So please tell me about this John Byrne era

[zman]

its been forever since I started a thread, but this seems as good a moment as ever. I have vague knowledge of his work, I remember being recognized as very good by fans overall. So can you guys give us (I'm surely not alone) an idea of waht to expect? Thanks, this should be a fun thread.

 

[Changeling]

A Superman who has been toned down, and more realistic.

 

[BH/HHH]

I loved it, its a bit dated now but still great to read.

Hes very powered down from the Superman that appeared prior to that incarnation. hes more like STAS version in that aspect. I'd say hes more human.

 

[Man of Tomorrow]

It's a magical world where ....

- Both the Kents are alive

- Lex is a self-made corrupt corperate tycoon from the suicide slums

- Kal-El was send to earth via the birthing matrix

- Superman's powers are majorly toned down

- Clark Kent is less of a caricature



It's a more realistic and grittier world than the Silver Age. Wikipedia it.

 

[SuperMike335!!]

its been forever since I started a thread, but this seems as good a moment as ever. I have vague knowledge of his work, I remember being recognized as very good by fans overall. So can you guys give us (I'm surely not alone) an idea of waht to expect? Thanks, this should be a fun thread.

I see it as the separation from the silver age and the modern age. Some may not agree with me on this, but if you want a good feel for a Byrne type of Superman, watch Superman the Animated Series. I got a similar vibe from it.

 

[Kurosawa]

As a purist fan, I hated it at the time. I hate it less now and it did have good action, but to me it took a lot of shots at fans like me and at the writers and artists that came before it. I have no interest and in fact disgust for realism in comics or in superhero movies. My only hope for this movie now is that it's not 100% Byrne styled to the exemption of anything else.

It also started a schism in the Superman fan community that exists to this day. To the most hardcore of purists, Superman existed from 1938-1986 and hasn't been seen since. I'm not quite that extreme, but it's never been the same to me either.

This announcement is very bad news for me, as I was hoping Geoff Johns position in DC Entertainment and his Superman: Secret Origin series would lead to a more classic interpretation.

 

[protocida]

Good run. Superman's overall characterization was good and there was good storytelling and action. The origin was horrible, tough.

 

[JBElliott]

I see it as the separation from the silver age and the modern age. Some may not agree with me on this, but if you want a good feel for a Byrne type of Superman, watch Superman the Animated Series. I got a similar vibe from it.

Goyer could do a lot worse than to steel from Superman TAS. In fact, Goyer would be well served to consult or even write with Timm and Dini.

 

[Webhead2006]

well kuro who knows if bryne will be the only areas goyer will have in his script, he could end up using things from birthright, all seasons, to secret origins, or even the earth one thing.

 

[Lighthouse]

I liked it except for the birthing matrix and having Pa Kent be alive.

 

[The Batman]

hands down, the most overrated version of superman

the art was nice, though

 

[SuperMike335!!]

I liked it except for the birthing matrix and having Pa Kent be alive.

Birthing matrix was IMHO the dumber than electric blue superman.

It seemed like a forced and gross attempt to have him born on US soil. meh..

I was fine with most of the other stuff, and I really love STAS.

 

[Webhead2006]

well maybe they wont take that aspect from their.

 

[SuperMike335!!]

well maybe they wont take that aspect from their.

I got a good feeling that it will be left out too.

They know they are not going to sell the pool with that turd floating in it.t:

 

[dnno1]

Actually, Byrne's Superman wasn't all that weak. In the very first issue of "Superman, the Man of Steel" he was able to disrupt forces of nature, lift ships and support bridges and buildings. He was pretty strong, even in that period. The thing about Byrne and his version of Superman was that he tried to explain why Superman was able to do some of the things he did. For instance, the use of tactile telekinesis to lift heavy objects while flying or a bioelectric force field that makes him invulnerable. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't all that crazy about his ideas, but at least the man tried to explain them. That was a whole lot more than what was done during the Silver Age.

 

[SuperDaniel]

Maybe not the Birthing Matrix but i like the idea that Baby kal-el is somehow in an induced sleep inside minerals and all that stuff and not in a spaceship per se. Plus, I love the design of the ship. I think its the most iconic one.

 

[Mr. Earle]

What's this "birthing matrix"? Sounds really stupid.

 

[SuperDaniel]

Basically, Krypton is a very genetic advanced civilation, people don`t have sex or even get in contact with other kryptonians. They progressed so much over disease and all the problems that people live a lot of years. When a kryptonian dies, usuallly a male and a female are chosen to breed a kryptonian child without having never even met. They`re selected because they`re the best available. The infants are born into a gestation chamber. Lara and Jor-el are chosen to breed the new kryptonian child, Kal-el because people are dying over kryptonite exposure, called the plague, the radioactive fusion of elements in the instable core of Krypton.

But the thing is that Jor-el sees Lara and falls in love with her. So, once he discovers Krypton is going to explode, he take the fetus of Kal-el out of the gestation chamber, attaches a hyperdrive propulsor in it and launches into space, while saying i love you to lara.

It is much more complex than that, there`s a whole history with cloning and all that. It`s fascinating, IMO. I like it a lot because it feels very different from Earth.

Read World of Krypton written by John Byrne to know about all the details.

 

[Crook]

Never really got the hate for the birthing-matrix. Ironically, I think a lot of the displeasure stems from it being so...alien.

Byrne at the very least tried to conceive something irregular and foreign, which is how aliens should be depicted. Especially with Kryptonians, who are already so like us in appearance. There should be that dividing line that separates us from them, as a species. Not go for the lazy attempt in placing humans on a futuristic Earth that so happens to be on another planet.

 

[SuperDaniel]

I liked a lot because it gives the Kents and Earth much more importance. Because he was raised here, he gained the ability to feel, have emotions, be human and that`s why Superman is so special.

The great irony is that Superman is the most human and caring person ever and he is an alien...

 

[Catman]

It's a magical world where ....

- Both the Kents are alive

- Lex is a self-made corrupt corperate tycoon from the suicide slums

- Kal-El was send to earth via the birthing matrix

- Superman's powers are majorly toned down

- Clark Kent is less of a caricature

Sounds like. . .

[YT]u1ZVRm1KcZY[/YT]

 

[Nightwing1983]

The John Byrne era really means two things: the period from 1986-1988 when John Byrne actually worked on the books, and the period from 1986-2006 when what he established was the basis for the Superman books.

Man of Tomorrow made a pretty good list of the changes made--though he may be overstating how much he toned his powers down--but the biggest difference in his actual work--along with Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordways work in The Adventures of Superman which ran parallel to Byrne's books--was that they went in a more three-dimensional way of portraying Superman. Not only that, but the importance of Krypton was played down--in the revised origin, he didn't know he was from Krypton until his late twenties, well after he became Superman--and for the span of Byrne's run on the book, Krypton-centric stories were few and far between.

In addition, Clark Kent was considered the "real" identity of Superman, whereas Superman was a disguise. This--to many--made him a more three-dimensional character. His villains were largely revamped to varrying levels of (Metallo got better, Brainiac became lamer IMHO), and new characters like Cat Grant, José Delgado and Maggie Sawyer were introduced to beef up his supporting cast.

Byrne's swansong was the three-part "Supergirl Saga," in which Superman was fored to kill General Zod and his co****ts (albiet, in an alternate dimension). This lead to a fan debate that still goes on today.

After Byrne left, Krypton gained more of an importance in Superman and space-based stories happened more. The introduction of the Eradicator following the Exile storyline is a prime example as a new Fortress of Solitude was introduced in 1991. This leads into the death storyline... buuuut dinner's gettin' cold.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

Byrne's run is absolutely amazing! No words for how much I love it... IMO it beats the tar out of BIRTHRIGHT because BIRTHRIGHT BRINGS IN ELEMENTS OF SMALLVILLE & we can all agree that Supes & Lex are arch enemies and the idea of them growing up together is BULL S***. The 80's were a better time for books anyway because it seems like nowadays everything is very convoluted and I think Byrne took Supes back to basics without too much SCI-FI and as much realism as you could have with a super powered alien being.

glad they are doing this!

 

[Lighthouse]

Actually, Byrne's Superman wasn't all that weak. In the very first issue of "Superman, the Man of Steel" he was able to disrupt forces of nature, lift ships and support bridges and buildings. He was pretty strong, even in that period. The thing about Byrne and his version of Superman was that he tried to explain why Superman was able to do some of the things he did. For instance, the use of tactile telekinesis to lift heavy objects while flying or a bioelectric force field that makes him invulnerable. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't all that crazy about his ideas, but at least the man tried to explain them. That was a whole lot more than what was done during the Silver Age.

I think people mix up being "weak" with "not being as strong as the previous Superman". Byrne's Superman certainly wasn't weak, but pre-crisis Superman could practically play billards with planets, and Byrne just brought down to better level.

 

[Mr. Earle]

Basically, Krypton is a very genetic advanced civilation, people don`t have sex or even get in contact with other kryptonians. They progressed so much over disease and all the problems that people live a lot of years. When a kryptonian dies, usuallly a male and a female are chosen to breed a kryptonian child without having never even met. They`re selected because they`re the best available. The infants are born into a gestation chamber. Lara and Jor-el are chosen to breed the new kryptonian child, Kal-el because people are dying over kryptonite exposure, called the plague, the radioactive fusion of elements in the instable core of Krypton.

But the thing is that Jor-el sees Lara and falls in love with her. So, once he discovers Krypton is going to explode, he take the fetus of Kal-el out of the gestation chamber, attaches a hyperdrive propulsor in it and launches into space, while saying i love you to lara.

It is much more complex than that, there`s a whole history with cloning and all that. It`s fascinating, IMO. I like it a lot because it feels very different from Earth.

Read World of Krypton written by John Byrne to know about all the details.

Thanks for the info.

I hate it! Its so... cold and impersonal... Clark's origin is all about love and this doesnt seem right.