John Byrne

John Byrne.

John Lindley Byrne (born July 6 1950) is a British-born naturalised American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero. His most famous works have been on Marvel Comics's X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics's Superman franchise. During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works including Next Men and Danger Unlimited.

Biography

Early life and career

Cover to the Dark Phoenix TPB. Art originally from Uncanny X-Men #135 (1980), cover by John Byrne.

Byrne was born in Walsall, England, but he and his parents (Frank and Nelsie) moved to Canada when he was eight. His first exposure to the American superheroes that would dominate his professional life were reruns of American programs such as The Adventures of Superman on British television. In Britain, he was able to read domestic comics such as The Eagle as well as reprints of DC Comics. Byrne Robotics Forum: "Journey Into Comics". URL accessed on December 2, 2005 He was married to photographer and actress Andrea Braun Byrne for 15 years.

His first encounter with Marvel Comics was in 1962 with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four #5. He later commented that, "the book had an 'edge' like nothing DC was putting out at the time." Michael Thomas, "John Byrne: The Hidden Answers", Comic Book Resources, August 22, 2000. URL accessed on December 2, 2005. Jack Kirby's work in particular had a strong influence on Byrne and he has worked with many of the characters Kirby created or co-created. Besides Kirby, Byrne was also influenced by the naturalistic style of Neal Adams.

In 1970, Byrne enrolled at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. He created the superhero parody Gay Guy for the college newspaper which poked fun at the campus stereotype of homosexuality among art students. Gay Guy is also notable for featuring a prototype of the Alpha Flight character Snowbird. While there, he also published his first comic book, ACA Comix #1, featuring "The Death's Head Knight". The John Byrne Gallery - "Images from John's College Days". URL accessed on December 2, 2005.

Byrne left the college in 1973 without graduating. He broke into comics illustrating a two-page story by writer Al Hewetson for Skywald Publications' black-and-white horror magazine Nightmare #20 (August 1974). He then began freelancing for Charlton Comics, making his color-comics debut the E-Man backup feature "Rog-2000". This starred a robot character he'd created in the mid-1970s that colleagues Roger Stern and Bob Layton named and began using for spot illustrations in their fanzine CPL (Contemporary Pictorial Literature). A Rog-2000 story written by Stern, with art by Byrne and Layton, had gotten the attention of Charlton Comics writer Nicola Cuti, who extended Byrne an invitation. Byrne went on to work on the Charlton books Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, Doomsday +1, Space: 1999, and Emergency!.

Marvel Comics

Byrne's first story for Marvel Comics was "Dark Asylum" (written by David Anthony Kraft), published in Giant-Sized Dracula #5. He began drawing Marvel's lower-selling titles, including Iron Fist, The Champions, and Marvel Team-Up. For many issues, he was paired with writer Chris Claremont.

In 1978, he joined Claremont on The Uncanny X-Men with issue 108. Their work together would make them both fan favorites and the X-Men became one of the industry's best-selling titles. Byrne has repeatedly compared his working relationship with Claremont to Gilbert and Sullivan, and has said that they were "almost constantly at war over who the characters were." John Byrne, "Too-Much-Reality Check", Slushfactory.com, January 29, 2003. URL accessed on December 2, 2005. Byrne became "increasingly unhappy" and left the title with issue 143. He has described his current relationship with Claremont as "cordial" but said it would be "too frustrating" to work with him again. In 2004, however, the two teamed up once more for a brief run on DC's JLA.

The Fantastic Four #236, 1981, the 20th anniversary issue

In the early 1980s Byrne worked on a number of other Marvel books. His nine-issue run (#247-255) with writer Roger Stern on Captain America included an issue (#250) in which the Captain was nominated for the US presidency. Marvel persuaded Byrne to write and draw Alpha Flight, a Canadian superhero team who were first introduced "merely to survive a fight with the X-Men". The book was popular (its first issue sold 500,000 copies Byrne Robotics FAQ: Questions About Comic Book Projects. URL accessed on December 2, 2005. and critically well regarded, but Byrne has said the book "was never much fun" and that he considered the characters two-dimensional. One of those characters, Northstar, became Marvel's first openly gay superhero. Though intended by Byrne to be gay from the beginning, his homosexuality could only be hinted at during Byrne's tenure on the book. After issue 28, he swapped books with Bill Mantlo, writer of The Incredible Hulk. According to Byrne, he discussed his ideas with editor-in-chief Jim Shooter ahead of time, but once Byrne was on the book, Shooter objected to them. Byrne only wrote and drew six issues (314-319) of the Hulk.

Byrne's most important post-X-Men body of work was his six years on The Fantastic Four (#232-293), considered by many to be a "second golden age" Frank Plowright, ed. The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide. Aurum Press, 1997. on that title. Byrne said his goal was to "Turn the clock back...Get back and see fresh what it was that made the book great at its inception."Qtd. in Christopher Mari, "John Byrne", Current Biography Yearbook 2000, pages 81-4. H.W. Wilson, Co. However, he also made a number of significant changes to the title: the Thing was replaced as a member of the quartet by the She-Hulk, while the Thing had adventures in his own comic (also written by Byrne), and his longtime girlfriend Alicia Masters left him for his teammate the Human Torch; the Invisible Girl was developed into the most powerful member with her heightened control of her refined powers and the self confident assertiveness to use it epitomized by her name change to the Invisible Woman; and the Baxter Building, their headquarters, was destroyed and replaced with Four Freedoms Plaza. Byrne has cited multiple reasons for leaving the book, including "internal office politics" and that "it simply started to get old".Marcia Allass, "The Superheroes' Mr. Fix-It: John Byrne", Sequential Tart, vol. 2, issue 6, June 1999. URL accessed on December 2, 2005.

Superman

Near the end of his time at Marvel he was hired by DC Comics to revamp its flagship character Superman. This was part of a company-wide restructuring of the history of the DC universe and all of its characters following the miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. Byrne's reworking of Superman in particular gained widespread media coverage outside the comic book industry, including articles in Time Magazine and The New York Times.

The Man of Steel #1, July 1986.

At the time, Byrne said "I'm taking Superman back to the basics...It's basically Siegel and Shuster's Superman meets the Fleischer Superman in 1986".Peter Sanderson, Amazing Heroes #96, June 1986. Excerpted here. He also cited the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve as an influence (Byrne even used Reeve's face as the visual model for his Superman, mostly because Byrne found that he couldn't quite capture the face that the previous Superman artist Curt Swan had drawn). Byrne significantly reduced Superman's powers (though he was still one of the most powerful beings on Earth), eliminated the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto, and his childhood career as Superboy, and had his foster parents the Kents still alive while Superman was an adult to enjoy their adopted son's triumphs as well as to provide him with support, grounding and advice whenever he needed it. One of the biggest changes was in Clark Kent, whom Byrne felt was the real personality while Superman was just a disguise, and that the heart of the character was not so much an outsider seeking his heritage but of a young man who grew up in the American heartland and embraced its ethics; Byrne wrote Clark Kent as having a more aggressive and extroverted personality, even making him a top football player when he was in high school. Byrne also did his part to come up with explanations for how Superman's disguise works, such as indicating that Superman would vibrate his face via his super speed in order to blur his image to photographers and having Kent keep a weight training set around to explain how the human and presumably weaker Kent could have a frame as massive as Superman's. Byrne's Superman felt that his deepest roots were on Earth, and that his home planet of "Krypton is anathema to him." This can be seen as a reflection of Byrne's convictions concerning his own roots; although born in England and raised in Canada, he considers himself staunchly American.

The new Superman debuted in the six issue miniseries The Man of Steel, which described his origin and early career. Byrne wrote and drew two monthly Superman titles with the hero's current adventures: a new Superman title beginning with issue one (January 1987) and Action Comics, in which, beginning with issue 584, Superman teamed up with another hero or group. The original Superman book was renamed Adventures of Superman and was initially written by Marv Wolfman and drawn Jerry Ordway, but the writing chores were taken over by Byrne after a year.

Byrne spent about two years on the Superman titles before leaving. He cited the lack of "conscious support" for his work from DC Comics and the fact that the version of Superman that the company licensed for merchandise was different from his version in the comic books as the reasons for his dissatisfaction. He said "After two years of this nonsense, I was just worn down. The fun was gone".

Return to Marvel

First issue of Byrne's return to The Sensational She-Hulk, number 31. Also pictured are Byrne himself and the book's editor, Renée Witterstaetter.

In 1989, Byrne returned to work on a number of titles for Marvel Comics. His work on West Coast Avengers (issues 42-57, soon renamed Avengers West Coast) was contingent on his being allowed to do what he called "my Vision story". The Vision was a long standing Marvel superhero and member of The Avengers, an android originally created by the villain Ultron constructed with the body of the original Human Torch. The Vision went on to join the team, marry his teammate the Scarlet Witch, and father two children by her. Byrne radically changed this, revealing that Ultron lied about the Vision's creation. The android Human Torch was found and joined the WCA. The Vision was disassembled and stripped of his emotions. The couple's twins were revealed to be pieces of the soul of the demon Mephisto. In addition to these changes, Byrne's run is remembered for the introduction of the Great Lakes Avengers, an eclectic group of new superheroes.

On the request of editor Mark Gruenwald, Byrne wrote and drew a new series, the Sensational She-Hulk. Gruenwald demanded that it be significantly different from the character's 1970s series, the Savage She-Hulk. Byrne's series was comedic and the She-Hulk, who was aware she was in a comic book, regularly broke the fourth wall. Byrne left the book after writing and drawing only the first eight issues. Traditionally at Marvel, writers and editors of regular series are consulted regarding side projects involving those characters, and Byrne was asked for input on Dwayne McDuffie's She-Hulk: Ceremony graphic novel. According to Byrne, most of his objections to the story and notations of errors were ignored, and his editor, Bobbie Chase, "was rewriting my stuff to bring it into line with" the story in Ceremony. When Byrne complained to editor in chief Tom DeFalco, he reports that he was fired from the series.Byrne Robotics FAQ: Questions About Aborted Storylines. URL accessed March 18, 2006. He later returned to write and draw issues 31-50 under new editor Renée Witterstaetter.

Byrne took over writing Iron Man (#258-277), which was drawn by John Romita Jr. and later by Paul Ryan. Byrne launched a second Armor War, restored The Mandarin as a major Iron Man nemesis and featured the 1950s monster Fin Fang Foom.

In 1986, Marvel began publication of a new line of superhero titles created by then-Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, which took place in a continuum removed from the Marvel Universe proper, called the New Universe. In 1987, the New Universe line saw a revamp under the auspices of Executive Editor Mark Gruenwald, and Byrne took over writing and art breakdowns on the line's flagship title, Star Brand (which was renamed The Star Brand during Byrne's term on the book). Byrne's run started with issue #11 and continued until the cancellation of the title eight issues later, along with the rest of the New Universe line. The most significant event that occurred in that title under Byrne's tenure was the destruction of that continuum's city of Pittsburgh by the wielder of the Star Brand.

Byrne also started a new series called Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Byrne's take on the undersea antihero Namor cast him as the head of a surface company, Oracle, Inc., and had him involved in corporate intrigue. Byrne wrote and drew the book for 25 issues, until new artist Jae Lee inspired a sharp change in the mood and plot of the book. Byrne wrote the book until issue 32.

Creator owned works

Next Men #23

In the early 1990s, Byrne began creating a series of original, creator-owned works for publisher Dark Horse Comics. This was during a general trend in the industry for established creators working for Marvel and DC to bring their original works to other publishers or create their own companies to publish the works themselves. A number of these creators, including Byrne, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, and Art Adams, banded together to form the Legend Comics imprint for Dark Horse.

Byrne's first title for Dark Horse was Next Men, a work he considered darker and more realistic than his previous work. The Next Men were five young people who were the product of a secret government experiment. Byrne said "I thought I would see what I could do with superheroes in the 'real world'" and "[e]xplore the impact their existence would have." Byrne's other Dark Horse titles were Babe (a kind of She-Hulk for mature readers) and Danger Unlimited, the latter about a Fantastic Four-like team of heroes in the future fighting an alien occupation of Earth.

The Next Men lasted until issue 30 in 1994, when Byrne ended the series, intending to return "in no more than six months". However, Byrne says he "did not count on...the virtual collapse of the whole comic book industry, which seemed to occur at just the time I put Next Men on the shelf...In the present, very depressed marketplace, I don't feel Next Men would have much chance, so I leave the book hybernating until such time as the market improves."

Later works

In later years, Byrne has done titles for Marvel, DC, and other publishers. His post-2000 works have often gone off the beaten tracks of the DC and Marvel universes and filled in characters and events in time periods mostly skipped by other comics (Marvel: The Lost Generation), or alternate timelines (DC's Superman & Batman: Generations); a common feature is to have characters who actually age during the course of the series unlike typical characters in ongoing comics.At the present moment, Byrne is not working on any monthly title but talking at his Byrnerobotics forum stated that "If I am offered work, I will of course consider it on its own merits, but for now I am not actively seeking "regular employment".

Controversies on the Internet

Byrne has developed a noticeable online presence, with his own website and forum, on which he is a participant and moderator, and a column, titled "In My Humble Opinion" (sic), which has run at both Slush Factory and UGO.online. His comments and statements have gained Byrne a reputation as a controversial figure. [1] Byrne has also gained a reputation as being argumentative, having had disputes with Peter David [2], Jim Shooter, Joe Quesada, Mark Evanier, Marv WolfmanRich Johnston, "Lying in the Gutters", Comic Book Resources, July 19, 2004. URL accessed on December 2, 2005. and Erik Larsen.Rich Johnston, "Lying in the Gutters", Comic Book Resources, July 27, 2003. URL accessed on December 2, 2005.

Byrne's reputation for such statements can be traced back at least as far as 1982, when during a panel discussion at the Dallas Fantasy Fair, Byrne made unflattering comments about Roy Thomas. After a transcript of the panel was published in The Comics Journal #75 (September 1982), Thomas threatened a libel suit if Byrne did not apologize. In a letter printed in TCJ #82 (July 1983), Byrne retracted his statements, claiming he was only repeating information from Wolfman and Wein and wrote "I acted only in the office of a parrot". qtd. in Rodrigo Baeza, "Acting in the office of a parrot". URL accessed January 31, 2006.

In the 1980s Steve Gerber and Jack Kirby lampooned him in Destroyer Duck, drawing him as a character called Cogburn, possessing a removeable spine and existing only to serve as a cog in the mammoth corporation that owned him. Destroyer Duck, Eclipse Comics, 1981-83, issues 1-5; the letters page to issue 5 discusses the physical likeness and similarity of names, and acknowledges that the character is a response to comments Byrne made in the fan press.

For further information see the Wikiquote link to the right

Art style

Cover for Avengers # 186.

Cover for Alpha Flight #12.

Cover for Blood of the Demon #1, series written and drawn by Byrne for DC Comics.

Byrne has stated his major influences on his art style are Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, and Jean Giraud (best known as Moebius), as well as British comics artists Frank Hampson and Frank Bellamy and cartoonist Giles. He later described himself as "a Frank Miller sponge," and told several interviewers of his desire to incorporate influences from Miller and Gene Colan into his style. He has also cited science fiction artists John Berkey and Syd Mead as contributors to his style.

Byrne's original work has been noted as being rough, with his drawings emphasizing curves over straight lines. Byrne has himself admitted to straight lines being "his least favorite artistic element."John Byrne, Learn To Draw Comics, p. 46, Collins, 2001. ISBN 0004134117.

Ron Goulart has called Byrne's artwork "an eminently acceptable mix of bravura, complexity and storytelling clarity".Ron Goulart, The Great Comic Book Artists, pg. 18. St Martin's Press, 1986. ISBN 0312345577.

In Scott McCloud's book Understanding Comics, Byrne is charted along with other comics artists in the "Big Triangle".Scott McCloud, "The Big Triangle". URL accessed on December 2, 2005. McCloud's placement of Byrne within it identifies his style as similar to Gilbert Hernandez and Jim Lee, making the point that Byrne's line style is naturalistic without being overly detailed.

Byrne is, in 2005, an accomplished comic book creator, and is capable of producing virtually all aspects of a book, although he does still produce work in collaboration. The one exception is coloring, since Byrne is color-blind. He has problems distinguishing between some shades of green and brown and pencilled Iron Fist for a year believing the costume was brown. While he experimented with his own hand-developed lettering fonts in the early 1980s, he now utilizes a computer font based on the handwriting of the letterer Jack Morelli. Byrne Robotics FAQ: Creative Process. URL accessed on December 2, 2005.

Byrne's artistic style, his layouts and his storytelling have been sources of instruction and inspiration to many comics artists, including George PerezComics Feature #19, 1982. Excerpted here. URL accessed December 2, 2005., Jim LeeGelatometti: 3 Doors Down. URL accessed December 2, 2005, Todd McFarlane"Todd McFarlane Complete Biography", Spawn.com. URL accessed December 2, 2005., Bryan HitchAlexander Ness, "A Conversation With Bryan Hitch", Slushfactory.com, September 12, 2003., and Marcos Martín.Scott Beatty, "Behind the Scenes: Words and Pictures with Marcos Martín!". URL accessed December 2, 2005.

Awards

He received the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Penciller in 1986 and 1998, and the Squiddy Award for Favorite Penciller in 1993.

For his writing, he was nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Writer six times. For his work as an artist, he was nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Cover Artist five times. For his work as an inker he was nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Inker three times. For his work as a penciller, he was nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Penciller three times.

Selected bibliography

A complete bibliography of Byrne's comics work is maintained at the Byrne Robotics Checklist.

Marvel Comics

Alpha Flight (1983-1985; co-creator)
Avengers and Avengers West Coast (1989-1999)
Captain America (1979-1980, penciller)
Fantastic Four (1979-1986)
Iron Man (1990-1992)
Marvel: The Lost Generation (2000-2001)
Namor the Sub-Mariner (1990-1992)
She-Hulk (1989, 1991-1993)
Spider-Man: Chapter One (1998-1999)
The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 (1999-2000)
Uncanny X-Men (1977-1981, 1991-1992, only as writer in the second stint)
X-Men: The Hidden Years (1999-2001)

DC Comics

Action Comics (1987-1988 as writer and artist; 2005 as artist)
Blood of the Demon (2005-2006)
Doom Patrol (2004-2005)
The Man of Steel (1986, 6- issues limited series)
Jack Kirby's Fourth World (1997-1998)
JLA (2004, Tenth Circle story arc, with Chris Claremont)
Lab Rats (2002-2003)
Legends (1986, limited series)
OMAC (1991, 4-issues miniseries)
Superman (1986-1988, Volume 2)
Superman & Batman: Generations (1999, 2001, 2003; Volumes 1-3)
The All-New Atom (2006)
Wonder Woman (1995-1998)

Dark Horse Comics

Babe (1994)
Danger Unlimited (1993)
John Byrne's 2112 (1991)
John Byrne's Next Men (1992-1994)

Novels

John L. Byrne's Fear Book (1988; ISBN 0446348147)
Whipping Boy (1992; ISBN 0440211719)
Wonder Woman: Gods And Goddesses (1997, ISBN 0761504834)

Webcomics

You Go, Ghoul! (2004)Byrne Robotics: Web Comics. URL accessed on December 2, 2005.

Other Media

Byrne has participated to an upcoming documentary film called Adventures Into Digital Comics. The film discusses, among other things, the crash of the comic book industry in the 90s and the emergence of webcomics. His creator-owned series John Byrne's Next Men is showcased in the film.

References

External links

* Byrne Robotics - Official Website
* The John Byrne Forum
* John Byrne's IMO - An opinion column at the UGO web portal.
* Lambiek Comiclopedia
* Byrne interview on his early career, Comic Book Artist #12, 2001
* Roger Stern interview re: Byrne, Comic Book Artist #12, 2001
* Interview with Top Two Three Films for Adventures Into Digital Comics
* Adventures Into Digital Comics Official Web Site

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