Al Cook wrote: Then, a few years later, I was in a comic shop and stumbled across 274. Ka-Zar, Magneto and Fury were on the cover, and they were well-drawn! I opened it up and was blown away -- Dinosaurs, the Savage Land, Magneto, awesome art, great colours, I even digged the lettering.  Suddenly it seemed like the magic was back!

In case anyone doesn't realise Al is talking about Jim Lee's art.

Lee's art was pretty spectacular in those issues, just about every panel could have been a pinup.

Unlike Al, I enjoyed Silvestri's art on the book too though it was less polished than his later work for Image.

QUOTE: Uncanny X-Men #167 was the first X-men issue that I bought also.  Does that make three of us on this board so far?

Looks like Joe might have been responding to my post, so I don't know if you counted me or not, but I started with #167, too. 

(Well, technically, my first "X-Men comic" was New Mutants #1, but still... :-) )

I was lucky enough to experience the Byrne/Claremont issues right off the newstand during thier original run. It was obvious to me that I was witnessing something special when I read those issues. In a way, comics seemed to really be growing up at that point. The entire creative team seemed mesh in a way that none of the teams on any of the other titles I read were. It was definitely magic.

When JB left X-Men, I was disappointed to say the least, and although I enjoyed Cockrums original run on the title, the choice of inkers (Joe Rubenstein wasn't it?) really didn't suit his style, and I found it to be a bit pedestrian and lacking in originality.

Of course Paul Smith came along and his unique and singular style was refreshing, and sure looked pretty.

And when i needed a Byrne fix, all I had to do was pick up an issue of his spectacular FF run which at that time really was living up to the hype of being "The Worlds Greatest Comic magazine".

Can you imagine how that would play in this age of the InterNet? Ye Gods!

In France the FF were some years late.

exemple: published in 1981: Uncanny X-Men from 1979/80, Fantastic four from 1974.

I think you're talking of your run as writer/artist, not of the Byrne/Wolfman issues?

When I first saw your writer/artist issues I wasn't a fan of the way you drawn the Thing there (I preffered your more "classic" Marvel two-in-one version (i mean more like what was done before, more "kirbyesk" if i dare say so)) and Reed seemed strangely slim compared to the way everybody till then, including you, seemed to drawn him.

Even for those who loved your work that was at first destabilizing+you were missed on uncanny. This is an exemple of how one's learns from the artist in reading comics.

Everything is not always understood from the start. Sometime you need time to get used to the changes.

You gave your run on the FF a really distinctive look. And thats certainly one of the reasons why its such a classic.

Here's a true story, when I first encounterd JB's FF issues (from his proper run)and very briefly browsed though them in my local newagents I thought the characters looked cartoonish and had somewhat oversized eyes and long necks. I'll admit I too found it a bit off-putting.

Eventually I did pick up an issue (the one where Frankie becomes Nova) despite my reservations about the art and found I really loved it (the art) though there was definitely something a bit strange and quirky about it.

I recall this quite clearly though I don't find the art strange of quirky now. It all looks pretty normal to me now. At the time though it did look very different from the typical Buscema/Joe Sinott style FF that we had been used to for a very long time.

Terry Austin was certainly a very fine inker -- witness how some of the X-MEN covers by Cockrum, even when John Byrne was the lead artist, just came totally alive when inked by Austin -- and I am definitely a fan...

...but I don't think it's at all accurate to pigeonhole Mr. Byrne's work as being at its "best" only as inked by Austin.

And ya know what, that's not what I meant at all.  Totally my fault.  I meant the best art combo (to date) for the X-Men, not the best for JB.  I always will prefer JB inking his own work.

My favorite Cockrum work is the Nightcrawler mini serie from 1985.

The best parts of his second run on the X-Men were for me Kitty's tale and the Brood saga.

Even if I love too the Dr Doom story that someone here found "out of character".