Wonder Woman #18 - "Fury IV" (2025)

The comics world lost a beloved talent this month. Artist Mitch Byrd died on July 21, 2026, at age 63 after battling a recent illness.

Byrd's career began with the independent title Cat and Mouse, a collaboration with writer Roland Mann and inker Steven Butler. From there, he found work at Malibu Comics before landing at DC, where he drew Darkstars and co-created Buck Wargo and the Monster Hunters, Sledge, the New Blood, Nightblade, and the alien race of Vuldarians—along with designing Guy Gardner's Warrior look.

It was his mid-90s run on Guy Gardner: Warrior that cemented his legacy, and remains a fan favorite (mine included). Teaming with writer Beau Smith and inker Dan Davis, Byrd brought his take to JSA-related characters like Green Lantern Alan Scott, The Ray, Extant, and General Glory. He also drew the memorable issue of Starman Annual #2. His art was dynamic yet grounded, earning him deep respect not just from readers but from his fellow creators in the industry.

After leaving DC, Byrd kept busy across the industry, taking on projects for Marvel, Dark Horse, Chaos Comics, and Valiant, including Predator: Strange Roux. When the comics market shrank in the late '90s, he adapted by branching into illustration, game art, and design, all while keeping his independent comics work alive.

Convention-goers knew Byrd as a true "artist's artist," someone who commanded respect from peers for his craft. He had a soft spot for drawing dinosaurs, which inspired art collections like Mitch Byrd: Women, Dinosaurs Sketchbook Vol. 1. His final published work appeared in the Mississippi-based horror anthology Mississippi Macabre.

Byrd stayed rooted in the Gulf Coast comics scene throughout his career, often sketching alongside his friend Steven Butler at Three Alarm Comics in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The crux of the question whenever you're asking a question like this is, controversial to WHOM.

(A thumbnail image of Owlwoman from her appearance on the Global Guardians' original membership poster)

Owlwoman certainly wasn't controversial to the Global Guardians when she joined their ranks. In order to be inducted as a Guardian you have to be sponsored by one of the team's existing members and be approved by a simple majority of that same membership after having been put forth as a candidate by your home nation. But how can this be? Certainly the United States wouldn't have chosen an obscure Native American heroine from rural Oklahoma when they could have appointed a much more prominent, much more "moderate" choice? Well that's the trick. Owlwoman wasn't put forth by the American government, in fact the American Congress has NEVER put forth ANY claims for membership to the Global Guardians. No, in fact Owlwoman was nominated by the Tribal Council of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Which under the written letter of the Guardians' charter is entirely allowed. The Cherokee Nation are a national entity with recognized powers of sovereignty and a mandate from the public to act in their interests and Owlwoman accepted the nomination officially. She was sponsored directly by Dr. Mist for membership and received unanimous approval for the team, the only hero to have received either honor in the group's storied history.

Was her choice controversial with the rest of the American superhero community? Certainly not. Most of the core makeup of the Justice League have made it clear that they do not work directly for or from any government institution and in fact multiple "American" superheroes like Superman or Wonder Woman have spoken about the fact that they do not consider themselves beholden to America in specific. Superman said to the press that if nominated for Guardian's membership, he would turn the nomination down as he feels the gravity of his presence would be destabilizing to the team as a whole.

Personally Owlwoman is a trusted member of the superhero community. While her public presence is limited (as of writing she only has about 9000 followers on Twitter and less than half that on Instagram) she is seen as the direct link between the American superhero community and the Global Guardians, a link that places supreme importance upon her as a mark for other American heroes to follow when they travel abroad.

Was her acceptance controversial with the American establishment? Not really? The American establishment doesn't care about the Guardians to begin with and its not like Congress or the President is going to issue some official protest to an American citizen being unanimously accepted among their ranks unless they wanted to make it really, really textual that their problem with her was her ethnicity.

point down on Orion for overreacting.

I didn't end up snipping a lot of panels or assigning many points, but "Glory Bound" was a very good storyline. Really neat to see Guy placed in a position of earnestness and vulnerability, and General Glory himself is used as much less of a gag character than I'd have thought.

Point up to Kilowog for being a good friend.

Fashion point for Bea.

fashion point for Kilowog! (and for G'Nort since he summoned the clothes.)

Kilowog earns a sympathy point for having to deal with space racism (spacism?)

point up to J'onn for having enough of Guy's shit.