Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Whipping Boy by John Byrne John Byrne. Born July 6, 1950, in West Bromwich, England; immigrated to Canada, 1958; moved to United States, 1980; son of Frank and Nelsie Byrne; married Andrea Braun (an actress), November, 1980 (divorced); children: Kate, Kieron Dwyer. Education: Attended Alberta College of Art, Canada, 1970-73. Addresses. Home m—Fairfield, CT. Agent m—c/o Author Mail, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. Career. Comic-book writer and illustrator. Charlton Comics, New York, NY, writer and artist for Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Doomsday + 1, 1975-76; Marvel Comics, New York, NY, writer and or artist for comic-book series, including Iron Fist, Champions, X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Captain America, Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man: Chapter One, New Gods, Jack Kirby's Fourth World, Incredible Hulk, She-Hulk, and X-Men: The Hidden Years, 1977-2003; DC Comics, New York, NY, writer and or artist for Superman: The Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Batman, Doom Patrol, Justice League of America, Blood of the Demon, Generations, Lab Rats, and Action Comics, 1986m—; Dark Horse Comics, Milwaukie, OR, creator, writer, and artist of original comic-books series, including Next Men, 1991-94, Danger Unlimited, 1994, and Babe, 1995; contributing writer for Hellboy. Awards, Honors. Fearbook! nominated for a Bram Stoker award; winner of numerous industry awards for comics, including Squiddies Award for Best Penciler and Best Team, both 1993, both for Next Men. Writings. NOVELS. Fearbook!, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1988. Whipping Boy, Abyss/Dell (New York, NY), 1992. Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses, Prima Publishing (New York, NY), 1997. Contributor of short stories to anthologies, including Hotter Blood, Pocket Books, and Shock Rock, Pocket Books; contributor of articles to online journals, including Slushfactory.com. Collaborator, with John Cleese, on Superman: True Brit. Adaptations. Byrne's story ideas have been included in movies and television programs, including Smallville, WB Network, and X-Men. Sidelights. British-born author and illustrator John Byrne has been a major force in comics since 1975. He has contributed his talents to popular collaborative comic-book series such as Marvel's X-Men, Captain America, and Avengers, and served a five-year stint on the flagship comic Fantastic Four, as well as a reworking of the ever-popular Superman for DC Comics. The versatile Byrne has also ventured into his own comic-book universe with Next Men for Dark Horse Comics, and has published several novels. Though he has received criticism from purists who resented his "rebooting" of classics such as Superman and Spider-Man, Byrne is generally recognized as one of the masters of superhero comics. Lloyd Ross, writing in the Washington Post, called Byrne "one of Marvel's greatest illustrators," no mean compliment, putting him in the leagues of artists such as Jack Kirby and Neal Adams. For Hal Hinson, writing in the New York Times, Byrne is a "visionary" as both artist and writer. British Roots. An only child, Byrne was born near Birmingham in the British midlands in 1950. His love for comics and superheroes began in England, where he was a fan of the Superman television series starring actor George Reeves. While he soon discovered the Super-man comics, it was not until the family immigrated to Canada in 1958 that Byrne began seriously collecting comics. Long before this, though, he began sketching. As he told Mark Lerer in an interview posted on FFPlaza.com, "I started drawing when I was a very small child. I remember sitting on my grandfather's lap, drawing a picture of a horse on a chalkboard as he guided my hand. My parents still have that chalkboard drawing." Byrne continued to teach himself how to draw all through childhood, and art became an even more significant part of life just before his twelfth birthday. As the cartoonist recalled for Lerer, "I found a copy of Fantastic Four #5. It blew me away. First of all, the artwork was like nothing I had ever seen. It was more exciting, more alivem—not necessarily more realistic, but more alivem—than other comics. Second, it was a full-length storym—not three little eight pagers! That bowled me over." Another early interest for Byrne was reading; by the time he hit high school he was an avid science fiction fan and had decided, by age fifteen, that he would be a writer some day. By this time the family had settled in Edmonton and then Calgary, Alberta, moving around enough so that Byrne attended nine schools in eleven years. His dreams of becoming an author some day led him to write "fifteen novels and it must be over five hundred short stories," as he recalled to Lerer. "My parents' closet is still full of them!" Later, when Byrne became a professional comic-book writer and artist he would mine that treasury of early work for possible stories. Byrne attended the Alberta School of Art in Calgary, completing two and a half years of the four-year program in fine arts. Even in college, he was busily engaged in creating superheroes, developing one for the school newspaper. However, cartooning was not what the Alberta School of Art was about, and so Byrne was soon on his own, working in advertising for a short stint, and making his first professional sale to The Monster Times in 1971. By 1974, he made his way to professional comics, working for Charlton Comics on books including Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Doomsday + 1. Then came an opportunity to work at Marvel Comics. The Pinnacle: Marvel and DC. At Marvel, Byrne first worked on series such as Iron Fist and Champion, but by 1977 he had taken over artwork on X-Men, working in collaboration with writer Chris Claremont. Their work on X-Men was called "groundbreaking" by Entertainment Weekly reviewer Jeff Jensen, who also felt that Byrne and Claremont "rank as one of comics' greatest creative teams." Douglas Wolk, writing in the Washington Post, noted that this story of misunderstood superhero mutants "rose from obscurity to become America's bestselling comic" under the aegis of Byrne and Claremont. For Wolk, the secret of the success of their X-Men was "that it combined full-throttle adventure stories with wrist-to-the-forehead soap opera." Kudos were also given to Byrne's artwork, drawn, according to Wolk, with a "graceful, blobby fluiditym—a more human variation of Jack Kirby's dynamic exaggerations." Wolk also credited Byrne's artwork for making the X-Men story arcs "seem more consistent than they actually are." Similarly, Rose noted that the Byrne-Claremont collaboration during the early 1980s "made [ X-Men ] what it remains, the most popular comic book in the world." Rose went on to describe the series as "smart, funny and sexy and beautiful to look at, a beguiling mixture of earnest humanitarianism and cheap thrills." Behind the scenes, the X-Men series was a headache to produce, in part because Byrne and Claremont did not always see eye to eye on their collaborative efforts. However, the series established Byrne's reputation, and from there he went on to work on Captain America, Avengers, and Fantastic Four. As writer/artist on the last-named title, Byrne churned out sixty issues between 1981 and 1986. Explaining his long run on Fantastic Four to Michael David Thomas of the Comic Book Resources Web site, Byrne noted that "the love of the characters was what kept me there. And, in many respects, it was what inspired me to leave. I felt I could no longer give the characters their due." Another factor that convinced Byrne to move on was an offer he could not resist: to retool the flagging Superman series published by Marvel's rival, DC Comics. In 1986, Byrne moved to DC to take on the revamping of the Superman myth, giving the popular but ageing superhero an updated look and story in order to win new readers. The first concept Byrne tackled was Superman's powers; he developed the concept that Clark Kent's powers were not in operation from birth, but that they developed gradually as the boy entered puberty. Also, such powers became more circumscribed. Thus, gone was the backstory featuring Superboy, although Clark's adoptive parents are still a part of Byrne's telling. Lex Luther, arch-villain, is no longer the mad scientist, but a billionaire hungry for power who uses paid minions to battle Superman. Clark Kent also became more assertive, less of the mild-mannered sort. These and other changes were introduced in Byrne's six-part Superman: Man of Steel, in 1986. This remained the official Superman story until 2004 and a new miniseries, Birthright, reworked some of Byrne's retooling. Byrne eventually returned to Marvel, where he soon attempted a similar revamping of Spider-Man in an effort to get back to the original storyline. Byrne's Spider-Man: Chapter One re-tells the first year of that hero's life; interestingly, his attempt to put the story back on its original track drew quibbles from some die-hard fans, who objected to any changes, even for the better. Dwindling Market. Byrne ventured into creator-owned projects at Dark Horse Comics with his thirty-one issues of Next Men, a book about a team of superheroes who operate in a real-world environment. Put on hold in 1994, this was followed by Danger Unlimited and Babes, as well as Lab Rats at DC Comics. But by the late 1990s the comics industry was in a serious decline. Sales had gone down on most titles due to competition from video games and movies with their special effects. Byrne also credits the direct sales market shift to comic book stores for this decline. Such retailing did not attract new consumers as had sales at newsstands in grocery stores in the past. Whatever the reason for the decline, Byrne decided against continuing with his own titles until the market adjusted itself. Meanwhile, he continues to work on books such as Wonder Woman for DC Comics. In 2004, he and Claremont made a one-issue comeback on the Justice League of America. Byrne has also tried his hand at novels, including the 1992 Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses. A contributor for Publishers Weekly felt that this novel "by comicbook superstar writer and artist Byrne has a nifty premise." In his novel, Byrne has a televangelist, unknowingly under the power of the god of war, Ares, do battle with superheroes such as Superman and Super Woman. However, the same contributor was disappointed in the result, noting that Byrne, sans illustrations, "requires inflated pages of pop-psych prose to bring his story to life." Despite ventures into novel writing and even as a scriptwriter for the fourth Superman movie, his heart lies with the panels and folded paper of comic books. "Comics are my first and greatest love," he remarked to Jason Brice on SilverBulletComic.com. Byrne further explained, "A comic book is still a good, 20 minute read. It's still fun." For Byrne, the comic book experience is a unique one, as he explained to Brice, "when comics are done well and done right they provide a kind of entertainment that can't be found anywhere else." For Lerer, Byrne outlined his artistic credo, which has. If you enjoy the works of John Byrne. If you enjoy the works of John Byrne, you may also want to check out the following: Stan Lee, Essential Dr. Strange, 2002. Mike Mignola, B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Other Stories, 2003. Brian Azzarello, Superman: For Tomorrow, 2005. not changed over the span of his career: "A good comic book has a beginning, a middle, and an end. That doesn't mean the story can't continue for more than one issue, but each part of the story contained in one comic book should have a beginning, middle, and end. The characters should be realistic, but not ponderously som—in other words, they shouldn't preach. The story should be fun, as distinguished from funny." Byrne added, "The best comics are those which have emotional impact." Biographical and Critical Sources. PERIODICALS. Business Weekly, April 18, 1988, Harris Collingwood, "A Midlife Crisis for Superman," p. 38. Entertainment Weekly, May 16, 2003, Jeff Jensen, "Q&A with Writer Chris Claremont and Artist John Byrne," p. 79. New York Times, January 27, 2002, Hal Hinson, "Getting to the Heart of a Hero," p. 10. Publishers Weekly, February 3, 1992, review of The Whipping Boy, p. 78; September 29, 1997, review of Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses, p. 71. Washington Post, July 16, 2000, Lloyd Rose, review of X-Men (film), p. G10; September 19, 2004, Douglas Wolk, "In Search of Mutated Time," p. T10. ONLINE. ComicBookResources.com , http://www.comicbookresources.com/ (August 22, 2000), Michael David Thomas, "Byrne: The Hidden Answers." FFPlaza.com , http://www.ffplaza.com/ (May 13, 2005), Mark Lerer, "John Byrne Transcript, 1984." Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com (May 12, 2005), "John Byrne (VI)." John Byrne Home Page, http://www.byrnerobotics.com/ (May 13, 2005). SilverBulletComics.com , http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/ (May 13, 2005), Jason Brice," Artists Only: John Byrne." Top Two Three Films, http://www.toptwothreefilms.com/ (September 27, 2004), "John Byrne Interview." UGO.com , http://www.ugo.com/ (May 13, 2005), Peter Bangs, "John Byrne Talks True Brit, Doom Patrol. "* Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA Chicago APA. "Byrne, John ." Authors and Artists for Young Adults . . Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2021 < https://www.encyclopedia.com > . "Byrne, John ." Authors and Artists for Young Adults . . Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2021). https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture- magazines/byrne-john. "Byrne, John ." Authors and Artists for Young Adults . . Retrieved June 01, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/byrne-john. Citation styles. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. John Byrne. John Lindley Byrne (born July 6, 1950 in Walsall , England) is an American comic book author and illustrator. contents. life and career. Byrne was born in Walsall, England in 1950 to Frank and Nelsie Byrne. At the age of eight, after living with his grandmother for a time, he moved to Canada with his parents. It was there that Byrne, who has been color blind since birth, began studying at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary after finishing school. He left this after only two years of studies to work as a freelance artist. Artistic beginnings at Charlton and Marvel (1973–1985) In 1973 Byrne hired the small publisher Charlton Comics, for which he was responsible for the series Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Doomsday + 1 . In 1974 he was hired by the publisher Marvel Comics , for whom he designed series such as Iron Fist and Champions until he took over the job of permanent draftsman for the ailing series Uncanny X-Men in 1977 as the successor to artist Dave Cockrum (starting with # 108). Byrne's Compagnon on this series was author Chris Claremont . The partnership between Byrne and Claremont turned out to be extremely fruitful: together they created effective stories like the Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past . After working exclusively as a draftsman, Byrne increasingly appeared as a co-author. Together, the duo developed well-known and popular characters such as Sebastian Shaw or the Canadian hero troupe Alpha Flight . Due to its enormous popularity, the latter even got its own series in 1983. Byrne finally left the Uncanny X- Men after artistic differences with Claremont with issue # 143. The series had now become the most commercially successful comic book series on the US market. In addition to his work on the Alpha Flight series , which he created , Byrne also took over the Fantastic Four series in 1981 , which he designed both as an author and as a draftsman. His work on this series enjoyed great popularity with both the general readership and critics, with Byrne's stories and drawings often hailed as the best interpretation of the characters in more than twenty years, since the first stories about the hero team. Other works from this year were six issues of the Hulk series (# 314-319) Byrne's middle years (1986-1999) In the mid-1980s Byrne was commissioned by Marv Wolfman to overhaul the traditional comic figure Superman and to work out a completely new interpretation of the character that was "adapted to the modern present of the 1980s". The draft that he finally submitted was endorsed by Jenette Kahn , then President of DC Publishing , who holds the rights to Superman, and her Executive President Dick Giordano , and Byrne in 1986 as the new regular artist in the Superman series (s) involved. In the same year, DC published the six-part miniseries " Man of Steel ", in which Byrne retold the story of the origin of the iconic forefather of all superheroes. He cleverly mixed classic elements with contemporary modernisms, which were adapted to the conditions of the 80s: Byrne wrote numerous old characters - secondary characters such as villains - out of the series, gave others a new personality, a changed appearance or a different background story Compared to the old version, Superman's hometown Metropolis and its home planet Krypton have been redesigned and the Superman series has also been enriched with numerous new characters such as Maggie Sawyer, the head of the special police unit in Superman's hometown Metropolis, the scientist Kitty Faulkner, the demon Skyhook, the Aliens Psi-Phon and Dreadnought, the scheming dwarf Sleez and the insane Professor Taddaeus Killgrave. Byrne's "reboot" of the Superman material met with extensive media coverage: In 1986, for example, the New York Times reported on the project and Time Magazine was Byrne's work on Superman on the occasion of the comic character's 50th "birthday" in the year 1988 even worth a cover story. During his nearly two-year run on Superman, Byrne created the monthly ongoing core series Superman and Action Comics , a kind of Superman team-up series at the time, both as a writer and as an illustrator. Added to this were the three four-part miniseries World of Metropolis , World of Krypton and World of Smallville and finally, for a short time, after the departure of Marv Wolfman, who had previously supervised the series, the authorship of the third monthly Superman series, Adventures of Superman . From the workload of writing three series a month and drawing two of them - Byrne's stories for Adventures of Superman were illustrated by Jerry Ordway - Byrne finally felt overwhelmed, so he gave up working on Superman entirely and doing writing and drawing jobs for all series submitted. While Ordway also took on the authorship of the Adventures of Superman in addition to his duties as a draftsman , Byrne gave the actual Superman series to his friend Roger Stern , while George Pérez took over the action comics . In 1989, Byrne finally returned to Marvel Comics, where he took over the series " Avengers West Coast " and " Wolverine " as a writer and illustrator. Then he devoted himself to the underwater comic Namor the Submariner and the humorous series " She-Hulk ", which enjoyed great popularity because of its tongue-in-cheek comedy. This was followed by work on the Marvel series Iron Man (# 258-277), for which he collaborated with illustrator Paul Ryan , as well as some independent projects such as Next Men (thirty issues), Babe and Danger Unlimited . For these projects, Byrne founded together with Frank Miller and Walt Simonson the imprint Legends for the publisher Dark Horse Comics , which marketed these comics, while the rights were with Byrne as a private individual. In the mid and late 1990s he designed series such as Jack Kirby's Fourth World , around the extraterrestrial race of the New Gods , Wonder Woman , the four-part miniseries Genesis (1997) and the four-part mini-series, Genesis (1997), created by his great idol Kirby in the 1970s. Prestige Series, Superman & Batman: Generations (1998). The attempt to overhaul the Marvel hero Spider-Man in the late 1990s, like Superman in the 1980s, met with little success: Byrne's work on the restarted series Amazing Spider-Man - which he drew as a partner of author Howard Mackie - was rejected by the majority of readers, as was the newly created series "Spider-Man: Chapter One". The series Marvel: The Lost Generation and X-Men - The Hidden Years , conceived by Byrne together with the author Roger Stern, were quite popular. He then worked as a draftsman for the Orion series . He also wrote the novels Whipping Boy and Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses . Recent projects. In 1999 Byrne again took over the writing duties for the Marvel series Hulk , but left it again - as in 1986 - prematurely after there were artistic differences with the publishing house management about the direction he intended to take with the main character. He only completed seven editions and one annual of his one-year run, which Ron Garney implemented in drawings. This was followed by almost two years (1999-2001), twenty-two issues comprehensive work on the series X-Men: The Hidden Years . From 2004 to 2006, Byrne wrote and drew the fantasy series Blood of the Demon about the demon Etrigan, invented by Jack Kirby . This was followed by engagements as a draftsman for the first three issues of the newly launched superhero series Atom , as well as five issues of the JLA series (# 94-99) and nine issues of Action Comics (# 827-835) written by Gail Simone . Artistic style and reputation. Byrne is one of the most controversial characters in the US comic industry. On the one hand, he is admired and respected because of his dynamic drawing style - which can be recognized by the classic style of Jack Kirby and the naturalistic ductus of Neal Adams and is particularly noticeable for his poorly detailed realism - and his undoubtedly fertile and productive imagination; on the other hand, many colleagues throw and Reader Byrne, as the supervising author and draftsman of ongoing series, disrespectfully treats the work of his predecessors, which he often deliberately ignores after taking over series. He also has a reputation for being an egomaniac and unduly self-confident. Artists who claim to have trained their own style on Byrnes' include Todd McFarlane , George Pérez and Jim Lee . Family and private person. Byrne, who was married to photographer Andrea Braun Byrne for fifteen years, is divorced and has lived in Connecticut ever since. Prices. Byrne has received numerous awards for his work over the years. In 1985 and 1997 he received the "Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award" for the most popular author (a total of 6 nominations) and in 1992 the Squiddy Award for the most popular cartoonist. He was also nominated five times for the "Comic Buyer's Award" for the best cover picture and twice for the best ink work. My Writers: John Byrne. When it came to my comic book reading, I was always fiercely devoted. Completist tendencies are embedded deeply within me, which I directly attribute to my time perusing the unkempt racks of comics at the local supermarket or convenience stores, desperate to make sure I got every last issue of my favorite titles, handily numbered to help me track the the effectiveness of my efforts. While I was still comfortable in my tender youth when I started reading superhero comics — barely able to claim an age in the double-digits — I soon realized that being committed to certain series and characters was ultimately less valuable than locking in on particular creators. All this is a small enough speck in my rearview mirror that I’m speculating as much as recollecting whenever I try to settle on any statement with certainty, but I believe the first creator I followed relentlessly was John Byrne. Byrne started his career with Marvel Comics as an artist. That’s arguably still the facet of the creative process for which he’s both best-known and most widely respected. And for many years, given the opportunity, I undoubtedly would have named him as my favorite artist without giving his efforts as a writer more than the most cursory praise, probably as almost an afterthought. That didn’t really reflect the approach I took to following him as he bounded around to different creative opportunities, with and apart from my initial publisher of choice. I may have coveted the X-Men issues he drew and co-plotted during the time that immediately preceded my plunge in superhero sagas, but my tenure as a Byrne reader truly began when he took over the writing duties, along with serving as penciler (and sometimes inker), on Fantastic Four . Even as I loved the way he drew the issues, I connected even more with the stories and the characterization, finding within his pages the version of characters that I instinctually knew was truer and more accurate than those I’d read previously (having no direct, personal experience with the foundational run by original creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the time). Byrne’s first issue was titled “Back to the Basics,” and that’s precisely what he delivered. Byrne clearly wanted to provide comics that reached back to the qualities that had enlivened him as a reader a generation earlier, while still given them a more modern tilt. He succeeded. I’d soon follow Byrne just about wherever he went. Though there were occasional exceptions, I was far more likely to jump to where he’d journeyed if he was actually writing the title. Vivid as I found his art (to this day, most characters look most correct to me in renderings by Byrne), Byrne’s writing is what really spoke to me, positioning a comic series as deserving of attention, even when centered on characters that otherwise inspired only the most marginal interest in me. Any time I doubt my suspicion that I was more devoted to Byrne the writer than Byrne the artist, I need only remember that I bought and read both of his prose novels, Fear Book and Whipping Boy , a step I didn’t take with other comic book wordsmiths whose material I ultimately find more literary and rewarding. Byrne’s novels were pulpy and briskly compelling, recalling Stephen King’s work from around that era. That worked for me. My journey as a Byrne fan has gotten trickier in recent years, in part because the more recent material I’ve read has lacked the zing and jubilant creativity I once associated with his work, and in part because his challenging personality, dispensed in his own online space with filterless toxicity, casts a pall over all his panels. It’s bad enough that he authoritatively expresses some appalling viewpoints and occasionally generates needlessly pissy spats with the few remaining pros who’d still defend him as a worthy collaborator following his years of setting bridges ablaze. It’s made worse that even the most tender counter-arguments are often met with apoplectic defensiveness that is almost painful to view. Byrne can still turn in a helluva drawing, but his language has picked up a touch of rot that has spread more widely than I’d like, if only because my estimation of him has taken more than a few body blows. I still prefer to see my fandom through to the end, even if it’s a little bitter. Sometimes, though, just cause arises to let a favorite creator be part of the past to free the strain of heavy disappointment on the present. BYRNE, John (1950-) John Byrne is a British-born, Canadian raised and educated, naturalized American author and artist of comic books. Byrne was born not far from the town of West Bromwich, in England but immigrated with his family to Canada in 1958. His first exposure to the American superheroes that would dominate his professional life was at the age of six when he first watched The Adventures of Superman on the BBC. He attended the Alberta College of Art in Calgary for a few years, where he produced some of his earliest work when he created the superhero Gay Guy for the college newspaper. At college he produced his first full-length comic story, The Death’s Head Knight, as a promotional portfolio of his comic book art. That book was seen by a fellow Canadian comics fan, John Mansfield, who put Byrne in contact with both the then burgeoning fanzine community and eventually, through an introduction to Roy Thomas, Marvel Comics. Through Mansfield’s connections he made his first professional sale in 1971 to The Monster Times. Byrne left the college in 1973 without graduating and broke into comics illustrating a two-page story by writer Al Hewetson for Skywald Publications’ black-and-white horror magazine Nightmare #20. Byrne has worked continuously in comics since 1975, following this sale to Skywald in the late summer of 1974. Beginning humbly enough, with the likes of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Doomsday+1 Byrne split his time, while still living in Canada, between working for a local advertising agency and illustrating these books for Charlton Comics. Next came Iron Fist and The Champions for Marvel where he eventually graduated to Marvel’s number one cult book, The X-Men (not yet Uncanny) in 1977, and later making his move to the states, to Chicago, when he got married in 1980. It was his work on X-Men which truly ignited John’s star, and from there he moved to Captain America, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Alpha Flight (a team of Canadian super-heroes) and a five year run on Marvel’s flagship title, Fantastic Four. Seeking new heights to conquer, in 1986 John accepted the daunting assignment of revamping the oldest and most famous of all superheroes, Superman. The relaunch was a commercial hit and that version of Superman is so strongly identified with the artist that it is sometimes called “John Byrne’s Superman”. Beginning with the hugely successful Man of Steel miniseries, John brought Superman back into the attention of the fans, and that success continues today. In 1990, John decided to venture into the unpredictable waters of creator owned works, launching John Byrne’s Next Men in 1991. Following that success he brought out Danger Unlimited, followed by Babe in 1995. Since then, he has written and drawn such titles as Wonder Woman, X- Men: The Hidden Years, Lab Rats, Doom Patrol, and Blood of the Demon. In addition to his comic book work, Byrne has published three novels: Fearbook, Whipping Boy and Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses. He also has short stories in the Hotter Blood and Shock Rock anthologies. Fearbook was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award by the Horror Writers of America as “Best First Novel”. His post-2000 works have often gone off the beaten tracks of the DC and Marvel universes and filled in characters and events in time periods mostly skipped by other comics (Marvel: The Lost Generation) or alternate timelines (DC’s Superman & Batman: Generations) which featured characters who actually age during the course of the series unlike the usual tradition of most ongoing comics. His 2000s work has been mainly for DC Comics: JLA (the “Tenth Circle” story arc), Doom Patrol, Blood of the Demon, and a brief return stint drawing Superman (with writer Gail Simone) in Action Comics. Afterward, Simone and Byrne reteamed to launch The All-New Atom series in 2006, with Byrne penciling the first three issues. In 2007, publisher IDW brought Byrne on board for the final issue of the miniseries Star Trek: Alien Spotlight in 2008, and FX, written by Wayne Osborne, also published this year. In 2008, a five-issue arc on JLA Classified for DC featured Byrne re-teamed with writer Roger Stern, his collaborator during his renowned stint on Captain America. At the present moment, Byrne’s current workload includes some monthlies, in the form of several back-to-back Star Trek related mini-series for IDW — the first, Star Trek: Assignment Earth, launched in spring 2008. Next Men (1992) John Byrne's comic books. Story and art by John Byrne. Collecting the four stories previously published in Dark Horse Presents, Bethany, Nathan, Danny, Jack, and Jasmine suddenly find themselves awake in a world completely foreign to their memories. They remember having strange abilities, but nothing like this! What are they? They're part of the mystery that Tony Murcheson has been assigned to investigate and uncover: Project Next Men! 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.98) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-009. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.20) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-008. 1st printing - Story and art by John Byrne. Dreams. disfigurement. and death. The mutates escape from Project Next Men only to find themselves on the run in a world completely different from their memories. During a mysterious encounter in the desert, they begin to realize that they were locked in fantasy, and they must come to terms with the real version of reality before their former captors track them down. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.68) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Second Printing. Label #F88BF3-043. 2nd printing. John Byrne script and art. This is the 2nd printing easily identified by the blue lettering and blue border down the side of the comic. 2nd printing notice in indicia last page of book. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.68) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-019. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.20) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White : Scuffing on back of case Label #F88BF3-021. Story and art by John Byrne. In this issue, titled "Worldview," the mutants have been separated for the first time. They're jailed, hospitalized, or. somewhere else. Jasmine is desperate for news of Jack. But how can she go to him if she's caged? Maybe her strange new abilities will help. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.68) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-025. Story and art by John Byrne. The world has its first taste of just how deadly the escapees from Project Next Men can be when a simple rescue becomes a violent blood bath. Meanwhile, Senator Hilltop continues his evil machinations with his shadowy partner, someone familiar to readers of 2112. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.65) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-028. Story and art by John Byrne. The mutates are reunited and begin to learn more about their strange new world. Bethany discovers that the Next Men are not the only survivors of the Project. There are also some mistakes, genetic mutations that want something from their more perfect brothers. And last issue's plane accident has stunning repercussions. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.65) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-032. Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men are headed to Washington, D.C., after their encounter with another survivor of Project Next Men. This issue marks the end of the first day in the mutates' new lives, while forces in Washington conspire to make their futures even more complicated. We learn the identity of Tony Murcheson's contact, the elusive Control. And then there's Senator Hilltop, who's moving up in the world. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.80) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-037. Story and art by John Byrne. Here it is- the comic so daring that the title characters don't even appear in it! That's because at the time this issue takes place, they don't yet exist! This look back at the genesis of Project Next Men will answer all those nagging questions about what's behind Senator Hilltop's scheming, and how he met his sinister partner. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.68) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-039. Story and art by John Byrne. Six months after the events in issue 5, the Next Men are deluged by new experiences: new code names, new costumes, new training, and having hair again! Along with all the fun, they face the cruel disadvantages that come with their powers. Meanwhile, off in Mother Russia, another team exists. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men are still a secret to the world, but that doesn't stop Control from sending them to Russia to help the head of Russia's Omega project devise a solution to the danger posed by the Next Men's Russian counterparts. What will happen when the Next Men face their own doubles? As Jack, Nathan, Jazz, and Bethany head into action, Danny, who was left behind, makes a startling discovery of his own. Meanwhile, the mystery deepens in part two of the chilling "M4." Who is the mystery man? What does the designation "MIV" mean? How is Senator Hilltop involved? 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($1.68) will be charged at checkout. Other items consigned by SlabSmart Paper: White Label #F88BF3-042. Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men encounter the greatest shock of their lives as they discover that the Omega Project, Russia's own Next Men, has a ghost from their past! The two groups have much more in common than they expected! And there's more shock as Danny, left behind for his own protection, heads south to pursue another mystery. Then, in part three of the enigmatic "M4," Mark hits the road on the trail of his own answers. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. What a way to spend Christmas -- hip deep in Siberian snow at the heart of Mother Russia, facing your own out-of- control Soviet counterparts. That's where the Next Men find themselves for the holidays, except for Danny, who has headed south for the winter to meet. Mom. "M4" continues, with more of Mark's beguiling story. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. Russia's Project Omega attacks the mutates on two levels: with straight-ahead superhero action and through the devastating truth. The Next Men learn more than they wanted to know about their origins and their tie to the out-of-control Russian mutates. Meanwhile, Danny learns what it means to live a "normal" human life. Then, in part four of "M4," Mark does a change of face. literally. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men's Russian adventure ends with an explosive discovery. Although the mutates have had plenty of experience with surprise revelations, they aren't prepared for this one! Meanwhile, in Florida, Danny learns who his real father is. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. Tempers flare within the ranks of the Next Men! Jack's reaction to finding out what went on between Nathan and Jasmine in Russia may be the death of Nathan. In the continuing M4 series, Mark's quest to find out more about his missing history has Amanda and him on the run. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. Danny and his sister find themselves away from home alone in the big city of New York in their quest to track down the elusive Action Maxx, a journey that takes them to the headquarters of Dollar Comics, publishers of their hero's "true" adventures. Meanwhile, the Next Men have a new mission: Find Danny. In the ongoing M4 back-up tale, Mark and Amanda come one step closer to uncovering Mark's secret origin. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. Danny's hopes for help and training from the incredible Action MaxxTM are dashed when he visits Dollar Comics and learns the crushing reality behind his hero's "true" adventures. Meanwhile, the Next Men have caught up with Danny, only to find that the world has learned the truth about their existence! In the M4 backup feature, Mark is reunited with his. family. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. Publicity threatens to change the Next Men as Dollar Comics' newest title gives them new costumes, new names, and new personalities, lighting a new fire in the eyes of one Sheriff Coffey, who recognizes in the now-famous heroes the same kids who killed their way through his town. Plus, a surprise for Jasmine and a comics first -- a comics/novel crossover by the author of both! Donna Wojciechowski of Whipping Boy is sent by her Chicago newspaper to verify the reality of the paranormal phenomenon called the Next Men. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men may have moved to the big city, but they can't escape one small town. Public notice of Dollar Comics' newest and most successful title, SpeedboyTM, leads to the arrest of the Next Men. for murder. Is Sheriff Coffey right in thinking that these new superstars are really the most dangerous menace ever unleashed on the world? Meanwhile, in M4, Mark encounters a familiar-looking woman holding a not-so-familiar gun. Plus: The Next Men (and someone who looks a lot like. Marv?) rendered by the award-winning creator of Sin City, Frank Miller, in a glorious non-color "color" cover printed in its full no-logo glory on the back cover! 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men have to face the music when they're put on trial for murder. Chrissy faces her mother again for the first time since she ran away from home. Gillian shows her face again after being hidden away, the President dies of a massive cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Senator Hilltop to face the pressures of the highest office, the man from the future reveals what events face our timeline, and, in the M4 backup feature, Mark comes face-to-face with a not-so-friendly face from his recent but murky past. All those faces, and the rest of the bodies by John Byrne. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Faith: Part 1 of 4 - Story and art by John Byrne. Dr. Trogg and the Blue Dahlia battle in the crime-torn alleyways of Manhattan. Wait -- aren't Dr. Trogg and the Blue Dahlia comic-book characters from the Dollar Comics line? What are they doing in New York? Meanwhile, with Tony's help, the Next Men make a daring break from jail, while Tommy Kirkland breaks out of a sanitarium. Beginning with this story arc, the Next Men will now be coming to you in the four-issue miniseries format. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Faith: Part 2 of 4 - Story and art by John Byrne. The Next Men go underground. literally, and find that someone's under the streets of New York. There in the tunnels, Jack has a spiritual encounter that changes his life. Meanwhile, up on the streets, characters from the fictional Dollar Comics universe are continuing to be spotted in the "real" world. What's the connection between this and Sandy's unnerving transformation? Ben Horowitz can't see what's happening under his nose, but the head of Dollar Comics does have a few important words to say about the comics industry. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($7.95) will be charged at checkout. Paper: White : Scuffing to inner well of case Label #1991734002. This is a consignment item. A 3% buyer's premium ($4.50) will be charged at checkout. It has been graded by MyComicShop's experienced graders. NOTE: 1st appearance of Mike Mignola's Hellboy (1st full app. in comic books) - Faith: Part 3 of 4 - Story and art by John Byrne. Cover by Mike Mignola. Guest-starring Hellboy. When Legends clash! (Or crossover!) Presenting the first "official crossover" within the Legend line -- the Next Men meet Mike Mignola's HELLBOY! Danny is actually the lucky one to have his path cross that of the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator, in a segment drawn by guest Legend star Mike Mignola. Meanwhile, we present the life of Christ as seen through the eyes of Jack, whose imagination infuses the well-known story with some familiar faces. In the ongoing saga of Mark, a.k.a. MIV, we find out just what he's been doing during the missing seven years of his life. 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50. Faith: Part 4 of 4 - Story and art by John Byrne. Jasmine has to face the greatest decision of her life alone while the Next Men are being attacked by troops from the surface as they battle alongside their newfound subterranean allies. The outcome of this battle will separate one of the Next Men from the team. In M4, Mark can't help Amanda and Carolyn as they face a threat to their very existence. Can they find their way back to reality alone? 32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.50.