I read early New Mutants exclusively for Bill S's art. After he stopped drawing the interior art, I became less interested, and only kept reading as the stories intertwined with the X-Men.

I hated Bill S when he did the New Mutants, until something else educated me in the Sienkiewicz love. And then I went back and marvelled.

until something else educated me in the Sienkiewicz love.

The Elektra miniseries?

The Elektra miniseries?

I think I read Stray Toasters before Elektra. That may have been it.

Yeah, if Stray Toasters doesn't do it, then nothing will.

Except maybe the bit in, I think, Wolverine/Havok where Wolvie's healing factor has decided his adamantium is bad and needs to go, and Wolvie finally makes it stop by shoving his own claws into his brain, and Bill drew all the little healing cells freaking out and charging en masse to the brain.

Yeah, that sentence was maybe a little run-on.

Except maybe the bit in, I think, Wolverine/Havok where Wolvie's healing factor has decided his adamantium is bad and needs to go, and Wolvie finally makes it stop by shoving his own claws into his brain, and Bill drew all the little healing cells freaking out and charging en masse to the brain.

I thought the Wolverine/Havok was someone else doing a big-time Bill S. forgery? Is that the four issue thing, or was there something else?

I think the first thing that caught my attention was his Daredevil one-off that a friend loaned me along with Frank Miller's Daredevil TPB. Then I read Elektra Assassain and I was hooked. But having already been a Steadman/Scarfe fan at that point, not much of a surprise.

I thought the Wolverine/Havok was someone else doing a big-time Bill S. forgery? Is that the four issue thing, or was there something else?

If you're talking about Meltdown, JJ Muth is not doing a forgery. Maybe an homage, maybe. But he's painted like that a while.

eta: I hated Steadman for a long time (he still distresses me), so my Sienkiewicz love surprises me.

If you're talking about Meltdown, JJ Muth is not doing a forgery. Maybe an homage, maybe. But he's painted like that a while.

Yeah, that was snarkier than intended, and "imitation Bill S." wouldn't have been any better. It was just how I felt about it at the time (not knowing Muth's prior work), though I thought the series itself was quite enjoyable. I'd just become a Bill S. fan, so that had a lot to do with it.

Yeah, maybe it was Meltdown. I guess that wasn't Bill S. It's all running together in my head, and now I'm trying to find confirmation, by checking credits.

I have to say, Bill S's personal web site? While gorgeous, it's NO HELP AT ALL.

I hated Steadman for a long time (he still distresses me)

I think this is an entirely valid response, as I think distress is one of the emotions he's trying to conjure.