Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga Paperback – February 18, 2014

My all time favorite LoSH storyline I call `Here a Villain, There a Villain' although that's actually just the name of the first issue of the five issue storyline published in 1984. It features the awesome talents of Keith Giffen, Larry Mahlstedt and Paul Levitz as the Legion fought against a supersized Legion of Super Villains led by Nemesis Kid and featured the death of Karate Kid. To the best of my knowledge this storyline has never been reprinted although the comics can be purchased very cheaply. The Darkness Saga predates that story but features the same writer and artists and clearly has much more recognition. So let me see if it can match up to my favorite.The book starts off modestly, actually it starts off horribly. It begins with issue 284 but the Darkness Saga storyline started with issue 290 which means the first six issues here are just bonus material which would be a nice treat if they weren't so God awful. The art by Pat Broderick and Bruce Patterson has zero charm and looks amateurish. On Wikipidia Broderick himself says that he was let go from Marvel in 1982 because Jim Shooter felt his art "sucked". The writing by Levitz is so dense and exposition heavy that reading it is like wading through molten lead and the absurd angst of the Legion members is off the charts. I could barely stand the endless "witty" banter between the Legion members and the stories were just dumb. During one tale Dream Girl is trying to capture a trio of bank thieves and begins to use her flight ring to control the gravity of objects around her ala Star Boy. Huh? When did the flight ring have that ability? She even admits that she's probably the first person to use it that way but why would no one ever use this amazing feature. That's like buying a car and just using the engine to cook bacon never considering that it could be used as a means of transportation. This is the kind of goofiness I would expect on an episode of the Superfriends and it's all through these early stories.After over 200 pages we finally get to the main event, issue 290 and the start of The Great Darkness Saga. Giffen and Mahlstedt are now the full time artists giving the series a HUGE visual boost and Levitz has ratcheted down the expository dialogue making the story much more readable. So this is the story Comic Book Resources named as one of the top 11 of all time, that Comic Buyers Guide ranked as one of the top storylines of the 20th century. Let me just say that this one is a barn burner. Levitz manages to create a story with a big event feel that ranks up there and perhaps exceeds the Sinestro Corps Wars and this was prior to the age of the big events. The Darkness Saga came out three years before Crisis on Infinite Earths and is way ahead of it's time. One interesting thing to note is that the LoSH issue that follows that Great Darkness Sage has a plot point that ended up being the catalyst for the Crisis maxiseries. The pacing is superb with a slow simmering buildup leading to the inevitable reveal of Darkseid and then all hell just breaks loose. Levitz managed to effectively establish Darkseid as a foe like no other with him defeating the heaviest of heavy hitters of the 30th century. By the end every complaint I had about Levitz writing style just evaporated as the story completely rocks. It's obvious that the creative forces on this story knew they were creating something that was far beyond the average comic book story. Check out the two page spread on pages 332 and 333 which reproduces Leonardo DaVinci's Sistine Chapel with Darkseid taking the place of God.Here a Villain, There a Villain remains my favorite LoSH storyline but that's likely only because I'm reading this story 28 years after it was originally written. Nowadays big events are so commonplace it's ridiculous, Darkseid has been used to death and the big villain reveal is spoiled by its common knowledge and the fact that his image graces the cover of the book. Even with all those things working against it, it still remains tremendously powerful. I have a feeling that Giffen had quite a bit of input into the writing because it is shocking how much it improves. After 200 pages I felt like I was suffering through this book but after finishing it I would call it essential reading for DC Comic fans. It just blows my mind that I was 12 years old when this came out and it completely passed me by even though I was an avid comic reader at the time. I really would put this among the great comic storylines of all time and hardily recommend this book.

Book is in excellent condition. A little beaten up but it’s just as described by the seller.That’s to be expected for a used book, an out of print on at that.I would buy from these folks again.

This storyline is one of the first I read when I started collecting comics. Hooked me completely. A very serious toned story with great art. It was fun experiencing it again. However, the amount of prequel issues seemed excessive to me and had me skipping issues and checking if I was reading the correct collection. There were just the smallest bits of detail to contribute. I guess if you’re obsessive about completeness that’s a good thing. For me, until I hit the main issues, it was boring. Almost want to give this three stars as a judgment upon the collection rather than the saga but it holds a sway over my mind.

Much like what the Dark Phoenix saga over at Marvel did for the X-Men, so did The Great Darkness Saga elevate The Legion of Superheroes to a level of excellence in the early eighties that rival comics would find hard to match. Of course, much of the story-line's success should be attributed to writer Paul Levitz, who went on to become possibly the greatest scribe to ever pen the Legion. This mammoth hardcover includes at least 400 pages of action, intrigue, horror and suspense, along with stunning art from a variety of pencillers that bring the Legion's 30th century setting to vivid life. As a bonus extra comics were included from before and after the main story that gives new readers a pleasant introduction to a wide variety of interesting superheroes. In total it collects 13 Legion issues, from #284 to 296 of the first series, including a massive annual filled with pulse-pounding superhero battles.Even with all the awesome extra material, the main story is the real diamond that, in my humble opinion, should be read by every comic book fan on the planet. Not only does it feature one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe (trust me, even newcomers to the Legion would know him), but it also contains in-depth character development of all the individual Legionnaires, no small feat when a writer has to juggle dozens of characters. Superboy, Supergirl, Karate Kid, Mon-El, Ultra Boy, Invisible Kid, Blok, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Wildfire, Dawnstar...all of them and many more become characters you care about once the stakes are raised and the universe threatens to go BOOM.As an earlier reviewer mentioned, the only critique that could apply to this collection is the blatant reveal by the publishers and online stores of the main villain's identity that left readers of the original comics flabbergasted 30 years ago. The entire Saga was originally written with the sole intention of keeping the mystery baddie's identity secret until the very end. However, just one look at the image solicited by Amazon on the product page gives away that revelation that I so enjoyed as a kid reading LSH #293 in my dad's study ages ago.In spite of this, this collection still garners 5 stars. It is simply one of the greatest comic book stories ever printed. Buy it, and I'm sure you'll agree.

Contiene muchas historias originales. Muy bueno a mi parecer. Si te gusntan las historias de esa época, es una excelente opción

Enredo 10, uma estória a frente do seu tempo! Na época (1982) não havia cultura de estórias seqüenciais, além de muito bem escrita e desenhada! A versão nacional deveria ter as 200 páginas a mais que esta edição traz, mostraria o verdadeiro ambiente e o prelúdio do que a Legião viria a enfrentar!

My only gripe with this collected edition, is the spoiler on the cover. This is by far one of the greatest comic book stories ever. Made me a fan of the Legion of Superheroes. Epic and glorious, with incredible build ups and a throroughly satisfying climax.

This is one of the most well-known story lines I collected when I was in my teens. It was a very big story for a title that had a bumpy ride in the world of comics. However, this is their best. It features nearly every Legionnaire and Darkseid. What more could you ask for? Enjoy!

Initially, like many younger fans of the comic genre, I automatically threw this book to the side on seeing its 1984 artwork. Having been used to the modern stylish and more realistic definition of comics today I was not amused at the artwork of this book. However, as I began to read more and more of the Great Darkness Saga, I learned soon enough that not only were the visuals perfect for the story itself, but that the story was by and large one of the most immersive and enjoyable reads i've ever had with a comic. Not only did Paul Levitz take D.C's most diabolical villain into the 31st century, he left a great level of mystery and foreshadowing before to create a story full to the brim with suspense and intrigue.The plots that the legionnaires live in this comic are also so wonderful. It's hard to balance a character roster of 10 members in the justice league, but the legion is composed of up to 25 members at a time, and yet Levitz is able to not only put them into solid teams where they can play off each other, but he also makes intertwining romances, drama and relationships build between these 31st century aliens and humans SO WELL.The Great Darkness Saga is by far one of the best if not the BEST reads in comics i've ever had the pleasure of reading. It is so rich with wonderful characters, relationships, drama, the ultimate arch villain, mystery, and of course a whole lot of fighting. This is definitely the greatest work of Paul Levitz's career (curse is a definitely a good one too) and it has made me a lifelong fan of the Legion of Superheroes. If you're thinking about buying a great comic full of days of reading, then this is DEFINITELY the comic for you. Looks may be deceiving, so give it a little bit of time to warm up, but once it moves past the first story, it really picks up.LONG LIVE THE LEGION! (haha im a dork)