1984-1989 LSH v. 3

At long last, the Legion received something that it had never had in all its 26 years: an issue of Legion of Super-Heroes numbered 1. (There had been a four-issue reprint series by that title in the 70s, but that hardly counts.) Many fans, myself included, consider Legion of Super-Heroes v. 3 (1984-1989) to be the finest days of the Legion. Writer Paul Levitz and his creative team were at the height of their abilities; the characters were mature and depth-filled, the finely-detailed background became deeper and more complex with every issue. In this period, DC celebrated the Legion's 30th anniversary, and for a brief moment the team became the stillpoint around which the DC Universe rotated. The Legion survived the Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne's desecration of Superman, the destruction of its past, and the deaths of both Supergirl and Superboy. A 20th-century Invasion of Earth was based on its background mythology and alien races. Not one but two spinoff series (Wanderers and L.E.G.I.O.N.) began in this period. While it's hard to pick the best of this magnificent period, five storylines stand out: The war against the Legion of Super-Villains in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 1 - 5, the "Forgotten" storyline in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 32 - 35, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 37 - 38's "Greatest Hero of Them All" story, the Conspiracy storyline culminating in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 50, and Projectra's final showdown with the Emerald Empress in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 58.