Hi there! I'm new to this forum and just wanted to start by sharing a great childhood memory with you. When I was 12 years old back in 1983 my mother took me to my first ever comic book convention in New York City as a birthday present. I had bugged my parents to take me when I first learned that John Byrne would be one of the guests. I brought my copies of Alpha Flight #1, The Thing #1 and a few of my favorite X-Men issues to be autographed. I can still remember the original art cover from The Thing #7 (the one with the Thing getting trounced on by a pair of sneakers) was on display by his table. Being on line to meet John Byrne I can remember being so nervous. When I finally got to the table to meet Mr. Byrne, to this day I think I managed to speak one audible "Hi"; everything else was nervous gibberish! I got my books signed and then presented a picture of Wolverine someone at the convention had drawn to be signed. Mr. Byrne said "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to autograph someone else's art. I can only sign my own work." I was so embarrassed (I did not know the rules as a little kid!)and I think Mr. Byrne could tell because he then said "I'll tell you what, see me again sometime and I'll draw Wolverine for you myself." Needless to say I almost wet myself! I thanked him and this time audibly told him he was my favorite. My mother nudged me forward so the line could get moving again but Mr. Byrne waved to me as I waved goodbye being dragged away from my idol by my mother.
I never got to meet John Byrne after that and never got my personal Wolverine drawing. However, in the mid 1990's I ordered a set of art prints Mr. Byrne did of the X-Men where he re-imagined some of his earlier works (the cover to X-Men #116,)and what did I find but the print recreating the last panel of X-Men #132 ("It's my turn") was autographed by John Byrne! I felt like that small for his age nervous 12 year old again. I still have all those autographed books and look forward to one day meeting John Byrne again as an adult. I can then personally thank him for being the reason I got hooked on comic books that I still enjoy 20 or so years later!
Working in a library, where good public relations is essential, I've learned that bad stories travel like a venereal disease while good stories travel like a turtle in quicksand. Thanks for sharing a good one, and lets have more like 'em all around.
Thanks for the welcome to the forum! I've been looking for John Byrne related web sites for a while and always came up empty as far as quality sites. This site will be a lot of fun for me! When I was a kid I used to create and draw characters and mail them to the Marvel building for Mr. Byrne thinking he might be able to use them! I've been a fan for years and defended him on the Joe Q. forums...people can be so ignorant! I'm looking forward to vsiting this forum often!
One small tweak: I would not have said I was not "allowed" to sign the work of others. That's my own personal policy, not something imposed on me from outside.
It's gotten me in trouble on occasion, especially with parents, who don't seem to understand that because I did, say, THE AVENGERS does not mean I will sign any issue of THE AVENGERS. (What mystifies me is the people who will stand in line for half an hour and then hand me a book I didn't work on. Would they go to a Stephen King signing and hand him an Ann Rice book?)
I was at a con once, and watched an artist politely say he wouldn't sign a book since he hadn't worked on it. The fan proceeded to argue with said artist...insisting that the artist had drawn the comic that was clearly credited to someone else.
And this came after the artist had already signed a stack of comics that they had worked on.
It was my first experience in person with that kind of comic "fan".
Civilans are often clueless about this business we call comicbooks -- and, hey, why should they be anything else? It is often amusing to see eyes go wide when someone asks what I do, and I rattle off a short list of the characters I've worked on. "You created Superman??" (Don't worry, I do disabuse them of this misapprehension. For one thing, I don't what people thinking I'm that old!!)
When much the same kind of thinking crops up in "fans", tho, I am surprised. The idea that any issue of THE AVENGERS is the same as any other issue of THE AVENGERS, so what does it matter who signs it -- well, this kinda sucks the joy out of the job, let me tell you!
I don't have any stories about meeting you, but I remember as clear as day buying my first issue of Fantastic Four (155) and being hooked by the end of the story. It all started with G.I. Joe #1 and I was a fan of the medium. It was a phase that I would grow out of (or so my parents thought) but then came X-Men (a friend of mine turned me onto) 171 and I knew there were great adventures to be found in those pages and the next time I was in Krausers (a 711 wannabe in Jersey) 155 leaped at me and I bought it (well, begged my mother for the $ to get it). It is one of the most read comics of my youth and I couldn't wait to find out how Reed (who i was meeting for the first time outside of the FF cartoons) was going to get out of his situation.
In the years since then, I have completed your run on Fantastic Four, which still could be my favorite and a few years ago I stumbled on X-Men 137 and 138 for $17 dollars combined, which caused me to do a double take, to make sure I wasn't on some comic fans version of Candid Camera. I felt like I was robbing the store, but I knew I had to have them. They sit in a prized place of honor in my den, and could be two most prized possessions. I guess all I really wanted to say was thanks and keep up the good work! You keep writing and drawing them, and I will keep buying them and thanks for all the great stories from 155 to now!
Thanks for respnding to my post Mr. Byrne. Believe it or not, I spoke to my mother a little while ago and told her about this message board topic and your response. She also remembers how nice you were to me. As far as my writing that you said that you "were not allowed" to autograph the picture, you are 100% correct that was not how you phrased it. I quoted you incorrectly (I'm getting old and my mind is turning to jell-o). I think you even said something along the lines of that being like taking credit for someone elses hard work.
I think fans at conventions think they are entitled to a lot more from creators than they really deserve. I was just happy to actually meet John Byrne in person. If a creator's policy is "no autographs, period" like some professional athletes, then just be happy you can tell your friends at the local comic shop that you got to meet that creator!! Even though I still have the books that were autographed, my big thrill was actually MEETING John Byrne. That was like if my father had met Babe Ruth. Yes, I said it... John Byrne is the Babe Ruth of comics. Maybe a bit thinner, but you know what I mean! And if anyone disagrees, I'm sure ol' ROG-2000 will hunt you down (if he ever breaks free of that forum logo, that is).
Which I would do in a second but i would think there are a few people here who have been connected with the book who could/should also sign as kind of a yearbook thing as well. And since we're all here because of John and his "Title Withheld" started the whole ball rolling.....hmmmm, maybe I'll put a blank autograph page in the back and that way i can get Matt, Bob, Clint, Linda, r, John and whoever else is available. Being your own boss/publisher is extremely rewarding when it comes to content. --Rick
Once it's published, if anyone stops by my shop, here in Evansville, Indiana, with book in hand, I'll gladly sign it.
Hey, JB, if I were able to make it to Mid Ohio Con this year, and I asked you about a Batman or Monkey and the Moon Patrol commission, would you consider it, or throw a punch at me?
Actually, if you didn't have such a long wait on commissions, and I thought you'd do it, I would contact your art dealer and see about such a commission.
