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Vinny Valenti
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 17 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8451
Posted: 20 November 2025 at 2:50pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply
JB is only second to Kirby in drawing Hercules, IMO. Which is saying something since he didn't draw him too often. He drew him in CHAMPIONS but really he hit his stride when he added the little twinkle in his eye by the 80s. His costume tweak is along the lines of Wolverine - keeping what worked but made tweaks to make it even better. Also reminds me of Thunderbird's costume - equal parts native garb and super-hero costume at the same time.

I'm amused that JB never intended the chest plate* he added to evoke an 'H', which was something I instantly assumed when I was a kid.

*A question that perhaps we aren't supposed to ask - how does he take it on and off?
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 31787
Posted: 20 November 2025 at 4:31pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply
I thought the same thing.

I will give Big John Buscema some credit on Hercules, tho. I loved how he
drew him during that 80s run with Stern.
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135442
Posted: 20 November 2025 at 4:55pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply
A question that perhaps we aren't supposed to ask - how does he take it on and off?

•••

Up and over. Like a T.

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Charles Valderrama
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4895
Posted: 20 November 2025 at 5:50pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply
That time was a great upgrade for Hercules... and I loved the new look.

Having him in that Avengers line-up at the time was great since he didn't have his own series.

-C!
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 31787
Posted: 20 November 2025 at 7:51pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply
The new chest piece was wicked cool and one of the best costume
improvements ever. And his development under Stern made him one of my
favorites in the book.

Edited by Brian Miller on 20 November 2025 at 7:52pm
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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2526
Posted: 29 November 2025 at 10:24pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply
Ever since I was a kid, I've marveled at the possible creative combinations that are really only possible in comics.  I would often "play editor" and assign dream teams to my favorite comics.

(Solo acts like JB on FANTASTIC FOUR or various projects by Howard Chaykin, Jim Starlin, Mike Grell are their own kind of magic that I will address some other time.)

Every writer/artist team was unique in its own way and so was every penciler/inker team.  When a favorite character/team had a favorite writer/penciler/inker team, it was just magic.  Some favorite match-ups:

DEFENDERS by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, Klaus Janson
CAPTAIN AMERICA by Roger Stern, John Byrne, Joe Rubinstein
AVENGERS--I probably "dream cast" David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Gene Day for this one.
IRON MAN by David Michelinie, John Romita Jr., and Bob Layton.
X-MEN by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Terry Austin
DAREDEVIL--aside from Miller's tour de force, I liked Jim Shooter, Gil Kane, and Klaus Janson; also Roger McKenzie, Gene Colan, and (again) Klaus Janson--THE Daredevil inker!
DR. STRANGE by Steve Englehart, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer was beautiful, as was Colan and Palmer's TOMB OF DRACULA.
FANTASTIC FOUR--of course Lee, Kirby, and Sinnott!  And Sinnott over John Buscema--and Buckler and Byrne too!

DETECTIVE COMICS by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin
FLASH by Cary Bates, Irv Novick, and Frank McLaughlin
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA also with Frank McLaughlin over Dick Dillin, with Steve Englehart as my favorite writer there
BATMAN by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano
GREEN LANTERN--ditto!
Maybe I'm crazy, but I really liked Vince Colletta over Kirby on THOR, George Tuska on various, and Mike Grell on LEGION and WARLORD!
And Joe Rubinstein on Jim Starlin on that one LEGION and AVENGERS and MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE annuals!

All of these were such childhood joys of mine, all where the inker played an indispensable part.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 31787
Posted: 24 December 2025 at 6:19pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply
Walt goes into detail about the MTIO 43 cover where he inked JB.

Walt
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135442
Posted: 24 December 2025 at 7:09pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply
I’ve told before the story of that MTIO cover.

Shooter had sent me a sketch for an X-MEN cover, which I found very dull. So I jazzed it up a bit. Shooter blew his stack. “NEVER CHANGE THE SKETCH! Redraw it, and you won’t get paid for the first one!”

So I did that, and a while later Shooter sent me a sketch for that 2-in-1 cover. Another snorer, I thought. But I had learned my lesson, and replicated what I had been sent. A few weeks later I was visiting the Office and Shooter pointed out the changes Walt had made inking it (including rotating the Thing’s hand so he was making a fist rather than grabbing the log). Changes I would have made.

“Simonson really saved your ass!” Shooter declared. At the time I did not know he had instructed Walt which changes to make.

Since Shooter would have approved the original sketch before it was sent out to me, this was clearly one of his many “because I can” moments.

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Eric White
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Joined: 17 October 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1085
Posted: 25 December 2025 at 3:42am | IP Logged | 9 post reply
Now I know why that MTIO cover just never looked like a cover you would have designed. 
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Scott Gray
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 16 August 2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 72
Posted: 28 December 2025 at 1:55pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply
John Byrne: Shooter had sent me a sketch for an X-MEN cover, which I found very dull. So I jazzed it up a bit. Shooter blew his stack. “NEVER CHANGE THE SKETCH! Redraw it, and you won’t get paid for the first one!”

****************

Are these the original and revised covers?
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135442
Posted: 28 December 2025 at 2:05pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply
Yes.
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135442
Posted: 28 December 2025 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply
I’ll add that whenever Shooter asked for (demanded) changes, they were not presented as an alternative or better way to do it, they were the RIGHT way to do it.
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