Editing Legion of Super-Heroes (section)

====''Superboy'' and their own title====
[[File:Legion of Super-Heroes (Silver Age version).jpg|thumb|The Legion of Super-Heroes as seen in the ''1976 DC Calendar''. Art by [[Neal Adams]] and [[Dick Giordano]].]]
The first comic book published under the title ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' was a four-issue series published in 1973 that reprinted Legion tales from ''Adventure Comics''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kingman|first=Jim|title=Reprint Madness: DC's Short-Lived Reprint Line of 1972–1973|journal=Back Issue!|issue=81|pages=47–52|publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing|date=July 2015|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref><ref>{{gcdb series|id= 2099}}</ref> In the same year, the Legion returned to cover billing on a book when ''Superboy'' became ''Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes'' with #197 (August 1973). Crafted by Bates and Cockrum, the feature proved popular and saw such events as the wedding of Bouncing Boy and [[Luornu Durgo|Duo Damsel]] in ''Superboy'' #200 (Feb 1974).<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 159: "Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel became the first Legionnaires to tie the knot. The wedding planners were writer Cary Bates and artist Dave Cockrum."</ref> Issues #202 (June 1974) and #205 (Dec. 1974) of the series were in the [[DC 100 Page Super Spectacular|100 Page Super Spectacular]] format.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Eury|first=Michael|author-link= Michael Eury|title=A Look at DC's Super Specs|journal=Back Issue!|issue=81|page=27|publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing|date=July 2015|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> Cockrum was replaced on art by [[Mike Grell]] as of issue #203 (August 1974) which featured the death of Invisible Kid.<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 160: "With the unenviable task of replacing the departing Dave Cockrum, one of the most popular artists ever to draw the Legion of Super-Heroes, Mike Grell's first issue on ''Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes'' killed off one of the team's most beloved members."</ref> With #231 (September 1977), the book's title officially changed to ''Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes'' and also became a "giant-size" title. At this point, the book was written by longtime fan [[Paul Levitz]] and drawn by [[James Sherman (comics)|James Sherman]], although [[Gerry Conway]] frequently wrote as well. Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad were married in ''[[Limited Collectors' Edition|All-New Collectors' Edition]]'' #C-55 (1978), a treasury-sized special written by Levitz and drawn by Grell.<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 177: "Only an oversized treasury edition could have contained Superboy and the entire Legion of Super-Heroes' battle with the Time Trapper...and the long-awaited wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl...Legion favorites Paul Levitz and Mike Grell were up to the enormous challenge with the popular tale 'The Millennium Massacre'."</ref> In #241–245 (July–December 1978) Levitz and Sherman (and then [[Joe Staton]]) produced what was at that time the most ambitious Legion storyline: "[[Earthwar]]", a galactic war between the United Planets and the Khunds, with several other villains lurking in the background. During this period, Karate Kid was [[Spin-off (media)|spun off]] into his own 20th century-based self-titled series, which lasted 15 issues. Levitz left the book, to be replaced full-time by Gerry Conway.

Superboy departed from the Legion due to a villain's plot, and the book was renamed simply ''The Legion of Super-Heroes'' starting with issue #259 (January 1980). Editor [[Jack C. Harris]] hired [[Steve Ditko]] as guest artist on several issues, a decision which garnered a mixed reaction from the title's readership.<ref name="PartTwo">{{cite web|url=http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/harris2.shtml |title=Jack C. Harris Interview (Pt. 2) |first=Ron E. |last=Daudt |year=2010 |publisher=TheSilverLantern.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509191832/http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/harris2.shtml |archive-date=May 9, 2021 |access-date=April 2, 2022 |quote=Some of the fans loved it and some hated it. Nobody was lukewarm about it. It was a very Ditko type of feeling. You hated it or you loved it and there was nothing in between.}}</ref> Jimmy Janes became the regular artist in a lengthy tale by Conway (and later [[Roy Thomas]]) involving Ultra Boy's disappearance during a mission, and his long odyssey to rejoin the team.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Gerry Conway|Conway, Gerry]]| penciller= [[Jimmy Janes|Janes, Jimmy]]| inker= [[Frank Chiaramonte|Chiaramonte, Frank]]| story= A Murderer&nbsp;– Among Us?| volume= 2 | issue= 273| date= March 1981}}</ref> This story told the tale of the Legionnaire Reflecto (only glimpsed during the "Adult Legion" stories in ''Adventure Comics''), featured villainy by the [[Time Trapper]] and [[Grimbor the Chainsman]], and saw Superboy rejoin the team.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Roy Thomas|Thomas, Roy]]; [[Paul Levitz|Levitz, Paul]]| penciller=Janes, Jimmy|inker=[[Bruce Patterson (comics)|Patterson, Bruce]]|story= If Answers There Be...|volume=2|issue=282|date=December 1981}}</ref>