Feeling the Byrne

When I was younger, I was a huge John Byrne fan. I loved his art on X-Men, I loved his Alpha Flight and his run on Fantastic Four, and other comics work. He’s turned out to be pretty problematic, but I think he did two really great things in comics.

One was rebooting Lex Luthor from an over-the-top, fairly ludicrous Mad Scientist into a narcissistic capitalist billionaire. That Lex Luthor makes a much more compelling and interesting enemy for Superman, a perfect foil for the Kansas farm-raised immigrant turned selfless protector of the exploited. At this point, it’s difficult to imagine Luthor as anyone other than ruthless rich guy.

The other was in Alpha Flight (Canada’s one and only superhero team!), when Marvel Comics editors told him he wasn’t allowed to say that team member Northstar, one of the characters he created, was gay. In response, he queercoded Northstar, dropping in bits of dialogue and exposition that went over my head in my teens, but rereading them as an adult they clearly pointed to Northstar not just growing up gay but growing up lonely and confused, a gay mutant who grew up in a society that didn’t support or approve of either identity. It added depth and facets to the character that wasn’t allowed by the powers that be to be openly gay until the ’90s.

I have to give credit where credit is due, he’s done some really good, iconic work in comics, but even better, he did some things that have continued to resonate in significant ways. For that, I appreciate him.