A subtle darkness is gripping the world. All across the globe, disasters ranging from the mundane to the catastrophic are occurring with increasing activity. Mount St. Helens erupts, a nuclear facility goes into meltdown, tensions increase in the Middle East and Soviet/American relations erode.

The Phantom Stranger studies the patterns of these events and it brings him to the Temple of Divine Light in Gotham City. He recognizes cult leader, Lycaeon, as the Chosen of Darkness. Lycaeon summons a large demon to challenge the Stranger. The Phantom Stranger fights the demon until the Gotham City PD led by James Gordon burst into the church. Miraculously, Commissioner Gordon opens fire on the demon dispelling it.

The Phantom Stranger observes the heroism of mere mortals and wonders whether or not his mission still maintains validity as there is no personal cost to the Stranger himself. He traces the demon's activity to the dungeon lair of the evil entity known as Eclipso. The Stranger knows that he cannot destroy Eclipso's evil influence on a global basis, so he decides to consult with Eclipso's human foil, Dr. Bruce Gordon.