John Byrne wrote: Ouch. Some of the worst inks I've had in my career!

Layton really did overpower your pencils, didn't he?  I especially notice it in most of the faces.  He made them "Layton faces".  He did the same thing over JRjr in his first IRON MAN run. Thinking about it, he does that with everything he inks.  Man, that's got to be frustrating.  I think he's a pretty decent penciler, but when it comes to inking he really takes away much of the distinctive qualities of the penciler he's inking to make it look like Leyton.

I think he's a pretty decent penciler, but when it comes to inking he really takes away much of the distinctive qualities of the penciler he's inking to make it look like Leyton

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I'm kinda on the opposite end. I find his pencils to be quite stiff and static. And his knowledge of anatomy really seems to have come from just comic book art. There's no sense of flow with the human body in his stuff at all. I much prefer his inking over his pencilling. He matched up quite well with Mark Bright on his second IRON MAN run, and he looked great over Jerry Bingham, too. There did seem to be more Layton than Guice when Don't Call Me Butch was pencilling the title, tho.

Leyton as penciler.  Leyton as inker.  I'll take the former every day o' the week because at least I know what I'll be getting.  When I buy a comic penciled by JRjr or JB, I expect to see that artist between the covers, not something resembling their work with an overpowering dose of Leyton on inks.

I don't like Layton's pencils much but never minded him too much as an inker. That said, he does kind ruin the face of JB's pencils in this one (apart from maybe the Hulk) and it's hard to argue with the 'makes everything look shiny' criticism.

This was a fun comic, one of my favourite annuals.

JB:  This, by the way, was the issue that got me in trouble the first time as
a Gay-Basher, when I mentioned in an interview that my father, looking at
the finished job, had come to the shot of Angel in the last panel on page 7
and said "He looks Gay."

Say what???  I remember reading the annual when it came out in 78.  Based on the "implication" in the shot of Warren and Candy in the last panel on page 2, I have to wonder how anyone could get a gay "vibe" off page 7.

BTW ... say what you will about the art/inking issues, this comic is one of my favorites.  It's also one of the comics I loan out to non-readers on occasion when I want to impress them on how good the medium can be.  And yes I have two copies of the issue - and my "loaner" is very well worn!!