indie box: Sin City

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big box of comics, comic books, Dark Horse Comics, frank miller, indie box, Indie Comics, John Byrne, sin city, sin city tpb

It’s no secret that one of my favorite pieces of fiction is Frank Miller’s Sin City series. I discovered it at the Las Vegas public library about eighteen years ago when I checked out the A Dame to Kill For TPB. It was the most awesome thing I’d ever read, with over-the-top brutality and an atmosphere that was darker than the blackest noir. It was so intense about being intense that it was funny and morbidly serious at the same time, and the first thing I did after reading it was read it again. Then I tracked down the other stories! One had dinosaurs.

For a while I had the complete series in an awesome collected edition, but those books were smaller than the full-sized TPBs, and there’s just something about this series that suits being as big as possible. The original TPB collections also appear to include more pages than were printed in the original serialized formats, such as extra splash pages for multiple perspectives of Dwight holding a dude’s head underwater in a toilet in The Big Fat Kill. The one missing ingredient in the earliest TPBs is color, the use of just one primary color as an accent to individual stories, such as the yellow highlights in the TPB for That Yellow Bastard. Still, I’m okay without the color if I get a bigger page size!

The black and white art is insanely melodramatic, as shown in a couple pages of Marv walking in the rain from the first Sin City TPB, later titled The Hard Goodbye. The text is like a hard-boiled detective novel with the volume turned up to eleven. I not only love this scene, I love that it goes on for ten whole pages — eleven in the TPB!

While writing last week’s post about Next Men, I looked into some other John Byrne works I hadn’t seen yet, including his stint on The Sensational She-Hulk. That run is best known for relentlessly breaking the fourth wall and having the characters be aware they were in a comic book. Byrne based the fiftieth issue on a gag that he had been killed, and the cast needed to find a new writer and artist. So, he showed how some of his friends in the industry would do a She-Hulk story. That’s how we got a couple pages of a Sin City She-Hulk.

This post was made possible by this blog’s readers who use my affiliate links to buy comics. Recent store credit made it possible to reconnect with the Sin City TPBs that first hooked me on the series. Thank you!

indie box: Next Men TPB

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2112, big box of comics, collection, comic books, Dark Horse, indie box, John Byrne, M4, Next Men, Next Men TPB

Once upon a time, I had the complete Next Men series, except for the Hellboy issue. Though I read the series three or four times, I’ve missed having it around ever since I sold it. This month, thanks to this blog’s readers who use my affiliate links to find books, I earned enough store credit to get all six of the 1993 trade paperback collections. Reading the series again reminds how much the series blew my mind the first time through, and as a bonus, it includes the Hellboy issue with pages drawn by Mike Mignola.

Hellboy’s appearance in issue #17 makes it the most expensive one to collect. It’s easy to collect all the other original, single issues for less than $3 each, but #17 will cost as much or more than all the other thirty issues combined. That’s not a problem with the collected paperback.

Hellboy might be part demon, but he is a far cry from the absolute evil of the series’ main villain. Sathanas is the remnants of a mutated energy vampire who kills people by draining their lifeforce, and since so much of him got blown up, he survives in a mechanical suit. Despite his silly name, he’s among my favorite John Byrne villains.

Despite the fun of the paperbacks, they have three disappointments, possibly because they were made more than a quarter-century ago before TPBs became so popular. These days, we expect the TPB to include all the original covers and, if any, all the variant covers. But the Next Men covers get treated terribly, reduced to about 1/6 of the page size and combined in a “gallery”. It’s an odd design choice, considering that there’s a useless page between each “issue” that just splits the words “Next Men” across its front and back. That would be a lovely place for a cover!

Second, the story is so intertwined with the short graphic novel 2112 that the original Next Men series isn’t complete without it. This oversight is forgivable, since the events of 2112 get summarized by one of the characters.

What’s unforgivable is the omission of the entire series of “back-up” stories, M4. These were short episodes with characters who, at first, seemed only tangentially related to the main series. But the stories intersected eventually, and the M4 characters were essential to the finale and resolution. Leaving out the M4 pages makes these characters appear to pop out of nowhere in the main storyline, which makes for utterly confusing plot developments for unfamiliar readers. Plus, M4 had its own covers, featured on the back of the single issues where it ran, and the TPBs have none of them.

For the completists: When IDW reprinted the series in color in 2009, they included M4 but not 2112. IDW’s 2011 reprint series (“Classic Next Men”, in three TPBs) includes both M4 and 2112, and it’s also in full color. I’ve only ever seen it in stock on Amazon for around $40 per volume in paperback, but you can get them for $10.99 each for Kindle and Comixology, and as a set with the sequel for a total of $43.

Even with these omissions, I loved re-reading this imaginative and intricately plotted series that features some of Byrne’s most humanized and fully realized characters. Consider what he does with three wordless pages to show Jasmine’s emotional state as she flees from an attack in underground tunnels. Her old, perfect life was taken from her, and she’s not adjusting well to reality, where trauma awaits her at every turn. Without a single line of expositional captions or thought balloons, Byrne portrays her fragile condition in these pages.

Origin of Galactus

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Galactus, galan, Jack Kirby, John Byrne, mark gruenwald, Origin of Galactus, Stan Lee, Super Villain Classics, Thor, watcher

We posted these pages in serialized form in the early days of this blog, but that’s proven inconvenient for people searching for this entire epic. Here they are, all in one spot for those legions of internet users who want to know the answer to the most burning question in the universe: Where the heck did Galactus come from?!

Super Villain Classics #1 (1983) compiled pages from even older Thor comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Some supplemental art and dialogue was added to streamline the story into one coherent narrative. Are you interested in those original Thor issues? Check our archives for samples of Thor #162 here and here! Super Villain Classics #1 was reprinted in 1996 as Galactus the Origin.

starlord special edition by claremont and byrne

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Chris Claremont, guardians of the galaxy, John Byrne, kraken, Star-lord, Starlord, starlord special edition, Terry Austin

We were late to the Guardians of the Galaxy party in 2014. Like, so late, everyone else went home and there’s no beer left. By now, you have surely combed the Star-lord Archives at Longbox Graveyard and discovered panels from a black-and-white version of Claremont & Byrne’s mini-masterpiece. Only a total n00b would fail to behold the glory that is the vintage Star-lord Archive at Diversions of the Groovy Kind.

But you know what? The Star-lord party may be over, but we’re just going to hang out on the front lawn and get cosmic anyway. Because this was a favorite tale of ours for many years, and it still provides a certain nostalgic bliss: the emotional drama of that double splash against a burning horizon, the swashbuckling space opera, and yes – the awesomeness of unleashing the kraken!

We scanned about 2/3 of this micro-epic before the neighbors complained about the Star-lord party and we had to get off your lawn. You will just have to go buy the original if you want to finish frolicking across the galaxy. Our scans include the great essay at the end of the book which talks all about the cultural significance of Star Wars and the madness of putting together a comic book. Enjoy!

John Byrne Fantastic Four Collection

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collection, Fantastic Four, John Byrne, Marvel Comics, omnibus

Although he had drawn a few issues of Marvel’s Fantastic Four for other writers, John Byrne made his mark on the title by writing and drawing more than sixty issues in the 1980s. In addition to the regular series, he also worked on several Annuals, including an Avengers Annual that forms a two-part story about the Skrulls.

Byrne also contributed a story to What If, exploring a version of the FF that never got superpowers. With its tribute cover to FF #1 and conceptual similarity to Challengers of the Unknown, What If #36 demonstrates Byrne’s Kirby influence almost as much as his OMAC story.

True completists should note that Byrne stuck around for a few issues longer than what we now consider his run on the title. He earned credits for plot while the next creative team got started – a team including his collaborator on several other Marvel projects, writer Roger Stern. Although this smoothed the transition for monthly readers at the time, it definitely isn’t Byrne’s title at that point.

But a comic book like this takes a team. The lettering, coloring, and inking on this run remain consistently excellent. Drawn to this book by Byrne’s contributions, I soon realized it worked so well because of other subtle superiorities: the flow of word balloons made more sense on the page, the colors complemented and amplified the artwork instead of obscuring it, and the rendering of Byrne’s pencils seemed better than some other places. As a young reader, it made me start paying more attention to who was doing what in comics.

That’s not to say such a landmark collaborative team had never come together before. Just that as a reader, I started to notice it then. And give me a break – I was only about 12 or 13! About the time the Hate Monger comes along and makes Sue chop off her hair, I was old enough to have a small allowance and a bicycle. That meant I could get to the local Walgreens, which had a great selection of Marvel and DC for a drug store, and buy a few titles every month.

In those days, comic specialty shops and mail order offered opportunities to collect back issues. But I wouldn’t be able to go that route until a few years after Byrne wrapped up his run and I had my first summer job as a golf caddy. Even then, armed with dozens of dollars that felt like hundreds at the time and storming the local comic shop weekly, I never did get to collect the entire run.

Only years later, thanks to a great deal on eBay, did I get a chance to sit down for a weekend or two and read the entire thing start to finish. As far as superhero comics go, it is awesome. It earns its legendary status!

Fans agree, and just a couple years ago Marvel published the run in omnibus format, as two big books. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a deal on those. Why? After patching up a few holes in the collection for completeness and enjoying owning this run, I sold it on eBay. I got a little less cash out of it than I put it in, but that’s a small price to pay for knowing the pleasure of this truly fantastic series. When things turn around here, I will be looking for a used copy of that Omnibus. You can bet your cosmic rays on that!

If you want to see some great scenes from this run, just wander into my archives for a while and start scrolling!

Collector’s Guide:
The Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus comes in two volumes:
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Volume One
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Volume Two

The Omnibuses include some other extras, such as The Last Galactus Story from Epic Illustrated #26-34.

If you want to collect the single issues: Fantastic Four #232-293. You might want to include Fantastic Four Annual #17-19, Avengers Annual #14, and What If #36.

John Byrne’s Space 1999 #3-6; Charlton, 1976

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Charlton, indie box, Indie Comics, John Byrne, Nicola Cuti, outer space, science fiction, Space 1999, Space 1999 Magazine

Damn it, these issues are hard to find in print! John Byrne worked on four issues of Charlton’s short-lived science-fiction series: Space 1999. You don’t find too many of them in the back issue bins.

Archaia Press recently published new Space 1999 material by Gary Morrow, who also turned in some great black-and-white artwork for the original 1970s Space 1999 Magazine. John Byrne’s issues, however, remain a rarity.

I suspect that once you see the pages, you will understand why. Nicola Cuti’s storytelling got me way more involved in the space drama than I expected. Byrne’s art rocks at the level of his classic X-men and Alpha Flight stories that garnered him far more fame not long after this brief stint. My sole complaint: This outer-space adventure tale did NOT run for 50 or 60 issues! What a great team Cuti and Byrne make here. Enjoy!

Collector’s Guide: From Space 1999 #3-6; Charlton, 1975. John Byrne art, Nicola Cuti story. John Byrne fans might also want to collect Space 1999 Magazine #4 produced by Charlton at the same time. Byrne worked on the fourth issue only.

2022 Update: Shout out to the desert-rock enthusiasts at MonsterRiff.com who found this post nine whole years after I originally made it and reminded me that the cover art for issue #5 was used as the album cover for Gravity X by Truck Fighters, a fuzz-drenched band I absolutely love! Below is the song Desert Cruiser, which earned a spot on MonsterRiff’s Top Ten Stoner Rock Riffs. You can find this album on Amazon.

No Pride, No Passion, No Pity!

Tags

John Byrne, Legends, planets

John Byrne’s establishing shot of the evil planet Apokalips may well be the high water mark for Legends. The series attempted to simplify and reintroduce some characters in the wake of DC’s continuity-destroying Crisis on Infinite Earths. Other than kick off what many fans remember as a cool run for the Suicide Squad, the series won’t be remembered for much. But, we will always remember this stunning planet, seething with electric and cosmic energy, bathed in a wash of interstellar light effects, its complex surface suggesting massive structure with tiny lines. From a student’s perspective, this panel abounds with art lessons. Welcome to the John Byrne Academy of Awesome!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Legends #1; DC, 1986;

The Gargoyle’s Touch Turned My Armor to Stone!

Tags

Avengers, Avengers 191, David Michelinie, George Perez, Grey Gargoyle, John Byrne, Roger Stern

John Byrne pencils one of our favorite Grey Gargoyle appearances in Avengers #191, with the plot/script team of Roger Stern and David Michelinie. Great things were simmering in the pot here: Stern and Byrne would craft a short but memorable run on Captain America, David Michelinie was just a few years from making Spider-man a super-hot franchise with Todd McFarlane, and cover artist George Perez would soon be teaming up with Marv Wolfman to create the wildly successful relaunch of Teen Titans.
Here, however, they prove that most superhero problems can be solved with lots of punching, kicking, beating, hitting, smashing… and a magic ray.

Collector’s Guide:
– from Avengers #191; Marvel, 1980.
– Reprinted in the paperback collection Avengers Visionaries: George Perez. Dont ask us why, since Perez did the cover, not the interior art!

The National Security Council Can’t Even Keep Track of Who’s Coming and Going!

Tags

Avengers, Avengers 181, David Michelinie, John Byrne, Peter Gyrich

Along the way to comic book superstardom, John Byrne drew the Avengers for a year – a year Bronze Age fans remember fondly. Here is where that legendary stint began. In Avengers #181, writer David Michelinie used a mandate from the federal government to pare down the number of Avengers. This plot device gave us one of the more memorable moments for agent Peter Gyrich, whose apparent main function was to be a major pain in the butt.

Collector’s Guide: from Avengers #181; Marvel, 1979.

Who Could be Playing the Piano So Beautifully?

Tags

Dr. Doom, Fantastic Four, If This be Doomsday, John Byrne

Who Could be Playing the Piano so Beautifully? WHO BUT DR. DOOM!!!

Yes, we love it when Dr. Doom takes a moment from sociopathic megalomania to pursue the finer things in life. In this scene from John Byrne’s Fantastic Four, Sue Richards comes across Doom in one of his more artistic moments. Escaping from yet another one of his sick traps and sneaking through his castle, she finds out that Doom can really tickle the ivories!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Fantastic Four #236.
– Reprinted in the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus

Captain America for President!

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Captain America, John Byrne, Roger Stern

Roger Stern and John Byrne‘s brief collaboration on Captain America ran from #247 to #255. Most Cap fans regard these tales from 1980-1981 as a minor classic, deserving a place in any collection of the best Cap stories. One of the big ideas they tackled was the idea of Captain America’s running for President. The letters page we included here has a column by author Roger Stern detailing the genesis of the idea and his thoughts on the concept. We enjoy all 17 pages of the story in Cap’s 250th issue. But, couldn’t this idea have been taken much further? How cool would it have been to have four years of Marvel continuity where Cap was president?!

Captain America would make the most awesome president ever. He’d certainly get our vote, and we don’t even agree with him on everything. Cap is everything our politicians are not: strong, dependable, honest, trustworthy, virtuous, caring – and have you seen what he can do with that shield? We just don’t buy his speech at the end explaining why he won’t run. He is obviously the man for the job. So man up, Cap, and get on the ballot!

Even if he didn’t make it into office because of some inane Red Skull plot, the possibilities are amazing. Fan Fiction geeks, fire up your word processors and get to work on this story. The rest of you, take advantage of your civil liberties and get to the ballot box on election day!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Captain America #250; Marvel, 1980. Script by Roger Stern.
Art by John Byrne and Joe Rubinstein.

Man-Thing Returns to Marvel Two-in-One!

Tags

Captain America, Cosmic Cube, Essential Marvel Two-in-One, John Byrne, Man-Thing, Man-Thing Omnibus, Marvel Two-in-One

Whatever knows fear, blogs at the touch of Man-Thing! Here he is, Marvel’s mucky monstrosity in some of our favorite swamp stories. Today’s Man-Thing Memoir rocks the second Marvel Two-in-One appearance of Man-Thing. If you missed it, we also have his first appearance in Marvel-Two-In-One.

In fact, this a three-in-one with Captain America. Sadly, not even John Byrne artwork can rescue this disaster. Man-Thing does get the Cosmic Cube for a while and that’s cool!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Marvel Two-In-One #43; 1978.
– Reprinted in color in the Man-Thing Omnibus Hardcover; 2012.
– Reprinted in black and white in Essential Marvel Two-In-One TPB #2.

For a review and recap of the first 100 issues of Marvel Two-in-One, see our friends at the Longbox Graveyard.

Ego the Living Planet! John Byrne’s Fantastic Four

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brains, Ego the Living Planet, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four By John Byrne Omnibus, John Byrne, The Thing

John Byrne created some of the most memorable Fantastic Four epics during his run on Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19. We will share with you a few of our favorites. With five years of work to pick from, it wasn’t easy choosing just a handful!

Today’s Feature: Ego – The Living Planet! Taking the reins of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine with #234, Byrne wasted zero time getting our adventurers into the most cosmic kinds of trouble he could imagine. Here, they take on a planet with a huge brain that’s gone horribly insane. Guess who gets stuck lugging a modified rocket engine down to the brain in the planet’s core to blow it all to smithereens? You bet your Aunt Petunia — it’s the ever-lovin’ blue eyed Thing! Whatta Revoltin’ Development!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Fantastic Four # 232-235.
– Reprinted in the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus – Volume 1, 2011.
– Byrne’s run spans Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19.

This Land is Mine! John Byrne’s Fantastic Four

Tags

Dr. Doom, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four By John Byrne Omnibus, John Byrne, Latveria

John Byrne created some of the most memorable Fantastic Four epics during his run on Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19. We will share with you a few of our favorites. With five years of work to pick from, it wasn’t easy choosing just a handful!

Today’s feature: This Land is Mine! Dr. Doom captures the Fantastic Four to explain that ever since they kicked him out of Latveria, the whole country has gone to hell!

Mark Millar more recently paints a completely evil portrait of Doom. Byrne, on the other hand, made him a more complex character by revealing the deep love he had for his homeland and the people there. We always enjoy this scene where a woman from Latveria is thrilled to see the return of Doom! Yes! But don’t get too lovey-dovey with the man in the iron mask. The boy he saves when the woman is killed? Later, Doom erases the boy’s mind so he can store his own consciousness there. Dude, what an evil $#%&-er!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Fantastic Four #246 & #247
– Reprinted in the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus – Volume 1, 2011.
– Byrne’s run spans Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19.

Trial of Reed Richards! John Byrne’s Fantastic Four

Tags

Assistant Editor's Month, Eternity, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four By John Byrne Omnibus, Galactus, John Byrne, Trial of Reed Richards

John Byrne created some of the most memorable Fantastic Four epics during his run on Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19. We will share with you a few of our favorites. With five years of work to pick from, it wasn’t easy choosing just a handful!

Today’s feature: The Trial of Reed Richards! In an earlier issue, Reed saved the life of Galactus. The other heroes had some misgivings, but they all chipped in to build a giant framistat powered by Thor’s hammer. (It’s comic book science.)

The Big G showed his thanks by not eating Earth, but soon proceeded to eat some other perfectly nice planets! The Shi’ar — the X-Men’s intergalactic pen pals — are so ticked off that they put Reed on trial for aiding and abetting a world-eater. Odin shows up to drop some knowledge about the Origin of Galactus, along with the Watcher and Eternity himself! Are you ready for the cosmic truth to be revealed?

Note: This story came out in Assistant Editor’s Month. Lots of goofy stuff happened that month. Byrne used it as an excuse to insert himself into the story, going on an interstellar mission to report on the FF’s adventures firsthand. His (assistant) editor hears the tale and thinks John might be smoking too many of his own pencil shavings! Read more about Assistant Editor’s Month at a blog dedicated solely to it.

Collector’s Guide: From Fantastic Four #262. Reprinted in the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus – Volume 1, 2011. Byrne’s run spans Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19.

Galactus Eats the Skrull Home World!

Tags

Death, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four By John Byrne Omnibus, Galactus, John Byrne, Nova, Skrull Homeworld, Skrulls

John Byrne created some of the most memorable Fantastic Four epics during his run on Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19. We will share with you a few of our favorites. With five years of work to pick from, it wasn’t easy choosing just a handful!

Today’s Feature: Fragments! Galactus is always a huge hit here on Mars. But what Galactus collection would be complete without the story of the day he devoured the Skrull Homeworld?! Few cosmic moments bring us as much joy as watching the Big G eat an entire planet.

And let’s face it, the Skrulls are scum. Nova made a great pick of all the possible planets out there to have for lunch. Featuring a special guest appearance by… Death!

Collector’s Guide: From Fantastic Four #257. Reprinted in the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus – Volume 1, 2011. Byrne’s run spans Fantastic Four #232-292 and Annuals #17-19.

The Birth of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver!

Tags

Avengers, birth, Bova, David Michelinie, High Evolutionary, John Byrne, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, X-men

Let’s take a look at the scene from the Avengers where the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are born. The tale of their birth comes to us in a flashback by Bova. No, not sci-fi author Ben Bova! Bova is a humanoid cow created by the High Evolutionary. We don’t know if Bova is still single. But if she is, we’ll hook her up with a date with Hip Flask of the Elephantmen. They’d hit it right off!

Plot by Mark Gruenwald and Steven Grant. Script by David Michelinie. Pencils by John Byrne. Inks by Dan Green.

Collector’s Guide: From Avengers #186.

Wolverine Gallery 23: John Byrne

Tags

John Byrne, John Byrne X-Men Portfolio, Wolverine, X-men, X-men Portfolio

Welcome to the Wolverine Gallery! It’s an ongoing project, so just click Wolverine Gallery to see everything in this virtual exhibition!

Today’s Wolverine feature comes from a 1993 X-Men Portfolio by John Byrne. The original prints in the Portfolio were black and white. So if you find one for $250 on eBay, don’t expect color!

Preview of John Byrne’s Cold War from IDW!

Tags

Cold War, IDW Publishing, Indie Comics, John Byrne

John Byrne rocked our worlds with the follow-up Next Men series recently at IDW, giving us a resolution to the greatest cliff hanger of all time at the end of Next Men #30 about 15 years ago. John, it was worth the wait! We’re looking forward to Aftermath also.

We were just corresponding with the good folks at IDW, and they sent us some images from the covers of John Byrne‘s next IDW project: Cold War. You can bet we already have our subscription on order! Here are the cover images we received, with permission to reprint them here from IDW.

Notice how John’s cooked up some alternate covers with a “propaganda poster” feel to them. IDW says there will be one for each issue of Cold War. Very cool!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Cold War #1-4; IDW, 2011.
– Reprinted in the Cold War TPB.

Wolverine Gallery 20: John Byrne

Tags

John Byrne, Wolverine

Welcome to the Wolverine Gallery! It’s an ongoing project, so just click Wolverine Gallery to see everything in this virtual exhibition!

Collector’s Guide: This cover by John Byrne comes from the first solo Wolverine series from the 1980s. (The ongoing series, not the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont limited series!)

Wolverine Gallery 19: John Byrne

Tags

John Byrne, Wolverine

Welcome to the Wolverine Gallery! It’s an ongoing project, so just click Wolverine Gallery to see everything in this virtual exhibition!

Collector’s Guide: These covers by John Byrne come from the first solo Wolverine series from the 1980s. (The ongoing series, not the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont limited series!)

This Time, The Final Victory Will Belong To —

Tags

Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Magneto, X-men

Magneto, the Master of Magnetism! John Byrne & Terry Austin’s original black and white X-Men artwork shines in Essential X-Men TPB Vol. 1.

Wolverine Gallery 18: John Byrne

Tags

John Byrne, Wolverine

Welcome to the Wolverine Gallery! It’s an ongoing project, so just click Wolverine Gallery to see everything in this virtual exhibition!

Collector’s Guide: These covers by John Byrne come from the first solo Wolverine series from the 1980s. (The ongoing series, not the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont limited series!)

Wolverine Gallery 17: John Byrne

Tags

John Byrne, Wolverine

Welcome to the Wolverine Gallery! It’s an ongoing project, so just click Wolverine Gallery to see everything in this virtual exhibition!

Collector’s Guide: These covers by John Byrne come from the first solo Wolverine series from the 1980s. (The ongoing series, not the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont limited series!)

Nathan, I Don’t Want to Die Alone!

Tags

Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, indie box, Indie Comics, John Byrne, Next Men

John Byrne is working on a new Next Men series now, published by IDW. It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years since Byrne wrote and drew what we consider his masterpiece: the original Next Men. Dig this seven-page irradiated love scene from issue #9. We didn’t know mutates did that! “Fascinating!”

Collector’s Guide:
– From Next Men #9; Dark Horse.
– Reprinted in Next Men TPB #2; Dark Horse, 1994.

IDW Reprints:
– Reprinted in Compleat Next Men TPB; IDW, 2008.
– Reprinted in Classic Next Men TPB; IDW, 2011.
– Reprinted in Next Men hardcover premiere edition; IDW, 2009.

Series continuation at IDW:
– Don’t miss the series continuation at IDW: Next Men; also in hardcover
– And the conclusion comes in Next Men: Aftermath!