Lat week I spoke with y’all about that dude NEAL ADAMS who was a superior comic book artist and took the medium into another realm of sophistication with his attention to detail. NEAL ADAMS style gave birth to my favoite comic artist, JOHN BYRNE. It was his run on the X-Men books that made JOHN BYRNE a household name for collectors. He was a combination of the fluid technique that ADAMS employed along with the larger than life dynamism of predecessors like the great JACK KIRBY and even DAVE COCKRUM (R.I.P.).
Where JOHN BYRNE’s mastery is readily apparent is on the covers of the comics that he has drawn. The cover of the comic is singularly important because it essentially describes the story of that issue. The conflict that will be contained within the pages is represented on the cover. Where BYRNE excelled at detailing and expressions is clear when you look at his work.
BYRNE did catch a lot of heat inside the comic book industry for his penchant for redrawing scenes done by other artists. In rap music you might call this biting, but in pencil art it’s regarded as an homage. I already told you that BYRNE was highly influenced by NEAL ADAMS. Here is an X-Men cover that NEAL ADAMS did during his run on that title…
The first cover wasn’t used for publishing, but the second one was. The storyline had the X-Men in Egypt fighting another mutant called the Pharoah. *Nerd Alert* Incidentally, this storyline was the first time I saw Havok and his wife Polaris (Cyclops’ brother and sister-in-law) *Nerd Alert*
Now peep JOHN BRYNE’s cover for X-Men #135…
There were several instances where BYRNE redrew covers originally drawn by DAVE COCKRUM who was the X-Men artist that was prior to his stint. I wasn’t a big fan of COCKRUM’s style and I thought it was too close to the JACK KIRBY era artwork. When you compare BYRNE’s interpretations you can see more movement and detail. Look at how BYRNE plays with form on the cover of X-Men #134(right), whereas COCKRUM’s depiction on X-Men #100(left) is far more rigid and predictable. Nevertheless, these are both classic issues.
Another COCKRUM redraw for BYRNE was when he was doing the Alpha Flight title and he re-interpreted COCKRUM’s X-Men #108 cover into Alpha Flight #17’s cover. *Nerd Alert* The death of Guardian was anothe SICK storyline in comicdom. No really, it was. *Nerd Alert*
BYRNE took cues from all the greats in the business. Here is a proposed cover for D.C.’s Justice League Generations that resembles a scene from a JACK KIRBY Avenger’s cover. Props go out to JACK KIRBY who was the most prolific comic artist evar. At one point this dude was drawing like a hundred titles simultaneously.
When BYRNE was doing his run of Superman books he finally decided to copy from the best in the game, himself.
As I was culling images for this drop I found an incredible site that will help you see the magic and transcendant art that comic books possess.
I literally spent hours at the site. Good shit my dudes and dudettes, good shit.
Sources: Queens, NY Home Of Tony Yayo’s Mother Riddled With Bullets
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=6954
Oh yeah…
Until 50 Cent admits that he’s a homothug…MAKE MINE MARVEL
Yo Dallas, I know this is off the subject…… but when is the Addict gonna wake up?
^”I wasn’t a big fan of COCKRUM’s style and I thought it was too close to the JACK KIRBY era artwork.”
I was and wasnt a fan of Cockrum. His work was stiff as you mentioned (no homo), but he was in fact the visual element that saved the X-Men from extinction. My boy pointed out to me years ago that Dave’s strong suit was that he was a master at designing costumes (Colossus, Storm, Night Crawler, Thunderbird). Sheet, before dude took on the X-Men, he was best known for revamping the Legion Of Superheros entire look.
http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/reviews/104974217554609.htm
Great post! I never realized Byrne remixed covers.
Yo! The nerd in me must respond that I thought Havoks design was dope and he never got the light he should have.
Wasn’t there another book with the X-men strapped to the title? Unless I’m thinking of that Avengers with them chained on the globe.
There’s a point where interpretation becomes RIP OFF. That last cover for Superman (always a pussy mag anyway – DC were all republicans, the FOX news of Comics) is a tracing paper version. If I did that in my business, I’d be sued.
I always thought Superman was puss!
great point about the tracing, ovid. however, isn’t it interesting that gladiator is essentially, a superman pastiche in the first place? the caption on that text box reads man & superman.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0c/FF-249.jpg/250px-FF-249.jpg
if it were morrison, people would find it meta-meta and dedicate wiki’s to explaining it.
newsarama frequently has threads dedicated to byrne artwork. apparently he posts commissions at his website and many are for covers he’s perviously* done. the fact that he was doin’ remixes while still providing monthly covers is news to me, though.
another link on xmen homages
http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/article/showquestion.asp?faq=4&fldAuto=258
*-freudian!
as if I need another timewaster at work. DAMN YOU! 😛
O.B.,
Let’s also factor in the time that it takes to pencil, embellish and color a comic book cover layout… I think there is a formula for placing characters that works and when you are a fan of a particular artist you LOVE when they recreate scenes like the one described on the Supe cover.
Superman = pussy? Nah’ mayne, he is the most hardbody character evar. With all the powers he has on Earth do you know how focused you have to be to NOT put your supersperm in every hot broad in Metropolis?
Supe – Supe – Supersperm
Pootie Tang > Superman
superman isnt really so much pussy, its jsut hes an incredibly hard character to write. partly because hes fairly one dimensional. and partly because theres so little anyone can relate to about him. i mean most of us can really relate to the burden of godlike powers.
I always found this interesting.
Bill: “Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he is Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red S is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses the business suit, that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race”.
I’m an old Neal Adams, Gene Colin, BARRY SMITH fan. I still remember Neal Adams’ Vision drawings from the Avengers, and frankly, Barry Smith’s Conan from #1-12 (original stuff, mind you, not Buscema junk) were never copies. Gene Colin used to do Daredevil back in the day, and there was a chiaroscuro aspect that worked with the blind man’s point of view.
O.B.,
You would be one of the few cats that remembered MARSHALL ROGERS (R.I.P.)
I didn’t realize he was formally schooled as an architect as well.
Respect the architects…
The Dallas – you know we respect the architects in my house. You used to work there.
^ No doubt. Work there? Nahh mayne, I LIVED there.
That’s my peeps forever.