In the early 1980s, FantaCo published a number of issues of CHRONICLES, a magazine whose each issue was dedicated to a deep dive discussion about a prominent Marvel series. Some of these were authorized by Marvel, though not all of them, and this gave FantaCo access to a lot of material they might not otherwise have had. They did a number of worthwhile interviews with creators past and present that were relatively meaty for the era. And while the piece I’m sharing today isn’t quite an interview, it does share some of that same DNA.
After having become something of a fandom darling during his years illustrating UNCANNY X-MEN, John Byrne’s popularity only increased after he left the mighty mutants behind and segued over to both writing and illustrating FANTASTIC FOUR. His is a seminal run, often considered second only to that of the strip’s originators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. For FANTACO CHRONICLES #2, Byrne penned a recollection of his personal history with the title and the characters, to help provide some insight into what he was doing on the series and, more importantly, why he was doing it. It’s a really good piece combining nostalgia with a statement of objectives, and it remains memorable to this day.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 