What he can't deny is that, for the first 18 months on the FF, he did almost nothing else. His devotion was complete, and his work there the most elaborate he's done, before or after.

I think Batman/Captain America was one of the last "great" things that he's done. In some ways, his layouts have actually improved, but he simply doesn't put the detail in like he used to. One thing that baffles me is how he draws Superman nowadays. It's like he's lost the ability to draw his face and body correctly and he comes off as some odd homage to Golden Age Superman but far too puny. (It absolutely pales in comparison to his Superman work with Kesel.) I don't notice this with other characters from other commission work.

His commissions, I would argue, are at times as good or better than anything he's ever done simply because he takes his time and puts in the effort and detail. Unfortunately, you're never going to see the following in an actual modern Byrne comic:

Look at these beautifully inked pages by Karl Kesel over Byrnes Pencils.





There's some serious detail in these panels.

One of my pet peeves is the exact opposite: overly detailed backgrounds that muddy up the composition.

What really bothers me is when artists forget that varying the level of detail enhances the illusion of depth, and that applying equal detail to everything flattens the image. If it's closer you give it more detail, if it's further away you give it less detail. It's one of the three big rules of perspective (the other two are to makes objects that are further away smaller and duller).

I agree that context is important, but in a different context. In the context of of a story, I think there needs to be one good establishing shot to establish the context of the scene (I'll stop saying context now*). After that the backgrounds aren't as important. Not that I'm suggesting backgroundless comics, but having a meticulously detailed background in every single panel is excessive.

I think the American style of framing is a holdover from the old days. 6, 8 or 9 panel grids with every panel at equal size and paragraphs of captions and dialog meant wide shots were out of the question. As the next generations of cartoonists mostly learned from the older generations they stuck with that sort of framing. Large shots like that also have an effect on the flow of a page. A big huge panel with a meticulously detailed background and a few small figures says a lot, regardless of context (*I lied).

Theres also the simple fact that American comics are made on deadlines and it's easier to draw a face and figure than it is to tightly detail a background. A great artist like Mignola can communicate the same atmosphere with a small close-up on a single environmental feature.

Not all American comics are made on deadlines, and the "American style" of close shots is very prevalent even in independent comics. I can almost tell a European comic at a glance by looking at a page online because of the emphasis on atmosphere and setting as opposed to the emphasis on the main characters. Mainstream comics can have incredibly intricate backgrounds as well, but the main character is never pushed off to the side. He's always front and center, looking right at you.