(Stock Image)
SOLD ON: Monday, 06/06/2016 12:07 PM
This auction has ended.
PUBLISHER: DC
COMMENTS: John Byrne pencils and inks, signed; 11" x 17"
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John Byrne pencils and inks, signed; 11" x 17"DC knew full well that it had a raft of geniuses on its hands in the 1980s, and it used every chance it had to show them off, especially in the overstuffed Annuals and Specials that filled the spinner racks each Summer and Winter. It only made sense to show off the latest Marvel superstar to jump ship to the suddenly-hip House of Superman on the cover of the Batman Summer Annual that boasted and Alan Moore script and the pencils of future heavyweight Norm Breyfogle, leading to this fantastic cover by the inimitable John Byrne. Byrne's unique mix of classic comics style, reverently drawing on the medium's right history, and completely modern and clean line is evidenced in this wonderful image, in which the Penguin is presented in his vintage splendor, while the Bronze Age horror incarnation of Clayface expertly evokes the Marshall Rogers period from which he emanated. Bridging the eras is the Batman himself, his iconic cape framing the theatrical image, Byrne using the familiar silhouette of the Dark Knight himself to anchor and define the cover as a whole. A cover instantly recognizable to any comic fan of a certain age, certainly one of Byrne's best-loved and best-known DC covers, and a captivating work deserving of pride of place in any serious art collection.
Artist Information
John Byrne is one of the most storied creators in the history of comics. Beginning his career at Charlton he quickly moved over to Marvel Comics where he established himself early on as a workhorse and fan favorite, he would draw early appearances of Iron Fist before landing the gig working with Chris Claremont on X-Men. Claremont and Byrne would create several of the most memorable storylines in the history of the X-Men, their Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past stories have been adapted into three feature films. Byrne would convince Claremont to not kill Wolverine, proving to be one of the most lucrative decisions in Marvel's history, he would also introduce Kitty Pryde and Alpha Flight during this time. After his work on X-Men, Byrne would have a short run on The Avengers before launching his second classic comic run, this time on Marvel's first family The Fantastic Four, writing and drawing the title for five years. Byrne would leave Marvel for DC in the mid 1980s where he was tasked with revamping their flagship Superman titles, he would draw two Superman titles a month while writing a third. After two years at DC, Byrne returned to Marvel where he would create memorable stints on She-Hulk, Namor The Sub-Mariner, and Iron Man. In the 90's Byrne would work on several creator owner titles at Dark Horse, including his Next Men (which would introduce Mike Mignola's Hellboy), Babe and Danger Unlimited. In the years that followed Byrne would create many more books, often working on titles that inspired him as a boy including a revamp of Jack Kirby's Fourth World and DC's Doom Patrol and The Demon.