Favorite Costumes: Jack of Hearts

It's super-busy, it's complicated,

it's over-the-top...and I love it!

Definitely a literal bent on the concept,

this character just massively appeals to me.

I probably more favor the muted tones that came

in later incarnations, but I really dig the whole

larger than life concept of the character.

Maybe this is one of those "don't know why"

loves, but it does it for me.

LOOKING GOOD: Michael Golden's MU

Michael Golden has a beautiful and distinctive eye,
and has done a wide array of comics projects through
the years (including personal faves BATMAN and
MICRONAUTS.)

In the early 1980's he did what was first (I believe)
an in-house ad to depict the current Marvel Universe
at the time (as is periodically done by different talents)

Above is his gorgeous contribution! I'm a particular fan
of this era, and his interpretations of the characters
are fierce and filled with flavor and nuance.

He's done more since then, and the art has been made
into posters and calendar covers, but seeing it for the
first time was amazing!

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Looking Good; John Byrne X-Men

These are some lesser known pieces by John Byrne

featuring his best known characters, the

uncanny X-Men.

The first and third pieces are some beautiful

renderings that Byrne did with the painter Fastner

for one of two portfolios Marvel did back in

the 1980s for the X-Men, and the middle piece

was (IIRC,) from the Fantaco Chronicles'

X-Men issue.

Byrne made great strides in

the promotion of a realistic style of art in the comics,

and certainly had a huge hand in crafting the

more serious edge of the team at the time.