Yes, Jim. I agree that Byrne thought he could do it all. And for a while, he actually COULD.
His first few years on FF (1981-1984, issues 232-275 or so) were phenomenally good reading. As I recall, it was the second highest selling book through most of those years, and deservedly so. Script, art, and a good mix of both nostalgia and originality, I thought it was a great series.
But as many here have stated, it finally went to Byrne's head.

I recall Claremont had a science fiction novel called First Flight that came out around 1986 or so.
And then right after, Byrne had a science fiction book come out as well.

Byrne really was trying to do it all. Although there has been a long-standing hostility and bitter rivalry between Byrne and Claremont, that I thought motivated Byrne to also pursue novels, when Claremont got published. I wonder if Byrne and Claremont would have both ventured into novels, if not for their competition.
Both Byrne and Claremont demonstrated egotism that beyond a certain point ruined their previously outstanding work. And both declined at about the same time, the 1986-1988 period.
(I like the idea voiced above for a similar "what went wrong" topic for Claremont. )

~


[url=http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=30663729872%20232%20NEWSSTAND]http://fullsize.232



Here's the second part of a Byrne checklist I concocted, expanding on the one above:


______________________________________________

*********** Marvel, 1980-1986, the peak years ********

ALPHA FLIGHT
1 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 8/1983
2 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 9/1983
3 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 10/1983
4 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 11/1983
5 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 12/1983
6 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 1/1984
7 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 2/1984
8 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 3/1984
9 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 4/1984
10 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 5/1984
11 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 6/1984
12 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 7/1984
13 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 8/1984
14 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 9/1984
15 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 10/1984
16 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 11/1984
17 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 12/1984
18 (Byrne story, p and i) 22p 1/1985
19 (Byrne story & p, Keith Williams i) 22p 2/1985
20 (Byrne story & p, Keith Williams i) 22p 3/1985
21 (Byrne story & p, Wiacek i) 22p 4/1985
22 (Byrne story & p, Wiacek i) 22p 5/1985
23 (Byrne story & p, Wiacek/Williams i) 22p 6/1985
24 (Byrne story & p, Wiacek i) 22p 7/1985
25 (Byrne story & p, Wiacek i) 22p 8/1985
26 (Byrne story & p, Wiacek i) 22p 9/1985
27 (Byrne story & p, Keith Williams i) 22p 10/1985
28 (Byrne story & p, Keith Williams i) 22p 11/1985

AMAZING SPIDERMAN
206 (Gene Day inks) 7/1980 17p

AVENGERS
233 (Sinnott) 7/1983 22p
234 (Sinnott) 8/1983 22p

BIZARRE ADVENTURES
31 Violence theme issue (2 page story) 4/1982

CAPTAIN AMERICA
247 (Rubinstein)17p 7/1980
248 (Rubinstein)17p 8/1980
249 (Rubinstein)17p 9/1980
250 (Rubinstein)17p 10/1980
251 (Rubinstein)22p 11/1980
252 (Rubinstein)22p 12/1980
253 (Rubinstein)22p 1/1981
254 (Rubinstein)22p 2/1981
255 (Rubinstein)22p 3/1981

DOOMSDAY SQUAD (reprints DOOMSDAY PLUS ONE, with better printing) by FANTAGRAPHICS
1(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 8/1986
2(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 9/1986
3(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 10/1986
4(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 11/1986
5(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 1/1987
6(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 4/1987
7(Byrne pencils and inks) 23p 6/1987 --previously unpublished 7th issue


EPIC ILLUSTRATED
26 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 10/1984
27 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 12/ 1984
28 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 2/1985
29 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 4/1985
30 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 6/1985
31 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 8/1985
32 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 10/1985
33 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 12p 12/1985
34 (Byrne s and p/ Austin i ) 6p 2/1986

FANTASTIC FOUR
220 (Sinnott) 17p 7/1980
221 (Sinnott) 17p 8/1980

232 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 7/1981
233 ( Byrne s, p and i )22p 8/1981
234 ( Byrne s, p and i )22p 9/1981
235 ( Byrne s, p and i) 22p 10/1981
236 ( Byrne s, p and i)40p 11/1981
237 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 12/1981
238 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 1/1982
239 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 2/1982
240 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 3/1982
241 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 4/1982
242 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 5/1982
243 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 6/1982
244 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 7/1982
245 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 8/1982
246 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 9/1982
247 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 10/1982
248 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 11/1982
249 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 12/1982
250 ( Byrne s, p and i)38p 1/1983
251 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 2/1983
252 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 3/1983
253 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 4/1983
254 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 5/1983
255 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 6/1983
256 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 7/1983
257 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 8/1983
258 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 9/1983
259 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 10/1983
260 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 11/1983
261 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 12/1983
262 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 1/1984
263 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 2/1984
264 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 3/1984
265 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 4/1984
266 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 5/1984
267 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 6/1984
268 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 7/1984
269 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 8/1984
270 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 9/1984
271 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 10/1984
272 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 11/1984
273 ( Byrne s, p and i)22p 12/1984
274 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 1/1985
275 ( Byrne s, p /Gordon i)22p 2/1985
276 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 3/1985
277 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 4/1985
278 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 5/1985
279 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 6/1985
280 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 7/1985
281 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 8/1985
282 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 9/1985
283 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 10/1985
284 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 11/1985
285 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 12/1985
286 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 1/1986
287 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 2/1986
288 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 3/1986
289 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 4/1986
290 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 5/1986
291 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 6/1986
292 ( Byrne s, p / Gordon i )22p 7/1986
293 ( Byrne s, p , and i )22p 8/1986

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL
17 (Byrne s, p, and i) 38p 1983
19 (Byrne s, p and i)35p 1985

FANTASTIC FOUR ROAST
(6 pages by Byrne, artist jam, with other pages by Golden, Sienkiewicz, Buscema, Brent Anderson,
Romita Jr, Layton, Fred Hembeck, and the rest of the entire Marvel Bullpen at that time) 4/1982

FURTHER ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES
1 (Byrne s, p, Austin i ) 1/1983
2 (Byrne s, p, Austin i ) 2/1983

INCREDIBLE HULK
314 (Byrne script, p /Gordon i)22p 12/1985
315 (Byrne script, p /Gordon i)22p 1/1986
316 (Byrne script, p /Gordon i)22p 2/1986
317 (Byrne script, p /Gordon i)22p 3/1986
318 (Byrne script, p /Gordon i)22p 4/1986

MARVEL FANFARE
1 (two-page poster) 3/1982
29 (Byrne s, p and i)22p 11/1986
48 12/1989

MARVEL TEAM-UP
100 (Mcleod i)10p 12/1980

MARVEL TWO-IN ONE
100 (Byrne scripts,Ron Wilson/Sinnot art) 22p 6/1983
continues in THE THING, issues 1-36

ROG 2000 (reprint of Charleton material by Pacific Comics)
1 reprints (Byrne p and inks on all 5 stories)28p 7/1982, b & w magazine

ROG 2000
1 reprints, in color (Byrne p and inks) 1987
2 reprints, in color (Byrne p and inks) 1987


SHE HULK (Marvel graphic novel # 18)
(Byrne s, p and i ) 64p 1985

SPECTACULAR SPIDERMAN (PETER PARKER...)
58 (Colletta) 17p 9/1981

STARLORD:THE SPECIAL EDITION
1 (reprints MARVEL PREMIERE 11)51p 2/1982

UNTOLD LEGEND OF THE BATMAN (for DC)
1 (Aparo i)22p 7/1980
2 (Aparo i)22p 8/1980
3 (Aparo i)22p 9/1980

UNCANNY X-MEN
136 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)17p 8/1980
137 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)35p 9/1980
138 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)18p 10/1980
139 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)22p 11/1980
140 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)22p 12/1980
141 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)22p 1/1981
142 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)22p 2/1981
143 (Claremont s, Byrne p/Austin i)22p 3/1981

WHAT IF
36 (Byrne s, p, and i)20p 12/1982
What if FF had not gained their powers?




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If there's any titles I missed, please feel free to post them.