Anyone know John Byrne's opinion on AF?

[syvalois]

He created a character called Snowbird for his college newspaper strip. 

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/snowbir2.htm

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/snobird3.htm

Cool :P

[Big Boss]

yeah, I guess I should have followed the link from another thread to JB's site.

Seems he didn't care for AF, and really doesn't care about what happens to it.

- pjc

Now THAT is just a real shame. He doesn't even care for his own creation, despite how original it is and that it can't be duplicated. I think he's making a mistake, going around like that.

[DelBubs]

Now THAT is just a real shame. He doesn't even care for his own creation, despite how original it is and that it can't be duplicated. I think he's making a mistake, going around like that.

Found this while wandering aimlessly around the net, it's from Sequential Tart 1999

ST: During your run on Alpha Flight, you rather controversially killed off The Guardian — what made you take that decision?
JB: He was the least interesting character, but his death generated the most interesting storyline. Ruthless mechanics!

I'm not trying to generate a 'let's rip into Byrne session', just wanna find out if people think Byrne was right about Mac. Personally I kinda agree with him, on the whole, weighing up the good and bad, Mac was/is a pretty boring character. A very two dimensional Reed Richards rip off.

[Powersurge]

I don't agree; either with Byrne killing off Mac or that he is a Reed Richards rip-off. Mac's inventive intellect never defined him, and his relationship with Heather was, ummmm, "socially irregular", if nevertheless legally permissable by Canadian standards. He was/is a fairly unique dude overall.

Also, it was with Mac's death in issue 12 of volume 1 that I began to lose interest in the the title. Then with the "death" of Sasquatch and turning Walt into Box, well, all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't stick around to see him become Wanda, which would've killed ME, irrevocably. No rebirth next issue, or next volume, or next incanrantion of the mainstream universe.

You can't just kill off guys like Mac and Sasq. Thats almost like killing Wolvie. These guys define Marvel Canada ... they put Canada on the Marvel Universe map, and without them, the interest would never have existed to begin with.

I did like the Omega Flight story arc, but it would have been better if Mac had just survived. Less interesting characters could have been killed, eg. Puck, Marrina, Snowbird, Shaman. And then, worst case scenario, they would have been replaced by other equally less interesting characters who would nevertheless have been "new", and wouldn't have been witlessly replacing proven icons.

[seroquel]

maybe the fact that he wasn't crazy about these characters is why the stories tended to be good. i think in a lot of comics you feel too much what the writers preferences are, and the stories go off in crazy, unfeasible directions.

and his run on AF, for me anyway, was really good because he was ruthless and did kill of mac. he designed mac to be really liked so he could write a story about how he died.

however i do agree that it is bad to think of AF as a place where people go to die. but in the early 80s that was a pretty big deal. where as now we are used to it from x-statix and every other book.

oh yeah, keep being passionate about AF everybody. i think its awesome!

[cmdrkoenig67]

Now THAT is just a real shame. He doesn't even care for his own creation, despite how original it is and that it can't be duplicated. I think he's making a mistake, going around like that.

Found this while wandering aimlessly around the net, it's from Sequential Tart 1999

ST: During your run on Alpha Flight, you rather controversially killed off The Guardian — what made you take that decision?
JB: He was the least interesting character, but his death generated the most interesting storyline. Ruthless mechanics!

I'm not trying to generate a 'let's rip into Byrne session', just wanna find out if people think Byrne was right about Mac. Personally I kinda agree with him, on the whole, weighing up the good and bad, Mac was/is a pretty boring character. A very two dimensional Reed Richards rip off.

I agree with you(and Byrne) on this thought, Del...I always thought Mac was on the far boring side as characters go. however, I don't see him as a straight Reed Richards swipe...he seems to be more of a Reed/Tony Stark amalgamation to me.

Dana

[DelBubs]

I can't really see much of Stark in Mac. Stark was initially a self serving person, trying to make money from war and only building the armour to save himself. Reed and mac both did what they did out of a sense of bettering life for all. I suppose both Mac and Reed are people to look up to and admire for the way they are willing to sacrifice themselves for some greater good, but it does make for a boring character IMHO.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I only meant Mac is like Tony in the making of high-tech armor for himself....that was my only comparison...hence I said an amalgamation of the two(he and Reed). I apologize if my meaning wasn't clear enough.

Dana

[DelBubs]

No apology needed Dana. i can see the connection between Mac and Stark when it comes to the armour. However I guess I was trying to get across that they are totally different characters, whereas I see a lot of similarities between mac and Reed. They have both almost sacrificed the love of a wonderful woman in their pursuit of helping others.

To be honest, I can't really recall a situation where mac has given full reign to his emotions, every reaction he has shown seems to have been a measured one. Unlike Shrek, Mac doesn't seem to have layers.

[syvalois]

Unlike Shrek, Mac doesn't seem to have layers.

Shrek ? euh, hummm, ok. Anyway Mac could be seen as a mixed of spider-man Stark and Reed. Reed always had fun to do the superstuff, the reluctant hero is spider-man and Mac was certainly an reluctant hero.

I did like the Omega Flight story arc, but it would have been better if Mac had just survived. Less interesting characters could have been killed, eg. Puck, Marrina, Snowbird, Shaman.

I totally disagree with you. Puck, Marrina, Snowbird, Shaman are very interesting characters and some might say a lot more interesting than Mac. I never really was found of Mac maybe because I knew he was dead before reading #12 or maybe not. But even if Mac death maybe killed the longivity, the unity of an AF serie, I don't care. That issue was so good but most of all the repercussion, when we followed Heather was one of the best comic death aftermath I've ever seen. So, if you thought Mac was boring or not is not important, it's the repercussion of his death that was interesting and no other character could have generate that kind of feeling.

No?

[DelBubs]

I agree that the repercussions of Macs death made for more interesting stories. However given that Byrne had never intended to go past #12 anyways, it would suggest that his original intent was to get rid of his least interesting character.

That said, was there anyway Mac could have become interesting given his depiction by Byrne, in his early appearences?

[Powersurge]

That said, was there anyway Mac could have become interesting given his depiction by Byrne, in his early appearences?

I would say that the number of people who prefer to see Mac alive and well is an adequette answer to that.

[kozzi24]

That said, was there anyway Mac could have become interesting given his depiction by Byrne, in his early appearences?

I would say that the number of people who prefer to see Mac alive and well is an adequette answer to that.

Many of those who prefer Mac have come across to me as people who hate change in comics, and, worse, sexist: some of the people in "my" shop who prefer Mac over Heather are also one who didn't like Wasp's chair of the Avengers. They seem to think Men should lead the teams.
I don't know about outright interesting, but Mac was never explored...parents, siblings? We know Heather came from a large family and was somewhat alienated from them, but I don't recall ANY real mention of Mac's family. Were his parents dead, or was there untold stories there. Has Heather ever even met her in-laws?

[DelBubs]

I was hoping to convey the question of whether Byrne could have actually made Mac an interesting character, given the restrictions he put on any character developemet by his early writing of Mac.

I would say that the number of people who prefer to see Mac alive and well is an adequette answer to that.

You would think that reader support would be an indication as to how good a character is, but we have the example of Wolverine, which would seem to negate your arguement

[Powersurge]

Many of those who prefer Mac have come across to me as people who hate change in comics, and, worse, sexist: some of the people in "my" shop who prefer Mac over Heather are also one who didn't like Wasp's chair of the Avengers. They seem to think Men should lead the teams.

woudl these people be racists who beat their children too?!?!?

I've never met anyone who prefered a living Mac who had major problems with change, in or out of comics, or who were sexist.

For shame ...