Today I supply a selection of his work that hopefully highlights the variety of comic books he has been associated with over the years from Charlton to Marvel to DC. There are perhaps even some examples obscure enough that you our faithful reader may not have realized or recognized were penciled by Byrne.
We are offering a whopping sixty-three covers to peruse, that extend from his earliest work to that from the 2000s. John Byrne remains an active and prolific artist to this day between his work on IDW titles and his commissions. His art style, inking, and detail has changed over the years, but his handiwork is always recognizable.
Reaching a peak of celebrity in the late 70s and early 80s, he made a name for himself on the X-Men, Iron Fist, and Marvel Team-Up along with co-plotter and writer Chris Claremont. He also had memorable runs on the Avengers, Captain America, The Fantastic Four, Marvel Two-In-One and even issues of the Champions at Marvel. He jumped over to DC and handled most of the iconic heroes there at some point from Superman to Wonder Woman, but also tackled some oddities like The Demon, Doom Patrol, and Jack Kirby's Fourth World.
I have a fondness for the covers he did with the original X-Men in Amazing Adventures, when Marvel stretched the reprints into two issues and needed filler covers. In more recent times, I've come to enjoy his run on Doom Patrol; it is more traditional in terms of super-hero storytelling and even has a beautiful issue inked by Terry Austin. I struggle with Steve Ditko's later work, but when paired with John Byrne the results are amazing so I really like the cover of Machine Man below. And I am curious about Star Brand and had no idea Byrne had such a long run on the title (nine issues as writer and artist in the late 80s). So those are my four choices on this go around.
Most would rank John Byrne amongst Kirby, Buscema, Romita, Adams, Perez, Golden, and other top tier talent. What do you think of his style and output? Where do you place Byrne in the pantheon of comic artists? And what four issues would you choose out of the plethora offered below? And for those of you who are more knowledgeable of Byrne's work, are there any gems below that are worth reading? Note that some of the examples only have cover work from Byrne while the interiors were handled by others, but there is no doubt he drew many of the interior pages as well on key series.
All things John Byrne today... so feel free to share any comments, stories, or interactions that you may have had with John Byrne as well. Put your quarters where your mouth is and share your thoughts! And enjoy!
31 comments:
Marvel Age #30---
Gotta include Marvel Age #30 or I'm not going to be able to spend my dollar---! (The cover from The Thing will be my next choice, however---)
Hmmm-- and I'd have to do some digging, but I daresay that his FF run might warrant another example or two just for the sake of proportionate representation, yep? (That particular cover may have been one his weaker ones, IMHO-- although it's a terrific example of his devil-may-care fourth-wall-breaking.)
Prolific cover artist, wasn't he? I remember reading in an interview that the reason he was so fast was because he finally just started drawing in ink right off the bat, not pencil. Because. . . he NEVER erased (!!!!). I mean-- that's like a baseball player who never, ever swung at a pitch and missed. . . goodheavens!
I've ALWAYS liked his artwork-- his writing, though, could make me crazy. Not a BAD writer, per se, but one who had a little too much faith in his own story-telling infallibility. . .
HB
What a spectacular exhibition of covers! I think it's absolutely no secret to any of the regulars here that I'm a huge fan of Byrne's art - he's my favorite comic book artist and has been pretty much since the first time I saw his art in X-men #120.
Martinex, good call on the Amazing Adventures covers; I recall being miffed that they split the stories into two issues, but have Byrne do the "part 2" covers really sweetened the pot on those.
Of the covers you have posted, I'm most fond of World of Krypton #1, Super-villain Team-up #14, Deadman 4 (although that can easily be counted as a Garcia Lopez cover as well), Iron Man #109, Marvel 2-in-1 #56 and Spectacular Spider-man #58 (Byrne did the interior art on that one as well, and even though it's inked by Vince Colletta, it's quite nice). The covers to Jungle Action #23 and Iron Fist #8, by the way, have to be among the most iconic images of those two characters.
Since you didn't include them, I have to mention two of my very favorite Byrne covers, which are among the best comic book covers ever in my opinion: Avengers #187 and Alpha Flight #3
As for my picks, I'm sticking with my practice of going for books I've never had/read:
Space 1999 #5 (in which I believe Byrne did the interior art as well)
Doomsday +1 #4
Lab Rats #2
Justice Machine #1 (geez, if only a copy of this one could be found for a quarter - I used to have two of the later issues of JM, when it switched to color format, and I'd love to get the entire original 5-issue run).
Heavens what a treat. I didn't know that Byrne even drew some of these covers.
Seen together, it's striking how he used color backgrounds to frame and contrast the action.
Here goes...
Captain America #290 (an old favorite)
Space 1999 #5 (simply beautiful)
Jungle Action #22 (iconic)
Daredevil #203 (ahead of it's time)
I'm with Edo on Alpha Flight #3. An absolute stand-out.
Fantastic job of assembling a Fantastic array of Fantastic covers, Marti (note the non-subtle way of noting my favorite Byrne run). Like Edo and many here, I love Byrne's art; he may well be my favorite artist as well. His sense of drama, composition, color use, humor- everything just works and works well.
A favorite Byrne cover not shown today: Fantastic Four 267, showing Reed Richards and Dr. Octopus struggling high over the cityscape.
Choices for today- very difficult, I'd take any of them. But...
Machine Man 14- Have never seen the combo of Ditko and Byrne before, and I like it a lot.
Rog 2000- never read the book, but always wanted too. Didn't realize PC did a series...
Hawkman- "The cover made me buy this comic"
Wonder Woman 130- the cover has me intrigued.
Hey, I need another quarter for Alpha Flight, She-Hulk, Space:1999 and Doom Patrol. Maybe if I hunt around on the floor and find it, Marti will cut me a break and give me four more choices...
Redartz, that Rog 2000 book published by Pacific is just a one-shot that reprints all of the Rog material from various Charlton books - that's one I wouldn't mind having myself, but since I have all of the original issues of E-man, I already have most of the stories it contains.
Also, if you're interested in the Ditko/Byrne combination, I highly recommend Avengers Annual #13: the pencils, including the cover, are by Ditko and the inks are by Byrne. Their styles really mesh together well - as Martinex said, the end-result is amazing. (Also, the story is by Roger Stern, so it's just a compleat winner.)
Yep, Redartz--- FF #267 was the next one I was going to cite. So, Marvel Age #30, Thing #7 (was it?), and then. . . oh golly, probably one of his Captain America covers? Just tooooo much to choose from. . .
HB
Wow Marti! You must not have slept to have been able to put this spread together for us! Truth is I pretty much stopped reading comics regularly (thanks to Conway) by the time Byrne came along so I only experienced him occasionally. Some thoughts, though...
1) I dig the Hulk cover (old favs like the Leader and Modok) and the Xmen cover (always dug Kraven).
2) Can any of you (i guess younger?) Bronzers recommend some of Byrne's works to read? I value your opinions highly (see 3) below). I'm thinking of getting his FF work since I was a big FF fan.
3) Edo - thanks for the referral on Joe Sacco! I have the library system sending me "Safe Area Gorazde!" He has a most impressive body of "comic" work. Also thanks to whomever recommended reading R.S.Martin's "Jim Shooter Victim Files" blog. That R.S. Martin writes well AND cogently. What a treat for fandom, to get away from the platitudes and hyperbole!
Thanks again Gang!
Charlie.
Charlie--
For his art alone, I daresay his X-Men run still stands as some of his best work. But as far as writer/artist goes, I still maintain that his long, well-known run on FF is where he hit a true sweet-spot. His love and respect for the characters is clear, and his handling of them seemed much more along the lines of expanding them, rather than drastically changing or over-hauling them. That run has folks that really don't care for it, but I do think it should be in any conversation of "greatest runs in a title of all time".
And although I haven't gotten back to it since it came out, I remember enjoying his DOOM PATROL reboot very much, and was disappointed when it abruptly came to an end.
NEXT MEN was kind of a curiosity-- but it developed sooooooo slooooooowly. . .
HB
Hey Charlie, as an FF fan you will love Byrne's FF run. He really honors and builds on the heritage.
I also recommend the first 12 issues of Alpha Flight. Very well crafted, a lesson on how to build a new team, the dozen issues would have worked well as a maxi-series with a daring conclusion.
Also, Byrne's She-Hulk run. Witty and irrevevent, Gorgeous comics to look at, and a lot of fun to read.
Charlie, yep, if you want Byrne as both writer and artist, I'd recommend his FF run - I definitely agree with HB that it is may be one of the greatest runs of all time.
If you're just looking for his art, then I again agree with HB about his work on X-men (with Terry Austin on inks and Claremont scripting the stories - although Byrne was apparently involved in plotting many of the stories as well). There's also his earlier work on Iron Fist (collected in several formats), and also his all-too-brief run as artist on Captain America, with Roger Stern doing the writing, which is collected in the War and Remembrance tpb (but it's also included in a new Epic Collection as well). Those are my all-time favorite Captain America stories ever.
Otherwise, I can also second Colin's suggestions for Alpha Flight and She Hulk.
However, if you're interested in something short and sweet, just to sample his work, I highly recommend his crossover story Batman and Captain America. It was reviewed not too long ago at the Bronze Age Babies site (sorry for the frequent plugs to another blog, Martinex & Redartz!) It's post Bronze Age but it's sooooo good.
Charlie- let me echo the praise for Byrne's FF run. Absolutely stellar stuff. The characterizations are as powerful as the artwork. Also, Byrne did some beautiful work on Marvel Team-Up. Especially issue 79 with Red Sonja, if you can find it. Drawings that will leave you slack jawed with amazement.
Edo- thanks for the details on the PC Rog. Now I know what to look for.
Hey HB, Edo, Colin, Red! Thanks for the feed back!
I am visiting the Downers Grove Library system (west suburbs of Chicago) right now to see if I can save the $ and space (and the grief from my family for having "more books" lol) and score the JB FF run! I see they have the XMen, Next Men, and CPt AMerica... no joy for the FF yet but the library "look up" system can be a little convoluted.
Pehaps I'll have to visit ebay for FF omnibus? OR, if this astute crowd already knows... can I buy the FF floppies (and get the text!) cheaper than the Omnibus??? (Sorry I am such a traditionalist!)
As an aside, it's amazing I can buy Booth Tarkington's books, printed 100 - 110 years ago, for only a few $ but these joys are going to cost me multiples of that! He was America's greatest, most prolific writer, that no one remembers, lol!
CHeers!
I can echo what everybody has been saying. I think Byrne is my favorite artist; he is at least in extremely good company with the Buscemas, Perez, and Golden in my mind and is typically my number one.
I also agree with everybody's choices on great Byrne runs. I tried in the cover choices today to steer clear of his more iconic work and share at least some oddball entries, but if I was pressed I would offer the following specific recommendations:
Avengers 164-166 for relatively early team work from Byrne and the Nefaria arc is my favorite.
But I also really liked Byrne on Avengers from -185 to 190 with the Wundagore/Wanda/Pietro story all the way through the Elements of Doom and the Grey Gargoyle story.
I agree with Edo entirely on the Stern/ Byrne Captain America run especially Captain America 251 through 255 with the Mister Hyde/Batroc and Baron Blood stories. Truly a great run on Cap.
And I agree with Colin on Alpha Flight 1-12. An underrated gem with a truly oddball non-team.
For FF, I like it all but I particularly like the storyline with Ego and the extravaganza with Terrax and Galactus.
For the X-Men I like the later issues of his run, The Proteus Saga, Hellfire Club, Dark Phoenix and Days of Future Past. All in multiple collections I am sure.
And Sensational She-Hulk was great also.
Plenty to choose from, but I think his work from about 1978 through 1987 was all top notch.
I could probably run another 75 covers that were iconic and true classics from Byrne (i.e. FF 236, X-Men 134 and 141, Cap 254 etc)
So, we can only pick four?! I have a few of these, and there are others I've read but don't have anymore. Redartz mentioned the Wonder Woman cover; I seem to recall a lot of Byrne's WW covers were pretty cool (plus he was writing the book at the time, if I remember right).
For my picks I'll go with: Vigilante (cause it looks really cool); MTIO (cause I love Thundra); PM/IF (which takes place at Danny Rand's high school reunion!): and G.I. Joe (a story that focuses on Clutch when he goes back to Jersey--or is that "Joisey"?).
Help! I hope you gents haven't gone to bed yet! The FF John B ominbus is going to cost at least $130. I'm thinking about buying the floppies on ebay or a convention (probably a year-long project but w.t.h... the books seem to be about $2 each.) Below is what is in the Omnibus. Do I need all of them, for story lines, e.g., were there crossovers, or can I just get the FF? I do thank you for your help! EXCELSIOR!
Collecting MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) #61-62; MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #50; FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #215-218, #220-221, #232-262 and ANNUAL #17; PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #42; AVENGERS (1963) #233; THING (1983) #2; and ALPHA FLIGHT (1983) #4.
Charlie Horse, others should pipe in as well, but I think the seminal run on FF from Byrne are really the issues 232 to 262. I don't recall any significant crossing over and though there is some minor link to those other books I dont recall those driving any major plot points. The earlier FF (215 -218) are written by others (Wolfman and Mantlo I believe). I think if you stick to the core line, you will be okay and will see Byrne develop as a storyteller through the first year of his run.
Also on another note, I still find early issues of Alpha Flight in the 50 cent box at the local comic shop, even issues 2 through 12 so I suggest snagging them if you see them.
Alpha Flight #3 is a wonderfully complex cover. I really wish Marvel had followed Byrne's advice and made the logo and corner box black and white also. That would have been very striking. The first issues of AF are great because they are almost solo books for the team members. Byrne also did a black and white cover with Spidey in his new suit with a cityscape in the background; I don't remember the issue but it is great,
I believe John Byrne is somewhat color blind so I'm always amazed at how well his product looks when it is colored.
I also have to say I liked Marvel: The Lost Generatipn. It is Byrne and Stern again and I wish there was more of it. I have mixed feelings on X-Men The Hidden Years. I thought the stories were weak but I did like his use of the Beast and overall I thought his art was really on a good track.
I should have said that Byrne's FF runs all the way to issue 293. All good.
Charlie- just to let you know, I've picked up most of the Byrne FF run at flea market dollar boxes and half price bookstores. Good luck with your search!
Charlie --
If you check Cheap Graphic Novels and In-Stock Trades, you'll find a better price on the JB Omni, I'd think. Also, as J.A. Morris frequently recommends, some libraries can get their mitts on the out-of-print DVD-ROMs that each contain around 550 comics scanned. The second edition of the Fantastic Four also included the 18-issue Silver Surfer series. Check on inter-library loan for those (Avengers, ASM, FF, Hulk, Captain America, X-Men, and Iron Man).
After all these years, I had no idea that Byrne drew that Jungle Action cover! No idea...
Doug
Again, Charlie --
I did some quick searching. My advice would be to try to obtain the Byrne FF trades. They seem to go for $13-14 online. I didn't realize the Omnibi were out of print.
Doug
Hiya,
I'm gonna go ahead and exclude the Marvel stuff as I think I bought most of it when on the racks.
But as I've gotten older (an unpleasant experience but it certainly beats the alternative) I've really come to appreciate the early works in an artist's career. So with that I'd have to go for the Charlton pieces concentrating on the Doomsday +1 title. The incredible amount of energy in those works which almost if not quite overcame the lack of polish displayed. It's easy to see why Marvel became interested in Byrne and his development on the Iron Fist title was a joy to behold as his layouts became more secure and his figures more decisive.
In a strange way it's sometimes sad to watch an artist evolve his style. Dynamic energy always seems to give way to a certain predictability of artistic choices. It certainly effected Byrne, the Buscemas and Perez over the years.
Seeya,
pfgavigan
OK I'd go with Spidey vs Hulk, Iron Fist, Star Wars and Black Panther. Byrne really knocked out some dyn-o-mite covers, perhaps he and Gil Kane were competing to see who was the most prolific cover artist!
- Mike 'wanna see some Terry Austin art too' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Hiya,
Hey Charlie, don't disdain the Marvel black and white reprints done about a decade ago, the Marvel Essentials line. They covered Byrne's tenure on the Fantastic Four and Alpha Flight. These aren't easy to find but definitely an economic alternative to more recent reprints.
Seeya
pfg
Man, I was such the John Byrne fan but I must admit I did get Byrne-d out.
On a side note, I had just finished scanning Daredevil 203 when I took a break to type this post......
The Hulk cover, Spider-Man and Hulk Cover, Captain America and the Peter Parker Champions cover from Spectacular Spider-Man.
Charlie Horse 47, one other possibility. If you happened to find someone who has a FF run 232-292 who's scanning his comics and wouldn't need the hard copies anymore, they could send them to you.....or as a space saver, send you the scans!!! Just saying.....
(No song, too busy).
PS: Are there robots who just scan?
Hi gang -
I come to bury Byrne, not praise him. Don't kick me out Red and Marti! I greatly enjoyed his art on X-Men, Captain America, and Avengers. even his first go-round on F.F. But when he took on the book himself, I developed a distaste for it (him). I find his inking terribly muddy. Worse, his attention to background detail detracts from the story-telling needed in the panels. In the covers chosen today, for instance, the cover of Next Men looks to be a story about the quality of shattered masonry in the foreground, and not what caused the masonry to shatter. Similarly the Wolverine cover looks to be about Tiger Shark with drips of white paint. It took me a real effort to see the title character there. The parenthetical "him" above refers to his stories. I don't believe I have read on that I like. I quit buying his F.F. after 5 or 6 issues. Same thing with his Superman books. 6 and out. I learned, many years after the fact, about his treatment of Scarlet Witch and Vision and that gave me more reasons to dislike the author. When he was inked by Austin, Rubenstein, or Layton his comics looked as good as anyone's! Since then, I see only his wide mouths and stiff hands. And his Superman who can't bend his arms or legs. (See Hawkman cover in today's post.) Charlie, if you're reading this still, you can have my copy of Fantastic Four Visionaries John Byrne number 3. It is a collection of 5 or so FF stories. I picked it up to honestly give it a chance! This book did not persuade me a whit. However, I will state boldly that the way Byrne draws Steve Rogers is EXACTLY what Steve Rogers looks like! Also, the Beast. Sorry to be the party pooper. BTW, what the hell is the matter with Wolfman's F.F. run? Pollard, Byrne, and most importantly, Sinnott artwork. Skrulls, Galactus, guest stars, cross-cosmos adventure. I think it is great! So is this blog!
WardHill Terry, I definitely think Wolfman had an excellent run especially in the 20 or so issues prior to #200. I particularly like the Salem 7 story, the battle with Klaw and Molecule Man, and the Doom story around 200. I actually think it was on par with some of his Teen Titans work especiallly when teamed with Perez. But if you want Byrne full-on, then I think you have to look at the stories written and drawn by Byrne; I didn't mean to imply otherwise.
If you stopped reading Byrne FF after the first six issues, I think he got into his groove later into the first year. But I don't intend to convince you; a lot of people share your perspective on the inks and the rubble and the storytelling. I just always enjoyed it.
And as co-plotter on the X-Men I think he made a huge difference; it was very noticeable to me when he left. I think Claremont and Byrne -despite their differences - brought out the best in each other.
I also thought Byrne's run on She-Hulk - particularly his first run - was very funny. I think he enjoyed himself and it showed in those books. Which were very different than most out there at the time.
I still like looking at the commissions on his site. He puts a lot of detail into the art and I think he is still sharp (though as WHTerry said, some think his inking and backgrounds clutter up the work). I do think Terry Austin was his best inker; and Rubinstein on the Cap stuff was excellent.
Put me down for the Rog-2000 (a fantastic reprint of work that needs a wider audience), the Space:1999, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Justice Machine. Early Byrne is the best Byrne to my mind, though I appreciate what he has done since for the most part. There's a spark which disappeared from his work at some point along the way.
Rip Off
Byrne is certainly a Bronze Age great, but there was always a stiffness to his figures, and everyone had the same invariable basic face: overly long, with a broad mouth and underbite, jutting lantern jaw (including the women)and DIMPLES!! Without exception! Other than that... nice work, and I bought everything he did for many years.
Sorry, Charlie (always wanted to say that! Or write it anyway...), but the time difference means that I did indeed crash by the time you posted your additional request for help.
If you're still interested and paying attention to this thread, I'll say that I agree with Martinex that the initial part of Byrne's FF run up to about the cut-off point he mentioned is the very best part. Besides tracking down singles, or getting the Essentials if you don't mind black & white, another option is the FF Visionaries books. The first three in particular collect everything from #232 through 257, plus Annual #17, which to me is the absolute cream of Byrne's FF run. If you're interested in the pre-run material, there's also a 0 volume, which collects Marvel Team-up #61-62, Marvel 2-in-1 #50, and FF #215-218 and #220-221. Your local libraries may very well have these, but if you want to actually own the books, I'd take Doug's suggestion and do some online searches - you can get really lucky sometimes. (About a year ago, I landed unbelievably inexpensive copies of volumes 1-3 on eBay from a seller in Germany, and then not long after I snapped up a similarly cheap copy of the 0 volume from a marketplace seller on Amazon.UK.)
By the way, I'll just chime in to say that I also like Wolfman's run on FF - I started reading the series more or less regularly just before issue #200, and I loved that sprawling almost year-long space opera that ran from issues #204-214 (I even have the hardcover reprint - also purchased cheaply on eBay).
And not to go too far off on a tangent, but heck, Martinex brought it up, so I just have to say I really love Marvel: The Lost Generation, and it's really frustrating that there's no collected edition (I read borrowed copies of the entire set of floppies from a guy who refuses to sell them to me).
Just had to chime in to say that while on vacation in the Smokies this weekend, we stopped at an antique dealer. I found Wheelie and the Chopper bunch #3 for a buck. Wotta coinkeedink! If I could have gotten it for a quarter (and if they'd had 'em), I'd have added: Justice Machine, She-Hulk, and Babe 'cause they're about the only ones I don't have.
That John Carter: Warlord of Mars cover looks more like Bernie Wrightson than Byrne; I wonder if that's the look he was going for. Also, that issue happens to contain the first Frank Miller art published by Marvel.
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