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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 22, 2014 7:21:46 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of John Byrne as a creator, but his antics, comments and overall message board persona amuses me to no end. For me, that's the way to deal with Byrne; people get angry at the guy but don't realize how unintentionally hilarious he can be. Case in point: "I once wrote a letter to Maltin. I noticed in one of his reviews (don't recall the movie) he referred to it rating "slight above BOMB," yet the little graphic was a star with a 1/2 next to it. Sort of like this:
*1/2
I wrote to say that read to me as "star and a half," which would be quite a bit above BOMB. I received a response, but whoever wrote it (it was signed by Maltin) clearly missed my point, and explained to me that *1/2 meant half a star. I wrote back saying I understood what it was SUPPOSED to mean, but in English, where we read left to right, it really didn't say that. 1/2* would be closer.
I received no response to the second letter."Byrne Forum Leonard Maltin Thread(I'm Robert White on his forum, by the way. Also, I hope this thread is understood to be of a satirical bent. I'm a genuine fan of his work and I'm not being mean-spirited.) |
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 22, 2014 8:13:34 GMT -5
He doesn't appear to be a bad person, but he is like Howard Stern and just says what he's thinking. A bit of a baby as well, since he bans anyone who doesn't kiss his ring.
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Daryl
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Post by Daryl on Aug 22, 2014 8:15:23 GMT -5
Way to stick it to the man, Byrn-ie!
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 22, 2014 8:27:19 GMT -5
He doesn't appear to be a bad person, but he is like Howard Stern and just says what he's thinking. A bit of a baby as well, since he bans anyone who doesn't kiss his ring. Your comment made me think of Prince John on Robin Hood when Little John and Robin Hood disguised at fortune tellers "kiss" Prince John's rings and steel the jewels, so I went looking for a picture of it and found this. I wish I had the technical savvy to change the name on it, as it fits your comment. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2014 10:49:59 GMT -5
He's right, of course, about the star business. Half a star should actually be a graphic showing, well, half of a star (or asterisk, or whatever). I've seen that a lot with half-spoons or whatever in restaurant reviews.
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Post by DE Sinclair on Aug 22, 2014 14:22:56 GMT -5
He's right, of course, about the star business. Half a star should actually be a graphic showing, well, half of a star (or asterisk, or whatever). I've seen that a lot with half-spoons or whatever in restaurant reviews. Mr. Byrne is indeed correct. And he is also extremely anal and petty to have written two letters to complain about it. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2014 15:03:40 GMT -5
He's right, of course, about the star business. Half a star should actually be a graphic showing, well, half of a star (or asterisk, or whatever). I've seen that a lot with half-spoons or whatever in restaurant reviews. Mr. Byrne is indeed correct. And he is also extremely anal and petty to have written two letters to complain about it. Probably, but after a decade or so of dealing with newspaper readers (albeit usually by phone, rather than missive) back in Little Rock, I think I'm immune to such things. Compared to the retired schoolteacher who gave me grief over some adjective we used that the dictionary liked just fine (can't remember the word now ... "happier" as opposed to "more happy," or something like that), Byrne -- whom I normally have no patience with whatsoever -- comes off as a prince of a fellow. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 22, 2014 15:34:30 GMT -5
He doesn't appear to be a bad person, I don't believe that anyone is all good or all bad, but there are plenty of folks in the industry who will tell you the guy's a real ****. That being said, everyone's entitled to their opinion  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2014 15:56:13 GMT -5
He doesn't appear to be a bad person, I don't believe that anyone is all good or all bad, but there are plenty of folks in the industry who will tell you the guy's a real ****. Maybe so, but I'll get them some-... Oh. You're talking about Byrne. Never mind. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 23, 2014 0:11:45 GMT -5
Some of the amusing things Byrne has said that struck me as funny:
1. He stopped watching Myth Busters in protest because, in one experiment, they killed some bees. (I respect this, since I do think it's sadistic to just kill living creators...but there was a purpose to this...)
2. He's a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks. (I never commented on this, but this was the only thing I've read on the Byrne Forum that made me strongly consider self-deletion.)
3. I don't know the details, but he seems to have befriended a theater troop. Nothing THAT funny on the surface, but the idea of Byrne getting on stage in stockings and a feathered hat amuses me.
And, for the record, he's not a bad person at all. John Romita Jr. had nothing but nice things to say about him recently, so it's hardly the case that everyone hates him in the industry. I feel that he's more suited to creator owned properties at this poitn, but he probably needs to co-write his material and also would be served better with a solid inker.
My theory, gleaning what I have from his life stories, is that he suffers from single-child syndrome and was spoiled early in life. I suffered from this to an extent, so I can relate. I love playing dime-store psychologist.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 23, 2014 7:27:51 GMT -5
My theory, gleaning what I have from his life stories, is that he suffers from single-child syndrome and was spoiled early in life. I suffered from this to an extent, so I can relate. I love playing dime-store psychologist. That and being told throughout the 1980s that he was the greatest comic creator who ever walked the Earth, I suspect. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 23, 2014 8:55:10 GMT -5
I think he's mellowed a lot over the last few years. He used to enforce his nebulous rules with an iron fist. I suppose his burning rage at the cancellation of X-Men: The Hidden Years had to die down sometime.
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 23, 2014 9:48:47 GMT -5
I like the thread about the Shakespeare authorship thread. Byrne and several other Oxfordians present their best case for the Earl of Oxford and it isn't the least bit convincing.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2014 9:50:48 GMT -5
2. He's a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks. (I never commented on this, but this was the only thing I've read on the Byrne Forum that made me strongly consider self-deletion.) Nothing at all wrong with those guys. "Goodbye Earl," in particular, is a great single. And of course the fact that, unlike any number of other popular artists (especially in their genre), they were willing to rear up on their hind legs & express revulsion & shame at the thuggish, wet-brained moron then illegally occupying the White House is one helluva point in their favor. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 23, 2014 10:38:11 GMT -5
2. He's a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks. (I never commented on this, but this was the only thing I've read on the Byrne Forum that made me strongly consider self-deletion.) Nothing at all wrong with those guys. "Goodbye Earl," in particular, is a great single. And of course the fact that, unlike any number of other popular artists (especially in their genre), they were willing to rear up on their hind legs & express revulsion & shame at the thuggish, wet-brained moron then illegally occupying the White House is one helluva point in their favor. I generally respect your taste in music, Dan, but we'll have to agree to disagree on the merits of the Dixie Chicks. I have a strong bias against most country that's not of the 70's outlaw variety. |
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