Your favorite version of Legion of Super Heroes

[caj]

I love the old Curt Swan Legion stories & I love the 80’s Giffen issues. The mid 70’s Grell period is probably the era that has my heart though.

I loved Mike Grell's artwork on the Legion too. Giffen in his prime is still my favorite, but Grell is second or third on my list.

[kcekada]

My favorite Legionnaire has always been Timber Wolf.
Especially drawn by Dave Cockrum.
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Ah, I put that artwork together long ago when I was creating an article in regard to Legion action-figures (which versions should be produced). Fortunately, DC did go with the Cockrum version, but I think the Lightle version is also solid. I'm still miffed at how poorly Mattel handled the team (one female character -- and their female figures were not great).

Cockrum was at the top of his game when he was doing the Legion. DC was foolish for letting him get away (and thus co-creating one of the biggest franchises in comics history -- X-Men).

[caj]

Since we're on the subject - and without making a new thread with a poll - who was your favorite Legion of Super Heroes artist?

[Jim Kelly]

Since we're on the subject - and without making a new thread with a poll - who was your favorite Legion of Super Heroes artist?

Curt Swan
Dave Cockrum
John Forte
George Papp
Mike Grell
Steve Lightle
Keith Giffen
Joe Staton
Jim Sherman
Pat Broderick
Greg LaRocque
John Byrne
Dan Jurgens
Kurt Schaffenberger
Jim Mooney
Alan Davis
Jim Starlin
Neal Adams

[Tony]

Steve Lightle then Grell and Giffen

[Sutekh]

Favorite Legion artist?

Steve Lightle and Yildray Cinar and Phil Jiminez/Andy Lanning.

Then Greg LaRocque and Alan Davis and John Byrne and Dave Cockrum, I guess.

[kcekada]

Dave Cockrum is the Legion artist in my opinion. He drew faces with distinction and was the best costume designer.

I think the later stories with Curt Swan -- around the Mordru first appearance are some of my favorites of his.

Giffen was great in his early run -- but I never liked when he got stylized on any of his projects (his attempt to ape Kirby on Defenders was almost as bad as whatever you call his style on 5YL -- just ugly. Giffen replaced several Cockrum costumes with his own inferior designs (Timber Wolf, Colossal Boy, Shrinking Violet).

Lightle was a nice change after Giffen got goofy. He brought back some of Cockrum's costumes -- and even contributed a great new Timber Wolf costume.

I was not a fan of Grell on the Legion and don't think it was his best work. Oddly enough, I thought his first issue was his best -- then he got a little too stylized. His 80s work is much stronger. His best costumes were probably Dawntar's and Chlorophyll Kid's. His worst were Cosmic Boy's and Night Girl's. Fine for the beach, but not for super heroes.

I don't think anyone else made as much of a mark as these guys.

[Mike]

Mike Grell
Dave Cockrum
Keith Giffen
Steve Lightle
Greg LaRocque

[Comic-Reader Lad]

The Legion has been blessed with a lot of great artists, and they generally brought their A-game to the book.

However, since I began reading Legion with Mike Grell, he'll always be my sentimental favorite.

I think Keith Giffen was generally the best in terms of designing the entire future world of the Legion. Also, his layouts and camera work were often innovative as was his use of zip-a-tone and color holds. Too bad he changed to the Jose Munoz style during the Omen/Prophet story and every subsequent style change didn't ever recapture his early Legion magic.

However, Dave Cockrum was the Legion's best costume designer as well as a great artist overall. The Legion never looked better up to that point.

Curt Swan was, of course, the Legion's best 1960s penciler -- especially when inked by his best 1960s inker, George Klein, a versatile inker whose slick style meshed well with diverse pencilers such as Swan and John Buscema on the Avengers (like the Vision intro story).

In between Mike Grell and Keith Giffen, the only penciler that really stood out was James Sherman, and only when inked by Bob McLeod or Bob Wiacek. Unfortunately, he was too often inked by Jack Abel, one of those "Vince Colletta" inkers that ruined the work of most pencilers. However, I did find his inks on Win Mortimer's pencils in late 60s Legion stories to be okay, but that's probably because Mortimer wasn't all that hot an artist himself.

After Giffen, the best penciler of the original Legion was Steve Lightle, who came up with some nice costume designs and was a pleasant return to normalcy after Giffen went off the rails. Unfortunately, Lightle didn't really do a ton of interiors, but what he did was memorable.

Greg LaRocque was a good, solid artist, but not as good as Giffen or Lightle -- often his figures looked too stiff, but I still think I preferred him to Terry Shoemaker.

Joe Staton was all wrong for the Legion. Jimmy Janes had a more normal, less cartoony style, which I appreciated after Staton, but he was a weak penciler in general.


So, I think the Legion's best pencilers of the original era were Curt Swan, Dave Cockrum, Mike Grell, James Sherman, Keith Giffen, and Steve Lightle.

[Jim Kelly]

Before the Legion got their own series, and they were just guest stars in other features, they were pencilled by Al Plastino, George Papp, Jim Mooney and Curt Swan. But when they won their spot in ADVENTURE COMICS, the penciller tasked with bringing their adventures to life was John Forte. Forte was one of the greatest inkers of the day, but not a great penciller. And he probably got the Legion gig because he had been the regular artist on the outgoing Bizarro World feature in ADVENTURE.

Still, there's something about his whacky style that I love. I saw his art for the first time in reprints in the 1970s and I was genuinely impressed by his work. And for the zany stories of the Legion that Jerry Siegel and Edmond Hamilton wrote, he brought out that combination of naivety and hilarity. I think that Keith Giffen's work was really throwing back to that Forte sensibility. There are lots of artists that do the science fiction tech and draw anatomically correct figures--but the Legion really needs to have a sense of humour about itself.

John Forte died of cancer on May 20, 1966--he was forty-seven.

[Sutekh]

However, Dave Cockrum was the Legion's best costume designer as well as a great artist overall. The Legion never looked better up to that point.

Agreed. His little details on Projectra's and Violet's costumes were great, in particular. He had a unique style, and I loved what he brought to the Legion's looks. (And the designs for Nightcrawler, the Imperial Guard, Phoenix, etc. over at that other company. He was the first artist I followed from company to company, like the fickle faddist I am.)

[Steel Inquisitor]

Gotta go with Levitz Legion, reread my collection recently and it holds up amazingly. Then DnA's, then the Threeboot, then the Zero Hour reboot with the FYL Legion. Haven't read the rest yet, and I'm intrigued by what Bendis is doing.

[kcekada]

So, I think the Legion's best pencilers of the original era were Curt Swan, Dave Cockrum, Mike Grell, James Sherman, Keith Giffen, and Steve Lightle.

I couldn't think of Shermann's name -- and, I think his run was pretty short -- he came on when I was slowly being converted to a Marvel Zombie and giving up DC Comics entirely (until New Teen Titans and Levitz/Giffen Legion brought me back). I liked Sherman much better than Grell, but again he wasn't around long enough to leave his mark on the franchise. The issue where Chemical King dies was good -- and I didn't mind Abel on Sherman. Now, when he inked Perez -- pee-yoo!

[Jim Kelly]

Some designs during Cockrum's aborted run were not his. I know that Saturn Girl's was a design sent in by a fan. I really hated that one. Now, after watching lots of ABBA and other '70s stars, I can accept that this would appeal to fans--but for Imra Ardeen it didn't fit her character. I didn't like the Princess Projectra redesign either, but I also didn't like her previous design--which must have been Jim Shooter's. I really didn't come around to liking Jeckie until the '80s--she was one of my least favourite Legionnaires before that. Phantom Girl's redesign was my favourite (I wish she always kept that design) and I also really liked Lightning Lad's.

[The Darknight Detective]

Some designs during Cockrum's aborted run were not his. I know that Saturn Girl's was a design sent in by a fan. I really hated that one. Now, after watching lots of ABBA and other '70s stars, I can accept that this would appeal to fans--but for Imra Ardeen it didn't fit her character. I didn't like the Princess Projectra redesign either, but I also didn't like her previous design--which must have been Jim Shooter's. I really didn't come around to liking Jeckie until the '80s--she was one of my least favourite Legionnaires before that. Phantom Girl's redesign was my favourite (I wish she always kept that design) and I also really liked Lightning Lad's.

I hear you, Jim, but as someone entering puberty around the time I became a regular LoSH reader, those '70s fashions for the ladies were very, very nice.