Hey there Sports Fans, Al here with the latest:
So we come back around again to that point in my life where I talk about those people and comic book illustrators that have influenced me and have inspired me.
The person that we’re going to be talking about today is the writer and illustrator named John Byrne.
For me back in 1980, John Byrne was the pinnacle artist that really made me start paying attention to the art form of comic books illustration, and storytelling.
This began with the first comic book I picked up off the magazine rack at a small mom & pop store back in 1980 called The Uncanny X-Men with issue 129.
Everything about these characters that were being depicted was completely different from anything I’ve ever seen from costumes being completely different appearances like in the Fantastic Four. According to the story, there had been a major battle that had recently ended and something majorly had happened to the X-Men hence the reason why they were in Ireland and finally making their way home. Byrne's depiction of characters especially between Cyclops and Phoenix was incredible. It was a love story being depicted in pictures that I had never seen before it was very very intriguing and I haven't again had never seen anything like it since. And even in today’s comic books, I have not seen anything like that soft depiction between two characters who deeply love each other- it was cool.
I have mentioned in times past or the last couple blogs that Byrne, to me, I revere is a god. If I have been born in the late 1950s as opposed to the 1960s I might have looked upon Kirby or Steranko in the same kind of light as I looked upon John Byrne. In my opinion, John Byrne could do no wrong.
It wasn’t until years later that I realized I actually been picking up John Byrne's work since 1974 when he was working on Charlton Comics in titles like "Doomsday + One" and "Space: 1999" which was a favorite TV show of mine at the time. For nearly about seven issues or so I was completely enthralled with what was going on with the X-Men I had to know more of this team's recent history. I scampered feverishly to find back issues to fill in the story that I had missed out on and how the story began to progress with their fight with the Hellfire Club and the rise of the Dark Phoenix Saga. I realized this was something momentous and I’ve never seen anything like it was again. A truly amazing story written by Chris Clairemont and illustrated by John Byrne and inked by Terry Austin. My only complaint was when John Byrne decided to leave the X-Men after issue 143 with his and Chris Clairemont's ode to the movie "Alien". Everything was really going well for that title. It wasn't until years later that I found out why he left.
I found that this story was interesting using an actual demon that looked like the Xenomorph rather than an actual Xenomorph itself. It was pretty cool. When John Byrne took over The Fantastic Four I wasn’t really sure if I was going to like it or not because his artwork seemed rough and not quite as polished as what had been happening on the X-men. This was the time when I realize that inkers have a huge influence over the artist's pencils. When Byrne inked his own artwork, it took on a look of a little more grit and it took me a little bit of time to get used to it. I didn't know and at the same time, he was also working on Captain America within Roger Stern with finishes by Joseph Rubinstein which is a completely different look to the X-men. But I’ll tell you there is a Captain America story with him fighting Baron Blood from the Invaders title from years before and beheading that vampire with his shield that was amazing as it was creepy and Roger Stern had penned that story and it was great. I may have gotten my timelines wrong but it was pretty close.
So you can see by my rambling on about John Byrne that I really have a love for his work in what he did for me as a kid but now as an adult, I look at his stuff and it’s still pretty good very passable. But there’s something slightly bland to it as well, unfortunately. It seems that he’s not putting his whole heart into the work and it shows again an artist is their art and if you’re not into the work it translates in some fashion to the page through your characters. If you’re really into something it takes on a magic like nothing else and that’s what made Byrne. When he was into it he was at the top of his game - he was on fire!
Case in point when Byrne was working on an OMAC mini-series for DC that book looked awesome. The same was true when he was working on the Demon and Superman runs when he switched over to DC from Marvel.
There is not a huge amount of Byrne's work listed in separate volumes.
It is only recently that I was able to snag a copy of some of his more recent work as followed up with Modern Masters Volume Seven: John Byrne, 2012.
Prior to this, there was only The Art of John Byrne Volume One, 1980 by S.Q. Productions.
For more on the man who really made me want to be a comic book illustrator, there are a few youtube interviews that are good to watch and peel back some of the veneers of the man named John Byrne.
Part 1 https://youtu.be/UM0weL1062M and the follow-up Part 2 https://youtu.be/CjNIQk03AmE.
Of course, it couldn't be a full run because youtube has a tendency to only give you that 10 min mark to post prerecorded stuff (with ads).
That is something that I am looking into as well as what other content creators are looking into as they make new videos for youtube and other video platforms like twitch or the new locals webspace.
Yes, that's right I am looking at the podcast still. But finding a space where I feel I can make my voice be heard. I found that after watching "It's a Gundum" video that I will need to have a lot of foley sound effects when editing my work.
Anyway, a bit of a side note but worth bringing up.
Hope you enjoy the interviews from youtube. It does help put a positive spin on the inspiration of my work. And keep you entertained.
An I am outta here till next week or two.