Who cares if there's bad press? It's coming from the internet, it's shite anyway. If someone wants to prove Byrne a racist, then talk to anyone he's had a close working relationship with in his two-plus decades in the industry. I don't anyone will be able to dig up an instance where John Byrne is by any definition a racist. And anyone can be made out a "racist". I think black culture sucks right now. What happened to the music? What happened to the look? Where are the genuis icons? Where are the voices? But I'm racist because I hate the current music, the look, the "icons". Don't worry, I hate the white culture too. In fact, I hate everybody everywhere.

Except here. And all pretty ladies. And, eh, old kung fu masters. But everybody else can go to hell!

edited because I suck

Adult comic book fans don't seem to be the most intelligent, well-rounded of lads and lassies. I include myself in that group.

I dunno dude. I'm getting pretty round. Pear shaped anyway.

Adult comic book fans don't seem to be the most intelligent, well-rounded of lads and lassies. I include myself in that group.

I'm glad you spoke for yourself there Joe, but I don't know how true that is of alla dult comic book fans.  Perhaps we could, as Darragh has done, distinguished readers from fans.  I don't know how much parsing is needed but that's a bit of a generalization.  We talk comics here because it's a comics forum, occasuinally we branch off but there's a lot of intelligence on this board and amongst my friends. 

As for JB being racist, pshaw.  These are probably the same who say he's misogynist.  A professor of mine in college said, "Stay away from -isms."  That can have a few meanings but it's true.

JB is one of the only artists who doesn't need to draw diagonal lines to show that a character is African-American.  (Another cartoonist who excels at this is Alison Bechdel, author of the new graphic novel "Fun Home" and "Dykes to Watch Out For")  Bechdel said she didn't want to do those lines like she saw Franklin in Charlie Brown having.

And George, JB isn't the Pope;  I don't think he needs a goodwill tour.  Addressing these issues and being honest on this board, as he is doing, is great.  Let those who've been accusing him come HERE and read.

I agree, Joe.

You included.

Other boards, not so much.  Not all other boards.  But many.

It's not just comic message boards - I post sometimes on the Geldof board, and they get a regular parade of folk coming through complaining about how much Geldof has screwed the Africans or whatever... likewise, on the David Lynch board, he limited it to just popping into chat, giving a daily filmed message and weather report, and having questions in and answering them on camera, a few at a time.  Worked great.  Then, recently, he set up a mesage board type thing - mainly to discuss his new love of conspiricy theories - he doesn't even post on it - he just says the subject in his daily film, and leaves it open to debate on the msg board, but... it was like 3 days in before it was overrun with "trolls".

The internet is the best friend to a whole world of sad lonely people.