DC Comics Presents #61

DC Comics Presents #61 was released in September 1983 as part of a long-running anthology series designed to pair Superman with various characters from across the DC Universe. This specific issue features a team-up between Superman and the New Gods, specifically spotlighting the villainous Darkseid and the hero Orion. The story was crafted by writer Paul Levitz and penciled by Keith Giffen, who was well-regarded for his dynamic layouts and his deep understanding of Jack Kirby's Fourth World mythos.

The narrative focuses on a cosmic conflict involving the Source and the existential threat posed by the anti-life equation. By the time this issue was published, the New Gods had become a staple of DC’s wider cosmic landscape, and this collaboration sought to integrate them more firmly into Superman’s primary adventures. Critics and readers of the era noted the issue for its ambitious scope and its successful synthesis of classic Silver Age superhero team-up tropes with the more complex, operatic tone established by Kirby in his original New Gods saga.