Super-Blog Team Up Vol. 3 The Great Darkness Saga

 

 

Well its been a while heroes, and I proudly present the 3 volume of the ever growing Super-Blog Team Up! If you may have been living in a Blogger cave the SBTU are a group of comic loving super fans who have united to have their own unique voice on one ultimate topic! Our ranks have grown and we are very proud of our team and hope that you not only check out this post here at the Satellite but all the other blogs as well. Stay with me at the bottom of this post you will see links to our entire groups body of Super-Blog Team Up posts!! Each blog is different and you will get a very different approach to each topic! That’s enough about us..Ìf this is your first time visiting The Super-Hero Satellite..Welcome..if not my “Satellite Subscribers” know that its time to STRAP IN HEROES..our destination..the 30th Century. Flight Rings on Legionnaires I have a feeling we are in for a bumpy ride.

 

 

 

It was 1980 something and as I have said many times before I inherited a mountain of coverless comics each month as a result of the destruction practices of a local side store when magazines were rotated monthly! In my numerous hauls I received in Legion Of SuperHeroes issue #287 .The book, seemingly a throw away issue of The Legion contained an “Prologue To Darkness” at the end which teased the debut of something Sinister about to unleash itself on the Legion..something familiar to DC fans..but what? Who? Boy did the Legion ever find out! We were left hanging on this plot point until issue# 290!! Which in the 80s was an eternity!! No internet, no Twitter, no comic book chat rooms or message boards to hash out DCs plan! We simply..waited.

 

 

 

Begin Transmission May 21 2014

The Great Darkness Saga is know as the biggest and best Legion Of SuperHeroes storyline off all time…and for good reason! In 1982 DC in vol. 2 of its Legion Of Super-Heroes title released the 5 issue arc in issues #290-294. (6 issues if you include issue #297 with its teaser story “Prologue To Darkness” in which Mon-El and Shadow Lass run head long into a battle with “The Darkness”) its 6 issue run bravely penned by Legion scribe extrordinare Mr. Paul Levitz and art duties by legend Keith Giffen (Whom I have a love hate relationship in the 80 over his art style) and Larry Mahlstedt. It features virtually every living past and present Legionnaire as of 1982,including one of my favorite side teams the Legion of Substitute Heroes, The Legion goes head to head with the most powerful nemesis they have ever faced who’s identity is masked in Darkness and would not be officially revealed until the end of the arc! Here at the Satellite will spoil the daylights out of this book so If you dont know who is behind the Legions woes...STOP READING HERE

 

A Prelude into Darkness..

Issue #297 was one of my first LOSH issues . This issue was particularly memorable for me as the Legion sends an Espionage Squad to the planet Khund to the shigrin of Legion Leader Lighting Lad (Top 3 Personal Fave btw!!) Lighting Lad gets so upset that three Legionnaires betrayed his orders not to go to the Khund home world that he up and relinquishes his leadership in this issue and simply gifts it to Element Lad. ELEMENT LAD? Anyways..As a Legion fan as a kid seeing Lighting Lad lose it then some hot battles in the issue with Chameleon Boy and Timber Wolf against Kharlak in a gladiator pit..I was hooked!! Of course it was the backup story that kept me coming back to LOSH!

Issue 290 of Vol. 2 of LOSH begins the ultimate Legion Storyline. The Great Darkness Saga. A mysterious “Master Of Darkness” wreaks havoc on the 30th Century..who or what is the Darkness? We would find out as would the Legion as they faced their Ultimate enemy ..a familiar foe..in his greatest hour..

*Satellite Side Note: Why cant Giffen draw like he does in these books anymore? His art noir style is very distracting seeing what he can do in these older books! Get on it Giffen!

 

 

The Servants Arrive…

The Legionnaires face dark and powerful beings stealing potent artifacts from around the universe on behalf of their unseen master.

For those who are not much into reading per say..heres the Great Darkness Saga video comic! Oh you knew it was coming!!

 

 

 

In the 30th century, Legion of Super-Heroes Cosmic Boy leads a band of Legionnaires (Super-Boy, and Invisible Kid) on an investigation into attacks on the Museum of the Mystic Arts and the Tower of London, both located on Earth. Their investigation would be wrapped up in short order as the individuals responsible for the attacks are in no mood to hide out..The “Servant of Darkness” blow through a wall Kool-Aid Man style! Oh Yeah!!

There is something about the power found in several different artifacts and the “Darkness is in hot pursuit of its powers!!

 

At each site they are attacked by beings of great power, both of whom are shrouded in darkness and mention that they are servants of their “Master” who controls the “Great Darkness“. Through the use of a teleportation warp, the beings escape with two stolen items: a mystical wand from the museum…and the sword Excalibur from the Tower of London.

Excaliber still holds power in the 30th Century and “The Servants Of Darkness” are on a mission to get it for “The Master” at all costs!

When a third Servant attempts to steal the Orb of Orthanax from the Institute of Parapsychological Phenomena of Talok VIII, she is captured. However, a fourth Servant appears via another teleportation warp and absconds with the Orb. At his unknown base of operations, the Master absorbs the power contained within each of the stolen artifacts.

 

SATELLITE BREAK TIME: AFTER THESE MESSAGES WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK…

Part of the Legions charm was their diverse nature. Costumes definitely one of them. Above I have provided my worst offenders of this fashion faux pas! The ladies usually had pretty obscene costumes as well but none of the males readers were complaining about PC issues back in the early 80s! A motion picture treatment of this band of SuperHeroes would surely have a massive uniform overhaul if such an idea came to pass! I vote that Dawnstar and Dream Girls costumes remain the same. If you dont know what I mean google their names and you`ll get the picture! Awesome! Anyways..I digress..lets get back to the Darkness Saga!!

And Welcome back..now where did we leave off..Oh yes as all the servants of the darkness return the powerful artifacts one by one to the Master we see that there is something most sinister at hand. What is the Masters ultimate endgame? What will he do with all this “power??

 

The Minions do “The Masters” bidding..

 

 

The captive Servant is taken back to Legion headquarters and NOT the Clubhouse sadly..more on that comment later!. When she is brought in close proximity to Invisible Kid’s younger sister Danielle Foccart, who has been possessed by the rogue artificial intelligence Computo,Danielle’s brain activity spikes. In the end, the Servant causes the comatose Computo to have a nightmare.

The Great Darkness Unleashed..

 

In Issue 291 Mon-El and Shadow Lass analyze a captured female minion and find a shocking discovery that a captured a female member of the Servants of Darkness is actually a clone! This is something that will come into play much later in the series. The minions of The Darkness are more than they seem..

Of course for those too cheap or lazy to read these books..heres your hook up!

 

 

 

The Legion meanwhile have to cast their votes for a new leader as Lighting Lad quit in issue 297 after a squad of Legionnaires disobeyed his orders. Element Lad (I know I know..Faaaaack!) who Lighting Lad abruptly appointed to temporary leader is very eager to keep his newly begotten promotion to as leader. Mon-El, Shadow Lass and Ultra Boy go to Takron-Galtos to clean up after a massive escape attempt. They come into conflict again with the Servants of Darkness. Another squad of Legionnaires goes to Avalon where they find Mordru sitting in a smoldering crater mumbling to himself. They know that the Servants’ leader is more powerful than even their toughest adversaries.

 

Another group of Legionnaires attend Dream Girl to her home world Naltor to meet up with her sister the White Witch. This particular part of the storyline is basic trope materila with little substance. The Dream Girl character is one of that I wonder if writers could have done a better more interesting job with..but alas..The Servants of Darkness appear there as well and fight the Legionnaires. Dream Girl has a vision and learns that they are fated to lose against the Servants and their master.

Satellite Break: We will be right back after these messages!

 

The greatest thing about being a comic book fan was making my own! I have great memories of dragging along my stack of Adventure Comics Digests with me no matter where I went especially if it was a camping trip! I would stay in that trailer for hours as everyone else enjoyed the outdoors. I remember one comic I had drawn as a kid all about the Legion. Of course all my books featured Timber Wolf, Wildfire and Lighting Lad!! The Triple Threat! To this day I wish I still had those hand made classics but I still managed to work a little photo shop magic from time to time! If I only had this technology in the early 80s what I could have done!

 

The Legion Of Super-Heroes were always excellent to me because they did everything you could think of with the team that has been ripped off by every other main group out there! They rotated leaders so many times it became comedic. Seriously Element Lad as leader? Come on! Before the Avengers became The West Coast Avengers the Legion had The Legion Of Substitute Heroes! The Legion guest starred every significant hero in the DC universe and had many of them honorary members! They had a Clubhouse when everyone else had Satellites, Caves, Halls of Justice, and Baxter Buildings, they had..a Clubhouse! The Super-Hero Clubhouse to be exact where all Legionnaires would congregate for their weekly club meetings. Membership was limited and was restricted a simple vote by the executive Legionnaires. Even Super Boy himself had to go through the voting system and was turned down by a panel of judges comprised of original Legionnaires Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. Of course it was all a ruse in this case to play with Supes but this method of selection was the real deal for the Legion! Simple , lighthearted 60s magic in comic books..the Legion was a great read! As they grew up things got more serious, they moved out of the Clubhouse and into the afore mentioned satellite and other headquarters!

Times up back to the topic at hand!!

 

Darkness in a Childs eye..

As the Legionnaires battle the minions of darkness on Sorcerers’ World, the Teachers of that planet bring something through a space-warp intended to shift the battle in their favor–a baby. The Baby storyline is at times a confusing mess and is a bit of a drag on the storyline as the majority of one issue is dedicated to this familiar “Chosen One” storyline which is a little odd Levitz would take this route..but it is the 80s and the concept at this point was still someone relevant. Flash forward to 2014 today the “Chosen One ” gimmick is beat to death ..but I digress. I am talking to YOU George Lucas!! Back to the story..The battle gets hot and heavy as the Minions of the Darkness easily dispatch the Legionnaires ans for once it appears the mysterious Dark Lord has the advantage..

 

One after the other the Legion begin to fall as the Master Of Darkness dispatches his minions in full unbridled force..

 

Darkness Triumphant…

All hell breaks loose in issue 293 While the Legion fights his clone-minions, Darkseid takes mental control of the populace of Daxam and unleashes them on the universe as his warriors. The big reveal is upon us as The Legion is beaten and battered at the hands of the Darkness..One thousand years in the future, The Master has been absent for centuries and is almost completely forgotten. He returns and comes into conflict with that era’s champions, the Legion of Super-Heroes. After using both scientific and magical methods to enhance his power, The Master transposes the planets Apokolips and Daxam—which puts Daxam under flames of a yellow sun and gives the people of Daxam Kryptonian-like superpowers on par with the Man Of Steel himself.. Superman. With a Legion of Daxamites under his mental control, he uses them in a massive invasion attempt to conquer the known universe…Darkseid reshapes the planet in his own image..the rest of the universe is on notice.

 

 

The Legion a clear mismatch..falls at the might of the “Master” upon overseeing his emasculation of Legion heavy hitters like SuperMan, Mon-El, and WildFire..The Master finally reveals himself to the 30th century..Wildfire and Timber Wolf were my favorite two Legionnaires during the early 80s. These are two more examples of characters mishandled and could have been given the solo treatment if not at least a DC Mini Series!! Timber Wolf was a character in particular that DC underutilized.He is often noted as being a version of Marvel Comics character, Wolverine but it was The Wolf who actually predated the Weapon X and was always a Darkhorse character for me. At different times DC played with Timber Wolfs look at times reaching a full on “Wolverinesq” look then other times pulling back significantly! Timber Wolf was first damn it!! Dave Cockrum the man who would go on to draw Wolverine may have “Considered” Wolverines look when creating Logan for Marvel. Bastards..Timber Wolf gets no respect!!

Okay back on track..our band of heroes have been blasted and battered..not even the son of Krypton can save them..The Darkness proves to be too much of an adversary than the Legion have ever faced..

 

Legion Falls at the hands of The Servants Of Darkness..

 

and if there was any doubt at this point then my friend I cannot give you another vowel on Wheel Of Fortune. The “Master” is finally revealed as…drum roll please…

Wait..its break time again..Time for the Satellite to reflect on its favorite Legionnaires of all time. See you all after these messages!

And we are back..on to the big reveal as if there was any doubt..

Issue #294 Vol. 2 Of Legion of Super-Heroes presents the ultimate conclusion to The Great Darkness Saga..and there is no doubt who the Super Bad is in this one as the Master of Darkness is front and center in this Cataclysmic Conclusion to the Great Darkness Saga!! However before we get into the conclusion to Saga..after years of laying dormant King Kirbys greatest evil creation once again rose to the main event of the card! DARKSEID was reborn thousands of years later..in the FUTURE!! Now the Legion would find out what Apokolips had known for centuries..no one rules harder than the Lord Of Apokolips..The Great Darkness Saga had indeed paid off their reveal with a very real high powered threat!

Darkseid Rises..

 

In the mean time The Legionnaires locate Darkseid homeworld. The Legion begin to get the upper hand on the Servants of Darkness .Engaging the Servants in battle, Wildfire destroys the Guardian clone, while Element Lad exposes the Superman clone to Kryptonite allowing Timber Wolf to destroy him.Finally the Legion gain some ground in the fight but it would take a miracle to take on billions of adversaries..victory however would come in another unexpected form from the past…Darkseids past to be exact. A prophecy would unfold…at least a fabricated one…

 

 

 

Legionnaire , Brainiac 5 recognizes the Master’s home world as Apokolips and discovers that it is actually Darkseid who is causing such chaos! He understands that their opponent is not one they are going to simply vanquish..in fact they ponder do they even stand a chance against evil incarnate!

Brainiac 5 briefs Dream Girl on his discovery, she sends out a second full scale alert to all of the Legion’s allies, including the Legion of Substitute Heroes and Supergirl, The coalition brought together including the Kryptonian intelligence agent Dev-Em, the Heroes of Lallor, the Wanderers, the Legion Of Substitute Heroes and the all remaining Legionnaires all battle for their lives bearing the onslaught of Darkseid’s newly possessed Daxamites.

Meanwhile the aforementioned humanoid child begins to ages at an highly accelerated rate,Darkseid tries to seize the child, it completes the aging process and reveals itself to be Darkseid’s ancient enemy The Highfather of the New Gods from the planet New Genesis (and the entity aiding the White Witch). Highfather transforms the last remaining Servant into a perfect clone of Darkseid’s son Orion, who is destined to someday destroy his father.

 

Before fading into nothingness, Highfather calls on Superboy and Supergirl to the war waging above Apokolips, and uses his power to allow the Kryptonians to maintain their abilities under a red sun.

Darkseid destroys the Orion clone and sends Superboy back to the 20th century. Darkseid becomes so wrapped up with battling the Legionnaires that he loses his mental hold control of the Daxamites, who turn their way back toward the to stop Darkseid. Realizing that he cannot defeat three billion Daxamites, Darkseid accepts defeat and vanishes, Apokolips and all. As he leaves, he bestows the Legionnaires the “curse of darkness” which will destroy them from within, promising “that which is purest of you shall be the first to go.”With that..the Legion stand victories..beaten and battered but triumphant in the moment of their most extreme battle.

 

Summary: With the help of a billion extra super powered individuals, The New Gods, and all of the Legionnaires, the Dark Master concedes..even Darkseid is no dummy and gets outta Dodge before the proverbial shite hits the fan. With Darkseid gone the Legion finally regrouped very much weather beaten and battered. Returning to the good old Legion Club House the team regroups and life goes back to futuristic order. Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl go on to have a child and we live happily ever after right??

 

Just as Lighting Lad and Saturn Girls child is about to be born the Legion Satellite (All cool Super Hero Groups use Satellites!! I am just saying!) is engulfed in a dark smoke like substance forcing the power to go out..and the Doctor has to deliver the child..IN THE DARK!! Hmmm..are you smelling a rat?

 

However it looks like there was a miracle..despite the Darkness..despite the trouble the Legion has been through lately it looks like they are in for some luck. The baby is delivered problem free, healthy and happy. Finally after all the turmoil Lighting Lad and Saturn Girl will finally have peace in their lives!! In a particularly unusual moment Saturn Girl is discussing an unusual sensation of feeling TWO thought patterns inside her. Shes a telepath see and she picks up on stuff like that..but she dismisses her thoughts as nothing and remains content with her newborn child. We leave the legionnaires for once..happy.

However happiness would not last for the Legion. There HAD been TWO children indeed inside of Saturn Girl and in the darkness the second child had been STOLEN…so it was written and so It shall come to pass Darkseid’s final words before he conceded in his great war with the Legion spoke of leaving them A CURSE..that would one day destroy you from “Within!!” And so…

 

 

 

After a Great War..and a great defeat ..it is Darkseid who would not simply go down in flames of defeat but stand victorious with the Ultimate victory the birth of one of the Legions greatest enemies..Lightning Lads own Son…VALIDUS!! But that is a story for another time..

 

 

Well thats it from us here at the Super-Hero Satellite..hope you have enjoyed your guest tour of our technological monstrosity!. The Darkness Saga was certainly a tough battle for all (Author included!!) but there is no time to rest. The Blogosphere is in danger and THESE blogs need your help to review their own chapters of the Super-Blog Team Up!! Click on these links below I guarantee you that you will enjoy and become fans of these blogs like I have! Strap in tight Heroes..we are about to enter another chapter of Super-Blog Team Up! Hope you have enjoyed the ride but your journey is just beginning!

LongBox Graveyard: Thanos: Love and Death

Flodo’s Page: Villainous Villanies Of The LampLighter!

Silver Age Sensations: The Voracious Villainy of The Crimson Dynamo !

Chasing Amazing: Carnage: How I Helped Create This Monster!

Between The Pages: Two Villains Rule The World Of Cakes! Darth Vader and Boba Fett!

Superior Spider Talk :Peter Parkers Parents!! COMING SOON

Bronze Age Babies: The Frightful Four: Are Brains Required For This Outfit!

The Daily Rios: JLA vs. The Beasts!

Vic Sage Via The Retroist: Doctor Doom: Doom Of Destiny And Denial!

The Unspoken Decade: GodKillers: DoomsDay and Bane!

The Super-Hero Satellite: Darkseid: The Great Darkness Saga! (Hey you are already here!)

Satellite Extra Extra!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super-Blog Team Up Part 4: Superman:” “The Day They Walked Away..”

“The Day They Walked Away..” A 6 part Limited Series Presented by The Super-Blog Team Up

Welcome back Satellite Subscribers and welcome aboard to our new visitors. This is a very special post today as I have invited a few friends to join me from across the internet to help weave a tale in many parts.  In the title you may have noticed the term Super-Blog Team Up. Over the past few years I have had the honor of speaking with a few folks who run their own blogs all of which I visit quite frequently. The Super-Blog Team are yours truly, Charlton Hero, representing the Super-Hero Satellite , and other blockbuster blogs like LongBox Graveyard, Chasing Amazing, Silver Age Sensations, Flodo’s Page, and The Fantastiverse. So before we begin, this post is part 4 in a 6 blog post series so I encourage you to check out the first 3 posts in this series (All links at the end of this post!)..If you already have done so, then enjoy this next installment!

Superman: The Man Of Steel. Pop Cultures definition of the term Super-Hero.

Hey Satellite Subscribers welcome to a very special edition of The Super-Hero Satellite. This technological masterpiece known as The Super-Hero Satellite, tracks all Super Powered Heroes from all parts of the galaxy. Heroes protect us, stop the occasional inter-dimensional threat, thwart an approaching alien invasion, save a kid from a burning fire or simply stop that pick pocket on the corner street. They are a role model, they are our icons, they are what we strive to be in our daily lives. Their duty is a weight so heavy only those blessed with that something extra can bear..They are Super Heroes.

Superman through the ages..

What happens when our Heroes simply can no longer bear that responsibility. What happens when the Super Powered that walk among us finally cannot sacrifice any more…This is the story of Kal- El, The Son Of Krypton. Sent from a doomed planet to fulfill his destiny as earths number one Super Hero. The son of Jor-El went on to become the face of Americana. The face of Earths real Mightiest Heroes..The Justice League. This is the story of the price of being a Super Hero , about the day he walked away..when he returned..when he made the Ultimate sacrifice..and the day he became one of us….This is Superman. He may have been the most human out of us all..

A World Without Superman??

From the early days of the character, Superman was the ultimate Super Hero. He had the Cadillac of super powers. He was virtually invincible, he could run as fast as the Flash, He was stronger than any Green Skinned Hulk, He had X-Ray vision, he had Heat vision, super breath, and by god he could fly! Superman’s powers of course varied as the times changed and throughout his many incarnations. Superman from his inception in the pages of Action Comics number one, to his numerous incarnations on the small screen, and to the screens of Hollywood and beyond, the one thing all incarnations have in common are his need for acceptance or to just be “normal”. Common through all genres of the character is the love story we all know between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. It’s an essential story thread that almost all Superman writers have used as a nucleus to The Superman character. It is also the contributing factor to Clark’s constant search for humanity and was the only thing that ever made Superman quit being a hero.

The Most Iconic Comic Book Cover Of Our Time. Action Comics #1

From his debut Superman’s interest in Lois Lane has always be central to his character and is a basis for his social life as his alter ego Clark Kent. Superman constantly put his own life aside to save the lives of those on earth..but mostly the apple of his eye..Lois. From the start Kal-El was smitten with Ms. Lane.

Where would the world be without Lois and Clark?

The comics medium played with Clark’s yearning to be normal on several occasions and most times it was all due to his relationship with Lois. Tiring of the Super-life and wanting to settle down Superman called it quits many times!! One of the most memorable covers dealing with the subject was Superman Vol. 1 Issue 298 . Superman unknowingly under the influence of his neighbor Mr. Xaiver is mentally torn between being Superman or staying as his alter ego Clark Kent. Even though this story which ran three issues was a throw away with little consequence, the theme of Kal-El battling with this very decision is a common theme in all forms of Superman media.

“Who Took The Super Out Of Superman” Mr. Xavier, Clark Kent’s mysterious neighbor, is an alien named Xavier who changes Superman into only being able to use his powers when in costume. Superman believes that his body is trying to tell him to choose either Superman or Clark, and reject his other persona.

Sometimes, especially in the Golden or Silver age, Superman simply quit being either himself or his Alter Ego…many of these stories were short-lived and their impact on continuity was very minimal if anything back in the day. The struggle to be the Super-Hero or just a normal mortal was always one Clark struggled with!

Clark always some how was pulled into a particular direction by Lois. His choices usually hinged on whether Lois was around or the trouble she found herself in on a particular day. To be honest Superman spent most of the Golden Age and The Silver Age rescuing Lois no matter if it was in the pages of the comics he was featured in such as Action Comics or his own Superman title. Heck his chivalry was always in the spotlight on the small screen as well. Fleischer studios Superman cartoon  had Clark always there at her call!

“Clark Kent, Get Out Of My Life!”Superman decides to live without Clark Kent, and battles Solarman, a sun-powered villain, while Xaiver (Clark’s scheming neighbor) robs Clark Kent’s apartment.

While early DC writers tinkered with the idea of Superman or Clark Kent calling it quits they never ever really pulled the trigger..that is until the 1980s where Superman went through a renaissance of sorts. The 1980s began with the a clear template of what the Man of Steel would look like for the majority of the 80s. Christopher Reeve and his 70s movie titled simply “Superman” was a runaway hit at the box office prompting the 1980 sequel Superman 2!  This movie dealt with the idea of what would happen if Superman gave up being Superman and became a normal human assuming his alter ego of Clark Kent permanently!

Superman 2. Long thought of as the BEST of all four original Superman Movies!

In Superman 2 the basic plot is that Lois Lane learns Clark’s secret that his is indeed the Man Of Steel. Superman surrenders and is so strong in his feelings for Lois decides to give up the cape and become just Clark! Kent agrees to marry Lois which is a consistent theme in all eras of Superman lineage, but this marriage has big one problem. Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to marry Lois, but is  unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he mistakenly  released are now about to conquering Earth.

Clark is determined to finally show Lois he is serious about his love for her and decides that he will give up his powers completely so he can live a normal life at her side for the rest of their lives. A noble gesture as seen in the movie!

Clark sees the error of his decision and decides that he will not allow his adopted home be overtaken by his fellow Kryptonian’s. A powerless Clark has a wake up call in a diner when he attempts to defend the honor of his love Lois only to come to the grim realization that he sacrificed his power and gets his ass handed to him..this scene serves as his sign that the world needs Superman! Guess what..Superman returns and General Zod and his cronies are sent back to the phantom zone with a one way ticket from The Man Of Steel!

The events in the movie are a message to everyone including Kal-El that the world NEED’s Superman and he needs them as well. Everything wraps up neatly with the criminals vanquished and Lois retaining any recollection of Clark’s identity is erased from her conscious. In a funny loose end at the end of the movie Clark decides to pay a visit to the man who handed him a beating as a human in the diner and well..lets just say it does not pay to be a bully!

The comics themselves used a number of themes after that from the movie but perhaps the best example of this comes at the very end of DC’s Silver age. DC had the need to somehow organize the history of its Superheroes and give the DC universe a defined sense of origin. The 50s, 60s, and 70s, produced many continuity bending throw away stories that confused many readers and writers trying to tie years of history together in a sensible fashion. The characters did not age, and thus were burdened with years of continuity baggage to where it was impossible to present the audience with a clean universe where everything made chronological sense. From these seeds grew Crisis On Infinity Earth. It revamped the entire history of the DC Universe and gave all heroes a fresh start..at least for several years.

Crisis tied up all Silver Age Loose ends and it was a vehicle for DC to in essence end Superman as we knew him..this lead neatly into the final issue of the series..

Alan Moore penned an epic FINAL Superman tale called “What Ever Happened to The Man Of Tomorrow” which many hold in high regard for its impact. The end of the Silver Age Superman was a final tribute to the Man of Steel in which he gives up and actually disappears forever ..literally.  It begins 10 years after the last silver age issue of Superman where the last days of Superman are recapped from the words of a now remarried Lois Lane Elliot. Lois recaps the events leading to Superman’s last days on earth as he simply walked away forever after what he felt was the last straw for him as a hero. She tells the tale of Superman’s long guarded secret has finally been exposed to the public, and the earth shattering consequences of that revelation. Those close to Superman are killed by Super Villains extracting revenge upon the Man of Steel forcing Superman to do the one thing he always stood against..killing..

“What Ever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow” Superman has broken his own code to never kill, Superman, in penance, voluntarily enters a chamber containing a sample of Gold Kryptonite (which would permanently drain him of his powers), and disappears into the Arctic wasteland. When the other heroes enter the remains of the Fortress, they find only Perry White, his wife, and Lois still alive. Superman’s body is never found, and it is assumed by all parties that he wandered into the Arctic wasteland, powerless, to die.

Superman walks away as not to endanger his loved ones..and for Lois..

The end of the Silver Age brought the dawning of a new era. DC revamped many of its titles and Superman was one of the first on that list. The Mini Series penciled by John Byrne, simply called the Man Of Steel, hit the reset button on the character we all know as Superman.

In the The Man Of Steel #1, the planet Krypton is shown as a cold and emotionally devoid planet, an concept Byrne borrowed from the 1978 film Superman. Kal-El was not an infant sent from Krypton to Earth, rather, his fetus was placed in a “birthing matrix” equipped with a rocket engine and Jor-El’s experimental warp drive, with Kal-El gestating during the trip to Earth. Once the rocket landed, Kal-El was fully “born” on Earth. A huge contrast to the Adopted Alien Son on Earth theme that was the basis to the original character.

I picked up The Man  Of Steel trade on a summer vacation in Toronto Ontario Canada after searching aimlessly for a comic book store. I ended up setting for a book store in a mall in Renfrew Ontario and I saw it on the shelf. Despite it being well outside of my price range I did walk away with that book! I still own it and appreciate it to this day. I loved John Byrne’s Superman, in fact, outside of Curt Swans version of the Silver Age Superman, Byrne’s is the best! Byrne created a Superman that did not pretend to be anything but what he was. In Byrne,s version, Clark Kent was not the school nerd and social outcast as Clark was portrayed as on film and in early comic books, instead he used his power to be the head of the Football team and was actually popular in school! Byrne attempted to ground Superman in reality. Gone where the Superboy years, Superman family, Super Pets and Giant keys to the fortress of solitude. A lot of what made Superman great was washed away for a more realistic version of The Man Of Steel. Clark,s parents were no longer dead but rather important cast members, a nice touch! Hell Ma Kent even sewed Superman his first suit!

The Series set the table early for Clark just wanting a normal existence outside of his Superhero..but as with every other attempt to lead a normal life The Cape always won out and Superman always returned to duty no matter how many times he walked away!

Superman’s home world of Krypton was no longer the thriving futuristic civilization of the Silver age it now represented the sterile version seen in the Superman movies! Two themes that remained though were Superman’s fondness of Lois Lane and his conflict with wanting to be normal.

Even Byrne’s Superman actually gave up and went home after his first brush with the pressures of fame..even though he finally found the courage to be the biggest Superhero in the world his confidence was shaken early!

Lois and Clark the TV series was highly rated and changed the way DC wrote these characters or sometime.

The character of Superman in the 80s was bound editorially by DC side projects and after a resurgence in popularity Superman returned with a vengeance to the small screen with Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman. The impact of this series cannot be overlooked. The show was very much grounded in the Byrne era mythos and lead Superman to his final fate. DC protected the characters and their onscreen characters and made sure that the stories in the comics did nothing to go too far out of sync with the show.In a funny side note DC had planned to pull the trigger on a modern-day Lois and Clark wedding to boost struggling sales however the TV show Lois and Clark negotiated with DC as to have the comic book wedding and the TV event wedding coincide and DC gave in and agreed. Plans however had already been in motion so there were a number of starts and stops and unplanned storyline fixes to keep the interest in the wedding in the pages of the comic. Superman and Lois had been married many times in the comic books.

The Clark and Lois union was one that had been around for ages but uniting them was the wrong answer. Writers stumbled to find interesting stories now that The Man of Steel was off The Market. It literally killed The Lois and Clark show as viewership plummeted and the show was finally cancelled in its 4th season after being moved to two different nights attempting to capture a new audience. In the comics the same was happening. It seemed fans who clamored for Lois and Clark to get hitched got cold feet and sales figures for the book and for DC in general were lower than anticipated.

In The 90s, DC would launch its final arrow in its sales quiver in the form of a Superman event known as DOOMSDAY. The Death Of Superman would showcase yet another example of a hero stepping away per say. Seeing the carnage caused by a mysterious alien monster known to the world as Doomsday Superman goes on a mission to hunt and stop the beasts reign of destruction all over the U.S. Many heroes fall at the might of Doomsday including the entire Justice league. In a final touching moment Superman ..Clark no longer wants to keep his loved ones in danger (A theme shared by Moores Silver Age Send Off mentioned above) and makes the final sacrifice he could make..he gives his life. As Superman prepares for what is fated to be his last stand he says goodbye to those he loves..including finally Lois.. and as he always did..goes to save the day..Super heroism at its best.

The final stand of The Man Of Steel. Superman says goodbye to the woman he loves before defend the world against a savage monster Doomsday..ultimately giving his life!

The day Superman died in the pages of comic books was one I will never forget as I literally ran to the store where I normally bought comics only to grab the new stand copy. I only managed to get a damaged copy crushed in the back of the rack, so I went to my last resort, a shady card kiosk in our main mall that sold event comics at hideous prices and he had a pre-bagged Superman #75 for $25 bucks on its launch. I coughed up the dough…which was considerable at the time as my job was a grocery clerk at a local grocery store Sobeys, but I  brought it home so I could peruse my news stand copy and watch Superman and Doomsday go toe to toe one last time..

Hero Fall. The last stand of the greatest of them all! The Death of Superman was monumental!

The final panel of Superman #75 always stuck with me and always sort of bothered me. It felt final this time. Superman had gone away before. He had quit several times as well…but this time…MY Superman was gone. Yes he did return eventually but he was different after this event and now with the official New 52 Reboot my Superman may never return. Maybe one day with the help of this Satellite we can look back in time and find our Man Of Steel and bring him back home.

Shutting down historical archives…Heroes return to your posts and strap in tight. We are going to continue our course to the 90s, We have scanned the historical time streams and have located our next transmission..bringing it up on-screen now..prepare for Time Travel sequence countdown..Next stop New York City…The Daily Bugle. We need to find a reporter who will help us complete our series. Lets find Peter Parker…we need to warn him of the clone!

End Transmission…

To read all chapters in the 6 Part Limited Series click on the links below and enjoy!..

#1 Silver Age Sensation’s: The Thing http://silveragesensations.blogspot.ca/

#2 Longbox Graveyard: Captain America http://wp.me/p1yye7-225

#3 Flodo’s Page: Green Lantern http://flodospage.blogspot.ca/

#4 Super-Hero Satellite: Superman (Hey you are already here!) http://wp.me/p2N3Qb-dd

For Part 5 Of The Epic Super-Blog Team Up the next destination in our travels can be found by clicking the link below..onward to Chasing Amazing..Mark…take it away!

#5 Chasing Amazing: Spider-Man http://wp.me/p1wQNx-16N

#6 Fantastiverse: Hank Pym “Coming Soon”

If You have enjoyed this blog contact me on Twitter @Charlton_Hero and join the conversation using #SuperHeroSatellite Thanks for reading! Big thanks to those who contributed to this epic tale. The Super-Blog Team Uppers, Paul, Mark, Jeff, Flodo, and La Monte who helped bring this vision to life. Thanks guys..till next time the team re-unites!

Super-Hero Satellite Extra: Superman Extra “Quit gallery”

Okay..I am leaving for the last time!

I swear Ill just go away this time…you will never see me again..I am serious!

I mean it this time..I am gone!