Spoilers for Great Darkness Saga, Planet of the Apes (1968), X-Men/Teen Titans, and, I don’t know, Sixth Sense, maybe?
So with the acquisition of the above book, Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Hardcover, my collection of DC’s chronological reprints of these comics starting with the Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 1 back in 1991 has now reached the issues I started with in the early ’80s.
Now this book is the “2025 Edition,” and apparently a version of this book had been available several years before, in both trade and hardcover, if I’m understanding Diamond’s back catalog correctly. The issues contained within pick up from where the Before the Darkness hardcovers of a couple of years ago left off, with issue #284 through #296 plus Annual #1. It also includes a gatefold reproduction of Keith Giffen’s amazing 1983 poster featuring every Legion character, complete with a guide as to who is whom.
This is not to be confused with the other Great Darkness Saga reprint volume, which looks like this:
…which, just to confused matters, also has been rereleased in a new edition with that same cover. This version reprints #287, #290 through #294 and Annual #3. As opposed to the chronologically-reprinted Deluxe Hardcover up there, this other book is intended to be Darkseid/Great Darkness-specific, including the follow-up in that third annual.
Speaking of Darkseid, one of the bits of business about the Great Darkness Saga when it originally ran in 1982 was that is was supposed to be a surprise when the Big Bad Guy, ol’ Craggy Face himself, finally shows up. After Kirby’s Fourth World reached its end, more or less, in the ’70s, Darkseid maybe popped up here and there but was mostly unused. “The Great Darkness Saga” put him back on the map as an imposing villain (along with a certain intercompany crossover the same year that also used him in an impressive fashion).
Given the fact that Darkseid’s appearance was a surprise, it’s a little amusing that his big ol’ noggin is prominently featured on these covers. It’d be like putting the Statue of Liberty on the Planet of the Apes movie poster (which I’m sure must have been done at some point). I realize the surprises for these have long since filtered into public consciousness (maybe more so the Lady Liberty thing than the Darkseid thing) and possibly no harm is done in putting a spoiler just right up front like that. However, there are people who come to these with fresh eyes and I feel bad there’s little to no chance of them enjoying the surprise as it comes, versus having it staring in the faces of those out to experience these stories for the first time.
The next Legion reprint hardcover comes out in May, but that one is entirely issues I read and own. I may still get it out of completeness because, y’know, I’m a comic collector an’ all.
Oh, and also, Bruce Willis’s character is a ghost. Look, I told you up there in the title of this post there’d be spoilers, don’t get mad at me.
Wait, there’s another collection coming out in May? I hope, hope, hope it’s some of the Levitz issues that haven’t been reprinted at all yet.
The beauty of this hardcover/softcover collection is that it begins with the first issue of Levitz’s second run with Pat Broderick. After suffering with Gerry Conway and Steve Ditko (love both, but not on LSH) and the like, that first issue was clearly the start of an awesome new direction. The prior collection had, as you say, only issues directly related to the Great Darkness, but this was a balm for my completist soul.
Crud.
The May collection is just a reissue of “The Curse.” We’ll still be missing a lot.
I myself am still waiting for Karate Kid collected edition before i consider it complete.
Maybe *this* time they’ll continue to reprint Levitz’s run…
@ Mike Sterling
“Speedball and Mary Jane vs Dr. Bong” is a hilarious idea! Too bad Steve Gerber isn’t still with us to write it!
All the “Great Darkness Saga” and Planet of the Apes commentary makes me wonder if DC ever had Darkseid pop up in the Kamandi -verse? Actually, it could be interesting to have a storyline where Darkseid is popping up in different Kirby timelines searching for the Anti-Life Equation. Such as the Middle Ages (The Demon), WW II (Guardian and Newsboy Legion, Boy Commandos, Manhunter, Sandman and Sandy), circa 1959 (Challengers of the Unknown), circa the ’70s ( Guardian and Newsboy Legion 2.0, Dingbats of Danger Street, Manhunter 3.0), the future (O.M.A.C., Kamandi).
It is too bad about the obvious spoilers, but the late-style Giffen illustration on the deluxe edition cover is so good. Darkseid is really overpowering the entire team.
Great Darkness Saga collected editions:
1989 trade, includes triple gatefold poster, $14.95
second edition of above, no posters, $14.95
rep #287, 290-294, Annual #3
2010 Deluxe HC, $39.99
rep #284-296, Annual #1
2014 TPB of the 2010 HC, $24.99
2024 TPB of the 1989 trade, $19.99 cover
2025 HC rep of 2010 HC
I want I want I WANT some LOSH omnis starting with the Cockrum stuff in the 70s up to the mid 1980s -or where ever would be a good end.
Include guest appearances, minis, like EVERYTHING.
Do it DC, damn it!
@ Brian F.
If they haven’t already done that, they definitely should. I think there were even a handful of stories in the back of Action Comics and Superboy in the early ’70s with George Tuska art, right before the Dave Cockrum and Murphy Anderson art stories. And those Tuska art stories marked the beginning of changing some of the Legion’s costumes from the corny looking Silver Age designs towards better looking futuristic designs.
So, yes, there should be an omni that includes all of the ’70s Legion stories–with art by Tuska, Cockrum, Anderson, Mike Grell, James Sherman, Joe Staton, Jim Starlin, Mike Netzer, Howard Chaykin, Ric Estrada, Dick Dillin, (and whoever else I might be leaving out)– up through the last issue of Superboy & The Legion of Super-Heroes; the Treasury Edition wedding of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad story; the two issues of the JLA where the Legion was part of the annual JLA/JSA team-up; and the complete run of the Karate Kid solo title.
Then, another Omni featuring the ’80s Legion of Super-Heroes run in its own title without Superboy, including when it became retitled as Tales of The Legion; the Secrets of the Legion mini-series; the Legionnaires 3 mini-series featuring Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Cosmic Boy; The Cosmic Boy mini-series; The Brave and The Bold appearance; the DC Comics Presents appearances; and up through the end of the Legion Baxter paper series– with art by Jimmy Janes, Steve Ditko, Pat Broderick, Keith Giffen, Howard Bender, George Tuska, Gene Colan, Terry Shoemaker, Dan Jurgens, Steve Lightle, Curt Swan, Ernie Colon, Greg Laroque, etc.
“This is not to be confused with the other Great Darkness Saga reprint volume, which looks like this”
That’s what i bought!
“Given the fact that Darkseid’s appearance was a surprise”
Also a surprise when he showed pu in Ambush Bug!
“Bruce Willis’s character is a ghost”
I swear, is that movie that director’s ONLY good movie? he completely FLUBBED the other two I’ve seen, with SHITTY, completely illogical endings.
“Steve Ditko”
He did the BLOK origin issue! I love that one!
“Karate Kid collected edition”
Did you all know that Keith Giffen HATED Karate Kid, and was happy to kill him off?
“It’d be like putting the Statue of Liberty on the Planet of the Apes movie poster (which I’m sure must have been done at some point)”
“Oops, I was wrong/It was earth, all along/I guess they finally made a monkey/they finally made a monkey out of me!” – Troy McLure.
Mike, THANK YOU. I have had so many arguments with people over the year who didn’t see what the fuss was about darkseid on the cover, because the story was so old, but just from a literary stance it’s kind of dumb. The problem is that the cover makes it impossible to engage with the story as it was intended to be engaged with. Sure, fans spoil stories for each other all the time and that’s a risk, but a publisher spoiling the twist of a story that they are publishing is just cray cray.
@Sean Mageean
Yes yes YES to all you wrote – YES!!!
@Adam
I think that reusing the cover of Legion of Super-Heroes no. 293 for trades of “The Great Darkness Saga” makes the most sense. It is an iconic Keith Giffen/Larry Mahlstadt cover from that classic story arc, yet it is also spoiler-free in that it doesn’t reveal that Darkseid is the main villain.
@ Brian F.
Thanks!
I realized I left out DC Special no. 28 “Earth-Shattering Disasters,” from 1977, which features a Legion story by Paul Levitz, Arvell Jones, and Bob Layton. I might have also missed some other more obscure ’70s Legion appearances that would be good in a ’70s Legion omni.
Brian F./Sean – the Archives and the hardcovers that followed reprint all that stuff. As of this writing, every Legion (save the Karate Kid series) through LSH #296 has been reprinted. The next volume in May gets us up to #313. I presume the COSMIC BOY and LEGIONNAIRES 3 minis will be reprinted eventually.
Adam – I think throwing Darkseid on the cover is a tacit admission that they’re not trying to sell this to people unfamiliar with the material. Just trying to get fans already in the know to rebuy material in new formats.
The DC Finest series that just got started include a Legion volume covering 1968-1974. It’s equivalent to the Marvel Epic line in being willing to publish out-of-order volumes that will eventually build up into a complete run.
So far the line also includes things like a Wonder Woman volume that’s the last chunk of her pre-Crisis run, a JLA that’s effectively volume 3 and a Green Lantern that’s volume 2. (Unlike Marvel Epic, they just have a date range rather than an explicit volume number, but it’s an easy extrapolation.)
“DC Special no. 28 “Earth-Shattering Disasters,””
Featuring “Ishtar”, “Heaven’s Gate”, & “Joker 2”.
“LEGIONNAIRES 3”
Oh, that was good!
“Darkseid on the cover”
Will also help with sales!
„ The next volume in May gets us up to #313. I presume the COSMIC BOY and LEGIONNAIRES 3 minis will be reprinted eventually.“
Well, that volume, „The Curse,“ was originally printed 10 years ago and we never got the material after that (except two smaller trades of the start of Baxter run) and the 5YL omnibus), so I wouldn’t hold my breath. No idea why not. Maybe because of post-Crisis fumbling around? Though, TBH, it got MUCH worse in the 5YL, so who knows?
But I would kill to get those minis, the Secret of Sensor Girl and the Magic Wars, etc. reprinted. Those were solid, solid stories.
@Mikester
My problem is most of the collections are out of print – at least when I look them up and try to put together an affordable set it’s too much for my pocketbook.
I guess I could just start piecing things together now, but I’m sure as soon as I pull the trigger on a few books an omni will be announced anyway.
Or maybe not – I dunno.
Complaing on the internet is much more productive. :)
“Complaining on the internet is much more productive”.
And it’s FREE!
A bit late to the party, but I can definitely confirm that a Planet of the Apes DVD cover prominently featured The Statue of Liberty head.
https://www.thesnipenews.com/thegutter/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Planet-of-the-Apes-DVD-cover.jpg