Quote Originally Posted by Le Messor View Post
I find Byrne's work on AF and X-Men to feel far more real to me than anybody's work on the titles before or since. (Okay, there's no 'before' on AF.) It's more fun and natural than... well, most other comics period. Than any of the new age of 'realism' we've got to deal with, than any of that dark garbage that people rave about so much.
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Back in the early 2000's it was particularly annoying whenever I wished the writing of the 70's and 80's would return to have posters suggest kiddie comics may be more my speed, only to then have them swoon over supposed "mature" comics that read like teen fanfic. Having swearing and sex in a book may make it mature reading, but not necessarily mature writing.
Byrne (and a few other writers of the time), however, was able to present stories that conformed to the comics code, but still included adult situations that dealt with sensitive, deep topics. They were good reading that conveyed complex ideas that weren't dumbed down to make it past the code. In fact the code forced the writers to up their game in my opinion.