John Byrne Comic Genius?
JOHN BYRNE I was talking to someone the other day about comics. Well,it was Rik Offenberger the PR man for Archie Comics if you have to know. John Byrne came up in the conversation.
Most of us old enough to remember might recall Charlton Comics and Doomsday+1,written and drawn by Byrne. From those days we also got Rog 2000.I wanted to list most of the titles Byrne had worked on but that might take a web site in itself! There was Justice League of
Byrne tends to be controversial in many peoples opinions but he’s human. He has opinions. If you don’t like what he says don’t read or listen. Easy as that. It was John Byrne who got me back to reading Marvel Comics in the early 1980s. Not sure what it was about the art style but I was hooked.
I think it was the cover of Alpha Flight #4 which caught my eye. The whole feel of the art and story had a unique touch to it. From Shaman to Sasquatch and my favourite,Puck,the characters were unique –and all based in
Fantastic Four is still one of my favourites and Byrne’s run on it was only equalled when Carlos Pacheco became the artist years later.
Of course,his stand-up comedy routine at one of the 1980s UK Comic Art Conventions was hilarious and won over a lot of fans.
Considering the fact that we are currently learning of the Skrull secret invasion of the Marvel Universe,perhaps Byrne’s Marvel The Lost Generation needs to be reprinted and it’s characters re-introduced to the scene?
I was asked by an interviewer, some six years agoi now,who,as a writer I’d like to work on a comic project if I had a choice out of anyone? Well,Gil Kane and Kirby were dead and the first name I spoke was “John Byrne”. If there were any justice in the comics industry,Byrne ought to be given his own on-going series –it would be fun to see him write and draw a series with all those Golden Age Timely characters set in the 1940s [and ignoring The Twelve!].
I do not think that Marvel or DC have fully pushed Byrne’s projects or had faith enough to keep them going and build up a faithful following. So,should John Byrne ever get desperate enough to want to work with someone on a British project [remember;he did draw a Judge Dredd strip once]…
I’m here.
I can dream,right?
Comic Bits Online is the web version of the Comic Bits magazine Edited and run by Terry Hooper. Currently Interviews Editor at Manga Life,Terry has over thirty years experience in the comic industry as script writer,artist,freelance Editor,publisher and much more. But if you want the facts:
Curriculum vitae Name:Terry HooperDob:6th June 1957 [50 yrs]Currently living Ashton Vale,Bristol,United Kingdom ...
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