Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Hey, did'ja ever wonder what the first full-length color comic John Byrne ever wrote and drew was? Well, wonder no more! Not only did Byrne write and draw Space: 1999 #6's feature story, but he lettered it and (sorta) appeared in it, as well. And if that weren't enough, he wrote and illustrated the text story for the issue! While he blew us all away with comics like this back in the Groovy Age, we had no idea how far the ol' boy was gonna go--we just knew he was gonna go far! (Who says Ol' Groove can't get all philosophical?) From June, 1976, here are "Flotsam" and "The Presence!"
Hey Groovy, thanks for this - it is an absolute treat. John Byrne is probably my favorite comic book artist, and I love seeing his early Charlton work (i.e. Rog2000, Doomsday...)
ReplyDeleteI may have had this issue at one point. I do remember buying Space 1999 off and on.....one of several Charlton publications I would occasionally pick up. I also remember that this was my first exposure to Byrne's work.....Charlton was a fun company...
ReplyDeletePages twelve and thirteen are out of order -- the names are correct, they're just appearing out of sequence in this post.
ReplyDeleteI got this one new off the stands and it was an utter delight. I'm not the biggest fan of John Byrne these days -- to say the least! -- but it's good to be reminded every so often that there was a time he was a genuinely innovative storyteller, and the most exciting new talent of the day. This issue totally stands up all these years later, even with the overly cute self-insertion and the shameless Larry Niven homage.
Glad you dug this look at classic Byrne, guys. The energy just bursts from those pages (which are now in correct order, thank you so much, RAB). More classic Byrne to come!
ReplyDeleteHey, it's Gravity! Sort-of.
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