The Comic Awareness
@ComicAwarenezz
My son says I’ve turned my account into a “John Byrne Glaze Page,” but as a boy from the Bronze Age, what else would I be talking about?
49 years ago today saw John Byrne’s first cover for Marvel! Though he had been the regular artist on Iron Fist for a year, he still hadn’t gotten a cover. This dramatic shot of The Black Panther for Jungle Action 23 was the first time a JB image would grace the spinner rack.
In June of 1979, John Byrne did the art for Xmen 125, MTiO 55, FF 210, & Avengers 187… four books in a single month! That year he would do the interiors for 37 individual issues! The spinner rack was dominated by Byrne in those days. What an amazing time to be a comic book fan.
Speaking of John Byrne, one of my favorite covers he ever did was for Daredevil 200, which came out 42 years ago today. It’s probably my favorite DD issue as well, one about confronting your past & taking the moral high ground in order to come out on top. Great book. Great cover.
Big news out of the SDCC yesterday: John Byrne’s Elsewhen is finally getting officially published by Marvel! Byrne’s 32 issues of Xmen fan-fiction will be released in three volumes in 2026. That’s some pretty great news to start your Friday. Hoo-hah!
Fantastic Four 211 came out OTD in 1979. It’s the first appearance of one of my favorite baddies: Terrax the Tamer, another of Galactus’ colorful heralds. A great FF cosmic classic, brought to you by the dream team of Wolfman, Byrne, and Sinnott.
Avengers 164 came out OTD in 1977. It was the first in a 3 part storyline featuring a host of baddies led by Count Nefaria. It was also John Byrne’s first stint on the title, where he would return for a longer run a few years later. And hey… anyone else like Wonderman’s OG suit?
Xmen 126 came out OTD In 1979. Though John Byrne’s run will always be remembered for the iconic Dark Phoenix saga, the 3 part Proteus story was always a favorite. It’s like a horror comic, with rotting corpses and an evil mutant looking for fresh host bodies. The ending was epic!
Today is my birthday! Fittingly, one of my favorite comics came out OTD in 1980: Xmen 138. It’s a retelling of the X-men’s history, brought to you by John Byrne and Terry Austin. It allows you the dream of a world where JB & TA drew all of it. Now there’s a birthday wish!
Marvel Preview #11 came out 48 years ago this week. It is significant because it was the first pairing of John Byrne and Terry Austin, arguably the greatest artist/inker combo of the Bronze Age… of any age! The legend started here, folks. All hail!
Fifty years ago today saw the release of John Byrne’s first full length publication for the MCG, Marvel Premiere #25. It was also the first pairing of Byrne with writer Chris Claremont, the two of whom would go on to unleash an iconic run on the Xmen a few years later. ✊🏻
John Byrne’s 75th birthday post #2. Here is some classic JB Marvel artwork recolored with modern techniques. Pretty awesome stuff. Happy birthday, you legend!
It’s John Byrne’s 75th birthday! Let’s celebrate the man who wrote, drew, inked, and lettered some of the most iconic comic books of all time. If you were alive in the Bronze Age, most of your superhero memories were drawn by Mr. Byrne. Happy birthday to a true comic legend!
Iron Fist #8 was released 49 years ago this week. Despite launching the book and handling the pencils for the first fifteen issues, this was the only cover John Byrne got to do for his first Marvel series, but man… what a great one!
If you grew up in the Bronze Age, a lot of the greatest comics of the time were overseen by Jim Shooter. We have certainly lost a legend. RIP.
Because you demanded it, here are a few more Iron Fist splash pages from the great John Byrne. Is there a better way to start the week?
John Byrne got the job drawing Iron Fist because of his speed. He could crank out a book in the flash of an eye. Might’ve been partly true on Iron Fist because he fill them with incredible splash pages. Here are just a few. Enjoy!
Champions #15 came out in June of 1977, the last of John Byrne’s brief run on the title. Byrne did the pencils for five issues, some of which were inked by the great @Bob_Layton, with whom JB collaborated on several fantastic books of the time period.
Xmen 137 was released 45 years ago today. Biggest book of John Byrne’s career? Maybe, but the epic finale of the Dark Phoenix saga came via the creative tensions between Byrne, Claremont, & Shooter, leaving us with a tragic masterpiece, one of the most iconic comics of all time.
Random John Byrne sketch of the day. Happy Friday, bub!
Good morning! Now and then you need a classic Xmen picture from Byrne and Austin just to remind you how good the world can be.
