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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.

Another artist that I have been meaning to give some shine to is WALT SIMONSON. I got put on to dude because he had a nice little run on the X-Men’s spinoff title X-Factor and he also penciled a Marvel Comics x D.C. Comics crossover with the X-Man and the Teen Titans.

WALT SIMONSON really killed shit when he took over The Mighty Thor title. His pencils are totally reminiscent of Marvel Comics greatest artist of all time JACK KIRBY. His characters are overly musculature and there is an empahsis on the upper torso, head and arms of the subjects. Where SIMONSON improves on KIRBY’s somewhat grotesques of characters is with his embellishing, or inking of his pencilwork. SIMONSON uses such and economy on inking the figures that there forms aren’t overdone and heavy. In a way SIMONSON almost creates a retro-futuristic animation aesthetic on his comics. Manga books pick up this style.

SIMONSON’s run on The Mighty Thor made me collect this title for a minute. I never really understood the appeal of Thor only because I never really connected the Marvel character to the O.G. Norse mythology I have read. Thor should speak in a somewhat Nordic way and not use that Celtic faux-Shakespeare that STAN LEE scripted him with. Nordic folks are typically bearded and SIMONSON brought this to the character. SIMONSON gave Thor a real viking appearance which the character always lacked. SIMONSON also made the Loki character as treacherous and ruthless as ever. The big Thor storyline addition was the alien being that would win Thor’s hammer in battle. The enchanted Mjolnir hammer was only supposed to be wielded by Thor, but this alien had the courage and spirit to also hold the hammer aloft. DP Dot Com free shit goes out to the first person to give me the name of the alien that beats up Thor for his hammer.

In the meantime and between time, enjoy some of these The Mighty Thor covers done by WALT SIMONSON. Nuff’ said.