John Byrne

Reading List: The Ten Essential Captain America Stories
Reading List: The Ten Essential Captain America Stories
Reading List: The Ten Essential Captain America Stories
The original Captain America was the creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, first appearing in March 1941's Captain America Comics #1 from Timely Comics, the company that would later become Marvel Comics. The book made waves from day one by featuring the title character punching Adolf Hitler over a year before the United States declared war on the Axis powers. Since that time, Captain America has had an illustrious career as the Avengers' most famous leader, but also as something like the moral center of the Marvel universe. We've picked ten of the very best Captain America stories by some of his many notable creative teams.
Reading List: The Ten Essential Superman Comics
Reading List: The Ten Essential Superman Comics
Reading List: The Ten Essential Superman Comics
Superman is the most iconic superhero in the world, and he's loved by millions --- but he's not necessarily the easiest character to get to grips with if you haven't been exposed to the right material. Even as a massive Superman fan, I'll admit that it can be a bit hard for some readers to wrap their heads around exactly why he's so great and why he matters so much. We've put together a list of the ten essential Superman stories for any reader looking to dive into Superman fandom.
Fantastic Five: Best Creator Cameos
Fantastic Five: Best Creator Cameos
Fantastic Five: Best Creator Cameos
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our years on the Internet, it’s that there’s no aspect of comics that can’t be broken down and quantified in a single definitive list, preferably in amounts of five or ten. And since there’s no more definitive authority than ComicsAlliance, we’re taking it upon ourselves to compile Top Five lists of everything you could ever want to know about comics. This week we're counting down the five of the coolest, weirdest, and meta-est creator cameos in the history of comics!
'Legends' And The Most Ridiculous Supervillain Heist Ever
'Legends' And The Most Ridiculous Supervillain Heist Ever
'Legends' And The Most Ridiculous Supervillain Heist Ever
So the other day, I thought I'd dust off Legends and escape into the fantasy world of comics with a story where a demagogue uses his celebrity as a platform to turn average Americans against each other and even uses the office of the Presidency to nearly destroy the world by spreading hate. You know, fun-time silly superhero stuff. But mixed in there with the main plot was something that I'd forgotten from the last time I've read it: A scene that is quite possibly the single most ridiculous supervillain crime I have ever seen in my life. And for me, that's saying something.
Seven Great Comics About Women Defeating Monsters
Seven Great Comics About Women Defeating Monsters
Seven Great Comics About Women Defeating Monsters
The brave hero. The wicked villain. These archetypes, and the tales of their struggles, lie at the heart of the comic book medium, providing the basis for many of our favorite stories. While some may scoff at these aspirational stories, we know that they can be empowering, uplifting, and even inspiring. That's often especially true when the hero at the heart of the story is a woman. When women slay monsters, the stories are never just about protecting the kingdom and preserving the status quo. When women slay monsters, they challenge their own oppression, they overturn expectations, and they seize control of the future. When women slay monsters, they change the world. These are some of our favorite comic book stories that celebrate that idea.
Electric Bluegaloo, Act 15: Superman Forever
Electric Bluegaloo, Act 15: Superman Forever
Electric Bluegaloo, Act 15: Superman Forever
Of all the strange transformations Superman has undergone in his 78-year history, none has been quite so derided as the year where his familiar costume and powers were replaced with a blue and white "containment suit" and a tenuous relationship with electricity. But that raises the question, was it really all that bad? Two decades later, we want to find out, so ComicsAlliance is taking a look back at the Electric Blue Era of Superman to find out not just what worked, but if anything worked. This is... Electric Bluegaloo. This week, the Electric Blue era officially comes to a close in Superman Forever, but we're never actually sure why.
To Boldly Go: A Comics History of Star Trek
To Boldly Go: A Comics History of Star Trek
To Boldly Go: A Comics History of Star Trek
It's Star Trek's 50th anniversary and between the well-received Star Trek Beyond, the fact that all of Trek is available streaming basically everywhere, a new TV show coming next year, and the continued release of new novels and comics, it's a good time to be a fan of the USS Enterprise and its brethren. Comics have been a part of Trek lore from almost the very start. Beginning in 1967, when the original Trek was wrapping up its first season on NBC, Gold Key published a series that only had two consistent features: an irregular publishing schedule, and an almost total disregard for how the characters actually looked.
Ask Chris #295: Rocketed To Earth From The Planet Krypton
Ask Chris #295: Rocketed To Earth From The Planet Krypton
Ask Chris #295: Rocketed To Earth From The Planet Krypton
Q: What's your Superman preference regarding the Byrne Kryptonian Gestation Matrix versus being "rocketed to Earth as an infant?" -- @charlotteofoz A: In the grand scheme of things, even I have to admit that this seems like a pretty minor distincton. That said, if there's one thing we've all learned over the past 300 installments of this column, it's that there are few things in this world that I love more than obsessing over what the most minor details mean for the overarching story that makes up a character like Superman. I mean, really, if I can somehow wring a thousand words out of whether or not Batman's costume should have a yellow oval on his chest, we can probably get into a pretty good discussion of whether or not Superman should've actually been born on Earth.
Humanity's Greatest Idea: A Celebration Of Superman
Humanity's Greatest Idea: A Celebration Of Superman
Humanity's Greatest Idea: A Celebration Of Superman
Superman made his big debut on this day way back in 1939 in the pages of Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The archetype, the standard bearer for all superheroes who came after him, Superman has endured the changing face of the world throughout the decades, and the ideals he stood for are just as vital and relevant today as they were then.
Doom Endures: A Tribute To The Greatness of Doom
Doom Endures: A Tribute To The Greatness of Doom
Doom Endures: A Tribute To The Greatness of Doom
Doctor Doom first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott and Stan Goldberg, published on April 10 1961. One of the most iconic villains in comic book history, Victor Von Doom has always remained steadfast in his goals: Take over the world for its own benefit, and kill Reed Richards along the way, if there's time.

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