JOHN BYRNE'S FANTASTIC FOUR COVER GALLERY - PART SEVEN...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Well, okay - mainly JOHN BYRNE's FF cover gallery.  There are a few by other artists here also, just to round up the numbers and see JB's dangling plot threads 'tied up' in the Anniversary issue.  Though, having said that, his ideas for issue #296 seem to have been jettisoned by plotter JIM SHOOTER when Byrne-Boy jumped ship over to DC COMICS.  It's a shame that he didn't get to finish the run, as going by an interview given in 1986, his proposed plans for the issue sounded quite spectacular.  What we ended up with was something far less than that, despite Mr. MARVEL himself, STAN LEE, scripting the entire mag.  I'd love to see a Byrne special issue, wherein he's allowed to produce #296 the way he'd originally planned.

Anyway, here endeth the series of John Byrne FF cover galleries.  Be sure to check out the extra bonus section at the foot of the post.

Cover art by Jerry Ordway

Cover art by Jerry Ordway

Cover art by Barry Windsor Smith

Back cover art by John Buscema & Joe Sinnott

Cover art by Kerry Gammill & Joe Sinnott

EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS SECTION...

Back in 1984, the very first FF Annual was reprinted in a special edition, with a new five-page section written and drawn by Byrne, replacing (and expanding on) page 18 by LEE, KIRBY & AYERS.  Sporting a new wraparound cover by JB, the mag also included five new retro-style pin-ups, which are included here for you to 'Marvel' at.  

The PHANTOM VIKING - PART TWO Of LION ANNUAL 1968...

Copyright relevant owner

Just who did they think they were kidding?  The PHANTOM VIKING, who first appeared in CHAMPION in 1966, was obviously a stand-in for MARVEL's The MIGHTY THOR.  When Champion folded, the wing-helmeted wonder (Vikey, not Thor) moved over to LION when the two comics merged in June of '66, and appeared there until '68.

The Phantom Viking had super-strength and the power of flight when he donned the helmet of his ancestor, LARSEN The LIBERATOR, but if the helmet fell off or the south wind blew, he returned to his frail mortal identity of OLAF LARSEN, meek and mild school teacher at WOODBURN SCHOOL.

Thor would've kicked sand in Vikey's face and left him sobbing on the beach, but the strip was a bold attempt to imitate the thunder god and avoid paying the copyright fee, even if such a blatant rip-off was a poor second for the real thing.  So, let's give Olaf a hearty cheer as we wave him on his way; he was no DON BLAKE (then again, neither was Don), but at least he did his best for the two years his strip managed to run.

Don't miss part three - coming whenever I'm stuck for anything better to write about.

PART SIX - DOUBLE HELPINGS Of JOHNNY FUTURE...

Copyright REBELLION

Why prolong an agony of waiting by serving up only one helping at a time of FANTASTIC's JOHNNY FUTURE, when I can give you double helpings in a single post?  Why deprive you of the awesomeness of the mighty LUIS BERMEJO's impressive illustrations for a moment longer than is necessary, when you're clearly pining for your POWER PACK fix?  I'm nothing if not generous (and modest with it), so here, just for you, are six-and-a-half palpitating pages of action and adventure!

(And, just to give you a taste of the era, I've thrown in a bonus ad showing you three of the Annuals available in 1967 for '68.)