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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 12:07pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

You know Chris too well!

But here’s a question for the Forum: What’s a typical set of John Byrne tropes? Honesty, please!

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Richard Palmgren
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 12:21pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

the woman you think is the weakest is secretly the strongest and proves it when the rest of the team / her significant other is taken out
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Richard Palmgren
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 12:22pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

which is by no means a bad pattern
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 12:24pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

JB, I'm not sure if this is the sort of thing you mean, but...

* Ending dialogue started on one page in a caption box at the top of the next page
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Jeffrey Rice
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 12:49pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

I like when you knock off long time tropes, like when Lois was hidden by the Joker in a lead box. Superman just looked for lead boxes.

As for JB Tropes:

Women sitting with a knee up



Flying heroes looking like they are enjoying themselves (damn them....)


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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 12:59pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

I'm honestly having trouble thinking of any writing tropes by you, JB. It's easier with Chris Claremont's writing because he tended to use the same phrases so damn frequently, and most of his characters used the same phrases.

"I love you." "And I, you, with all my heart."

"No quarter asked, none given."

That sort of thing.

I found it appealing as a youngster, for whatever reason, but as an adult it seems so unnatural for realistic dialogue. Writers like Claremont, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino has distinct ways of writing their characters, but eventually all their characters talk the same.

I don't really get that from your writing, JB.

I could name some "tropes" with your art (which I would just call "style"), but I am gathering you are talking more about the writing. In that case, I have to think more about this.



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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 1:01pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Anything you like, Matt. I am a Renaissance Man, after all!
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 1:15pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

In regard to the art, then... (and these are not criticisms, just noting tropes)... here's a couple:

The headshot of a character talking with no background. Let me point out this is not one of those "Byrne doesn't draw bakgrounds" nonsense comments. But this is a thing I've seen pop up from time to time, enough to be a Byrne "thing."

The sideways and full-length shot of a character running. Usually to show the character is in a rush somewhere, and not typically used for a battle scene.
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 1:37pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Examples of the headshot thing:



I'm having trouble locating an example online of what I mean by the running thing. It's kind of similar to the way the characters were shown running on the "Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe" covers, though.


These little things are part of what makes the art distinctly "John Byrne" art to me. So, I don't think of such tropes in a negative way.

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Eric Ladd
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 2:04pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Without naming or identifying specific tropes, I think stories synonymous with JB can be summed up with how Days of Future Past was created. In a nutshell, when people complain that Sentinels are lame, JB shows they aren't lame if written well. The story itself is great, but I'm talking about the thought process that goes into creating that story. Things are not as they seem, weakness is actually very powerful, perspective not previously viewed, all seem to be part of JB's toolkit when writing for comics. I'm sure others can pinpoint specifics, but for me, a JB trope is taking the overlooked and discarded characters and story elements and showing us why it is foolish to ignore them.
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Paul Wills
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 2:16pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Hiding feet so you won't have to draw them! Wait - that's someone else.
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Adam Schulman
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Posted: 22 March 2019 at 2:18pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Time travel stories. Not always, but often. (I don't remember any appearing during JB's run on the Superman titles, for example. Or ALPHA FLIGHT, of course.)

If JB writes a DC title for long enough, at least one of the New Gods WILL show up (exceptions: DOOM PATROL, BLOOD OF THE DEMON).

 
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