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Frank Lauro
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 27 February 2006
Posts: 1461
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| Posted: 20 April 2006 at 10:02pm | IP Logged | 1
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Paul Smith's art blew me away. He made me an X-Men fan, actually. Gorgeous work.
I vowed to drop the book the moment that Smith left...but then John Romita Jr. replaced him, and impressed me all to hell. I stayed with the book during his tenure, as well.
I eventually dropped the book right after the "Mutant Massacre" thing, when it turned into Keith Pollard art, I believe. (I've actually become a Pollard fan since then, but for some reason I disliked what the book looked like back then!)
Anyone else remember rushing home from school to see if those brown-paper-wrapped comic books were waiting in the mailbox? That was me, during the Paul Smith X-MEN run!
(Edited, because "liked like" makes no freakin' sense.)
Edited by Frank Lauro on 21 April 2006 at 9:41pm
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Steven Myers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5680
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| Posted: 20 April 2006 at 10:07pm | IP Logged | 2
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I do think it took awhile for Clarmont to adjust to not having Byrne around, but I don't think the decline was too dramatic. As for Cockrum, I really enjoyed his art at first, and thought it got "looser" as things went by, and I liked it less. The Art in 150 and Kitty's fairy tale were great! I thought Paul Smith was rough at first, but he settled in well and probably had a better run than Dave (not that I mean to discredit Cockrum...2nd to Paul Smith is still very good!). Also, I think Smith benefitted from Claremont being on top of his game. I liked the Romita Jr issues at first, but the pairing didn't seem to work. It seemed like Chris didn't know what to write, and there seemed lots of wasted pages. I left the X-Men during this run and came back during the Silvestri run. I think John Romita Jr is a much better artist than Silvestri, but the stories were much better during the Silvestri run.
Just think about the X-Men artists in those days: Cockrum-Byrne-Cockrum-Smith-Romita-Davis-Adams-Silvestri-Lee . Plus various tales by Golden, Simonson, McCleod, Anderson....
Cockrum's the best brcause he created the all-time best non-original X-Man mutant ever: Nightcrawler!! He's so much cooler than any hot-headed Canadian!!
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Dave Phelps
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4184
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| Posted: 20 April 2006 at 10:21pm | IP Logged | 3
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My first X-Men comics were Paul Smith issues, but I read the stuff before that via Classic X-Men, so I still had the monthly experience.
After a very solid run of stories from #94-143, the book just got to be very hit and miss for me. Can't even say why. Just seemed like a spark was missing. There were some bright lights here and there (Kitty's Fairytale, the Belasco story, etc.), but it wasn't a strong period for the book. However, I think the arrival of Paul Smith put Claremont back on his game, and IMO he stayed there for quite awhile.
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Mike Farley
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2701
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| Posted: 20 April 2006 at 11:36pm | IP Logged | 4
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I guess I'm gonna have to be a voice of opposition here. I really disliked JrJr's first run on X-Men. The art was competent enough, but for the most part just didn't fit the book (to me). It wasn't helped by all the really bad costume changes in that period. Rogue (that orange over shirt thing)? And need I mention Magneto's sleeveless gieant "M" monstrosity? It seemed like the book was trying to adopt a more contempoary look, but the look they chose was a couple years dated even then.
And I liked Cockrum's second run just fine. He wasn't JB, but then who is?
And Paul Smith? He was the artist when I started reading the book. In many ways his X-Men are definitive in my eyes.
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Chris Durnell
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 February 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1235
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 12:29am | IP Logged | 5
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Isn't it weird how some titles explode AFTER the runs that everyone considers "authoritative." Not only X-Men post-Byrne, but Spider-Man post-Ditko. I wonder if there are any other ones like that.
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Jason Czeskleba
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 30 April 2004
Posts: 4620
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 1:21am | IP Logged | 6
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Another one I can think of is Conan, which increased steadily in sales when John Buscema replaced Barry Smith. The book was teetering on the brink of cancellation when Smith was doing it, but under Buscema it eventually became one of Marvel's top sellers of the 70's.
Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 21 April 2006 at 1:22am
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Flavio Sapha
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Brazil
Posts: 12912
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 1:58am | IP Logged | 7
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This might be explained by the lag that used to exist between the actual sales and the collecting of their data. Which, apparently, is what got the X-men cancelled under Neal Adams, the data didn't come in on time to save the book.
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Thanos Kollias
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 June 2004
Location: Greece
Posts: 5009
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 1:58am | IP Logged | 8
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I had jumped onboard roughly around X-Men #137 (my first was #125 but I missed a bunch for about a year) and had become a huge JB fan instantly. When Cockrum took over the art (I had no idea he had returned as I didn't know he wa around before), I was already an X-Men fan. I liked the stories, the Magneto double sized was great, Kitty's Fairy Tale is my favorite non JB X-story and it wasn't until the Brood stories that I realized I didn't like the art anymore. Then, Paul Smith took over and I was in comic-book heaven. When JRJR became the artist I will admit it took him a couple of years to win me over. I was disappointed at his art for some reason. Anyway, during all that time (even now!) I keep wishing JB would eventually return to draw the book.
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Guest Account0
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 January 2006
Location: Ireland
Posts: 434
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 2:10am | IP Logged | 9
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JB is my favourite artist, period. But I love Dave Cockrum and think he was the ideal follow up to JB on X-Men, returning after his first run. The Brood, Kittys fairytale ,the adventure in New York with Tigra and Deathbird, Gabrielle Haller, were some of my favourite issues. I was sorry to see Dave leave the book.
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Andrew Kneath
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Posts: 2275
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 2:25am | IP Logged | 10
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I was agree there was a dramatic drop in quality immediately following JB's departure but it got a lot better further into the second Cockrums run.
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Donald Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 03 February 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3601
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 2:35am | IP Logged | 11
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I "discovered" the X-Men in the sixth grade via the Amazing Adventures reprints. I was really enjoying them, when a friend saw me with them at school. "Have you read the newer issues?" he asked me. I had no idea what he was talking about. LOL!
I eventually managed to buy all of his X-men from him. $45.00 for #101-134 too date the best deal I've ever made on a comic purchase.
I stayed up all night reading the best ongoing storyline I had ever come across.
The birth of pheonix.
The shiaar conflict
Return of the beast
the fight with Magneto and the split of the team.
Savage Land
Alpha Flight
Arcade actually seems like a threat
Proteus
Hellfire Club
Pheonix Saga
This entire run was masterfully crafted.
There were hints of things to come woven throughout the issues, character development was slow and natural. Did I run to the comic shop and grab the next issue when hit the stands? You bet!
I was saddened by JB's departure. I followed him to every book I knew about scince then. I enjoyed Cockrum okay, Loved Paul Smith's work. But I was really turned of by JRJR i know evry one seems to love him. but his work looks to scratchy to me. Give me clean lines anyday.
Claremont is still a great writer but I don't think he has ever matched the alchemy that was captured in this run of X-Men.
D-
*edited misspelling*
Edited by Donald Miller on 21 April 2006 at 2:37am
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Luke Smyth
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Ireland
Posts: 791
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| Posted: 21 April 2006 at 4:44am | IP Logged | 12
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I stuck around until issue 150 after JB left. Back then I didn't appreciate Dave Cockrum they way I do now. Paul Smith never did it for me, he had potential, and the surface style was closer to JB's than Cockrums but I found his work at the time to be weak.
John Romita JR on the other hand brought me back for his duration and I found his style and storytelling to be far superior to that of Paul Smith. X-men 182, the solo Rogue story remains a particular favourite to this day.
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