting to boost his power was also fascinating, and gave me a glimpse or two into the Legion's history. Basically, everything about it captured my imagination. All the Legionaires got a chance to do things, too - no one member hogged the limelight, which I liked.

Overall it was an epic story in what was a top-quality run, with consistently good art to match the story. I still think it works well today, both as a read, and as a template for how to put together an interesting epic that doesn't screw any characters over in its attempts to generate drama.

[kcekada]

Legion was actually DC's closest series in spirit of X-Men. Teen Titans never really had the high-stakes drama until the Wolfman/Perez years -- whereas Legion had drama in the 60s. Titans never even had a good arch-foe until the 80s.

[Jim Kelly]

It's probably more accurate to say that X-Men was actually Marvel's closest series in spirit to the Legion of Super-Heroes. Maybe not Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men which had more in common with DC's Doom Patrol (synthesized with the many kid gangs that Simon & Kirby created), but the re-imagined X-Men in the 1970s was clearly trying to tap the same vein that the Legion had mined. After all, a lot of Legion fans and Legion creators were working at Marvel and contributing to the X-Men in the 1970s.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I would have a tough time putting together a top ten legion of Superheroes book and it would be heavy on the 60's stuff. I think there are some Dave Cockrum design sheets for the Legion that show the connection between Shadow Lass and Storm from the X-Men. I have seem some Nightcrawler designs for the legion and Timber Wolf definitely seems a cousin to Wolverine despite being quite a bit older.I am terrible with names of so many legion stories but one of my favorites is the series where Braniac 5 seems a bit sinister and Matter Eater Lad has to eat the Miracle Machine. I would put the Death of Ferro Lad, Death of Proty, the Ghost of Ferro Lad, and the big annual issue from the 80's on my list. I am pretty sure it is Giffen and Levitz.

[Jim Kelly]

I remember reading "The Lone Wolf Legionnaire," the Brin Londo story (not to be confused with the Jimmy Olsen story of the same name), reprinted in SUPERBOY 178 (October 1971) and being really impressed by that story. It was by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte and I thought the art was quite good--which is a strange reaction to have to John Forte art as it's usually regarded as somewhat not good (even though he was a phenomenal inker), but I saw something in that story that was excellent. I felt like it was just as good as any stories by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams that were coming out at that time.

My favourite classic Legion stories are probably that and "The Five Legion Orphans" (by E. Nelson Bridwell, Curt Swan and George Klein) and "The Hunter" (by Jim Shooter and George Papp). No accounting for taste.

[kcekada]

I don't have one favorite story -- One-Shot Hero/debut of Wildfire is probably one of those. The finale to Eye for an Eye is another. But my favorite Legion comic book is Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes #202. We get two Cockrum Legion stories, the Lore of the Legion (more Cockrum), a great Nick Cardy cover, and a reprint of the Super Stalag of Outer-Space. There was also the story of Star Boy being expelled which led to Sir Prize and Miss Terious joining (Star Boy and Dream Girl).

[Comic-Reader Lad]

I don't have one favorite story -- One-Shot Hero/debut of Wildfire is probably one of those. The finale to Eye for an Eye is another. But my favorite Legion comic book is Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes. We get two Cockrum Legion stories, the Lore of the Legion (more Cockrum), a great Nick Cardy cover, and a reprint of the Super Stalag of Outer-Space. There was also the story of Star Boy being expelled which led to Sir Prize and Miss Terious joining (Star Boy and Dream Girl).

From your description, it sounds like you are talking about a specific SLSH issue -- namely #202.

[caj]

and the big annual issue from the 80's on my list. I am pretty sure it is Giffen and Levitz.

I'm curious - was this the Annual #1 featuring Computo and Invisible Kid II, Annual #2 featuring the wedding of Karate Kid & Projectra (which Giffen did not draw) or issue #300, the big Anniversary issue featuring Brainy trying to cure Ferro Lad's twin brother?

[Johnny Thunders!]

I'm curious - was this the Annual #1 featuring Computo and Invisible Kid II, Annual #2 featuring the wedding of Karate Kid & Projectra (which Giffen did not draw) or issue #300, the big Anniversary issue featuring Brainy trying to cure Ferro Lad's twin brother?

It is absolutely the 3rd issue you mentioned. It has a beautiful ending scene for Ferro Lad's brother. At the time, DC was publishing a few thick Anniversary issues that to my mind, were terrific. I picked them up at the spinner or comic shop and it was a win every time. Detective Comics, Action, Superman, and the Legion had big deluxe issues.

[caj]

It is absolutely the 3rd issue you mentioned. It has a beautiful ending scene for Ferro Lad's brother.

Yes, that was a great issue. And it also resolved some of the Adult Legion predictions. When Shadow Lass showed up in white make-up at the end of #299, long-time Legion readers all gasped collectively.

[CaptCleghorn]

Yes, that was a great issue. And it also resolved some of the Adult Legion predictions. When Shadow Lass showed up in white make-up at the end of #299, long-time Legion readers all gasped collectively.

That was the beauty of the Levitz/Giffen Legion. They knew the history and could use it to make their stories more powerful. I still love the use of the story of Projectra, Karate Kid, and Ferro Lad's introduction to the Legion with Nemesis Kid as a strong emotional point in "An Eye For An Eye". The Adventure Comics stories had more drama than most DCs at the time, but those stories still had a feeling of happily ever after at the end. The drama and emotion of "Eye" showed that these characters felt what they had gone through.

[caj]

One of my favorite scenes in The Great Darkness Saga that is rarely, if ever, mentioned happened in part 3 (issue 292), where it scans over Element Lad, Light Lass, Invisible Kid, Timber Wolf, and Star Boy at the top of the page. From the tone of each of their words, you can tell that for the first time in their lives, they're not sure they're going to be able to defeat the threat they're facing.

They are in no way giving up, but there is definitely serious doubts in their minds as to what it's going to take to defeat this enemy. I love the way they wrote and drew those words and images.

[Superlad93]

Having now read the Great Darkness Saga and heard from all of you fans, I've now come to one question: why was this never a movie?

I mean, in terms of most widely regarded as memorable and classic large scale stories at DC it seems to go (in no particular order) Crisis On Infinite Earths, Judas Contract, Knightfall, Death of Superman, and The Great Darkness Saga.

In terms of the list above, The Great Darkness Saga seems to be the most obscure by nature of being a Legion story, and that's likely why it hasn't been adapted like literally all of the rest of them, but I'm becoming more and more sure that The Great Darkness Saga's time in the sun is fast approaching.

For one, the Legion as a concept is multimedia goldmine that only becomes more and more relevant as time marches on. In today's climate, a team made up of young people from all walks of life and all sorts of planets should be a major studio's wet dream. Moreover, you finally make good on Darkseid as a big bad. Outside of Final Crisis and the Forth World epic Darkseid has never actually been a moment so iconic and earth shattering as he had in The Great Darkness Saga.

The only real draw backs would be the set up and the possibility of the big reveal not having the right impact. But I think Darkseid is enough of a known concept that it could still work.

As fans what are your thoughts on the prospect.

[DrNewGod]

Having now read the Great Darkness Saga and heard from all of you fans, I've now come to one question: why was this never a movie?

I mean, in terms of most widely regarded as memorable and classic large scale stories at DC it seems to go (in no particular order) Crisis On Infinite Earths, Judas Contract, Knightfall, Death of Superman, and The Great Darkness Saga.

In terms of the list above, The Great Darkness Saga seems to be the most obscure by nature of being a Legion story, and that's likely why it hasn't been adapted like literally all of the rest of them, but I'm becoming more and more sure that The Great Darkness Saga's time in the sun is fast approaching.

For one, the Legion as a concept is multimedia goldmine that only becomes more and more relevant as time marches on. In today's climate, a team made up of young people from all walks of life and all sorts of planets should be a major studio's wet dream. Moreover, you finally make good on Darkseid as a big bad. Outside of Final Crisis and the Forth World epic Darkseid has never actually been a moment so iconic and earth shattering as he had in The Great Darkness Saga.

The only real draw backs would be the set up and the possibility of the big reveal not having the right impact. But I think Darkseid is enough of a known concept that it could still work.

As fans what are your thoughts on the prospect.

Could work, especially if DCU did a general LoSH series (ala YJ), without specifying the season is about GDS. Knowledgeable fans would be gleefully rubbing their palms together as they realized what was unfolding, and it would make great reveal for new fans. Might even work better as an S2. Establish the LoSH as powerful heroes, then cue The Servants.

[Jim Kelly]

As an animated movie it could happen. They keep doing adaptations of big comic book stories, so eventually they must get around to it.