Sunday Recommendations: Enjoying the Simple Things!

Martinex1: Sundays we take it a little easier around here, but these are a few things that I find enjoyable so I thought I would share.  They may not be typical BitBA fare (and others may be right in our wheelhouse).  I hope you may like these offerings also.  Share your thoughts and recommendations.

1) The Thunderbolts: Arriving after the Bronze Age, this team book's early years written by Kurt Busiek and penciled by Mark Bagley were excellent.  If you haven't explored this series, I believe most here would enjoy it.  Lots of twists, turns, character developments, and a nostalgic feel in the mighty Marvel manner.

1A) Citizen V:  Coming out of the Thunderbolts is a character that I think is intriguing.  And I find his elaborate costume design rather interesting as well.

2) The Pretenders: This band really had something going on, particularly in the early days before the deaths of James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon.  Chrissie Hynde carried on, but the first couple of albums were classics.

3) Egg Foo Young:  This classic dish, if done right, is delicious.  Add some spice and pepper for an update to the traditional.

4) John Byrne's version of the Doom Patrol: Not always considered a popular run for the team, Byrne stripped away some of the group's strange modern history and went back to basics.  I liked it. And his art was the strongest it had been for a while.

4A) Negative Man: Coming out of the Doom Patrol, I would like to see more of the Negative Man.  Here is a long running character that should get more of the spotlight.

5) Extreme Pumpkin Carving:  It is that time of year, and I am amazed by the creativity of these jack-o-lanterns.  They are a far cry from the triangle eyes and noses of past Halloween gourds.  So much fun, yet so fleeting.  Cheers all!

The Quarter Bin: $1 Challenge - John Byrne Covers!

Martinex1:  After approximately 18 months of $1 Challenges between here and at the BAB site, this is the first time that we explore covers specifically by John Byrne, one of the recognized great artists of the Bronze Age comic era.

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!