Marvel Spotlight and Iron Fist

Mention The Uncanny X-Men and the name John Byrne is sure to pop up.

After all, he and writer Chris Claremont created some of the best string of X-Men stories ever seen in comic books.

Their combined talents introduced elements to the X-Men mythos and Marvel Universe that still reverberate today.

But, did you know that John actually drew the X-Men before he became the artist of The Uncanny X-Men?

Before John became a household name and megastar penciller he worked on several second-tier titles for Marvel Comics.

Iron Fist was one such title.

In the title’s 15th issue John had the opportunity to draw the X-Men facing off against Iron Fist.

It’s a real kick getting to see John tackle the X-Men.  It’s easy to see why he would soon be assigned the penciling chores on the X-Men when artist Dave Cockrum left the title.

Another future superstar artist was also testing his penciling skills on various Marvel titles.

Artist Frank Miller provided the pencils for Marvel Spotlight On Captain Marvel issue #8.  Assisting him was inker Bruce Patterson and writer Mike W. Barr.

Take a close look and you can spot Miller’s characteristic page layouts, unique pencils and knack for telling a story.

Both Iron Fist #15 and Marvel Spotlight #8 deserve to be collectors’ items as they showcase the early artwork of two industry giants.