Your favorite version of Legion of Super Heroes

[Lee Stone]

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

Jurgens
Shoemaker
Lightle
Giffen
LaRoque

[The Darknight Detective]

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

Probably Mike Grell or Curt Swan, while my least favorite is Steve Ditko (the guy was a legend, but his artwork was jarring by the '80s).

[kcekada]

Cockrum's female costumes were mostly based on mod fashion of the late 60s and very early 70s. You'd see cool young adults wearing clothes like that -- so it made the Legion seem cooler. I really didn't give much thought to how much skin was shown in Cockrum's issues -- even the bikini style costumes weren't that outlandish -- until Grell came along and considerably reduced coverage! Cockrum's designs for the men were more classic -- and many still hold up today.

These are the costumes designed by fans, and not by Dave: Saturn Girl, Duo Damsel, Light Lass. I particularly liked Light Lass's during rhe Cockrum run. Grell didn't quite get it right -- and later artists completely got it wrong.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Cockrum's female costumes were mostly based on mod fashion of the late 60s and very early 70s. You'd see cool young adults wearing clothes like that -- so it made the Legion seem cooler. I really didn't give much thought to how much skin was shown in Cockrum's issues -- even the bikini style costumes weren't that outlandish -- until Grell came along and considerably reduced coverage! Cockrum's designs for the men were more classic -- and many still hold up today.

These are the costumes designed by fans, and not by Dave: Saturn Girl, Duo Damsel, Light Lass. I particularly liked Light Lass's during rhe Cockrum run. Grell didn't quite get it right -- and later artists completely got it wrong.

I don't think the Light Lass costume was a fan design. I've never seen any indication it was not a Cockrum original.

[Robotman]

I thought the Johns/Frank LoS was great! Sadly it was kinda squandered when Levitz came back.

[caj]

My favorite Legion artists:

1. Keith Giffen (Legion #287 - #306)
2. Barry Kitson
3. Mike Grell
4. Steve Lightle
5. Curt Swan

[Factor]

I thought the Johns/Frank LoS was great! Sadly it was kinda squandered when Levitz came back.

This. I still say this version is the most viable in the long run.
As boring as that run by Levitz was, the team itself was never damaged. They just needed a fresh take, not another reboot.

[kcekada]

I don't think the Light Lass costume was a fan design. I've never seen any indication it was not a Cockrum original.

It's been discussed on Legion fan boards for years. You can read a bit about it here from the woman who submitted the design:

http://carolastrickland.com/comics/legion/index.html

As much as I like Gary Frank's artwork, I didn't like his costume designs -- he was really going retro -- using the Silver Age as a jumping off point.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

It's been discussed on Legion fan boards for years. You can read a bit about it here from the woman who submitted the design:

http://carolastrickland.com/comics/legion/index.html

As much as I like Gary Frank's artwork, I didn't like his costume designs -- he was really going retro -- using the Silver Age as a jumping off point.

It's funny, but after I posted above, the name "Carol A. Strickland" did pop into my head, so I might have read about her Light Lass online (maybe even in my 2019 Legion appreciation thread), but was she ever acknowledged in the Superboy comic itself?

I do remember "Carol A. (Strick) Strickland" as a letter column writer in DC titles in the 1970s, but I don't remember her getting a credit. I believe her Light Lass costume first appeared in Superboy 202, so if anyone knows if she got credit, feel free to post.

[Jim Kelly]

I don't think Carol's redesign for Light Lass was noted at the time.

Saturn Girl's magenta stripper outfit shows up in ACTION COMICS 392 (September 1970), the Legion's last adventure in ACTION, with pencils by Win Mortimer. An editor's note says it was designed by K. Haven Metzger.

More Legion redesigns from fans were spotlighted in ADVENTURE COMICS 403 (April 1971). Barbara Jean Scott had an alternate design for Imra that I wish had been picked up. Some of these redesigns were used in a story for SUPERBOY 183 (March 1972) but were moth-balled after that, except Duo Damsel's half and half number from Nick Pascale's house of fashion.

Carol was a message board poster for a long time (maybe still is), so her contribution as a Legion fan wasn't much of a secret.

[Jon-El]

Glad to see Jim Sherman get some mentions. That guy had a shirt but awesome legion run!

I guess I’d go:
Grell
Cockrum
Sherman
Giffen
Swan
Laroque

Starlin did a great two parter I loved. I also liked Joe Staton & Jimmy James. (I think that was his name. )

[caj]

Jimmy James. (I think that was his name. )

I think it was Jimmy Janes

[Jon-El]

I think it was Jimmy Janes

I could see Janes in my head but kept thinking it was a typo! Something my 10 year old brain got wrong. Lol

[j9ac9k]

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

I will say Giffen - he's like three artists in one over the years. And I honestly loved all of his various styles (except when he first tried to copy Munoz)
Second place goes to Coipel.

This. I still say this version is the most viable in the long run.
As boring as that run by Levitz was, the team itself was never damaged. They just needed a fresh take, not another reboot.

I agree that the "retroboot" (as it was dubbed) would have been the best way to reintroduce the Legion - more adult, but more in keeping with the Levitz run than directly following the TMK stories and everything that happened there. However, I was not a fan of the Frank designs. I agree that it needed a relaunch, not a reboot.

[caj]

Well, we made it to 100 votes. Thanks for voting and for all your interest in the Legion.

Levitz/Giffen era definitely was the far favorite but it's very interesting to see how the rest of the votes were split out between the different versions.