The Great Eclipso Yada Yada part 1: I read 1100 pages so you didn't have to

This one's not so much an annotation but a recap. For the podcast, we're up to the point where the "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" event of summer 1992 is taking place, and we covered it in two episodes (638 and 651) because it spins off Valor into his own series. The first half of that Valor series is just a standard space super-hero book, but starting with issue #11 Mark Waid became the writer and the series became a third monthly Legion book. So in a few weeks we'll do Valor #1-5 and then #6-11, before dropping it into the rotation.

Anyhoo, here's part 1 of the Eclipso recap, on sale May through August 1992. Or read a shorter version on Wikipedia.

Note the glued-on plastic purple diamond

Summer 1992’s annuals were tie-ins to this overall Eclipso story, which started with “Eclipso: The Darkness Within” #1, cover-dated July 1992 and concluded with issue #2, cover dated October 1992, with the 18 annuals spaced a week apart in between. Issue 1 has a plastic copy of Eclipso’s black diamond glued to the cover, which was also offered without the diamond – making the diamond version automatically not mint condition. Must have driven the fanboys crazy! Issue 1 came out the same day as LSH v4 #31 (the Sean Erin issue), and ended the week after issue #34 (the battle for Earth begins, and Laurel captures Pinnacle Command). Fortunately, the Legion’s annual didn’t cross over (Annual #3, the Winath/Timber Wolf focus, came out the week before). This series of 18 Annuals and 2 bookends runs roughly 1100 pages total: I read it so you don’t have to. This event leads into Valor’s new book, and put Valor in the 20th century along with Timber Wolf. You’ll recall that both books were huge successes which set up both characters to have decades-long runs where they have ended up as popular as Batman and Harley Quinn.

Brief history of Eclipso: he first appeared in House of Secrets #61 (August 1963) and was created by Bob Haney and Lee Elias. Eclipso's early comics debut is tied to his host, Bruce Gordon, a scientist specializing in solar energy (and whose name, I’ve read, was an homage to Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon!). While in the jungle to view a solar eclipse, Gordon was attacked by a tribal sorcerer named Mophir. Before plunging to his death off a cliff, Mophir wounded Gordon with a black diamond. Afterwards, Gordon transformed into the villainous Eclipso whenever an eclipse occurred (which happened way more often in the Silver Age DCU). A blue-gray or purple circle covered the rightmost two-thirds of his face, resembling a partial eclipse. Gordon experienced many Jekyll-and-Hyde transformations and misadventures in House of Secrets. During this period, Eclipso was portrayed as a conventional super-villain, possessing super strength, partial invulnerability, and eye blasts (aided by his black diamond). Eclipso's transformations were later altered so that any type of natural eclipse, lunar or solar, would cause Eclipso and Gordon to split from one another, while an "artificial eclipse" -- an object blocking out a light source -- would merely transform Gordon to Eclipso. Any bright flash of light would banish Eclipso back into Bruce Gordon's body or reverse the change.

However, this Darkness Within miniseries modified the character to be an evil and megalomaniacal entity. Eclipso's character laments the power he once had as a spirit of divine vengeance. For this series, I had to make up some of my own terminology – it’s generally established that a passive person will evoke what I call an eclipsoid or a separate being, while an aggressive person will get eclipsed, which might follow with them being healed or declipsed; this was not strictly followed, so it was more like if you’re a civilian you invoke one but if you’re a super, then you become one.

• There are some vague rules they tried to generally follow, like how you get eclipsed because you’re angry at someone when you’re holding the black diamond and then when you’re not angry anymore, you become an extension of Eclipso. Eclipso can declipse you, and you can also get declipsed by sunlight.
• Most (but not all) of these issues end with one or more heroes eclipsed. It doesn’t really matter who gets eclipsed or not, there’s no big payoff to a particular character being eclipsed, except for Valor.
• There are a few story arcs contained within the Annuals:
• 10 chapters in the main one with Superman x4 (Superman: Man of Steel, Superman, Action, Adventures of Superman), GL, L.E.G.I.O.N., JLA, JLE, plus the bookends - I've put these chapters in boldface
• a separate 2-parter with Deathstroke and the Titans
• a separate 3-parter in the Batman family books (Detective, Robin, Batman)
• 5 separate one-shots (Demon, Flash, Green Arrow, Hawkworld, Wonder Woman)

With that, let’s dive into the first book, which is the opening bookend.

1) Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1 (Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming co-plotters; Giffen breakdowns; Fleming script; Bart Sears pencils; Randy Elliott, Mark Pennington inks), on sale 5/21/92

In 1890, the fabled Heart of Darkness black diamond was found by two explorers in Africa, one of whom killed the other out of greed. The explorer takes the diamond to a jeweler in London to have it cut into 1000 identical pieces. On the moon in 1992, Lar Gand notices a structure that he hasn’t seen before. He finds Eclipso, who manages to take over Lar’s body. He realizes that superhumans are actually a resource for exploitation and says he’s done hiding, and has Lar Gand go stand in a corner and be a statue (this will be a recurring theme in these annuals, let’s keep track of how many times we see it and take a drink each time – and you’ll need a refill before this is over). A week later, Eclipso takes over the Creeper. Bruce Gordon has figured a way to use his piece of the black diamond to make a diamond tracking compass, and finds one at a Metropolis mall, where a kid creates an eclipsoid monster. Superman flies to the mall and fights the creature. Bruce has a handy solar flare gun that causes the creature to vanish. On the moon, Lar Gand remains a statue (#2).

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper.

2) Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #1 (Roger Stern plot; Robert Loren Fleming dialogue; Chris Wozniak pencils; Brad Vancata inks), on sale 5/28/92

Bruce reveals to Superman that Eclipso isn’t really a normal super-villain, but the God of Vengeance who previously had been keeping a low profile. The eclipsed Creeper breaks in to steal Bruce’s second diamond. Superman grabs the diamond and is briefly eclipsed but fights it off. Creeper escapes. Remember Will “Starman” Payton? Prior to this, in the last 4 issues of his own series, which ended right before this event started, it appeared that Eclipso had been responsible for Starman’s origin (that was later retconned in James Robinson’s Starman series to have been Prince Gavyn, who died in the Crisis on Infinite Earths; recently retconned again post-Rebirth to be related to the Totality, as seen in the 2020 Justice League series). In Central America, an undercover Starman is captured by Eclipso for his shapeshifting abilities. Starman swallows a diamond, making it invisible to Bruce’s diamond detector. Back in the US, the mall kid’s monster reappears. Superman finds him and they fight. Bruce gets his solar gun to Superman just in time. Starman flies back home to Phoenix and gets a diamond to Kitty Faulkner, aka Rampage. Superman shows up and de-eclipses Rampage, but Starman gets away without anyone knowing he’s working for Eclipso. On the moon, Lar Gand remains a statue (#3).

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman.

3) Green Lantern Annual #1 (Gerard Jones writer; Andy Smith pencils; John Beatty inks), on sale 6/4/92

Eclipso decides he wants a Green Lantern, so he sends Starman out to find him. Starman gets Guy Gardner eclipsed, who then gets Carol Ferris eclipsed as Star Sapphire. She fights GL/Hal Jordan with the help of Starman, but Hal summons Kilowog before he’s beaten and eclipsed. Bruce Gordon zaps Guy with his solar gun, and declipses him. Kilowog arrives with a bunch of rookie GLs. Eclipsed Hal & Star Sapphire fight John Stewart, Kilowog, and the GLs, but they escape.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand (who is Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Comic), Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire.

4) Detective Comics Annual #5 (Alan Grant, John Wagner writers; Tom Mandrake pencils; Mandrake, Jan Duursema, Rick Magyar inks), on sale 6/9/92

Barbara Gordon calls up her dad on the anniversary of her shooting (Killing Joke). Batman finds a black diamond, and takes it back to the Batcave to study it. Joker breaks out of Arkham. Bruce Gordon goes to Commissioner Gordon and tells Batman he’s tracked a diamond to Gotham. (By the way, Bruce Gordon got his name as a combination of Bruce Wayne and James Gordon!) The Commish gets one of the diamonds and because he’s mad at Joker, creates an eclipsoid monster, which goes to the place where Joker is holed up. Batman and Gordon defeat the monster. Joker gets away. Continued in Robin Annual #5 later.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire.

5) Superman Annual #4 (Dan Vado writer; Scott Benefiel pencils; Trevor Scott inks), on sale 6/16/92

Bruce Gordon helps Superman track down a diamond to a guy who said that when he was eclipsed, he felt like someone was controlling him from the moon. Meanwhile, Lois is on assignment in Crater Bay, when she’s handed a black diamond by a disguised Starman. On the moon, Eclipso monologues past the statue of the eclipsed Lar Gand (#4). Gordon heads out to where Lois is to find a diamond, they find an eclipsoid monster, and Superman arrives to help but Gordon’s solar blaster gets broken in the fight. They run into Lois, who has gotten eclipsed. Gordon’s girlfriend Mona Bennett gets eclipsed too. Superman makes them fight until sunrise, an Lois gets declipsed but not Mona, who gets away. Superman says that he needs help.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett

6) Justice League America Annual #6 (Dan Mishkin writer; Dave Cockrum pencils; Jose Marzan inks), on sale 6/23/92

Eclipso monologues on the moon past the statue of Lar Gand in the corner (#5) about how he wants all of the powers. Guy Gardner is back with the JLA and back as a GL while Hal is eclipsed. Superman tries to recruit Wonder Woman to help the JLA, but she’s not ready to join a group, until she finds someone who’s been eclipsed, then she offers to help. Maxima is jealous of WW and quits, but Starman finds her and eclipses her. She fights the JLA. Blue Beetle has tried to help Gordon fix the solar gun, but Eclipso finds him. Maxima mind-controls WW but Superman rescues her, and she escapes. Beetle defeats Eclipso, who turns out to have been Starman. Beetle disappears, and Gordon is missing.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima.

7) Demon Annual #2 (Alan Grant writer; Joe Philips, David Johnson pencils; John Dell inks), on sale 6/23/92

Jason Blood is in San Francisco when he’s attacked by a non-eclipsoid monster. Klarion the Witch Boy is nearby and is intrigued. Blood tracks the monster to the place of a guy who has a diamond fragment. Klarion finds the diamond and gets eclipsed. Klarion and Demon fight, Klarion gets away. No other heroes appear.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion

8) Flash Annual #5 (Mark Waid writer; Travis Charest pencils; Dan Davis inks), on sale 6/30/92

Golden Glider convinces the Rogues (Trickster, Weather Wizard, Captain Boomerang, and her boy toy Chillblaine) to join her in a museum heist to steal a black diamond fragment. They run into Flash, but she double-crosses them and escapes with the diamond. Golden Glider gets eclipsed, and then Eclipso uses her to eclipse Flash instead in her place.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash

9) Green Arrow Annual #5 (Sarah Byam writer; Trevor VonEeden pencils; Frank Springer inks), on sale 6/30/92

Oliver Queen finds a black diamond that had been transformed into a Native American blackbird necklace, lost on the street, after being stolen and then hunted by Eclipso. On the moon, Eclipso monologues to Lar Gand (#6) the story of the necklace and how he used it to wipe out a Native village. Oliver gives the necklace to Dinah, who gets eclipsed and breaks his arm, and then seeks out the only survivor of that village, eclipsing her and her son (Gan and Wren). Oliver calls in Batman for help. Together, they manage to keep Dinah busy until sunrise when she’s declipsed.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren

10) Action Comics Annual #4 (Dan Vado writer; Chris Wozniak pencils; Karl Altstaetter, Trevor Scott, Karl Kesel, Steve Mitchell inks), on sale 7/7/92

Talking to Fire, Ice, and Booster Gold, Superman decides to offer himself to Eclipso in exchange for the return of everyone eclipsed in Crater Bay. They go to Professor Hamilton and Lex Luthor (when he was a red-head) for a new solar flare weapon. Superman goes back to Crater Bay and gets himself eclipsed, but of course the townies don’t get declipsed. Booster, Fire, and Ice are ineffective, but they distract Superman long enough for Captain Marvel to show up. Cap and Superman fight, while the others hold off the townies. The solar flare thingy works to cure the townies, but all the fighting has destroyed their town. Eclipsed Superman escapes.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren, Superman

That's it for part 1, come back later for part 2! I know you can't wait!