John needs not a whit of introduction, I would only embarrass myself stacking up the descriptors in front of his name. Similarly, you all know Roger Stern, Writer, Educator and bonne vivant! But I know him as a “writer’s writer” – here’s why: when B&W Mag Editor Lynn Graham asked Roger for a Playboy Magazine spoof letters column [for that Howard the Duck Playduck issue—I-read-Playboy-for-the-jazz-articles-Brown], I watched him sit down with a Playboy open in front of him and start to type. Within 30 minutes he had it—go find it and see for yourself. So, no; Rog doesn’t really need much of an intro either.

But John’s visits to the office were rather rare. For example, one time I caught him lurking outside Editor in Chief Jim Shooter’s office, he had lost a lot of weight and was wearing a suit and tie. I gave him the wide berth such madness in the Marvel editorial offices deserve. I later learned that he was in for a contract negotiation. It was very strange to see him in a suit. But he looked sharp and that is half the battle. Shooter always wore a white shirt with a simple tie. Never a jacket but often a button-front cardigan. So, for this battle of negotiating wits, advantage Byrne…

Considering how often John has been interviewed over the several decades of his career, I can add very little of a comic-oriented sort to it.

But! I can tell you three highly personal things… John Byrne is the only man I ever heard launch into a perfect – and in tune – rendition of Why Can’t A Woman Be More Like A Man from My Fair Lady.

Do I really need to introduce Mark Gruenwald? This was when he was Assistant Editor to Tom DeFalco, who would normally be where Roger is sitting, borrowing a phone. (Rog still had his own office at this point.)

John’s best demonstration of his comedic timing is aligned with his oft-used quip: if someone says, to walk this way, he instantly rejoins, “If I could walk that way, I wouldn’t need talcum powder!” And then scampers sideways for a couple of steps.

Finally, my good readers, John wears a style of eyeglasses that have the approximate power of one of those give-away magnifying glasses that come with the Condensed Oxford English Dictionary. His eyes are shrunk down to a mere John-Byrne-like sketch of eye shapes. But if you ever catch him without his glasses on… he has the most beautiful blue eyes.