Retro Review

Even the best creators can have a bad day. That is what I kept telling myself while reading Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2, because it has to be the reason why such a potentially emotional story by some of the most talented creators ever to work on the Legion’s adventures turned in such a flat, pedestrian piece of work. I can only imagine that they must have been ill, overloaded with work on other books, or distracted by personal issues: nothing about this book is worthy of any of them. Nowadays, they would have had a chance to ask for an extension on the deadline: comic companies no longer seem to have such issues with books shipping late, whereas back in the eighties, a book either came out on time, no matter how rushed, or a filler issue was pulled out of the files. It really is a shame, because the premise of the second sequel to The Great Darkness Saga had such potential.

1980’s The Great Darkness Saga (LSH vol. 1 #290-294), by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, has long been regarded as one of the highlights of the book’s history. It was popular enough to warrant a trade paperback in the days before DC and Marvel started collecting and reprinting all of their output. Given this popularity, it was only natural that DC would try to capitalize on it, bringing out not one but three sequels, one in 1984 (LSH vol. 1 Annual #3), this issue, from 1986, and 1991’s The Quiet Darkness (LSH vol. 3 #21-24). Perhaps if LSH vol. 2 Annual #2 wasn’t in that group, it wouldn’t fare quite so badly, but it would still be a sub-standard issue of the series, against all the odds.

All the Darkness stories center around the Jack Kirby creation Darkseid, who was the main antagonist in the Fourth World books in the seventies. With god-like power, Darkseid would manipulate events and others in his quest for power, knowledge or revenge, and was a worthy foe for the Levitz-Giffen era Legion, which was the Legion at the height of its strength and training. Sadly, as in the first sequel to The Great Darkness Saga, in this issue, the Legion does not encounter Darkseid, only two characters connected to him: Ol-vir, the insane Daxamite child with power equal to Superman’s; and Validus, an incredibly powerful monstrous long-time foe of the Legion. While both could give the Legion a tough fight, neither has much of a personality: Ol-vir is a forgettable cipher who spends most of the issue ranting, and Validus, generally just roars and breaks things like a purple and white Godzilla. They are characters that lend themselves to big action sequences, but the issue falls down here as well.

The main part of the story was pencilled by Curt Swan, best known for his thirty years of work on the Superman books. Having drawn some excellent issues of the Legion when they were the lead feature in Adventure Comics, he had a good handle on the team, and should have delivered a dynamic story. However, the art looks like the art for the old Super Friends cartoon, showing none of the skill and flair Curt Swan had always had. The action sequences are stiff, the characters are rigid, and the world lacks depth. Validus changes size throughout, in one scene being only barely bigger than Blok, in another dwarfing Timber Wolf. Some of the blame for the lack of depth could be down to the inkers, Larry Mahlstedt and Ernie Colón, but again, they are both solid, reliable inkers normally. Perhaps they were also rushed or ill at the time? Keith Giffen’s pencils on the framing sequence are also below his usual high standards. Murky and quite frankly, ugly, they add none of the menace that was probably intended.

The story doesn’t improve matters. The resolution to the conflicts is too simple, and feels forced. The supposed cost to the heroes is vague and does little to add weight to the story. Ol-vir never becomes a real threat, Validus just sort of stops, and Darkseid’s machinations just peter out. There is no mention of what fighting Validus has cost the Legion in the past, and no sense of drama to the reveal. Paul Levitz wrote most of the best Legion of Super-Heroes stories, but this is not one of them.

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2 (vol. 2) from DC Comics. D for story, D for art, an overall D issue. Thoroughly disappointing, this one is only for completists. Look for it in back-issue bins under DC Comics, and in discount bins. Also available in the news-stand reprint, Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #5.

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