The Great Eclipso Yada Yada part 2: Valor Gets Named in the DC Event of 1992

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 Superman and Wolverine. In part 1, which you can listen to in episode 638, I covered the first 10 chapters of DC’s big crossover event of 1992, which came out May 21 through July 7. The second half (which you can listen to in episode 651) covers July 14 to August 25. The entire series came out between LSH v4 #31 and 34 (Jan & Shvaughn, the explosion of the Weisinger Chambers, Kid Quantum, the battle for Earth begins & Laurel captures Pinnacle Command). The Legion’s Annual that year did not take part in the crossover – recall it was the Winath/Timber Wolf issue.

• Trivia: Eclipso was the big DC-wide crossover event of 1992, but there was another mini-crossover event which took place only within that family of books. What was it? 
• The 8-part “Superman: Panic in the Sky” in the 4 Superman books.
• Note: “Justice League: Breakdowns” was 1991-1992 and “Death of Superman” started in December but was a 1993 event

Where we left off: Eclipso, formerly a second-rate villain, decided he wanted to be an A-lister. Over the course of the summer of 1992, Eclipso managed to take over a bunch of heroes and a few villains, controlling them from his base on the moon, because instead of just one black diamond, he’s got 100. Valor is the only hero he captured who is on the moon with him, everyone else is back on Earth. Unfortunately, Valor spends nearly the entire series as a statue, and I’ll remind you that this is a drinking game theme today.

In this 20-part story, we have:

• 10 chapters in the main storyline with Superman x4 (Superman: Man of Steel, Superman, Action, Adventures of Superman), GL, L.E.G.I.O.N., JLA, & JLE, plus the 2 bookends - which are 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)

In the last issue, Superman got eclipsed. Booster, Fire, and Ice are ineffective at fighting him, naturally, but they distract him long enough for Captain Marvel to show up. The fight has destroyed the town of Crater Bay, and Superman escapes.

Picking up with part 2 of this recap....

11) Robin Annual #5 (Alan Grant & John Wagner writers, Tom Lyle pencils; Scott Hanna inks), on sale 7/14/92

Continued from Detective Annual 5. Robin finds that Anarky has stolen some black diamonds, and confronts him, but Anarky escapes and gives one diamond to an angry homeless man who conjures an eclipsoid. Robin uses his handy solar flashlight to banish it but Anarky escapes. Anarky tries to blackmail the mayor, and then purposely gets himself eclipsed so he can destroy a bridge, using a solar flare to declipse himself. He tries again the next day to destroy a telecom tower, but loses the diamond and someone ends up summoning an eclipsoid dinosaur. The dinosaur destroys a tower and an amusement park but Robin uses a convenient solar-powered car to stop it. Robin captures Anarky and the remaining diamonds. To be concluded in the Batman annual later.

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

12) Hawkworld Annual #3 (John Ostrander writer; Luke McDonnell pencils; Roy Richardson inks), on sale 7/14/92

Katar and Shayera fight an eclipsoid pterodactyl, and trace it to a museum and one of the curators, Dr Kaslak. Shadow Thief steals a black diamond for Kaslak, who gifts it anonymously to Shayera. On the moon, Eclipso walks silently past the statue of Lar Gand (#7). Katar has a fight with his girlfriend Mavis, which makes him late for the tv show that Shayera goes to alone. The host angers Shayera and she gets eclipsed, and goes on a rampage. She defeats Katar and tries to kill him, but he gets angry and creates an eclipsoid hawk monster with one of the diamonds. On the moon, Eclipso monologues with himself, speaking through Lar Gand (#8) (he moves for the first time). At dawn, the eclipsoid escapes. Katar gets a solar collector to use at night using moonlight and fries the eclipsoid, but Shayera escapes.

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

13) Deathstroke Annual #1 (Marv Wolfman, David Cody Weiss writers; Gabriel Morrissette, Phil Jimenez pencils; Ian Akin, John Statema, Charles Barnett III inks), on sale 7/21/92

Deathstroke is on a mission with the female Vigilante to rescue a Japanese tech businessman. They succeed but lots of people get killed and the tech is lost. Captain Hall (Titans character) receives a diamond, and is then accosted by Councilwoman Alderman, who accuses him of being too nice to the Titans. He gets mad and gets eclipsed. Deathstroke is hired to go after the tech by the guys who hired him in the first place. Hall calls Vigilante so that he can eclipse her, and she tries but fails to eclipse Deathstroke. Slade goes to Salvagion, which has discarded and salvaged tech, and runs into Nightwing, who’s looking for spare parts for Cyborg from the recently destroyed Titans Tower. Eclipsed Vigilante attacks, but she’s declipsed by solar lasers. The guys who ransomed the Japanese businessmen come looking for the tech, and escape with it. They plan to send it to Alderman. Continued in New Titans Annual.

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

14) New Titans Annual #8 (David Cody Weiss, Marv Wolfman writers; Phil Jimenez, Curt Swan, Gabriel Morrissette, Iota Subotici pencils; Ray McCarthy, Ken Branch, Andrew Pepoy, John Statema, Charles Barnett III, Mike DeCarlo inks), on sale 7/28/92

Trying to repair Cyborg, damaged during the fight with Wildebeest. The Titans go to rescue people from a helicopter but are accosted by Alderman. On the moon, Eclipso decides to capture the Titans next, and uses Capt. Hall to eclipse Red Star, who then remote controls Cyborg and kidnaps him. Changeling goes into Salvagion and calls Nightwing (as seen in the Deathstroke story), who goes there while the others look for Red Star and Cyborg. Changeling finds Red Star, who eclipses him, and then the three of them find Pantha and Starfire. One of Starfire’s blasts cures Capt. Hall, but he’s injured protecting civilians, and Pantha and Starfire are captured too (they get eclipsed off panel). Nightwing and Vigilante hire Deathstroke to go to STAR Labs where they’re met by Alderman’s robot, but they escape. They trace Cyborg’s signal to a museum, but it’s a trap, all of the eclipsed Titans are there. They get Deathstroke eclipsed, then they all leave.

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

15) L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual #3 (Barry Kitson writer; Mike McKone pencils; John Dell, Jack Torrance, Peter Gross, Bob Smith, Jimmy Palmiotti inks), on sale 8/4/92

Vril Dox and Lady Quark are in NYC looking for black diamonds. The L.E.G.I.O.N. delegation is at the UN, and Phase explains how they want to bring Earth closer to the family of civilized planets, but that’s all a ruse so Dox can go after the diamonds. He finds one and gives it to Quark to hold, but Lobo gets it and gets eclipsed. He chases after Zena, leaving the diamond behind. She manages to blast light at him to declipse him, but Lady Quark has found the diamond and after getting mad at Dox, she’s eclipsed. They all fight in the hotel they’re staying at, but the fight leads outside. Lobo attacks her, but then Booster Gold, Fire, and Ice show up, and Lady Quark escapes.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren, Superman, Shayera, Red Star, Changeling, Pantha, Starfire, Deathstroke, Lady Quark

16) Wonder Woman Annual #3 (William Messner-Loebs writer; John Dennis, David Johnson pencils; Ande Parks inks), on sale 8/11/92

A terrorist set loose a device in Boston, which brings out The White Magician, aka Asquith Randolph, to help WW. He invites her to his house for dinner, and gives her a black diamond to take back to Hippolyta (giving off creepy vibes). On Themyscira, Diana finds that the island has been turned into a tourist trap for thirsty men – by Randolph. But it turns out that she had just been hypnotized by Randolph, and gotten her angry at him, so that Wonder Woman gets eclipsed. He wants to siphon Eclipso’s powers through her. She breaks free of his holding spell, they fight, and she escapes. I guess she forgot about Eclipso back in the JLA Annual (back in part 6).

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren, Superman, Shayera, Red Star, Changeling, Pantha, Starfire, Deathstroke, Lady Quark, Wonder Woman

17) Justice League Europe Annual #3 (Gerard Jones, Will Jacobs writers; Tim Hamilton pencils; Romeo Tanghal inks), on sale 8/11/92

Eclipsed Flash (from part 8) & GL (from part 3) make it to London to find the JLE. Power Girl gets mad at Crimson Fox and Elongated Man (remember she has rage issues, fueled by artificial sweeteners in diet soda) because everyone is telling her what to do. Kilowog arrives and fills them in on what’s been going on, which they didn’t know about because the UN and USA have declared an emergency and didn’t want to cause a worldwide panic. GL and Flash attack Kilowog, Dr Light, Crimson Fox, and Aquaman, but they leave after dropping a handful of diamonds. Power Girl arrives and picks one up and gets eclipsed, but Kilowog manages to trap her. A bright light appears and tells Dr Light and Kilowog to come with them, but when Kilowog leaves, Power Girl escapes, leaving the other Leaguers to die. Fortunately, Metamorpho arrives and saves them. Eclipso monologues that he has collected nearly all the bodies he needs. Sue and Catherine determine that the eclipsed people are all headed to Arizona, where there is a gathering to watch an upcoming lunar eclipse.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren, Superman, Shayera, Red Star, Changeling, Pantha, Starfire, Deathstroke, Lady Quark, Wonder Woman, Power Girl

18) Batman Annual #16 (Alan Grant, John Wagner writers; Vince Giarrano pencils/inks), on sale 8/18/92

Continued from Robin Annual. Batman is looking for Joker (from back in part 4). Someone who saw Commissioner Gordon summon an eclipsoid tells Joker about it and where to get the diamonds. Joker sends his goons to get them and one creates a bat-monster eclipsoid. Batman uses Bruce Gordon’s solar flare gun to stop it. He finds Joker, who gets eclipsed, and Batman figures the only way to stop him is to get eclipsed himself. They fight until the sun comes up, then both are declipsed and Batman captures Joker.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren, Superman, Shayera, Red Star, Changeling, Pantha, Starfire, Deathstroke, Lady Quark, Wonder Woman, Power Girl

19) Adventures of Superman Annual #4 (Robert Loren Fleming writer; Bob McLeod pencils & inks), on sale 8/18/92

Hawkman fruitlessly looks for the eclipsed Superman in the skies over Metropolis, while the L.E.G.I.O.N. looks for his Fortress in the Arctic and in Antarctica, and Nightwing checks the Batcave. Black Canary, Crimson Fox, and Elongated Man can’t find him in the sewers of NYC. In the JLA HQ, Booster has been looking along with Fire, Ice, Bloodwynd, and Baby Wildebeest, and Booster finds Superman in Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. Aquaman and Metamorpho will meet them there. Hawkman and Dox argue over who’s going to lead, and then Guy Gardner shows up with his Sinestro ring. Half the group goes into the volcano. Metamorpho causes the volcano to explode and expel Superman, but it’s too late, it’s night. On the moon, Eclipso monologues to the statue of Lar Gand (#9) that once the lunar eclipse is complete, he’ll be unstoppable. While Lobo attacks Superman, the rest try to rescue the local villagers. Guy Gardner comes back with a scoop full of solar material he got from the sun and dumps it on Superman, because that’s how solar physics works, but it’s enough to declipse Superman. Eclipso monologues to Lar Gand (#10) that he has lost Superman but still has a Daxamite. All of the eclipsed powered heroes gather in Arizona (except for Klarion), and they pretend to attack Starman so the non-eclipsed heroes can “rescue” him. Superman and Nightwing hunt for Bruce Gordon and other scientists who are missing, including Emil Hamilton, Will Magnus, and Ted Kord/Blue Beetle. Superman tracks them down to an abandoned planetarium but is caught in a bright flash of light.

• Currently eclipsed: Lar Gand, Creeper, Starman, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire, Mona Bennett, Maxima, Klarion, Flash, Gan & Wren, Shayera, Red Star, Changeling, Pantha, Starfire, Deathstroke, Lady Quark, Wonder Woman, Power Girl

Are you ready for the finale?

20) Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2 (Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming writers; Keith Giffen, Bart Sears pencils; Mark Pennington, Randy Elliott, Ray Kryssing inks), on sale 8/25/92

Continued from Adventures of Superman annual. The eclipsed heroes face off against the non-eclipsed heroes. The lunar eclipse is complete, and “in the tunnel of utter darkness which now stretches from the Earth to the Moon [his] power reigns supreme!” Eclipso teleports his eclipsed people to the moon. Vril Dox wants to gather heroes, while Starman (who’s eclipsed but pretending not to be) tries to convince them to go to the moon now. Eclipso tries to absorb those who are eclipsed and their powers, starting with Deathstroke. The gathering of heroes moves to Las Vegas where they pick up the Challengers of the Unknown, Atom, Blue Devil, and Bronze Tiger and Nightshade from Suicide Squad. The plan is to fit everyone into the L.E.G.I.O.N. cruiser and Maxima’s ship (piloted by Hawkman) and go to the moon, where Eclipso is busy absorbing everyone except for Lar Gand because he’s the most powerful. He attacks the L.E.G.I.O.N. ship but Guy Gardner gets everyone down safely, landing near Eclipso’s palace. Starman gets the heroes to walk in the front door, when they realize he’s been eclipsed all along. They’re all irritated at having been deceived, but in his base on the moon, Eclipso is powerful enough to eclipse all of them. Eclipso releases Mona Bennett, but then Superman appears with a coalition of solar powered heroes and scientists who specialize in solar power: Chunk, Blue Beetle, Professor Hamilton, Lex Luthor II, Will Magnus, Dr Light, Kilowog, and Bruce Gordon. The bright flashes earlier were Bruce making sure that the person he chose was not Starman in disguise. While the heroes fight, Eclipso sends Lar Gand to fight Superman – he’s not a statue any more, finally, he’s a real boy! One by one, the heroes get declipsed: Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan, Creeper, Guy Gardner, then Flash, who super-speeds and declipses everyone in 32 seconds. Superman has managed to defeat Lar Gand, but then Eclipso causes his whole base to come alive and attack. Everyone gets out, and Eclipso is a giant – “that ridiculous costume was part of my masquerade, it served to lull you into believing you faced a mere super-villain!” Starman explodes himself and nearly kills Eclipso, and Bruce Gordon sets off his solar bomb. Lar Gand can still hear Eclipso and knows what is happening, so he zooms in and rescues Gordon in the nick of time. Everyone goes back home, but in the aftermath, there’s still at least one black diamond on the surface of the moon. 

Lar Gand takes his super-hero name from Superman's speech

Coming soon: Eclipso #1 and Valor #1!