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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133317
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:01pm | IP Logged | 1
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There seem to be some odd "reviews" of my work floating around out there. I was ordering a copy of the second HIDDEN YEARS trade from Amazon* and came across this:"i love john byrne art but he is too much like a soap opera in his more recent books. too much drama and not enough action." While I would be hard pressed indeed to find a reason to apply this to XHY, I also find myself somewhat nonplussed when trying to make it fit the rest of my "recent books". The STAR TREK stuff is, I grant, concerned in large part with people sitting in chairs looking at viewscreens, but, then, so was STAR TREK! But for the rest. . . Thoughts? –––– * At my request, Marvel no longer sends me comps. Too many reprints of which I have no need.
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Aaron Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 06 September 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 10461
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:17pm | IP Logged | 2
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Too much drama and not enough action? That sounds like most of current Marvel and DC's decompressed, event-driven, drawn out, over-expanded, gruelingly boring output.
JB, your work is one of the few places left in comics where the strengths of the medium are used to their fullest and good pacing (which seems to be on the edge of extinction in most comics) is still used to move the story along at the speed it needs to be most effective.
I haven't seen any of this "soap opera" in any of your work, recent or far in the past.
Edited by Aaron Smith on 25 January 2013 at 12:17pm
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133317
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:20pm | IP Logged | 3
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I haven't seen any of this "soap opera" in any of your work, recent or far in the past. •• By "soap opera" I am guessing the commentator means the usual old time Marvel-style personal sturm und drang. and I DO try to include a heaping spoonful of THAT in my work -- but not the exclusion of "action". In fact, taking my cue from Stan Lee, I usually like to fold it INTO the "action".
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Bill Guerra
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 March 2012
Location: United States
Posts: 1072
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:22pm | IP Logged | 4
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Well, I certainly wouldn't place TRIO into the "not enough action" catagory! That was action and adventure at a pretty constant clip! Honestly, it sounds to me like the review is just someone trying to sound "kewl" to the modern comics fans. It seems that people posting comments about different comics professionals nowadays always follow the same formula of, "While I like (insert name), I find their current work (insert put down)". It's like they are going from a script. I'd be curious for them to point out specifically what they were referring to. I've always felt you had solid drama along with plenty of action in your work, going a long way back. I haven't noticed any marked decrease in action in favor of too much drama. (By the way, JB, feel free to have Marvel send me your comp copies! Believe me, they would have a good home! lol)
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Brennan Voboril
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 15 January 2011
Posts: 1741
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:23pm | IP Logged | 5
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I've never found this aspect to your work JB. Believe me your comics stand out as fresh as a daisy compared to most others and provide rereading joy that stands up after decades.
I'd actually love to see a romance comic from you. Twenty pages of soap opera would be wonderful.
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Andrew Bitner
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7526
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:34pm | IP Logged | 6
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there are too many counter-examples to think this criticism worth rebutting. many comics contain *some* elements of "soap opera" storytelling-- large casts, plots and subplots that "gestate" over a period of time, very dynamic interpersonal clashes, conflicts between individuals that represent deeper conflicts between agendas and philosophies, etc.-- but to say that JB's work is heavy on soap opera to the detriment of action is ridiculous. heck, if you want the best example of "soap opera" comics, i'd refer people to chris claremont's x-men!
Edited by Andrew Bitner on 25 January 2013 at 12:35pm
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Brian Lewis
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 August 2012
Posts: 476
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:39pm | IP Logged | 7
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Its a consumer reviewer. 20 people likely couldn't make sense of one person's definitions of "soap opera" or what he meant. We can really only compare to his other reviews...
On Avengers: Bride of Ultron wrote:
| this is perfect it has my two favorite artists john byrne and george perez. the stories and villians are classic greatness. why can't all graphic novels be like this? if you want to read the avengers at their peak of story and art then read this book as well as "the private war of doctor doom" and "the korvac saga" and you will wonder why they ever changed the way comics are done.enjoy |
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On AF Classic, Vol3 wrote:
| this is classic byrne at his peak. a good balace of story, action and good art. the way heroes should be drawn. |
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Looking at what the guy likes, I would interpret it as he's just more of a super hero guy. Maybe he'll post a review of Trio?
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Joe Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 August 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6666
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:42pm | IP Logged | 8
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You write people as they are, not infallible.
The disconnect some fans have with interpersonal relationships in general shouldn't affect that aspect of a well written character, or story.
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Shawn Kane
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 November 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 3239
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 12:48pm | IP Logged | 9
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I've never felt like there was any action missing in any of your comics. Maybe he's confusing soap opera with characterization.
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Lars Johansson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 June 2004
Location: Sweden
Posts: 6113
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 1:10pm | IP Logged | 10
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No, JB's stories are not soap opera. Either it's Ingmar Bergman or it's soap opera. Dallas and Knot's landing were Ingmar Bergman before but now Dallas is soap opera, stories about who sent the email and shit.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133317
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 1:20pm | IP Logged | 11
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Maybe he's confusing soap opera with characterization.•• A problem I often find with online "reviews". I find myself saying "I do not think that word means what you think it means." Kind of annoying when one is being lectured on the quality of one's work, and one has to sift thru inaccurate verbiage to try to figure out what is being said. Only to find, so may times, that what is being said is poppycock anyway!
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Erin Anna Leach
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 February 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 746
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| Posted: 25 January 2013 at 1:24pm | IP Logged | 12
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I would say that your work over the years has always been, as you put it, the drama moving the story to action. I would also say that you have refined your craft, writing and illustration, so that you are better at them then you were before.
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Topic Closed)
