I've been inspired by OMAC definitely, and just yesterday I was looking at the Starlord story from Marvel Premiere by JB, Claremont and Austin from years ago to generate some ideas for a sci-fi scene I was working on.  I look at everything really; no particular series.  Batman/Captain America and Darkseid/Galactus are currently out in my reference stack.  I've also looked at JB's Wolverine run (Marvel Essentials) for ideas.

I generally look at JB's stuff more for storytelling ideas or background reference, than for figure drawing. 

It's like John saying that he naturally leans towards a more cartoony style and he has to remind* himself to make the art more "serious". That's paraphrasing not a direct quote. As artists when you come to visualise something in your head you will see it in a particular fashion and it is at this point your influences may come to in to play. You could find that in certain shots the influence of John is greater than in other and I'll imagine that those times are where you have seen a shot close to or approximate to the one you are sketching, with you own tilt on it.

I've pretty much used the same "wire-frame" / "stick-man" / "Bubble-man" whatever from the days I was lift from Byrne directly and that he was my sole influence artistsically. This keeps a little bit of John in everything I do. It's how far I pull away from that during the "rendering" that determines the end look of the illo.

I got quite chastised for trying to emmulate JB back in the day. So please guys, do not feel remotely bad about drawing like JB when you feel the need to do so. You'll never be John Byrne you'll always be yourself influenced by JB and that just means that there is more great JB influenced artwork going about. That make for a happied world in my book!

Incidently OMAC is, to date my favourite JB outing...simply stunning. Although the scene with the Demon taking out those would be rapists in BOTD was pretty damn near perfection on paper.

OK, I think there may be a misunderstanding here, so let me try to clear this up just in case...if I'm wrong, then please ignore the following...

I'm not quite understanding Anthony's point, but if Darren's last comment was in reference to the sketch I did...I was looking at a JB drawing when I drew it.  I did it purposely...wasn't trying to pull one over on anyone.  It was a doodle just to loosen up before doing some work, nothing more.  I do that a lot.  If I'm trying to work out an issue or just exploring, such as drawing hands, a particular expression, a style of rendering...just practicing...but not when doing actual work.  Again, it's just a method of learning, by studying the methods and choices of the greats.

The name that editors have mentioned most often to me as a comparison is George Perez, not Byrne, not Jim Lee, not Neal Adams...and I take that as a great compliment due to his enormous success and popularity.  But its strange for me, because I've never sat down and actively studied his work, whereas I have studied the other guys I mentioned much more extensively. 

I have this weird thing that when I'm drawing and I have a comic near me I tend to draw more like the artist that I'm close to. Even if I'm not looking at their work it just happens.  So I try to either A: surround myself with tons of different Great artists or B: I put my own work as close to me as possible.

Justin Wasson