The Legion of Super-Heroes #292
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeLegion of Super-Heroes #292 is the pivotal third chapter of 'The Great Darkness Saga,' the story arc widely regarded as the definitive Legion of Super-Heroes adventure and one of the most consequential epics in DC's Bronze Age canon. In this issue, writer Paul Levitz and artist Keith Giffen fully escalate the stakes of their slow-burn mystery: the three Legion founders — Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad — confirm that Darkseid's Servants of Darkness are reverse-DNA clones of legendary figures including Superman and a Guardian of the Universe, snapping the puzzle into terrifying focus and triggering the team-wide general alert that transforms a detective thriller into a universe-spanning war. The issue also introduces the mysterious humanoid baby conjured by the Sorcerers of Zerox, a figure who will age into Highfather and decisively shape the saga's climax — a storytelling device that brought Jack Kirby's New Gods mythology into direct, consequential contact with the Legion's 30th-century world for the first time at this scale. The overall arc, of which this is the turning-point chapter, helped establish the Legion as one of DC's best-selling franchises of the early 1980s and cemented Darkseid as a universe-threatening cosmic villain whose feats here echoed through DC continuity for decades afterward.
In "Darkness Transcendent," newly elected Legion leader Dream Girl leads her team to the mystical Sorcerer's World, where they face renewed assaults from the enigmatic Servants of Darkness. Amid the chaos, a mysterious infant appears—its significance hinted at by the White Witch, who sees in it a possible turning point in their struggle. Written by Paul Levitz and brought to life by Keith Giffen’s dynamic art and Larry Mahlstedt’s precise inks, this 1982 issue blends supernatural intrigue with the Legion’s signature heroism, all under Giffen’s striking cover.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Great Darkness Saga grew out of the creative partnership between writer Paul Levitz and artist Keith Giffen during what critics have identified as a revitalization of the Legion title after years of uneven stewardship. Levitz, who had been a DC staffer since 1973 and would later become the company's publisher, brought both narrative ambition and an insider's command of DC's mythological architecture to the project; his decision to transplant Darkseid — Jack Kirby's New Gods tyrant — into the 30th century drew on his admiration for Kirby's interconnected, mythologically dense storytelling. Giffen, meanwhile, evolved his visual style for the arc, moving away from a lighter touch toward an ornate, dense paneling approach influenced by artists like Gene Day, with Larry Mahlstedt providing the finished inks throughout. Issue #292 specifically was edited by Laurie Sutton under managing editor Dick Giordano, carried a cover date of October 1982, and was published on July 15, 1982, as a 36-page direct-market edition alongside Canadian and newsstand variants.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue title: 'The Great Darkness Saga, Chapter Three: Darkness Transcendent' — the third of five chapters in the arc spanning Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #290–294.
- Written by Paul Levitz; pencils (breakdowns) by Keith Giffen; finished art and inks by Larry Mahlstedt; colors by Carl Gafford (GCD credits Anthony Tollin on the direct edition); letters by John Costanza; edited by Laurie Sutton; cover by Keith Giffen.
- This issue is the chapter in which the three Legion founders — Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad — use the Legion's computers to confirm that the Servants of Darkness are reverse-DNA clones of Superman and one of the Guardians of the Universe, triggering a general alert calling every Legionnaire to active duty.
- The battle on Sorcerers' World (Zerox) in this issue produces the critical plot element of the mysterious humanoid baby, conjured by the Zeroxian Teachers' defensive spell — the child who will accelerate-age into Highfather of the New Gods in the story's climax.
- Published July 15, 1982; cover-dated October 1982; 36 pages; issued in direct, newsstand, and Canadian price-variant editions.
- The Servants of Darkness depicted in this issue include clones of Superman, a Guardian of the Universe, Orion, Kalibak, and the 20th-century Talokian heroine Lydea Mallor (Shadow Lass's ancestor).
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times as part of the Great Darkness Saga collection: first in the 1989 trade paperback, again in a 2002 second printing, in the expanded 2010 Deluxe Edition hardcover (collecting #284–296 and Annual #1), in the 2014 trade paperback reprint, and in the 2024 graphic novel edition. It was also reprinted internationally in Supercomic (Editorial Novaro) #335 and Play Saga (Play Press) #21.
- Readers of The Buyer's Guide voted the Great Darkness Saga one of the 20 best comic stories of the 20th century, and CBR's community ranked it #11 on its Top 100 Comic Book Stories of All Time list; the 2010 Deluxe Edition appeared on the New York Times Graphic Books Bestseller List.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga #[Second Printing] (1989), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga #[First Printing] (1989), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga The Deluxe Edition #[nn] (2011), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga #[nn] (2014), DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection #88 (2016), Play Saga #21, Supercomic #335
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