My favorite comic book artist JOHN BYRNE had a really brief stint on the Avengers title. It was less than ten issues and it wasn’t too memorable. There was actually one good storyline which told some of the origin of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Otherwise the Avengers title was pretty yawwwwwwn.
Let me take that back though, because some of the events that occurred in the Avengers title from this period would have ramifications years later. Does anyone remember the name of the government operative that tells the Avengers that they have to cut down their roster and get registered into a government database? They also made a political point to bring the affirmative action arguement into comics by mandating that the Falcon replace Hawkeye.
I only effed with the Avengers book because JOHN BYRNE was on the pencils. Right after the Avengers he went on to create a title from a group of characters that he birthed in some earlier X-Men books. Alpha Flight were like the Canadian Avengers. Their leaders name was Guardian and he wore an Iron Man type intelligent suit that he developed while a part of the Canadian military.
Alpha Flight had your assortment of mutants and genetically re-engineered superheroes as well as a few people with a bunch of tricks in their bags. It was a good series early on and JOHN BYRNE’s pencils are always sharp and fun to look at especially when he is into the project.
When JOHN BYRNE decided to kill the Guardian character is when I started to lose some interest in the book. The storyline had an evil group of Canadian superheroes called Omega Flight going after Alpha Flight with Guardian being destroyed by one of the people that he didn’t let into the premiere group. Before you call that shit corny you need to copp this issue of Alpha Flight and read it through. JOHN BYRNE is a comic book master in the serialized format. As a storywriter he is best at creating individual issues. Alpha Flight #12 is that crack and before you make fun of me and my comic books you should read this story and then tell me what’s really good.
I loved when the scrapped it out with the X-men…Ha Ha, Wolvie pressed up on Guardians chick. I didn’t get down with sasquatch being as how the Wendigo was from them parts.
hahaaaa, damn we should have gone to school together mayne. you are really speaking my language right now. recognize johnny byrne ain’t a dammn thing changed..
^ Ladies and gentlemen, Jay Smooth is in the building.
Alpha Flight was most def one of the my favorite comic book titles from back in the days, but on Tuesday I’ll post my 12 favorite/most slept on comic book titles. Good one, Dallas. One.
I gave all my comics to Keith, but I used to have the one where whats-his-name came out of the closet….
i think his name was North Star or something. he was a bati bwoy
Alpha Flight = Whack!
Yeah Byrne was my man(along with Perez) back in the day. I can remember being 10 or 11 at my first comic book convention, open off the fact that I got a John Byrne number one for $2.00(that was alot considering moms would only give me 10 bucks). The Death of Guardian joint was like the first time one of my favorite characters was killed off in a book. I was stunned. I remeber how Aurora had that split personality. A school teacher one minute and a freak the next. I gotta agree with what Dallas said before about Byrnes ability to draw the female form. Aurora with the glasses and the school teacher outfit had me open.
The name of the agent was Henry Gyrich, if memory serves. Googled it to be sure, yup, that’s him. He’s in the lower left corner of the cover of issue 189 above.
I gave away a lot of my comics to my homie DJ RBI (@djrbi) because (1) I needed space in my crib and (2) he works with kids at his nonprofit Beats Rhymes and Life and I’d rather some kids get those comics and keep the love of the art going than sell them to some jackass who’s just going to keep them in a plastic bag forever. Besides, I don’t need the money…
Turns out Avengers 189 is one of the few Marvels I kept. Crazy.