In 1984, Lightle followed Keith Giffen as the penciller of Legion of Super-Heroes.[7] Lightle described it as being a "dream assignment" to work on the title.[8] One of Lightle's issues featured the death of the longtime Legion member the Karate Kid.[9] Although Lightle's tenure as interior artist was brief, he continued as the cover artist until 1988.[5] Lightle co-created two Legionnaires, Tellus and Quislet,[10] whose unusual appearances contrasted with the humanoid appearances of the other Legionnaires.
In 1986, Lightle was one of the contributors to the DC Challenge limited series[11] and drew part of Batman #400 (Oct. 1986).[12] The following year, he was the original penciller of the revival of Doom Patrol,[13] but he left after the first five-issue story arc due to creative differences.[14] Much of Lightle's work after that was as cover artist, typically inking his own penciled artwork. In 1989 and 1990, Lightle was the regular cover artist for Classic X-Men[5] (later retitled X-Men Classic). He produced new covers and frontispieces to accompany the reprinted stories.
On January 8, 2021, Lightle's wife Marianne and son Matthew announced through social media that he had suddenly died from a cardiac arrest brought on by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri. He was 61 years old.[15][16][17]
^Schweier, Philip (October 2013). "Back to the Future: The Legion in the 1980s". Back Issue! (68). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 57–61.
^Vollmar, Rob (June 14, 2007). "Conversation With A Craftsman: Steve Lightle Talks With Rob Vollmar". Silver Bullet Comics. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2012. I was made to feel very welcome on Legion, and since the characters had been favorites of mine consistently since childhood, it was a dream assignment. I can't say enough good about Paul Levitz, who encouraged me to be involved in every aspect of the book and its characters.
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 209. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. In a story written by Paul Levitz, with art by Keith Giffen and Steve Lightle...the Karate Kid gave his life heroically while battling Nemesis Kid.
^Signh, Arune (October 30, 2002). "Because You Demanded It, A Legionnaire Returns: Steve Lightle Talks Legion". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012. I hold the distinction of having suggested the first non-humanoid Legionnaires in the long history of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Tellus and Quislet were the first nonhuman members of the Legion, and I'm very happy that Paul Levitz and I broke that barrier by creating them.
^Greenberger, Robert (August 2017). "It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at the DC Challenge!". Back Issue! (98). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 43.
^Trumbull, John (December 2013). "A New Beginning...And a Probable End Batman #300 and #400". Back Issue! (69). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 51.
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 229: "October [1987] saw a new Doom Patrol series, by writer Paul Kupperberg and artist Steve Lightle."
^Browning, Michael (July 2013). "The Doom Patrol Interviews: Steve Lightle". Back Issue! (65). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 51. I'd decided that it wasn't going in the direction I wanted and the promises I had been made hadn't even been anywhere near fulfilled.
