Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login
The John Byrne Forum
Byrne Robotics > The John Byrne Forum << Prev Page of 38 Next >>
Topic: "Marvel Comics, The Untold Story" (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133555
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 7:01am | IP Logged | 1  

I happen to know Jim Valentino. Was sitting in a bar when we had him at our con in St. Louis last summer and he was telling me all about the founding of image and how they were all breaking it to their families they were leaving a great paying gig with Marvel to take this huge risk. He said all of the founding of Image stuff in the book is b.s. and from what I read in the book and what he told me I know that's the case.

••

I don't recall anyone at the time seeing the Image venture as a "risk". An experiment to which we all paid attention, yes. But risk? Malibu was absorbing the financial "dangers", if there were any, and even McFarlane has admitted they knew Marvel would welcome them back with open arms if they did fail.

(I do recall that when the Image-to-Be boys made the announcement that they were going to Malibu to form their own "imprint", Valentino was seen by many as the odd man out. McFarlane, Lee, SIlvestri, Liefeld, Portacio and even Larsen had been assigned to highly successful Marvel titles, but not so Valentino. Perhaps his view of the origins of Image are specific to his own experience.)

Back to Top profile | search
 
Fred J Chamberlain
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4044
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 7:09am | IP Logged | 2  

He said all of the founding of Image stuff in the book is b.s. and from
what I read in the book and what he told me I know that's the case.
____________________

And that is what it really comes down to, isn't it? You know only what
he told you and so you really don't know anything. You compare one
account to another and make a determination. don't confuse that with
"knowing" facts. I enjoyed the book, but as with any reporting of an
event or history, I take it as a reporting. American history becomes
much more believable when getting original sources and comparing
accounts, rather than accepting what it taught by a few generations of
rote memorization.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Robert White
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4560
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 7:45am | IP Logged | 3  

I fail to see how any author doing a book like this can go on anything but the accounts of those that were there. Unless you can get a time-machine, and turn yourself invisible while taking notes, this is the only method available to us. 
Back to Top profile | search
 
Fred J Chamberlain
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4044
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 8:14am | IP Logged | 4  

Of course it is, Robert. I didn't say anything otherwise. My point was
believing to know something as fact simply because that is the
information that you were given is faulty thinking. Taking a story told by
one of the participants while seated at a bar as factual over a book that
cites multiple sources and going on to label the book as b.s. is careless
and irresponsible.

I have stated a few times in this thread that I enjoyed the book. I got a
sense of the evolution of the company as well as many anecdotes. I
don't, for a minute, believe that I know any of it to be absolute fact.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133555
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 8:31am | IP Logged | 5  

I still think the best "history of Marvel" book is Stan's ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS. It was written long enough ago that memories were still fresh, and Stan -- contrary to popular mythology -- gave all due credit where credit was due.

It doesn't cover anything beyond the early years, of course -- but there's not much of anything beyond the early years that really MATTERS, unless one is really interested in watching the Company mutate and decline.

Back to Top profile | search
 
Fred J Chamberlain
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4044
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 9:53am | IP Logged | 6  

Hm, the only book by that name that I was aware of was a collected
reprinting of first issues, printed in the 70's.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133555
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 10:20am | IP Logged | 7  

Hm, the only book by that name that I was aware of was a collected reprinting of first issues, printed in the 70's.

••

Hm. There was accompanying text.

Back to Top profile | search
 
Fred J Chamberlain
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4044
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 10:49am | IP Logged | 8  

Cool. I had read a copy as a young'un, but must have skipped over the
pages with all those pesky words and no pictures.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Jay Schimel
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 22 December 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 113
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 4:17pm | IP Logged | 9  

I know Valentino wasn't on one of the majors at Marvel JB. All I know is what he told me. And Fred, don't tell me I don't know anything when I'm sitting across the table from one of the founders of Image hearing his stories about it. When I hear it straight from the source I take it as fact. It's not like I read it in a magazine. Maybe his view on it is skewed but it came straight from him. So it's not taking one account against another and taking it as fact. It came straight from the source. 
Back to Top profile | search | www
 
Fred J Chamberlain
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4044
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | 10  

Jay, I'll repeat it. All you know is what you were told. Without even
going into the several factors behind his reporting those events, that
reporting to you doesn't equal knowledge of anything other than what
he said at that time. It constitutes many things for a person in your
postioon, but fact and knowledge of actual events isn't one of them. I
hadn't mentioned it previously, but listening to him in a bar doesn't
consititue knowing him, in my opinion. I have no axe to grind here and
certainly have nothing against you, but your use of knowledge is
flawed.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133555
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 5:54pm | IP Logged | 11  

Lost cause, Fred.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Fred J Chamberlain
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4044
Posted: 09 January 2013 at 6:03pm | IP Logged | 12  

Yu only say that because you know me.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 

<< Prev Page of 38 Next >>
  Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login