Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login
The John Byrne Forum
Byrne Robotics > The John Byrne Forum << Prev Page of 8 Next >>
Topic: Bright New Star Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message
Matt Hawes
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 16406
Posted: 12 November 2019 at 1:41pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

What's interesting about the Starlin original is that it looks like it wasn't his first attempt at drawing the face, either. Romita's head does look better, and more proportioned, but such heavy retouching -- here it's totally redrawn -- by another artist always kind of bothers me.

I get Romita's position as art director meant he had to make sure certain cover elements matched a house style of sorts, but it still seems wrong to do it in a way. I mean, Romita was dictated by editorial (I assume it was an editor's decision) to make such corrections, but to me it was definitely ridiculous when Romita was "correcting" faces drawn by Jack Kirby on characters Kirby created (!!). Over at DC, it made more sense for Murphy Anderson or whomever to retouch Superman's face, as Kirby was often off-model. However, how off-model can you truly be when you're the fella that created a character?

Back to Top profile | search | www
 
Matt Hawes
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 16406
Posted: 12 November 2019 at 1:47pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

"When did you start seeking out comics based on liking the creator's work, whether it was the penciler, inker or writer or any other contributor..."

The earliest art by JB I recall noticing what in the late 1970s "Avengers" with Graviton as villain, and the "Marvel Team-Up" issue with Warlock and The Stranger. I remember enjoying the art, and was fascinated with it. It was "Uncanny X-Men" #122, with the JB/Terry Austin combo that really wowed me, and made me the lifelong JB fan I am, with JB becoming my favorite artist of all-time.

Before that, other artists I noticed and followed (as much as I could on what money I had available as a child) were creators like Jim Aparo, Marshall Rogers, Don Newton, Mike Zeck/Gene Day, Mike Grell, and Jack Kirby.
Back to Top profile | search | www
 
Steve Coates
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 November 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 733
Posted: 12 November 2019 at 2:51pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

That is some major reworking for production. Take a look atthe star field elements in relation to the figure. Kevin can you give any background to the original art image?  Theimage I used is from the GCD, which means a scan from a printed cover.


Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Jonathan A. Dowdell
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 July 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 415
Posted: 12 November 2019 at 5:14pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Matt H - "It was "Uncanny X-Men" #122, with the JB/Terry Austin combo that really wowed me, and made me the lifelong JB fan I am, with JB becoming my favorite artist of all-time."

#122 was my first issue of X-Men. I wonder looking back if I had noticed something going on w/ the Uncanny X-Men book and it was the "everyday" nature of the story in #122 that made it a good jumping on point? In some ways this idea is confirmed to me by the fact that my first issue of New Teen Titans was issue #8, 'A Day in the Lives' (my memory had the title as ' A Day in the Life - wrong again). Even in the pre-internet world I knew George Perez (from his FF issues mostly) had moved to DC, I had looked at TNTT on the magazine rack at my local drug store for a few months. Maybe it was issue #8's "everyday" story that seemed "safe" for me to jump on? I read TNTT #8 and stayed with that book for years. I read UXM for many years after #122 as well.

(edited for syntax)


Edited by Jonathan A. Dowdell on 12 November 2019 at 5:16pm
Back to Top profile | search
 
Kevin Sharp
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 09 December 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 326
Posted: 13 November 2019 at 9:48am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

That is some major reworking for production. Take a look atthe star field elements in relation to the figure. Kevin can you give any background to the original art image?  The image I used is from the GCD, which means a scan from a printed cover.

***

It's from the Starlin IDW "Cosmic Artifact Edition." 
Back to Top profile | search | www
 
Steve Coates
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 November 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 733
Posted: 10 June 2020 at 7:44am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Walter Simonson's work on the Manhunter sure caught my attention back in 1973. The DC 100 Page Super Spectaculars fit nicely into my budget at the time.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15726
Posted: 10 June 2020 at 11:29am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

I think this issue was the first time I saw Dake Keown's work:


I found his style very appealing -- and I started buying the Hulk regularly for a fair stretch after that.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 30832
Posted: 10 June 2020 at 11:44am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

He was doing She-Hulk covers after JB’s first run. His Byrne influence
was quite strong in his early work. I took an immediate liking to his stuff.
Interior pencils were by Bryan Hitch.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Steve Coates
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 November 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 733
Posted: 11 June 2020 at 6:57am | IP Logged | 9 post reply

The early 1970's was a time of Bruce Lee and martial arts and MARVEL had Master of Kung-Fu. And when Paul Gulacy began as the artist in early 1974, it grabbed my attention.
The image I most associate with Paul is from issue #64 cover.

Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Steve Coates
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 November 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 733
Posted: 13 June 2020 at 6:40am | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Mike Grell's work on the Legion of Super-heroes was spot on. Mike seemed to be able to capture a certain 20 something youthfulness for the characters. Dave Cockrum left him a solid base to work from with many costume updates and Cary Bates had a killer story for Mike's first issue.
Many of the story artists didn't get a cover for many issues.Mike got his at issue # 207
I met Mike a few years ago. He did a commission for me and had a great Jack Kirby encounter story to tell.

Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Eric Sofer
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 31 January 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 4789
Posted: 13 June 2020 at 8:53am | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Steve C. - not to be a pain in the ass*, but I believe Mike Grell's first story was a combo, where he inked Dave Cockrum, in S&LSH #202 - "Stranded - A Million Miles From Home!" It was quite a pretty piece of work!

*On the other hand, I don't seem able to avoid it...
Back to Top profile | search
 
Steve Coates
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 November 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 733
Posted: 13 June 2020 at 9:24am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

You're right!
I should have said Mike's first pencil or first lead story or the first story with his contribution to catch my attention.

It is not the contributor's first work, rather my first awareness of contribution. And it is my best recollection of the earliest encounter of the credited contribution, which I would have purchased at the time. There are many things I might have been aware of at the time, gleaning information from the editorial and letter pages, but I certainly can't recall now. The 1970s were not yesterday.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 

<< Prev Page of 8 Next >>
  Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login