1977-1980: SUPERBOY & THE LSH era

With issue 231, the comic's title officially changed from Superboy to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heores, acknowledging the reality of the Legion's takeover. (The change actually happened on the cover starting with issue 222, but the official title wasn't changed until 231.) In this period writer Paul Levitz, who had begun with issue 225 and wrote just about all the stories up to issue 251, began to display the talents that would make him the acknowledged master storyteller of the Legion. The period of 1977 through 1979 saw enormous changes in the Legion, as the characters finally matured and started on the path to adulthood. (One story, considered all but non-canonical by later fans, even attempted to explain why characters in their 20s and 30s were still referred to as "Boy," "Girl," "Lad," etc.) In this period, too, the creative teams deliberately began to use elements of the Legion's 20-year history in stories, delighting long-time fans and sending newcomers scurrying to the back-issue bins at comic shops. Continuity became important, as the Legion's background became more complex and more believable. Science fiction elements were used more carefully and to greater effect. Storylines that stretched across more than two issues became accepted LSH in fact, the annual five-issue "big" story became an instant tradition. Founding members Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl got married, Earth was invaded, and Brainiac 5 went mad (setting a pattern that would recur repeatedly in the future). Among the finest storylines of this era were #231's "A Day in the Death of a World," "The Millennium Massacre" in Collector's Edition C-55, "Murder Most Foul" in #239, the "Earthwar" saga in #241 - 245, and #247's "Once a Legionnaire."