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Topic: Q for JB re Avengers 164-166 Post Reply | Post New Topic
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Scott Sackett
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 405
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 4:37am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

John,
For whatever reason Avengers 164-166 has always flown under my radar and I had never read it until the Marvel Universe Omnibus and I immediately fell in love with this 3 issue arc.

I was hoping you would answer a few questions about it.

1) How did you end up working on these 3 issue in the middle of Perez's Avengers run?

2) Did this assignment feel like a big step for your career at the time?

3) One reason I think I didn't latch onto these issues earlier is the art looks different from some of your other work of the time. Is that because of the inker?

Like I said I am a big fan of this little 3 issue chunk of your career. Is there anything memorable about this arc you can share?

Thanks,
Scott Sackett
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 5:00am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

1) Most likely to buy George some time. Long enough ago, tho, that I don't really remember anymore.

2) You bet!

3) A combination of the inks and my decision to do a "standard" 4/6/8 grid on the panel layouts.

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Doug Centers
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Joined: 17 February 2014
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Posts: 5438
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 5:13am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Scott- To me, you not reading those issues till now is akin to someone not discovering JAWS until recently.
My what a gift you have unwrapped, I envy you!!
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Robert Bradley
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Joined: 20 September 2006
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Posted: 18 June 2021 at 7:57am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Generally at that time, when there was a fill-in artist for Perez on THE AVENGERS, no matter who it was - Don Heck (#145-146 & 157) John Buscema (#152-154), Sal Buscema (#156,158-159,169 & 172-173) or George Tuska (#163) - there was usually some disappointment no matte r how well done the art was.  But you hit your issues out of the park even though you are the only one in that group that hadn't been the regular artist for THE AVENGERS up to that point.

Perez did about two-thirds of the issues during his tenure (#141-144, 147-151, 154-155, 160-162, 167-168, 170-171), but he was also working on THE INHUMANS, LOGAN's RUN and FANTASTIC FOUR around the same time, so he may have been stretched a little too thin.

If I remember correctly JB, this arc fell right between your work on IRON FIST and UNCANNY X-MEN, and as an Avengers fan it's probably my favorite thing you did pre-Fantastic Four.

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Robert Bradley
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Joined: 20 September 2006
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Posted: 18 June 2021 at 8:02am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Also, your MARVEL TEAM-UP issues around that time were superb!
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Brian Miller
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Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 30832
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 9:23am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

I came to those AVENGERS issues quite late, as well. Probably only
within the last 10 years. Once I got them, they were worth the wait. Not
a fan of Marcos over JB tho
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Scott Sackett
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 405
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 10:40am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Thanks for the reply JB!

I didn't catch the 4/6/8 layout thing, thanks for the info.
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Scott Sackett
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 405
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 10:46am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Doug - What's crazy is I have most of John's work, especially the Marvel stuff. I'm not sure how this slipped through, except it was just on the early cusp of what I was buying and back in the '90s when I was filling in the holes in my collection I don't believe these three issues were on the checklist I was using at the time.

I agree this arc is great! I read it in the omnibus and immediately tracked down the back issues.

The printed issues really suffer from muddy printing but honestly I kinda like that better.
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Kevin Ricci
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Joined: 30 April 2004
Posts: 297
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 10:46am | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Those were three wonderful issues of Avengers! As a matter of fact, I liked the artwork so much, my wife had a commission done by Mr. Marcos for me. If Mr. Byrne returns to commissions some day, an Avengers piece would be at the top of my list.


A few years ago, I met Jim Shooter a convention and asked him about those issues. His direct quote was "John Byrne drew the hell out of those issues". Couldn't agree more!
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Scott Sackett
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Joined: 16 April 2004
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Posted: 18 June 2021 at 10:49am | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Brian - There is a few bits that are a jarring (Thor's face on the last page of 165) but I think it's a solid example of what Marvel was doing at the time.
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Scott Sackett
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Joined: 16 April 2004
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Posts: 405
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 10:54am | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Kevin - It's funny you say that because my impression based on when the book came out and how it came out was that JB was given a big opportunity and he really knocked it out of the park.

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Kevin Ricci
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Joined: 30 April 2004
Posts: 297
Posted: 18 June 2021 at 11:08am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Hi Scott - I believe that's what Jim Shooter meant - it was meant to be very complimentary!
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