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Rebecca Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4520
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| Posted: 30 April 2018 at 9:43pm | IP Logged | 1
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I think most people here probably have one John Byrne comic or publication they've found out of reach or hard to find... maybe the ultimate one would be the original '70s Death's Head book (at least I saw one in person once). I fulfilled my holy grail once with Charlton Bullseye magazines #4 and 5 which had a seventh Doomsday +1 story in them (this was a few years before it was finally reprinted with the rest). I thought they were pretty special, still do. I also had the little b&w Comic Reader with Rog 2000 on the cover, but I didn't try hard to find that, just happened upon it, so that doesn't qualify.
What qualifies as a real Byrne rarity aside from original artwork? The Jack Kirby tribute issue of Foom? Monster Times? CPL fanzines?
Tonight I think I finally checked off the one I honestly thought I'd never get: Iron Fist #14 (the first Sabretooth), partly because I just never thought it would be worth it for me. Back when #15 and not #14 was the pricey number of the run I got #15 but still didn't bother with #14. Well now I have a solid and decent copy of this and am even fairly happy with the price. Calooh, calay, oh frabjous day. I guess I'll have to shift to thinking about that Dracula title now or call it collection complete?
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Brian Hague
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Joined: 14 November 2006
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| Posted: 30 April 2018 at 10:48pm | IP Logged | 2
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I got my Byrne grail quest out of the way early when I ordered The Art of John Byrne from the Bud Plant catalog years ago. It was the one item I knew I absolutely had to own, and pounced when the opportunity to get one came about. I've come across a great many rare Byrne items since and snatch them up as well, but the only one I felt I could not live without was that one from way back when.
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Rebecca Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4520
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| Posted: 30 April 2018 at 11:49pm | IP Logged | 3
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I think I bought that Art Of book when it was pretty close to brand new out Brian. One of the first comic shop items I remember marveling over existing... and that long wordless sf story in it! The same publisher had put out an Art Of Neal Adams just before that was also on sale but I barely remember even cracking that open. A few other similar things I remember buying was an airbrushed X-Men portfolio where two of the pieces were based on JB, and some mini-portfolio with the Black Queen Jean Grey.
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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2292
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 12:10am | IP Logged | 4
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Right now, it's just his WONDER WOMAN run--simply because that's mostly all I've missed! (I wasn't buying at the time.) I've got a few random issues, but I can't wait for a complete reprint. I guess it's only a "holy grail" if it's something you don't have!
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Andy Mokler
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Joined: 20 January 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 2799
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 2:32am | IP Logged | 5
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I also had to wait a while...almost 30 years to get my copy of Iron Fist #14. I had the reprint but never an original copy. They weren't impossible to find or anything but I just don't spend a lot on back issues.
About a year ago I found a real nice copy in a random box of comics for a dollar at the swap meet. Good things come and all that.
As far as a grail, I've got one that's more of an Eleanor. Nightmare magazine #20. I had it once a long time ago but lost my collection of the time. Got another one and it was so nice, it was worth grading. CGC lost it. Waiting for yet another one to fall in my lap some day.
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Matthew Wilkie
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Joined: 09 March 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1139
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 12:43pm | IP Logged | 6
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My holy grail was JB's run on Doom Patrol which has never been collected. I've been looking for a reasonably priced set for a while, ideally from the UK to avoid postage, and finally got hold of one last week : )
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Stephen Churay
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Joined: 25 March 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 8369
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 1:39pm | IP Logged | 7
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Silver Surfer One Shot.
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Casey Sager
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 2:02pm | IP Logged | 8
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The Death's Head Knight is probably the hardest to find in the wild. I'm not even sure 500 copies were made.
I do have a 3 piece portfolio by JB that I believe he said were done as proposals for potential series in the early 1970's. The pieces were inked by Duffy Vohland and one of the plates says whatever number ( I can't recall off the top of my head ) of 100. So I have to imagine that's one of the rarer JB items.
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Gordon Somers
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Joined: 18 April 2004
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 2:45pm | IP Logged | 9
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Aside from the ultra-rare items mentioned already (which I do not hold hope of ever getting), I would have to say my grail is Iron Fist 14 - very difficult to come by in the UK for a reasonable price. That and, surprisingly, Next Men 3(3) - although the series was on order somehow my LCS at the time managed to not get that issue. And it has been very hard to find here in the UK (if I get it from the US then I am paying more than 5 times the price of the comic in delivery alone). In fact I am searching again tonight!
I have been very lucky in the Byrne comics I have managed to get over the years, but these guys always seem to elude me! One day I hope they will be mine!
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Bert Kruger
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Joined: 26 June 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 266
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 4:32pm | IP Logged | 10
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I was lucky enough to pick up most if not all the books mentioned in this thread early on before prices soared. I guess I was a completest when it came to JB's work and can't think of anything I would be after now.I picked up a copy of Deaths Head Knight from the Tramps store in Calgary back in the mid 80's for $20, not sure what it would go for now. I also picked up a NM copy of Iron Fist #14 for $20 in the mid 80's. I also have the original cover to Captain America #291 so I have an original piece of JB's work as well. So I think I've fulfilled my quest for now. |
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Rebecca Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4520
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| Posted: 01 May 2018 at 9:45pm | IP Logged | 11
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Never heard of the 3 piece portfolio, but maybe I have seen the images online and not known they were part of it... I've seen a few Duffy inked pieces.
I've read about an on-spec tryout type Fantastic Four story that was never published anywhere so far as I know, though some of it sort of resurfaced in the Frankie Raye stories that were published in the early '80s issues, but it would be cool to have an ash-can sort of edition of the '70s unofficial fan comic. I have a couple early Erik Larsen 'Graphic Fantasy' comics he made himself in Seattle with the Savage Dragon guy, and at the time I thought he really showed a lot of enthusiasm for John Byrne style comics. It would be pretty interesting to see a similar early pre-Marvel thing of JB's like that. It's actually encouraging to other artists to see early stage stuff as flawed and imperfect as it may be, same as with early demos and recordings by musicians who went on to become highly accomplished, and you can learn as well. I've noticed some like Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales/Cadillacs & Dinosaurs) have retouched comics for reprintings quite heavily. I guess it's asking a lot to have less accomplished early material available. The Death's Head comic was pretty much unrecognizable as John Byrne to me, but makes what came later all the more impressive in a way.
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Philippe Negrin
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Joined: 01 August 2007
Location: France
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| Posted: 02 May 2018 at 4:51am | IP Logged | 12
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I don't go for the rocket high price comic books at all. I think the max I ever paid was $20 but I found it much harder to get my hand on XMen hidden year issue 22 than all the others...Collector/Speculator mentality again.
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