2/24/2001:
Lost Generation is now
COMPLETE
Hidden Years is now
CURRENT
Avengers #305-#310
The Comprehensive Review of the Work of John L. Byrne
In almost thirty years, John Byrne has worked on nearly every major character for both Marvel and DC Comics. He has also delved into the world of creator-owned projects for Dark Horse Comics. You know the resume. What we want to do is to provide reviews of nearly everything John Byrne's ever drawn or written in comics, with a few exceptions: we're drawing the line at covers, spot illos, things like that. Look, if we were reviewing the works of someone like Art Adams, we'd probably be able to cover everything he's done in two weeks. Byrne is more of a challenge.
What are our credentials for reviewing these works? We're just fans, that's all, and we noticed that while there are some good sites out there devoted to Byrne, no one had done anything remotely like what we've planned. We thought it needed to be done, and so we're doing it. And while we're huge fans, we're not above finding fault in a great many of these stories. We have opinions, and no self-respecting, intelligent fan could honestly believe everything his favorite writer or artist did was perfect. But we have found in Byrne's work such a consistency in writing or drawing what it is that makes a superhero story work; such a mastery of anatomy and clear, effective storytelling; such an enthusiasm; and such a high rate of quality for such a prodigious output, that there are very few of the man's works without something to recommend them. So read what we have to say on these works, and if it causes you to buy one, or dig through those comics in the attic to read one, or just to get on our message board to offer agreement, dissent, or a fond memory, then we've accomplished our goal. Enjoy.
Final Notes on the Work-In-Progress:
We have no set order for what gets reviewed first. Most likely, the more recent of Byrne's ongoing projects will have reviews posted shortly after release, while the tremendous back catalog is reviewed in a more arbitrary fashion. As we don't agree on everything, we thought presenting two opinions for almost every review presented the reader with a somewhat more balanced perspective, although there will be times when only one of us may review a particular work.
