Fanboy Rampage: Rob Liefeld & Erik Larsen Tag Team On John Byrne
John Byrne isn't on Twitter. Which is why one enterprising individual set up the Twitter handle @JohnByrneSays to take some of the things John says on his message board to a wider audience.
There had been several artists over the years who had drawn "off-model," but most of the time this meant restoring characters to their…
— John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
…original looks, as when Walt Simonson went back to Kirby's first drawings of the Destroyer, The first artist I really remember going…
— John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
…off model in a kind of "This is how I do it" way was Paul Smith. I've told before the story of Dave Cockrum and I looking as Smitty's… — John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
…pages as they came in, and Dave commenting about Storm, "I guess we were drawing her wrong!" Later we began to see the Singer becoming… — John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
…ever more important than the Song, until the proto-Image boys arrived, and then being on-model became something to deliberately shun.
— John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
The only thing is some of those Image boys are on Twitter…
@JohnByrneSays It's amazing how, 25 years later, this guy still holds a grudge. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
NotJB: @ErikJLarsen As I recently quoted, JB dislikes the Legion of Super-Heroes for pranking Superboy in 1958. 25 years is like yesterday.
— John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
@JohnByrneSays I can understand still thinking stories were crappy 60 years later but take the hit for your own career choices. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@JohnByrneSays The audience moved on because he couldn't hold their attention. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@JohnByrneSays And also–didn't he draw Superman off-model with that lump of hair on his head and Clark's new look? — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@JohnByrneSays It's awfully hypocritical to damn the Image guys for drawing off-model when he did the same.
— Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays Image founders did not make John lose his mojo and draw like crap!!! His deal with the devil expired on its own — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays Ouch. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
NotJB: @ErikJLarsen @robertliefeld If this gets back to ByrneRobotics, I never commented on JB's art. Was those darn "Image Boys" — John Byrne Says… (@JohnByrneSays) February 25, 2015
@JohnByrneSays @ErikJLarsen his work was untouchable from 77-85. He was perfect. Then he changed his style/approach.
— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@JohnByrneSays @ErikJLarsen his work was untouchable from 77-85. He was perfect. Then he changed his style/approach. — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays I think his effort to "keep up with the times" hurt him, actually. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays he came back from DC with a different approach to his work. West Coast Avengers… Namor… — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays Those started out okay–pretty straightforward–then he started emulating @Todd_McFarlane's page layouts.
— Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays (Or, what he THOUGHT were @Todd_McFarlane page layouts). — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays Overlapping panels–inset panels–weird borders, etc. pic.twitter.com/dYNzCE9bIw — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays I see it! — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays his style changed. His faces were always very appealing, attractive. Then they were very different.
— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays And then it just got lazy and unimaginative. Readers felt he was dogging it. pic.twitter.com/5q9krBlYO5 — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays growing up my buddy said "JB draws every here exactly how you want them to look. Then one day… No more." — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays I actually thought the first few months or so that he was making a serious effort. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays He started inking his own stuff after a few months and it got ugly.
— Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays yes. Looked like Don Heck to me not the sleek Neal Adams meets 70's anime that I drooled over. — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@ErikJLarsen @JohnByrneSays Simonson still looks like Simonson, Perez/Perez, Neal Adams still looks like Neal. Byrne, no resemblance. — robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays Faces became lazy. Generic shorthand. It was as if he was bored drawing them. No care was taken. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@BizzaroHendrix @robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays I can see that. His later work just feels like he's going through the motions.
— Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@StephenParry80 @robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays Trio is the saddest Byrne comic I've ever read. Minimal effort, generic everything. — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
@robertliefeld @JohnByrneSays Now they frequently look like victims of Joker gas. They look insane. pic.twitter.com/bdYFiH94Am — Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen) February 25, 2015
Fanboy Rampage was a blog by Graeme McMillan dedicated to the funniest, most ludicrous and most inappropriate comic book back-and-forths online. McMillan has moved on now, becoming a proper journalist for the likes of Newsarama and Spinoff but he gave permission to Bleeding Cool to revive his great creation. Feel free to contribute your own spots of online excess.

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